To set the record straight, this article will explore various themes such as “Colonization,” “Free-Palestine,” “Open Air Prison,” “Apartheid State,” “Genocide,” “Ceasefire,” and “Free-Speech.” The format of this blog post will differ slightly from our usual style, incorporating both facts and rhetorical questions.
Colonization
Jews have lived in and around the Middle East for thousands of years. Before 1948, there was never a “Jewish state” or a “Palestinian state.” In 1947, the United Nations (UN) proposed a Jewish state and Palestinian state. The Jews accepted, but the Palestinians, along with other Arab nations rejected the UN’s two-state solution and declared war on Israel.
Unlike in the United States, where Native American land was appropriated, Israel was established in 1948 through a United Nations (UN) resolution, not land theft.
For argument’s sake, let’s assume that everybody who denies history is right and Israel did steal the Palestinians’ land. If one subscribes to the notion that Hamas’ attacks, which specifically targeted civilians, were “justified” as a form of “resistance” because Israelis “stole” or “colonized” Palestinian land, ask yourself this question: If a group of Native Americans gang raped your daughter and then shot her in the face, would that be “justified” as a form of “resistance” because Americans stole their land?
If the answer is “no,” take a moment to reflect on why that is.
If your answer is, “Well, my daughter had nothing to do with the previous generation of Americans that stole Native American land,” then ask yourself this question: Did the babies Hamas murdered and teenagers they gang raped then burned alive, and children they took as hostages have anything to do with Israel stealing Palestinian land?
If your answer is “yes,” we suggest you seek psychological counseling.
On multiple occasions including but not limited to 1967, 1978, 1993, 1995, 2000, etc., Israel, in concert with other world leaders has offered/proposed land, a two-state solution, and multiple other initiatives for peace. Every time, these offers were rejected by the Palestinian leadership. This is not the fault of ordinary Palestinians; it is the fault of their corrupt “leaders” who depend on and exploit their hopelessness for personal gain and to remain in power.
Palestinians Should Indeed Be Free – From Hamas
In May 2021 we penned a blog titled “Palestinians Should Indeed Be Free – From Hamas.” It remains relevant. We wrote, “We have no gripes about anybody supporting the rights of peaceful Palestinians. However, if you want to advocate for ordinary Palestinians, one correct way is to vociferously condemn Hamas.”
Top henchmen at Hamas, Abu Marzook ($3 billion), Khalad Mashal ($4 billion), and Ismail Haniyea ($4 billion) are billionaires; many others are multi-millionaires.
Multiple choice: How did they amass such wealth?
A) Manufacturing and selling advanced semiconductors.
B) Winning Mega Millions.
C) Stealing from their own impoverished citizens.
The answer is (C). Hamas’ “leaders” steal money intended for the betterment of the Palestinian people and use the funds to enrich themselves. Multiple billions of dollars from the international community intended to build housing, roads, schools, bridges, power plants, water desalination plants, etc., in Gaza are stolen and find their way to Hamas’ leaders bank accounts for their own financial benefit and to procure weapons. To be fair, Hamas does spend a portion of the funds on infrastructure: they built a labyrinth of fortified underground tunnels for the exclusive use of their militants outfitted with advanced climate control features and communications equipment to store munitions, supplies, launch rockets, take hostages, and take cover when Israel defends itself.
Hamas then strategically blames Israel for Palestinians’ decrepit standard of living. “Look, no schools, no roads, no ports, no tunnels (for civilians), poor healthcare” and make bogus claims that Israel is “oppressing them.”
Open Air Prison
One argument “Free Palestine” protesters make is that Israel maintains a highly fortified border, requires onerous security checks for Palestinians to cross into Israel, and carefully monitors the flow of goods in and out of Gaza via their shared border. This makes life difficult and frustrating for Palestinians, some of whom reject Hamas and their ideology. All this is 100% true.
