On November 15, 1988, Palestine declared itself a brand new country, “an Arab state, an integral and indivisible part of the Arab nation”, “with its capital Jerusalem (Al-Quds Ash-Sharif).” The government of Israel worked to solidify the contours of such state during the Oslo Accords which came crashing down in September 2000.
The Palestinian territories have various stand-alone armies and militias including Hamas and Islamic Jihad
There is no functioning central government, as the west bank of the Jordan River/ east of the Green Line (EGL) and Gaza strip are administered independently, by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas, respectively
Internal fighting, as witnessed in the 2007 rout of the PA by Hamas forces in Gaza, and various extrajudicial killings between those parties have continued since then
There is no border integrity as bedlam prevails in Gaza, Sinai and Israeli towns near the border of Gaza, highlighted by the October 7, 2023 massacre launched by Hamas into Israel
Lack of functioning economy and widespread unemployment due to the extremely high percentage of people under 25 years old and constant focus on destroying Israel rather than building an economy
No presidential or legislative elections, as they were suspended due to the splits mentioned above. The presidential election was last held in 2005 and PA President Mahmoud Abbas’s four-year term expired in 2009
Pervasive corruption of “ruling” elites angering the Palestinian Arab population nominally under PA control
The failed economy and security as well as gross mismanagement have led to the complete illegitimacy of the government
Failed states like Palestine are a danger to their populations and surrounding countries. They are safe havens for terrorist groups, illegal drug and weapons trades, and disease. October 7, 2023 highlighted the destructive carnage such failed states can inflict on neighboring countries.
The Carnegie Endowment for International Peace believes that the pathway to stability must begin with security, that is, a single government with one army. “The most important manifestations of state failure are the breakdown of internal security and the increasing inability of the state to control borders and territory and to exert its monopoly on the use of force. Interventions to prevent the failure of states at risk should focus more narrowly on restoring the state’s capacity to perform these tasks.” The dozens of rogue armed terrorist groups roaming Gaza and Areas A and B east of the Green Line (EGL) must be disbanded and disarmed.
The current war to eliminate Hamas in Gaza should include a pathway to dismantle all the terrorist groups.
Whether the experiment of a Palestinian State has proven a terrible failure not to be repeated, or whether new models for Arab self-determination should be explored, the critical dynamic now is “security first.” The world must support a complete dismantling of the terrorist infrastructure in Palestinian territories. Plans for the “day after” that do not incorporate security first are doomed, regardless of approach.
The quarterly Palestinian poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) came out in December 2023 and primarily focused on the October 7 Hamas attack and Israeli response. The findings echoed the poll results of the Arab World For Research and Development which found that West Bank Arabs were even more supportive of the Hamas attacks than Gazans (82% to 57%) with three-quarters overall approving the attack. Hamas’s popularity similarly rises in the hearts and minds of Palestinian Arabs.
The PCPSR poll also asked about terrorism as it relates to Jewish “settlers.” The October 7 Hamas attack was referred to as “armed struggle” six times in the poll, while “terrorism” was mentioned eight times, each connected to Jewish “settlers.”
That is the essence of Palestinian Arabs and their supporters today. They believe that ending the “occupation” and presence of “settlers” is a just cause, and the most effective way to achieve that goal is through armed combat. In the West Bank, 68% of Arabs now believe that “armed struggle” is the best means of “ending the occupation and building an independent state.” That figure is 56% in Gaza, where Palestinian Arabs already have self-determination.
This is a continuation of a trend that gained momentum one year ago, as West Bankers have “a greater confidence in the efficacy of armed struggle,” as described in a December 2022 PCPSR poll, and believe that Israel will soon cease to exist.
Curiously, few believe that ending “occupation” was the goal of the October 7 massacre. Most believe it was in response to “settler attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque and West Bank residents, and for the release of Palestinian prisoners.” Perhaps they marked the aims with more modest goals to prove the attack to ultimately be a success.
#FakeNews #JihadiFakeNews of Jews “storming” the Temple Mount
Hamas named the sadistic October 7 massacre the “al Aqsa Flood” as they attempt to purge Jews from the Temple Mount and Israel. They view the basic presence of Jews as a violation of the “sanctity” of Islamic holy places, both in Jerusalem and the entirety of the land.
For Palestinian Arabs, all Israeli Jews are “settlers,” both inside and outside the 1948 lines. The presence of Jews is “terrorism,” whether committing acts of violence or not. To address the matter, Muslims are engaged in jihad, an “armed struggle” to purge the land of the infidels.
According to PCPSR, “The overwhelming majority of [Palestinian Arab] respondents say that they have not seen videos from international or social media showing atrocities committed by Hamas members against Israeli civilians that day, such as the killing of women and children in their homes. Indeed, more than 90% believe that Hamas fighters did not commit the atrocities contained in these videos.“
If they did, would it matter? Would they imagine that it was Israeli and western propaganda made with artificial intelligence? Would they ascribe the actions to a handful of individuals and say that they do not speak for Islam? They believe their cause is just and will support (or ignore) any actions to achieve those aims.
