Gaza is a crowded mess and there are two proposals for “voluntary emigration” which are getting vastly different reactions.
Situation In Gaza
The population of Gaza is roughly 2.1 million people, all Arabs, almost 99% of whom are Muslim. Roughly 39.8% of the population is under 14 years old, making it one of the youngest geographies in the world, with less than 3% of the Strip over 65 years old. The median age of 19.2 years old ranks it at #209 out of 227 areas scored by the World Fact Book. By way of comparison, the median age in Israel is 30.1, in USA 38.5, and 40.6 in the United Kingdom.
The US-designated foreign terrorist group Hamas exclusively governs Gaza since 2007. That means that roughly half of the Gaza Strip has only known the rule of a fanatical Islamist group committed to killing Jews and the destruction of the Jewish State next door. Fighters, typically aged 18-24, have known almost nothing other than Hamas and its mission.
As of 2022, UNRWA provided services to nearly 1.8 million people in Gaza, or about 83% of the population. It manages most of the schools in the Strip, many of which openly call for killing Jews and destroying Israel according to reports from IMPACT-SE. The report also covers that “13 UNRWA staff members have publicly praised, celebrated or expressed their support for the unprecedented deadly assaults on civilians [in Israel] on 7 October.”
Israeli Minister Bezalel Smotrich’s Proposal Condemned
Israeli Finance Minister Bezalel Smotrich said “a small country like ours cannot afford a reality where four minutes away from our communities there is a hotbed of hatred and terrorism, where two million people wake up every morning with aspiration for the destruction of the State of Israel and with a desire to slaughter and rape and murder Jews wherever they are.” As such, he expressed his support for encouraging “voluntary emigration” of the Strip’s population to other countries as part of his postwar vision.
The reaction to Smotrich’s proposal was quick. US State Department spokesman Matthew Miller labeled the suggestion as “inflammatory and irresponsible.” The New York Times reported that France and Germany had similar reactions.
United Nations’ Proposal Embraced
The United Nations also has a plan for Gaza. It involves the voluntary emigration of roughly 1.8 million Gazans for whom UNRWA provides services to relocate to Israel. It makes this proposal – still to this very day – as part of UN Resolution 194 which was passed in December 1948, over 75 years ago while the Israeli War of Independence was still being waged.
The proposal has long since passed its expiry date but dozens of Islamic and Arab countries, as well as the United Nations itself, keep on trying to breathe life into an idea to massively move over 80% of the population of Gaza – the majority of whom want to kill Jews – into Israel to extinguish the Jewish State.
Several Western countries and members of the progressive media were appalled that two members of the Israeli parliament suggested a “voluntary emigration” of Gazans to various countries but simultaneously embrace such emigration to Israel. It’s a peculiar mix of anti-Zionism and hypocrisy which seems very prevalent in these dark days.
Most countries were founded by professionals including lawyers and businessmen. Sometimes they included pharmacists, doctors and inventors. Often they included generals and military leaders.
Consider that Hamas has ruled Gaza outright since 2007, so every child under 16 years old has only known a land governed by the U.S.-designated terrorist group. On October 7, it assembled well over one thousand people of its army and related groups and invaded Israel, slaughtering children and the elderly. Hamas led the horde to rape, mutilate and butcher Jewish women. They grabbed 240 people and took them into Gaza as hostages.
Members of Hamas clearly meet the definition of evil psychopaths.
The leaders of Gaza were not done with their cruelty.
Knowing that Israel would respond to get their people back, pursue justice for the fallen and make sure that Gazans did not repeat the attack, the leaders of Gaza hid in tunnels developed for their exclusive use and of their army. Readied with power and food, the leaders of Hamas sat tight in the underground bunkers and let women and children suffer from Israel’s bombing campaign above. The leaders of Hamas dined as they let their people starve.
Cowards, everyone of them.
It’s bizarre for people to use the expression “one man’s terrorist is another man’s freedom fighter,” when discussing Hamas. This action isn’t similar to Israeli leader Menahem Begin blowing up the King David Hotel in 1946 when it served as the British administrative headquarters, phoning in warnings in advance for people to leave the building. The Hamas henchmen entered people’s homes, bound families together and burned them alive.
Palestinian leadership is horribly twisted and evil.