Another argument some “Free Palestine” protesters make is that while the atrocities of 10/7 were regrettable (other protestors think they were “exhilarating”), “you cannot look at them in a vacuum.” Ok then; why did a fortified border wall have to be constructed in the first place? Why do all those checkpoints exist? Why is the flow of goods closely scrutinized? And why does the Israeli government spend billions of dollars per year on these initiatives?
The reason is that Hamas, the terrorist organization that “governs” Gaza openly states in their governing charter (you can find it online) its intent to destroy Israel and murder Jews. (They obliged on October 7th.)
If you lived in country A, and the government of country B’s stated objective was to wipe country A off the face of the earth and murder its Jewish citizens (~20% of Israel is Arab), would it not be prudent for country A to employ every available resource to prevent country B from carrying out its stated intentions?
What other choice does Israel have? If Israel opens the border, there is no doubt innocent Palestinians will be afforded an opportunity for a better life…and Hamas’ militants will be afforded an opportunity to carry out their stated objective. If Israel maintains the status quo, more innocent Palestinians will be relegated to poverty and hopelessness…but it will be much more difficult for Hamas to carry out its stated objective.
This is terrible for innocent Palestinians who just want to live and work in peace. But let’s be honest with each other…and ourselves. This is not the fault of Israel; it’s the fault of Hamas. Any objective, rational, non-biased person can and should understand and appreciate this.
Muslims vs Jews
A key wicked objective of Hamas is to turn this into a religious war. Here is an excerpt from their charter, “The Day of Judgement will not come about until Muslims fight the Jews (killing the Jews), when the Jew will hide behind stones and trees…”
There are ~2 billion Muslims in this world and ~16 million Jews; clearly this would not be a fair fight. Fortunately, enough people understand what this war is about: Jews, Christians, Hindus, Muslims, and every good person from every religion against evil terrorists. Disagree? Ask yourself this question: why does Egypt – a predominantly Muslim nation - employ the same tactics as Israel, hemming in Palestinians in Gaza on its northern border?
The reason is because Egypt has worked hard to root out terrorism. They do not want Hamas militants infiltrating their territory either. We want to reiterate that this predicament is awful for the innocent Palestinian people who strive for a better life; we empathize with them. However, just like this is not the fault of Israel, it is not the fault of Egypt either; it’s the fault of Hamas.
This is painfully obvious. Unfortunately, when facts do not conform to a predetermined narrative, pseudo-intellectuals and antisemites become emotionally incapable of accepting what is obvious. Why are few, if any, “Free-Palestine” protesters accusing Egypt of forcing Palestinians to live “in an open-air prison”?
Apartheid State
“Free-Palestine” activists label Israel an “apartheid state.” As defined by the Merriam-Webster Dictionary, apartheid is “a former policy of segregation and political, social, and economic discrimination against the non-white majority in the Republic of South Africa. The extreme racial segregation of apartheid lasted from 1948 to 1994 and included such restrictions as where people of certain races could live or own land, what jobs they could hold, and who could and couldn't participate in government.”
Unbeknownst to many self-anointed political science experts who are full of opinions but devoid of basic knowledge, ~20% of Israel’s population is Arab. In Israel, all Israeli citizens regardless of their ethnicity or religion enjoy equal rights. In Israel, Arabs are members of the Knesset (parliament), are doctors, lawyers, and judges (yes, they can send Jews to prison). Israel is not an apartheid state.
Pop Quiz: What is the only country in the Middle East that functions as a democracy where all citizens regardless of their race, gender, or sexual orientation, have equal rights? The answer is the same country being labeled an “apartheid state” by misinformed activists.
Genocide
After Hamas murdered 1400 civilians and took over 200 others, including Americans, hostage, “Free-Palestine” protesters accused Israel of committing “genocide.”
