October 17, 2023
Some of the reactions to the brutal terrorist attack on Israel last weekend are stunning.
Rushing to the defense of the Palestinians who live in Gaza, people all over the world are condemning the Israelis for responding to these brutal attacks. They say that Israel started the war, and that the brutal attack against the Jewish people was warranted.
Quite a few Americans have taken that position, and many that hold that position are on college campuses. Given what goes on at many colleges and universities these days, maybe that isn’t so strange.
But, what exactly is Gaza? It is a Palestinian territory along the West Bank of Israel, which Israel gave up nearly two decades ago, and has been governed by the political and militant Islamist group Hamas. Since 2007, the area has been under blockade by both Israel and Egypt because of the presence of Hamas.
And many people accuse Israel of going after Palestinians in response to the attack. But Israel’s response isn’t against the Palestinian people, it is against Hamas terrorists, who are supported by Iran. The Palestinians in Gaza live with and are governed by Hamas.
The Washington Institute for Near East Policy, a think tank based in Washington, DC, polled Palestinians in East Jerusalem and in the Gaza Strip last summer. The results show that 64 percent of East Jerusalem Palestinians have at least a positive opinion of Hamas, as do 57 percent in the Gaza Strip.
News reports tell us that at least 1,300 people — including 265 soldiers — were killed in Israel in the terrorist attack, and more than 3,300 were injured. At least 29 Americans were killed, as were other non-Israelis, and an unknown number of Americans may be hostages.
An estimated 260 innocent Israelis were murdered at a music festival by Hamas. And others were shot and burned in their homes and on the streets. Women, children and the elderly were murdered by the terrorists. These are not the legitimate victims of war. They were the deliberate targets of vicious barbarians, not normal human beings.
Students at several colleges and universities across the country held pro-Palestinian/anti-Israeli demonstrations following the beginning of the Israeli response to Saturday’s attack. There were also pro-Israeli factions present.
Lawrence Jones, a co-host of “Fox and Friends,” a weekday program on the Fox News Channel, spoke with pro-Palestinian protesters at Hunter College in New York City. He asked them how they could support the beheading of children and the raping of women in Israel by the Hamas terrorists.
One of the female demonstrators responded, "I support decolonization and the liberation of Palestinian people and the end of a mass genocide in the Gaza Strip."
"Are you talking about the genocide of the kids being beheaded?" Jones asked.
“That's false. That is actually false," she responded, claiming that "Israel is notorious for creating propaganda" so they can "massacre" Palestinians. The female protester then said, "I stand with the Palestinian people unequivocally."
And when another female protester was asked about the brutality of Hamas, she answered, "That was already proven that didn't really happen," adding that "The U.S. military money that goes there, $4 billion a year should stop going to Israel to support their war crimes."
A male protester appeared unaware of the reports of Israeli children being slaughtered and women being raped and dragged through the streets.
"The kids there were beheaded," Jones told him. "Wait, Jewish kids?" he responded.
Are these students completely denied news about what is going on, or do they avoid those news items in favor of their chosen narrative? Are they taught to be anti-Israel? They obviously not understand that by blaming Israel for starting the conflict that led to the brutal attack by Hamas, they are supporting terrorism, defending murder, rape, and unimaginable savagery.
Ben Shapiro, a conservative political commentator, who is Jewish, issued the following comment: “Every single part of the suffering occurring in Gaza is Hamas' fault. For those too slow to understand, I'll break it down into small words. Israel abandoned the Gaza Strip in 2005. It is now 2023. Hamas has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2006.
“Hamas is in control of the Gaza Strip. Hamas is in control of its own civilians. Those civilians live under the rule of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip. Those civilians are Hamas' responsibility.
“Hamas is holding hostages. It is a war crime to place civilians in front of military targets. It is a war crime to shield your rockets with children. It is a war crime to put hostages in a war zone to try to prevent bombings.
“All of these are war crimes. Every ounce of blood that is spilled, every building that is taken down, and every ugly photo you see from Gaza is the fault of Hamas. It's that simple. There is no duality about this.”
For various reasons, many people dislike the Jewish people. And their hatred blinds them to reality in situations like this, and they fall for the false narrative put forth to shift blame to the Jews when conflicts arise.
The true story must be told, and be heard.
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