Despite the deep depravity, a majority of “54% [of Palestinian Arabs] believe that Hamas is the most deserving of representing and leading the Palestinian people today,” according to a December PCPSR poll.
Palestinians have not disowned their leaders as yellow-bellied maniacs, even as they are being pummeled.
So what will future generations of Palestinian Arabs think about their founding fathers if October 7 turns out to a “war of liberation” the way celebrated by American university professors? Will Palestinian history books discuss how the founders of Palestine raped and sadistically tortured Jewish women? How they shot elderly people waiting at bus stops? How they hid underground comfortably while civilians took the brunt of Israeli reprisals?
Or will they lie to themselves and cleanse history that none of those things happened, even though the Palestinian Arab attackers filmed themselves in the act?
While psychopaths are mostly thought of as people who cannot discern between good and evil, a main feature is pathological lying and portrayal of victimhood. Psychology Today shares that “when caught in the act with their unscrupulous behavior, most sociopaths and psychopaths will not show signs of contrition or remorse (unless it is strategically advantageous for them to do so). On the contrary, they are more likely to double or triple down on their aggressive tendencies, increase hostility, deny responsibility, accuse and blame others, and maintain a facade of arrogance and conceit.”
Yahya Sinwar and the rest of Hamas are already being cleansed of any wrong-doing, with 75% of Palestinians supporting the October 7 massacre. Hamas leadership said that the October 7 massacre “is just the first time and there will be a second, a third, a fourth because we have the determination, the resolve and the capabilities to fight…. We are not ashamed to say this, with full force. We must teach Israel a lesson and we will do this again and again.”
Palestinian supporters argue that Israel’s attacks on Gaza are creating the next generation of terrorists. Jordan’s Queen Rania said Israel’s response in Gaza will “create a new generation of resistance that is fiercer and more violent.”
But it is not so. The repeated “aggressive tendencies, increased hostility” and blaming others are hallmark features of being psychopaths. People led by psychopaths for decades are becoming psychopaths themselves.
James Zogby, President of the Arab American Institute was invited to speak to the United Nations Security Council on June 27, 2023, months before the October 7 Massacre. While vigorously defending Palestinians he shared that there is a “tragic deformity in Palestinian political culture” with people preferring violence over peace. After sixteen years of Hamas rule, the “deformity” has metastasized into a deep rot.
A country founded by psychopaths will in all likelihood be a failed state, prominently featuring cruelty, and a populace blind to empathy and reason.
Two polls about the sentiments of Palestinian Arabs from Gaza butchering of people inside of Israel showed the same curious result, that Palestinian Arabs in the West Bank were much more in favor of the massacre than those from Gaza. the Arab World For Research and Development showed support for the October 7 in the West Bank being 83% compared to 64% in Gaza. West Bank Arabs similarly had greater support for Hamas at 87.7% compared to Gazans at 59.6%. The quarterly poll by the Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research (PCPSR) of December 2023 showed much the same, where “support for Hamas has more than tripled in the West Bank compared to three months ago”, with 82% of Arabs in the West Bank and just 57% of Gazans saying that October 7 was the “correct” action.
Figure 1: Comparison of West Bank and Gaza Arabs about supporting October 7 Massacre and the Commitment to destroy Israel to gain all of historical Palestine
The question is what are the reasons for West Bank Arabs being so much more supportive of the massacre than Gazans.
Brunt of response. Many commentators have said that they believe that Gazans are facing the repercussions of the attack while West Bank Arabs have not seen their neighborhoods leveled. The poll numbers possibly support such notion with 87% of West Bank Arabs and 44% of Gazans thinking Israel will lose the war. Gazans likely feel they have already lost.
I would like to offer some other potential reasons.
Gaining self-determination. Gazans got autonomy and self-determination in 2005 when Israel left the Gaza Strip for Palestinian Arabs to rule themselves. West Bank Arabs yearn for that same self-determination that Gazans already have so are even more committed to the fight.
Killing Israeli Jews
West Bank Arabs have shown a dramatic preference for violence which began to spike after the May 2021 attacks, which gained further momentum in polls starting in December 2022.