Unfortunately, through the lens of the antisemitic eyes of the international world order, Jews are never allowed to defend themselves. Indeed, when Jews respond to violence in self-defense it is labeled as “oppression” or “genocide.” When Hamas murders babies – and then antisemites debate the method of execution implying one way of killing a baby is more humane than another - it is labeled as “resistance.”
Consider this: In ~1950, the combined Jewish population of Algeria, Egypt, Iraq, Lebanon, Libya, Morocco, Syria, Tunisia, and Yemen was ~850,000; today it is ~3,300. The Arab population in Israel was ~950,000; today it is over 2,000,000, or ~20% of the total. Israel has proven itself to be quite accomplished in several initiates; genocide is not one of them.
Like any country, Israel has the fundamental right to defend itself. Although Hamas purposefully uses its own citizens as human shields, that is not a reason to delegitimize the fact that in this war there have been thousands of Palestinian civilian casualties, including women and children. Tens of thousands of families have been displaced. Some Palestinians who died rejected Hamas’ ideology and wanted peace too.
Amnesty International claimed it had “documented evidence” that Israeli forces were failing to discriminate between military targets and civilians. Unlike Hamas - where even the most incorrigible supporters concede they purposely target civilians - the Israeli Defense Force (IDF) is a professional army that takes painstaking precautions to avoid civilian casualties. That said, how can the IDF (or any army) possibly accurately discriminate between military targets and civilians when their enemy purposefully embeds military gear and their own militants among civilians? How can the IDF avoid targeting civilian infrastructure when Hamas intentionally stashes military gear and militants in and around civilian infrastructure including in hospitals, schools, and apartment buildings?
Intentionally targeting civilians, purposefully engaging in warfare from civilian locations, and willfully sacrificing the lives of their own civilians to advance an agenda. That qualifies as “genocide.” These are war crimes. These are crimes against humanity.
Instead of imploring Israel to not intentionally target civilians - which they do not - why not implore Hamas to not use their own citizens as human shields – which they do?
Why are many of the same individuals calling on Israel to “stop the genocide” also chanting “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” a call for Jewish genocide?
Side Bar: Suppose Israel’s Constitution contained a specific genocidal objective to kill all Muslims. Do you think there would be outrage? We do too, as there should be. Why is there little if any outrage regarding Hamas’ charter that calls for the genocidal slaughter of Jews?
Ceasefire
Ceasefire! Demands for a ceasefire abound. Many calling for one have their hearts in the right place but unfortunately a ceasefire is not yet a viable option for Israel; if Hamas releases the hostages a ceasefire would be in order.
Only depraved people crave war. At TQC, we pray for peace and maintain that any civilian death, Palestinian or Israeli, is one too many. However, until Hamas is eliminated and or incapacitated, peace is not possible.
Multiple choice: since Hamas took control of Gaza in 2005, there have been how many prior ceasefires between Israel and Hamas?
A) None
B) 1
C) 10
D) 15
The answer is (D).
Of the 15 previous ceasefires, how many times have those ceasefires been violated by Hamas?
A) None
B) 1
C) 10
D) 15
The answer again is (D). Hamas violated every single previous ceasefire with Israel…. including the one that was in place on October 6th. If Hamas violated 15 out of 15 previous ceasefires, would it not make sense to infer that they would violate another ceasefire too?
Not convinced? Do not take our word for it. Ghazi Hamad, a member of Hamas’ political bureau recently said, “there will be a second, a third, a fourth (time) because we have the determination, the resolve and the capabilities to fight.”
Pro-Palestinian or Anti-Semitic
At TQC, we have observed numerous instances of antisemitic actions, sometimes thinly veiled as "resistance," which do little, if anything, to advance the cause of the Palestinian people. This is regrettable because the Palestinian people indeed face legitimate challenges that warrant attention.