There are two important take-aways from this: 1) some causes are manufactured (Jews storming al Aqsa) and the propaganda around it produces violence; and 2) the danger in believing that violence pays rewards is real.
Some quick thoughts on addressing these.
Combatting Jihadist Propaganda Around Al Aqsa
United Nations confirms that people of all faiths – including Jews – have a right to peacefully visit the Temple Mount / al Aqsa Compound in the Old City of Jerusalem
Israel’s Muslim allies, including Morocco, Egypt, Jordan and UAE, should visit the Temple Mount together with Israeli leaders in a show of solidarity and openness for each other
Ending Notion In The Efficacy of Violence
United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres must clearly state and demand that Hamas perpetrators be brought to justice, something he has repeatedly failed to do, including after the October 7 massacre
Global support for Israel eliminating Hamas, a genocidal group with the most antisemitic foundational charter ever written, which has widespread Palestinian support. Palestinians must be redirected towards coexistence, not war
UNSG Guterres, Saudi Arabia and Israel’s Arab allies should state clearly that there is no “right of return” for Palestinian Arabs to Israel. Any future settlement will be in a new Palestinian State, hopefully finally ending the Arab quest to destroy the Jewish State
Palestinians refuse to acknowledge their own terrorism, regardless of its barbarity, and manufacture violence by Jews even when none exists. Ending the current fighting is a near-term goal which must include the foundation for ending future violence, or the current events will certainly be repeated.
On June 4, 1940, British Prime Minister Winston Churchill delivered a speech to the House of Commons after the successful evacuation of British troops from Dunkirk, France. It is famous for its ending lines “we shall fight on the beaches, we shall fight on the landing grounds, we shall fight in the fields and in the streets, we shall fight in the hills; we shall never surrender,” as shown remarkably in the movie Darkest Hour (2017). It is remembered as a call to arms and a pivotal turn for the people of England to shift from a demoralized retreat to a unifying rally to defeat the Nazis.
But there is more to Churchill’s famous speech, and potential lessons for Israel in the wake of the horrific attack by Palestinian Arab terrorists on October 7. It covered the narrative of the battle; rallying the home front for war; moving the battle from defensive to offensive; addressing a ‘fifth column’; preparing for a long war; and an appeal to other allies.
Churchill flashing a “V” for victory sign, 5 June 1943
The speech was around 3,800 words which dealt primarily with the battle in Europe and the evacuation of British soldiers who were surrounded by German troops. Churchill leaned into the situation with lots of detail, as in the era before the Internet, cellphones and Go Pros, Churchill was able to control the narrative to his countrymen.
He particularly focused on the air battle, even though the evacuation was by sea: “The enemy attacked on all sides with great strength and fierceness, and their main power, the power of their far more numerous Air Force, was thrown into the battle or else concentrated upon Dunkirk and the beaches.” He continued to lay out the picture of the skies above before the massive evacuation effort. “Meanwhile, the Royal Navy, with the willing help of countless merchant seamen, strained every nerve to embark the British and Allied troops; 220 light warships and 650 other vessels were engaged,” using statistics to give a sense of scale.
Roughly half-way through Churchill’s recounting of the battle, he began to debunk a counter-narrative he feared would be shared by those who assisted in the evacuation. “Many of our soldiers coming back have not seen the Air Force at work; they saw only the bombers which escaped its protective attack. They underrate its achievements. I have heard much talk of this; that is why I go out of my way to say this. I will tell you about it.” Churchill’s goal was to boost morale and give the British confidence in the nation’s ability to fight the Germans. “When we consider how much greater would be our advantage in defending the air above this Island against an overseas attack, I must say that I find in these facts a sure basis upon which practical and reassuring thoughts may rest. I will pay my tribute to these young airmen.”
After admitting to the losses incurred in the fight, Churchill directed his attention to the war effort at home: “How long it will be, how long it will last, depends upon the exertions which we make in this Island. An effort the like of which has never been seen in our records is now being made. Work is proceeding everywhere, night and day, Sundays and weekdays. Capital and Labor have cast aside their interests, rights, and customs and put them into the common stock,” reviewing the unity in fighting the terrible foreign foe.
Churchill would go on to discuss rumors of a German invasion of England and said “The whole question of home defense against invasion is, of course, powerfully affected by the fact that we have for the time being in this Island incomparably more powerful military forces than we have ever had at any moment in this war or the last. But this will not continue. We shall not be content with a defensive war. We have our duty to our Ally,” which was France’s battle against the common German foe.
Churchill then directed attention to German sympathizers. “We have found it necessary to take measures of increasing stringency, not only against enemy aliens and suspicious characters of other nationalities, but also against British subjects who may become a danger or a nuisance should the war be transported to the United Kingdom. I know there are a great many people affected by the orders which we have made who are the passionate enemies of Nazi Germany. I am very sorry for them, but we cannot, at the present time and under the present stress, draw all the distinctions which we should like to do. If parachute landings were attempted and fierce fighting attendant upon them followed, these unfortunate people would be far better out of the way, for their own sakes as well as for ours. There is, however, another class, for which I feel not the slightest sympathy. Parliament has given us the powers to put down Fifth Column activities with a strong hand, and we shall use those powers subject to the supervision and correction of the House, without the slightest hesitation until we are satisfied, and more than satisfied, that this malignancy in our midst has been effectively stamped out.”