Figure 2: Sentiment of West Bank Arabs about Israeli Jews and opposition to coexistence
Killing Jewish Civilians Inside Israel. In March 2021, 17.8% of West Bank Arabs supported “armed attacks against Israeli civilians inside Israel.” That figure jumped to 33% after the May 2021 attacks and stayed roughly at that level until September 2022. It spiked again in December 2022 to 46% and has stayed at that level, with a peak of 57% in March 2023.
Supporting “Intifada”. Along with the increased desire to kill Israeli Jewish civilians is the rising preference in the West Bank for an “Intifada”, the misnomer which means terrorism and war. In March 2021, 29% of West Bank Arabs supported an Intifada which jumped to 51% in the June 2021 poll. Support softened through September 2022 to 38%, but spiked again in December 2022 to 51%, peaking at 54% in December 2023.
Ending The Palestinian Authority
While Gazans have been ruled by Hamas, West Bank Arabs have been ruled by the Palestinian Authority. They have long felt that the PA is corrupt but that sentiment has gained momentum.
Figure 3: Sentiment of West Bank Arabs about Palestinian Authority and feeling safe
Palestinian Authority is a “Burden” and Abbas Should Resign. West Bank Arabs have long complained about their leadership. PA President Mahmoud Abbas was elected in 2005 to a four-year term and remains in power fifteen years later, refusing to hold elections.
In December 2020, 50% of West Bank Arabs thought the PA was a burden on Palestinians and 61% thought Abbas should resign. After the May 2021 Hamas-Israel fight, 55% thought the PA a burden with 70% thinking Abbas should resign. In March 2023, the numbers jumped again to 66% and 76%, respectively. Those figures continued to rise into the October 7 massacre.
Dissolve the Palestinian Authority. Not surprisingly based on the sentiments above, West Bank Arabs grew increasingly of the view that the PA should be dissolved, from 34% in March 2021 to 49% in March 2023.
West Banker Arabs Feel Less Safe. Some of this attitude can be tied to feeling safe. In March 2021, 64% of West Bank Arabs felt safe. That dropped to 46% from December 2022 to June 2023, as the Israeli Defense Forces conducted raids into West Bank towns to foil terrorist plots by several new groups such as the Lion’s Den and Jenin Brigades, terrorist groups unique to the West Bank.
West Bank War
While Hamas rules Gaza and was able to launch this war having built deep infrastructure in the land since 2006 with hundreds of miles of tunnels throughout the Strip, the war is actually ABOUT the West Bank and Israel proper.
Gazans know that Hamas isn’t great having lived under their harsh and corrupt rule since 2007 when it threw out the Palestinian Authority. West Bank Arabs only know the PA and welcome a change of regime but most importantly, a change of situation. They want the Jewish settlers gone, ideally from all of Israel, and from the West Bank at a minimum.
Hamas successfully got rid of Jews and Israel in Gaza, and West Bank Arabs want this “war of liberation” to do the same in the West Bank and Israel. Figure 2 shows that 40% of West Bank Arabs opposed a “two state solution” in December 2020 which grew to a significant majority of 71% by March 2023. Figure 1 highlights West Bank Arabs now have a 74% commitment to “retaking” all of “historical Palestine” compared to 66% of Gazans.
Hamas called this war the “al Aqsa Flood,” referencing Islam’s holy mosque in Jerusalem, far from Gaza. Palestinian Arabs believe that stopping Jews from visiting the Jewish Temple Mount is the main reason for the war – followed vey closely be retaking all of “historical Palestine.”
Figure 4: Poll of all Palestinians about the reason for October 7 massacre has majority focused on Jerusalem – stopping Jewish visitation and ending the Jewish State
The fighters from Hamas, Palestinian Islamic Jihad and others were particularly brutal in raping and mutilating women and babies, killing the elderly and burning families alive. And they recorded it, ensuring that Israel would respond to the attack with full force to bring a full war. And it’s a war which Palestinian Arabs – especially those in the West Bank – want to see to liberate themselves from Israel and the PA.
Figure 5: Poll of all Palestinians about the end goal for the war is about the destruction of Israel
The war is taking place in Gaza but it is not about Hamas or Gaza. This fight is being conducted with the support of all Palestinians by the Palestinian army to liberate Jerusalem. To some, that means the West Bank, to others it means Israel, and for yet others, it’s all of “historical Palestine” which encompasses a “Palestinian State from the River to the Sea.”
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.
