Again, we hear the words. “The Jews.” Again, we see “them” being made responsible for all the evils of the world. Israel was attacked by violent deranged anti-human terrorists, and it continues to be attacked, and the attacker hides behind children and women and institutions of human decency. The attacker, Hamas, has been calling for a genocide of Jews and the destruction of Israel. They have done so officially, historically and currently – most recently, in the New York Times this week.
The Times even can quote Hamas media adviser Taher El-Nounou: “I hope that the state of war with Israel will become permanent on all the borders, and that the Arab world will stand with us.” Hamas politburo member Khalil al-Hayya is quoted as having wanted to “change the entire equation and not just have a clash.” He describes the rationale: “What could change the equation was a great act, and without a doubt, it was known that the reaction to this great act would be big.” The aim is clear: “This battle was not because we wanted fuel or laborers.” […] “It did not seek to improve the situation in Gaza. This battle is to completely overthrow the situation.” (all quotes: New York Times, 11/08/2023)
The rationale? “We succeeded in putting the Palestinian issue back on the table, and now no one in the region is experiencing calm.”
Certainly. To summarize: The deliberate destruction, raping, torturing, beheading, abducting, necro-defiling and killing of innocent civilians (many of whom working for peace and mutual understanding – and to actually help Palestinians and Israelis to work together) was meticulously and sadistically planned in order to provoke a reaction by Israel, which now is forced to strike back and defend against continuous attacks by Hamas (who is shooting out of civilian areas in order to create civilian collateral damage), by Hezbollah and the Houthi rebels, all as part of a coordinated action by Iran and Russia (Hamas representatives met with Putin in September and committed their massacre on Putin’s birthday to distract from the war against Ukraine, to split the West’s attention, to utilize the power of the oldest an vilest of conspiracy theories: antisemitism.
ANY country in the world, given such an attack, would be right in defending itself. ANY country in the world, having been attacked all throughout its existence, would be justified in controlling territory it gained during their defense against an enemy. ANY country in the world would be justified to ask for support after such a horrific massacre. Not Israel, apparently, and this is what antisemitism produces.
Are innocent Palestinians also dying? Yes. But not because Israel wants that to happen. Hamas wants it to happen – which is why it attacked so brutally, killed an international group of innocent people, and now hides (like the cowards they are) behind human shields. The war crimes are on Hamas, the innocent lives lost are on Hamas, the entire war is on Hamas. This is crystal clear.
The lives of Palestinians, especially of children, never mattered to Hamas as their leaders have stolen all the vast sums of aid money meant to build up Gaza into a functioning state. Gaza had received support from all over the world. Israel stopped its occupation. There was every chance to make Gaza into a shining example of Palestinian ingenuity and statecraft – instead, Hamas made sure the money was used for the corrupt enrichment of their own leaders and the bombardment of Israel, which is why both Israel and Egypt had to close their borders. It is clear who is guilty here.
Instead, in a shocking communal act of moral distortion and delusion, some even in the West celebrate what Hamas did and condemn Israel’s defensive acts – wrongly, abhorrently wrongly – as genocide. Here, again, the old story of blood libel returns. Israel is depicted as attacker, rather than the victim, and Palestinians – victimized through Hamas’ acts – are victimized as well. The perpetrators of this – Hamas, Islamic Jihad, Iran, Russia, even the Houthis – are rejoicing as the world is now at the precipice of a new Kristallnacht, a new global pogrom befalling Jews around the world.
Now, criticism of how the Netanyahu government conducts its defensive acts is of course necessary and legitimate. Knowing how Hamas fights, knowing that Hamas deliberately hides behind civilians, especially children, the Israeli military knows that they need to be very diligent in avoiding civilian death – but also, that terrorists are hiding amongst the civilians. Israel has no choice here, and will make mistakes, cruel and gruesome mistakes, provoked and designed by Hamas and its allies.
There can be no denying this. There can be no denying the Nazi roots of Hamas. This is history continued. This is 85 years later, the same story, worldwide. What do Jewish people all over the world have to do with what Israel has to do to defend itself? How can any of these antisemitic acts be justified?
To my academic colleagues who usually claim to believe in freedom and decolonialism and democracy –ideas still worth fighting for, by the way – why are you blind to the suffering of Jews and of Israel? Why are some academics who claim to be on the Left now defending out-right Neonazi organizations like Hamas, as well as women- (and LGBTQ-) murdering theocracies like Iran, and increasingly also outrightly fascist Russia? How can anyone who has dedicated their life to values such as anti-racism, LGBTQ rights, women’s rights, civil and individual rights – all values supported and institutionalized in Israel (a fully democratic country with a politically active mixed Jewish-Arab population) – not then also be on the side of Israel, and equally, on the side of those Palestinians who also support these values and peaceful coexistence with Israel? How, possibly, has this anti-semitism and anti-zionism (which is also anti-semitic) been allowed to cloud the thinking on parts of the Left that make it indistinguishable from their counterpart on the extreme right?
We need to stand against Hamas, period. We need to recognize that they are the perpetrators of everything happening now. We must also, certainly, make sure that the Netanyahu government knows that the world is watching how he conducts his defense.
But nothing, nothing, justifies the antisemitic acts around the world.
Furthermore, if this is not enough for you. We know too well from history that antisemitism is never just an aim in itself, it is the gateway drug for further purges and pogroms against other people as well. It always starts with antisemitism, it never ends there.
It is again Kristallnacht, and after 85 years, it seems we have not learned our lesson very well.
שָׁלוֹם, سَلَام, peace. Now. Please.
Erratic Attempts 