While Churchill understood that Britain’s setting up internment camps for Germans in the UK – including many Jews who had escaped the Nazi regime – was an unfortunate matter which the pressure of war necessitated, he intended on using “a strong hand” against “this malignancy in our midst,” those in the UK who were effectively German agents.
Churchill concluded his speech that the UK should have the means to defend itself as well as come to the aid of its ally. “I have, myself, full confidence that if all do their duty, if nothing is neglected, and if the best arrangements are made, as they are being made, we shall prove ourselves once again able to defend our Island home, to ride out the storm of war, and to outlive the menace of tyranny, if necessary for years, if necessary alone. At any rate, that is what we are going to try to do. That is the resolve of His Majesty’s Government-every man of them. That is the will of Parliament and the nation.” He noted that should the government and army fail in its war effort, it would hope that allies in the New World – the United States – would come to its aid. “we shall never surrender, and even if, which I do not for a moment believe, this Island or a large part of it were subjugated and starving, then our Empire beyond the seas, armed and guarded by the British Fleet, would carry on the struggle, until, in God’s good time, the New World, with all its power and might, steps forth to the rescue and the liberation of the old,” that is, the United States coming to the aid of England.
Churchill brilliantly readied his nation for war against an evil enemy.
Winston Churchill (right) and Herbert Samuel walking to the site of Hebrew University in Jerusalem, March 1921 (photo: Central Zionist Archives)
Over one year later, as Churchill learned the extent of the barbarity of the enemy, regarding Nazi atrocities against Jews. He called for finding justice for individuals: “It is quite clear that all concerned in this crime who may fall into our hands, including the people who only obeyed orders by carrying out the butcheries, should be put to death after their association with the murders has been proved.”
Churchill’s words echo in 2023 for the Jewish State.
Israel Post-October 7
Israel was terribly unprepared when its people were sadistically butchered on October 7 by Palestinian Arab terrorists. Not only were 1,200 people massacred and 240 taken hostage, it took the army a long time to respond to the attack. The powerful army failed miserably and needed to unite to fight back.
Israel had been bitterly divided for months before the attack regarding judicial reform which pit “Capital and Labor” against each other. The horrific 10/7 carnage brought everyone together to fight the common foe, as a speech by Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu was not needed, as everyone saw the images and heard the news on phones in their pockets.
The Jewish State slowly formed a broad government to include military leaders to help prosecute the war against Hamas in Gaza, as well as prepare for possible other fronts, including against Hezbollah in Lebanon in the north, various terrorist groups in the east in Area A of the West Bank, towards the southeast from the Houthis in Yemen, and the main sponsor of all of them, the Islamic Republic of Iran in the northeast, which is on the verge of nuclear weapons capabilities.
The threats surrounding Israel are large and existential.
Despite the threats, Israel has not taken the course of the UK above nor of the United States after the bombing of Pearl Harbor, of setting up internment camps for people “who may become a danger or a nuisance,” such as 26% of the country which is non-Jewish. Fortunately, Israeli Arabs have not repeated their attacks on Israeli Jews as they did in May 2021. Hopefully that spectacle will never be necessary and there will be no need to confront “Fifth Column activities” inside Israel.
Churchill knew the enormity of the battle, as does Israel.
Immediately after the October 7, 2023 Massacre, Israel assembled a force of 350,000 troops to respond to Hamas, determined to destroy it. The Jewish State received support from its key ally, the United States, which quickly sent a strong naval presence off the coast of Lebanon in an effort to limit the Israeli battles to a single front in Gaza.
It appeared that Israel would not be left to fight its enemies alone.
But the United States has a deep rot, a “malignancy in our midst” to quote Churchill, of allies of Hamas who celebrated the rape of Israeli women and burning families alive under the banner of “any means necessary.” The Insidious Jihad in America is pressuring the Biden Administration in an election year to cave to the wave of Jew hatred, to leave Israel to fight Iran and its proxies alone.
Natan Sharansky, a famous Zionist Jew imprisoned in the Soviet Union who ultimately was freed, spoke (16:30) in Washington DC at a 300,000-person November 14 rally against antisemitism, for Israel and for a release of the hostages. He did not reserve his condemnation solely for Hamas but also American universities which celebrated the “liberation” of Gaza and slaughter of innocent Jews. He channeled Winston Churchill’s famous remarks and said (22:15) “We, together, will fight against those who try to give legitimacy to Hamas. We will fight for Israel. We will fight for every Jew. We will fight against antisemitism. We will fight for the values and against corruption of those values which are at the center of our Jewish identity and American identity.”
It was a speech by a man without portfolio, without an army. He called on the Jewish people to fight Hamas’s Willing Executioners in the halls of Congress, in university lecture halls and those storming the streets.