For example, does tearing down posters depicting Jewish babies kidnapped by terrorists make one "Pro-Palestine" or Anti-Semitic? If you believe it's "Pro-Palestine," please explain how such actions contribute to the Palestinian cause. Similarly, chanting slogans like "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free," a phrase that has been adopted by Hamas and implies killing Jews and destroying Israel, raises the question: is this "Pro-Palestine" or Anti-Semitic? If you consider it "Pro-Palestine," kindly elaborate on how this benefits the Palestinian people. Conversely, if you believe Palestinians would be better off if Jews were dead and Israel ceased to exist, that perspective is inherently antisemitic.
If the "Pro-Palestine" movement aims to improve the lives of Palestinians, why are Jews worldwide experiencing verbal harassment, intimidation, and physical assaults? Why are swastikas being carved into Jewish homes, places of worship, and businesses? How do these actions possibly aid ordinary Palestinians?
To date, TQC has not heard one “Pro-Palestine” protester speak out against the thousands of Palestinians that were murdered in the Syrian civil war or the hundreds of thousands of Palestinians that are suffering mightily in Jordanian and Lebanese refugee camps.
In Gaza, there is no freedom of speech or democracy; Hamas, currently in year 20 of a four-year term, oppresses, silences, disenfranchises, and murders Palestinians who oppose their way of life. Make no mistake, Hamas has killed exponentially more Palestinians on purpose, than the IDF has killed by accident. Why does this not provoke outrage? Are most Pro-Palestinian protesters genuinely interested in improving the lives of the Palestinian people, or are they antisemitic?
Congressman Ritche Torres (D-NY) aptly remarked, “If you think the death of Palestinians is cause for outrage only when Israel is the accused, then you are NOT pro-Palestinian, You are simply anti-Israel, There is a difference.”
Antisemitism is finding a legitimate source of pain for a group of people, in this case, Palestinians, and blaming their struggle on Jews. Perhaps no place in America is antisemitism more prevalent than on college campuses.
Free Speech
At TQC, we find it perplexing that many of the same colleges and universities that have been quick to “cancel” peaceful speakers with unpopular viewpoints, justifying their actions because students might “feel unsafe,” have suddenly pivoted, permitting not only free speech, but “hate speech” to proliferate on campus.
At Columbia, history Professor Joseph Massad praised Hamas’ terror attacks, calling them “astonishing” and “incredible.” Think about that for a moment: A college Professor at an Ivy league school celebrating the mass murder of Jews. He is still employed. A Columbia student yelled “f–k the Jews” at law student Eli Shmidman. At Cornell, a professor found Hamas’ attacks “exhilarating.” At Bucknell University, a swastika was found at a residence hall. Repugnant symbols of antisemitic vitriol litter the campus at UPenn. Students at Stanford marched and chanted “2, 4, 6, 8, smash the Zionist settler state.” At MIT students were prevented from attending class by a hostile “Pro-Palestinian” group. At University of Maryland “Holocaust 2.0” was written on a school building. At George Washington University students projected the slogan “Glory To Our Martyrs” onto a school library. Pause for a moment: students celebrating terrorists that murdered Jewish children. To our knowledge, none of the students responsible have been disciplined. Would these actions be tolerated if any other group was the target?
Protests on American college campuses reveal a stark double standard: hate speech and inciting violence against Jews are permitted, while free speech expressing certain viewpoints is curtailed.
(Gross) Hypocrisy
Some individuals and media outlets who’ve rightfully advocated for LBGTQ rights, black lives, women’s rights, to stop Asian hate and any other just cause have remained conspicuously silent when Jews are subjected to abject antisemitism, harassment, and violence.
Purported activists, including women’s right groups, LBGTQ groups, and human right activists, who refuse to call out and condemn Hamas for what it is: a terrorist organization that treats women like property, would put a gay or trans person to death, vows to annihilate Jews, poisons innocent Palestinians minds beginning in childhood and sacrifices their bodies – are abject frauds and should be ashamed of themselves.
Over time, your correspondent will be guilty of forgetting a few of the principled individuals who stood up and denounced antisemitism; he will never forget who did not.