Natan Sharansky talking at November 14, 2023 DC rally against antisemitism (photo:FirstOneThrough)
A month later, President Biden gave Israel until the end of the year to end the war, even if Hamas remains functional and able to carry out the October 7 massacre again as it has promised to do, and even if hostages are still trapped in Gaza. It will test Israel’s resolve to continue to fight against the evil on its borders, “if necessary for years, if necessary alone.” It remains to be seen if the American government will similarly leave diaspora Jews alone in their fight against antisemitism, or put it down aggressively whether coming from the alt-right or the alt-left, the radical jihadists or Black antisemites.
The war against the existence of Israel in the Middle East has reared its head again, just like 1947, and against global Jewry as it did in the preceding decade. The prosecution of the war for the Jewish State is being led by the Israeli government. Who will lead the fight against global antisemitism remains frighteningly uncertain.
The media and anti-Israel activists have been pounding Israel on the high civilian death toll in Gaza from Israel’s response to the October 7 massacre. Critics claim that Israel is committing a “genocide” of Palestinian Arabs and are trying to “ethnically cleanse” Gaza of any Muslims. The incendiary comments fly in the face of Israel’s concerted efforts to minimize civilian casualties as it tries to eliminate Hamas terrorists.
The New York Times blamed Israel’s use of large bombs in dense urban neighborhoods, when normally lighter weapons are used. It contrasted the high percentage of Gaza civilian deaths relative to past Israeli wars with Hamas as well as America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, and the Russia-Ukraine war.
There are many other factors which Israel’s critics and the media fail to mention or highlight.
Subterranean battlefield. As opposed to America’s wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, Hamas’s fighters are almost all below ground. The firepower needed to penetrate both buildings and dirt requires much heavier armaments. The collateral damage to civilians is consequently greater.
High percentage of youth. Almost half of Gazans are under 18 years old, with roughly 39.75% under 14 years old. By way of comparison, only 13.2% of Germans are under 14 years old, 15.43% of Ukrainians, 17.47% in the United Kingdom and 17.96% in the USA. That means that all things being equal, it should be expected that young Gazans will unfortunately die in bombing campaigns at two to three times the level of other wars like in Russia-Ukraine now.
Refusal to move away from battle. While Israel has urged civilians to move away from battleground areas, Gazans have been reluctant to do so. The leaders of Hamas have urged them to stay put, while the Palestinian Authority claimed that Israel’s humanitarian pause to allow civilians to leave the battlefield was a form of “ethnic cleansing”. The United Nations Secretary General uttered much the same. The combined result was too many civilians declined opportunities to flee the war zone, resulting in many deaths.
Israel doesn’t have luxury of time. Israel does not have the luxury of time to battle jihadists the way the United States did in Iraq, Syria and Afghanistan.
Israel is facing existential threats. While the United States wanted to defeat terrorism, it was not an existential threat to the homeland. The small bands of jihadists were thousands of miles from America’s shores and the integrity of the US was never at risk. That is in sharp contrast to Israel which is fighting: Hamas terrorists on its immediate border on the west; Hezbollah, also sworn to its destruction in the north; Syria and Iran to the northeast which is on the verge of nuclear weapons capability; and various other jihadi terrorist groups to the east in the West Bank. Israel’s basic existence is at risk and putting down one front quickly is required should it need to fight on another front.
Hostages. No other modern war has seen the ripping of hundreds of civilians from their homes to be taken hostage into underground tunnels. Israel needs to mobilize quickly to save those civilians, a dynamic without comparison in the Russia-Ukraine war or other battles.
Extraordinary volume of reservists. In light of the existential crisis and hostage situation, Israel activated almost the entire country’s reservists. These people are not the 18 to 22 year-olds regularly serving in the army but people working throughout the economy. Pulling 300,000 people from their jobs can only be maintained for a short period of time before the country’s economy gets crushed.
Global pressure. Whether Israel killed 2,000 or 20,000 civilians in Gaza, it was going to face enormous global pressure to cease operations. Global powerhouses like Russia, China and the United States can ignore that pressure due to the scale of their economies, the strength of the military capabilities, and having permanent seats at the United Nations Security Council which protect them from draconian resolutions. Israel is very small with few allies and therefore needs to conclude its military operations as quickly as possible.
The security needs of the small Jewish State have no comparable to any country in the world. Israel’s immediate goals of eliminating Hamas and saving the hostages must have global unambiguous support. The tragic loss of life among Gaza civilians – even though they support Hamas’s terrorism – should be mitigated by the world pressing Hamas (not Israel) to release hostages, encourage civilians to leave the fighting area, and get Hamas to surrender.
While people are still trying to identify the incinerated and butchered Israeli bodies from the grisly Palestinian Arab October 7 terrorist attack, the Palestinian Authority thought it an appropriate time to ask the United Kingdom to recognize Palestine as a country.
On November 24, 2023, British Foreign Secretary David Cameron met Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the PA headquarters in Ramallah. Abbas lectured the visiting British diplomat, as though Palestinian Arabs had not recently conducted the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
British Foreign Secretary David Cameron and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas at the presidential headquarters in Ramallah, November 24, 2023
As reported by WAFA, the Palestinian official news agency, after lecturing Cameron about Israel’s actions, Abbas “urged the British Foreign Secretary to recognize the State of Palestine and help it gain full membership in the United Nations.”
Not wanting the message to slip through the cracks, PA Prime Mohammed Shtayyeh followed, and similarly “called on the British Foreign Secretary to support the Palestinian bid for full membership in the United Nations.”
The ruling Palestinian Authority is very unpopular and viewed as deeply corrupt by Palestinian Arabs. Abbas’s four-year term as president expired in 2009 and he has refused to conduct elections as he knows that he will be trounced by Hamas.
As it currently stands, the political-terrorist party Hamas controls Gaza and controls 58% of the Palestinian parliament. After Hamas’s heinous October 7 massacre, the group’s popularity has skyrocketed, with 75% of Palestinians supporting the attack, and a similar percentage looking to destroy Israel and replace it with an Arab state.
As Palestinian Arabs demonstrate to the world that they are capable and desirous of slaughtering Jews and launching a war on the only Jewish State, they are asking the western world for its blessings, to recognize the State of Palestine and usher it into the United Nations.
And rather than storm out the door, Britain announced it would send £30 million additional aid funding to Gaza.
Palestinians have a demonic but selfish motivation for slaughtering Israelis as they invade the first world country next door but what is motivating the United Kingdom to support such barbarity?
ACTION ITEM
Contact David Cameron “The Palestinian Arabs have shown that they support the butchering of Jews and desire to destroy the Jewish State. The British government must make clear that it firmly rejects the so-called “right of return” of Palestinian Arabs into Israel, and that any future settlement of the conflict will require a demilitarized Arab state to which the descendant of refugees and internally-displaced people may settle. Further, until Hamas is removed from power, there will be no aid sent to the Palestinian Authority.”
Israel and Hamas are reportedly ready to commence an exchange of 50 Israeli hostages for 150 Palestinians held in Israeli jails. All of the people on both sides are reported to be women and children. The public has not heard who will be released but the information thus far has completely omitted the mention of two particular names as part of the transaction: Ahlam al-Tamimi and the Palestinian Authority.
Ahlam al-Tamimi
Ahlam al-Tamimi remains on the United States most wanted list for her role in killing 15 people, including a pregnant woman and seven children in a bombing in Jerusalem, Israel in August 2001. The casualties included three Americans.
When Yael Lampert was in her confirmation hearing on May 4, 2023 to become the United States’ Ambassador to Jordan, she said (1:08:00) that “I will do everything in my power to ensure that Ahlam al-Tamimi faces justice in the US for her horrific crimes.” In response to possible US action, Jordan was rumored to look to transport Tamimi to either Iran or Qatar, possibly at the direction of Hamas.
Tamimi continuing to walk free under protection of the king of Jordan is an atrocity. The evil axis of Hamas, Iran and Qatar are continuing their carnage and protecting the murderers around the world, and Israel and the US are willing dupes.
As part of this hostage-prisoner exchange, the United States should insist that Tamimi be extradited to face justice for her crimes.
The Palestinian Authority
The Palestinian Authority is viewed by everyone – including Palestinian Arabs – as completely corrupt and inept. Yet the United Nations and the world advance the idea that the PA should rule Gaza after the current war.
How is that remotely possible? Will the PA suddenly be viewed as competent after the evil axis of Hamas, Qatar and Iran run the chessboard?
The PA must be inserted into the dialogue to give them some shred of credibility for the day after.
Hamas is only agreeing to the prisoner swap now in a sign of weakness, and Israel is engaging in it due to pressure from the United States because of the horrible civilian death toll in Gaza. Rather than use the current dynamic to set a future course where the Palestinian Authority has a pathway to leadership and Hamas understands that its terrorists will never escape justice, even and especially when so many are being released – including women, the Evil Axis is seizing victory from defeat.
Its like rewatching former Secretary of State John Kerry botch negotiations on both the Iranian nuclear deal and Israel-PA peace process in 2014-15, setting the region on a pathway for violence.
The evil axis of Hamas/Iran/Qatar beat Israel in the initial battle of the 2023 Gaza War by butchering 1,200 people in Israel. The United States is responsible for the second loss, setting the stage for a future where terrorism is allowed to win.
ACTION ITEM
Write White House on form: “Demand the extradition of Ahlam al-Tamimi as part of the hostage-prisoner exchange, and find a role for the Palestinian Authority to play for there to be a chance to peace. The current dynamic leaves the Evil Axis of Hamas, Iran and Qatar running the region.” one-click
The United Nations Secretary General issued a statement on November 19, 2023 that he was “deeply shocked that two United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine Refugees in the Near East (UNRWA) schools were struck in less than 24 hours in Gaza.” He added “I reaffirm that our premises are inviolable.”
Does the UNSG think that Israeli nurseries are similarly inviolable, never to be infringed or dishonored?
Bloody nursery in Israel after Hamas October 7 massacre
Does the United Nations think that Jewish children in Israel should be allowed to go to school without the ruling government of a neighboring territory invading the country, storming the building and shooting children?
Israeli school riddled with bullets shot by Palestinian Arabs on October 7
Are the playgrounds of Israeli children inviolable, or are Palestinians living nearby allowed to enter and burn children alive?
Israeli classroom soaked with blood after the popular ruling Palestinian party stormed the building and butchered teachers and children on October 7
The fact that UNSG Antonio Guterres refused to demand that Hamas be held accountable for its actions gives an indication that he believes that Israeli schools, playgrounds and nurseries are not protected spaces.
When Guterres concluded his latest statement, “I also want to express my deep appreciation for all the mediation efforts led by the Government of Qatar,” the government which is the main sponsor of Hamas and the leading funder of jihadists in American schools, he also let the world know that Jews in schools everywhere are fair game for jihadi terrorism.
A Palestinian poll about the October 7 Hamas massacre was conducted by the Arab World For Research and Development. It shows Palestinians overwhelming supporting the attack as a war to end the Jewish State and control of the Temple Mount.
Palestinian Arabs think that a Palestinian State covering all of the pre-1948 borders – which will end the Jewish State – is much closer to reality.
A total of 79.5% of Palestinians have become more committed to the dream of taking over Israel after the October 7 attack, while 71.1% have become more committed to that as the final solution to the conflict.
This is a continuation of Palestinian conviction that existed before October 7. In a June 2023 PCPSR poll, a slim majority of 51% believed that Arabs will be “able in the future to regain Palestine and repatriate the refugees.” A December 2022 PCPSR poll noted that “the Palestinian public becomes more hardline while indicating a greater confidence in the efficacy of armed struggle.”
That growing conviction of retaking all of historical Palestine via violence has made Palestinians in both Gaza and the West Bank very supportive of Hamas and its attack on Israel.
An estimated 59.3% and 15.7% extremely support or somewhat support the Hamas attack, respectively, or 75.0% in total. The percentage was higher in the West Bank (83.1%) than in Gaza (63.6%), as Gaza has been bearing the brunt of Israel’s response to the October 7 attack.
Hamas – and other Palestinian terrorist groups – popularity has skyrocketed, with 48.2% and 27.8% having very positive or somewhat positive views of Hamas, respectively. Once again, the popularity of Hamas in the West Bank (87.7%) was much higher than in Gaza (59.6%).
Other Palestinian terrorist groups had similar scores. Islamic Jihad support stood at 84.2%, al Aqsa Brigade at 79.8% and al Qassam at 88.6%. Non-Palestinian terrorist groups like Hizbollah also were viewed favorably but much less so at 45.1%.
The parties who have not participated in attacking Israel have limited support among Palestinians. The Palestinian Authority itself stood at 10.3% support, while the Fatah party was at 23.2%. Iran (33.6%) and Turkey (33.9%) were significantly higher with vocal support than were Egypt (14.0%) and Jordan (12.1%), Saudi Arabia (2.9%) and UAE (2.5%). Russia (39.5%) and China (34.4%) scored much higher than countries normalizing relations with Israel. The United Nations was at 9.1%, while the United States was 0.4%
While Palestinian Arabs seem to have greater conviction in the possibility of liberating all of historic Palestine and supporting the fighters who are working to make that a reality, the “Free Palestine” opinion came in second at 29% in polling regarding the reasons for the Hamas attack. The leading belief was to stop the “violation” of the Al Aqsa Mosque in Jerusalem (35% of respondents). That may be because Hamas named the fight the ‘Al Aqsa Flood.’ Hamas and the Palestinian Authority have been falsely claiming for months that Jews are “storming al Aqsa” in “provocations” by simply walking around the compound during normal visiting hours.
Very few Palestinians place Iranian motivation and freeing Palestinian prisoners as the primary reason for the attack. Palestinian Arabs view this fight as an organic Palestinian movement to control Israel. While there is an appreciation for the support of Iran, Hizbollah in Lebanon, Russia and China, it is Palestinians who are leading the charge. The motivation is less about Palestinian people (in jail or otherwise) or for lands under Palestinian control (like ending the blockade of Gaza). This is a Palestinian war for Jerusalem and pre-1948 Palestine for two-thirds of respondents.
This can be seen in the support for various solutions to end the conflict. The vast majority of Palestinians want a Jew-free state “from the river to the sea.” Only 17% prefer a two state solution while 5% prefer a binational state for Arabs and Jews.
Palestinians do not think this is a narrow war between Israel and Hamas (18.6%) but between Israel and Palestinians generally (63.6%). Almost no one thinks this is a broader regional conflict with 5.2% believing this is Israel against the Muslim world and 2.1% thinking it is Israel against the Arab world. Their confidence in coexistence with Israeli Jews has declined by 89.5% since the attack.
Yet, while Palestinians think this is an Israeli-Palestinian war, they believe the western world hates Muslims, Islam and Arabs, even more than liking Israel or having sympathy for Israeli civilians.
They arrive at this conclusion from watching Arab channels such as Al Jazeera, Palestine TV, Maa’an TV and al Aqsa TV. Very few watch international news, and if they do, it is CNN and the BBC. Social media is huge, with Telegram and Facebook leading as the method of getting news.
Almost every single person polled – 98.0% – said that they felt tremendous pride at being a Palestinian right now. An estimated 72.6% believe that Palestinians will beat Israel in this war, with 75.3% believing the blockade of Gaza will end and 79.4% believing that Palestinians will be freed from Israeli jails.
In the end, Palestinians are still hopeful to have a national unity government with both Hamas and Fatah ruling Gaza. They appreciate the global community’s support for the October 7 attacks and are against countries and groups that call Hamas a terrorist organization which must be eliminated.
Palestinian Arabs believe that the armed struggle to destroy the Jewish State has begun in earnest and are embracing countries and groups that support its aims including Iran, Turkey, Russia and China, and American groups like the Democratic Socialists of America and Students for Justice in Palestine. The barbarity of the massacre is a side note for them as is the fate of the 240 hostages. The war to “free Palestine from the River to the Sea” may take years or decades, but the alliances are coalescing now.
In the aftermath of Hamas’s October 7 massacre in Israel and Israel’s response, a number of politicians have opined that there should be a ceasefire and allow a political solution to bear fruit. It is a naive and dangerous suggestion, as are calls to flatten Gaza. The situation requires both a military and a political dynamic, in that order.
The Palestinian-Israel Conflict has two dimensions: a radical jihadi ideology that seeks the destruction of Israel, and a territorial component which parties better understand. The first poisonous jihadi threat must be extinguished and the second matter crafted with care.
Hamas is not only a terrorist group which just carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust. It is a genocidal antisemitic group which has broad popular support among Palestinians, especially in Gaza. That threat must be destroyed and the evil ideology erased for there to be any hope for calm in the region.
Hamas’s foundational charter is an antisemitic screed calling for the death of Jews and end to the Jewish State. Palestinian Arabs elected Hamas to 58% of the parliament in 2006 with this charter and Palestinians would elect the leader of Hamas to the presidency in latest polls. An estimated 70% of Gazans support killing Jewish civilians inside of Israel in a June 2023 poll.
The United Nations Security Council understands such evil ideology as it voted “unequivocally” to condemn ISIS for a similar violent orientation. On November 20, 2015, the UNSC press stated:
The Security Council determined today that the Islamic State in Iraq and the Levant/Sham (ISIL/ISIS) constituted an “unprecedented” threat to international peace and security, calling upon Member States with the requisite capacity to take “all necessary measures” to prevent and suppress its terrorist acts on territory under its control in Syria and Iraq.
Unanimously adopting resolution 2249 (2015), the Council unequivocally condemned the terrorist attacks perpetrated by ISIL — also known as Da’esh — on 26 June in Sousse, on 10 October in Ankara, on 31 October over the Sinaï Peninsula, on 12 November in Beirut and on 13 November in Paris, among others. It expressed its deepest condolences to the victims and their families, as well as to the people and Governments of Tunisia, Turkey, Russian Federation, Lebanon and France.
The 15-member body condemned in the strongest terms ISIL’s gross, systematic and widespread abuses of human rights, as well as its destruction and looting of cultural heritage. Those who committed, or were otherwise responsible for, terrorist acts or human rights violations must be held accountable. By other terms, the Council urged Member States to intensify their efforts to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters into Iraq and Syria, and to prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism.
Following the vote, nearly all Council members took the floor to decry the “barbaric” attacks and hateful world view espoused by ISIL, reaffirming their support in both stemming the threat and bringing perpetrators to justice. In an echo of the sentiments voiced by many around the table Spain’s representative declared: “Today, we are all French, Russian, Malian and Arab,” adding: “It is time to act with a French, Russian, Malian and Arab heart.” The Council had a duty to guarantee the values and principles of the United Nations, and all must close ranks to vanquish terrorism, he stressed.
France’s representative, recalling that Da’esh had perpetrated an act of war against his country on 13 November, said today’s vote signaled recognition of the threat’s exceptional nature. The fight against terrorism could only be effective if combined with a political transition that would eliminate Da’esh, he said, adding that France had obtained activation of the European Union’s mutual solidarity clause.
The Russian Federation’s representative said today’s unanimous vote was a step towards the creation of a broad anti-terrorism front aimed at eradicating root causes. That also had been the aim of a Russian draft presented to the Council on 30 September, he said, describing attempts by some to block his delegation’s efforts as politically short-sighted.
The course of action against Hamas should be the same as taken with ISIL:
decry the “barbaric” attacks and hateful world view
bringing perpetrators to justice / Those who committed, or were otherwise responsible for, terrorist acts or human rights violations must be held accountable
take “all necessary measures” to prevent and suppress its terrorist acts
intensify their efforts to stem the flow of foreign terrorist fighters
prevent and suppress the financing of terrorism
all must close ranks to vanquish terrorism
Hamas must be destroyed militarily and financially with global support.
Hamas terrorist in Israeli kibbutz
Afterwards, the transition to a civil society must include a political component, as noted “The fight against terrorism could only be effective if combined with a political transition that would eliminate Da’esh [Hamas].” Key factors must be present in a new governing entity:
no military capabilities
no intention to destroy Israel
not virulently antisemitic
The last item – of not being antisemitic – is wishful thinking. Palestinians are the most antisemitic in the world according to polls. Regarding stripping military capabilities, that is essential as the amount of Palestinian terrorism with limited capabilities is already terrifying. Think post-WWII Japan.
In regards to a goal of coexisting with the Jewish State, that will require the world – the United Nations and Saudi Arabia in particular – to clearly state that there is no “right of return” for Palestinian Arabs to move to Israel. A two state solution means Palestinian refugees move to a new Palestinian state, not the Jewish state.
If there is a chance for “from the river to the sea, people will live with security,” a decisive military destruction of Hamas as an organization must be followed with bringing a vision of coexistence instead of bloodshed. To get there, the world must unequivocally support Israel in its destruction of Hamas and thereafter, a weapons-free Arab state which will be home to the descendants of Palestine refugees.
During the night of May 10, 1933, tens of thousands of Germans in twenty-two cities gathered books written by Jews and tossed them into huge bonfires. It was part of an emerging effort to remove the supposed “depraved” culture of Germany instigated by Jews and replace it with something more pure.
In Munich, the Ludwig Maximilian University and the Technical University granted state recognition to students’ unions as legal entities in the university constitution, with a stipulation that Jewish students be excluded from these bodies. An estimated 8,000 Germans celebrated the action at a rally and then proceeded to burn books by Jews. An estimated 70,000 onlookers watched the spectacle.
Roughly one hundred book burnings took place from early March and ran through October of 1933. Universities were the main originators of the effort to identify and ban books, which led to libraries and other institutions following suit.
Five and one-half years later, the Nazi machinery had gained momentum. On November 9 and 10, 1938, Nazis throughout Germany and Austria burned Jewish stores and synagogues in what became knows as Kristallnacht. Citizens – mostly neighbors – ransacked and looted about 7,500 Jewish businesses, killed at least 91 Jews, and vandalized Jewish hospitals, homes, schools, and cemeteries. Some 30,000 Jewish males aged 16 to 60 were arrested.
Jews were forced to pay for and clean up the carnage from which they suffered. They scrubbed streets on their knees before Nazis and their neighbors, as they had been forced to do for months in public humiliation.
Jews in Vienna, Austria forced to scrub streets with their hands in March 1938
Eighty-five years later, a new generation of antisemites labeled a different Jewish idea as a depravity to terminate and Jews to annihilate: Zionism.
On March 30, 2018, thirty thousand Gazans marched on the fence with Israel in what they billed the “Great March of Return.” They continued to rail against the fence demanding the “right to return” into the land of Israel, where grandparents lived until 1948. Backed by Hamas, the Gazans burned fires and sent burning kites into Israel to torch their fields, as they tried to take down the border fence.
Our struggle against the Jews is very great and very serious.
Hamas Charter
Five and one half years later, on October 7, 2023, over 1,000 members of Hamas and many Gazans effectively stormed and destroyed the border separation and stormed into Israeli towns where they butchered and slaughtered 1,200 people. They made clear that they did not just want to return to Israel but to end the existence of Jews and the Jewish State.
Kibbutz Be’eri after Hamas October 7 Massacre
Both Nazis and Hamas targeted Jews at their inceptions well before 1933 and 2018, respectively. The Nazis gained legitimacy over time through democratic elections and penetrated the mindset of universities. Hamas similarly won Palestinian elections and dominate Palestinian views in a manner that James Zogby of the Arab American Institute called a “deformity in Palestinian political culture.”
Israel, Judaism and Jews challenge Islam and the Moslem people.
Hamas Charter
The scary dynamic is that the Palestinian narrative about the evil idea of Zionism is no longer constrained to Arab and Muslim schools but global academia.
Ivy League schools push the idea to “Decolonize Palestine” and paint Jews as foreign invaders with no history in their homeland. They support a global putsch to take down the Jewish State and professors agreed “to recontextualize the events of October 7, 2023, pointing out that military operations and state violence did not begin that day, but rather it represented a military response by a people who had endured crushing and unrelenting state violence from an occupying power over many years. One could regard the events of October 7th as just one salvo in an ongoing war between an occupying state and the people it occupies, or as an occupied people exercising a right to resist violent and illegal occupation,” even though Israel left Gaza in 2005.
In face of the Jews’ usurpation of Palestine, it is compulsory that the banner of Jihad be raised…. the Palestinian problem is a religious problem, and should be dealt with on this basis.
Hamas Charter
What is Zionism that so angers Palestinians and university “scholars”? A simple set of beliefs that millions of Jews and non-Jews believe:
Jews are a people, not simply members of a religion
Jews have history and deep ties to their particular homeland in the land of Israel
Jews have a right to self-determination, manifest in establishing sovereignty with the State of Israel
The State of Israel is a safe haven for Jews around the world, all welcome to return
That Jewish State will fight global antisemitism
Nazi Germany moved from burning Jewish ideas to burning Jews in just a few years. Palestinian Arabs and their supporters have similarly targeted Zionism, Jews and the Jewish State. The question is whether the civilized world will turn back the evil.
First One Through 