Why is it Always Israel’s Fault?

President Biden addressing guests at the White House Chanukah Party (TOI)

There are clearly a lot of civilian casualties in Gaza. There is not the slightest doubt in my mind about that. Far more than the 1200 Jews that were brutally slaughtered by Hamas last October 7^th.  I  will even agree with UN officials that have repeatedly been saying (with increasing intensity) that there is a humanitarian crisis of epic proportion in Gaza right now.

But blaming Israel for that is where I part company with them. 

First of all, it isn’t clear how many of those casualties were actually civilian. Although that is what Hamas’s propaganda machine keeps insisting.. That said,  I will stipulate the the majority of casualties are not Hamas terrorists. 

At the same time, the civilians are hardly innocent. The vast majority of them support Hamas. And they have no love lost for Israelis. 

Do not misunderstand. I do not believe for a moment that supporting Hamas alone justifies the massive number of civilian casualties. But  to say they are entirely innocent is incorrect. I doubt, for example, that they felt the slightest bit of sorrow for Hamas’s Jewish victims or compassion for the survivors or for the hostages being held by Hamas. 

Not once did I hear a single suffering Palestinian say a word about Hamas’s part in their own misery. NOT ONCE!  All I keep hearing is that it is all Israel’s fault. Although it’s hard not to blame the people bombing you into near oblivion for their predicament, that they completely ignore Hamas responsibility in all this is because they support them.

Even  though Palestinians might be excused for blaming Israel for their horrible predicament because that is what they see on the ground and in the air, that does not excuse the rest of the world that knows full well what happened on October 7^th.  And they know full well who was responsible for it. 

So for them to blame only Israel smacks of antisemitism. At least at a subliminal level. Any objective fair minded person should understand why Israel has attacked Hamas and is committed to the annihilation of a group committed our genocide..

They should also understand why there are so many civilian causalities. It is not - as many Palestinians and their sympathizers claim - a case of Israeli genocide against Palestinians. It is because Hamas prefers it that way. The more ‘innocent’ civilian casualties there are the more they like it. They call every civilian casualty a  martyr.  As do their surviving family members. 

I have said the following what seems like a million times already. But it cannot be repeated enough in the increasing  climate of hostility toward Israel. 

Israel is absolutely not targeting civilians. They have gone out of their way to spare them. Israel has repeatedly been informing Palestinians in Gaza to steer clear of the areas they are attacking. And then giving them enough time to leave before the attack. 

Israel knows full well that by informing civilians, they are also informing Hamas. Giving them a chance to escape too. But as humanitarians, Israel feels obligated to do it anyway. 

Those that do not leave and are hurt or killed have not heeded Israel’s good faith attempts to limit civilian causalities.  Whether the huge number of causalities is because some of them foolishly try to  ‘tough it out’. Or  because Hamas encourages them not to leave. That isn’t really relevant. What is relevant is that Israel is absolutely not targeting civilians. But that is what Palestinians and their sympathizers all over the world would like you to believe. And they are succeeding.

The rest of the world sees all that destruction and carnage - and demands a cease fire. By which they mean Israel should immediately stop fighting for humanitarian reasons. As though that alone is the only way to end Palestinian suffering. Which is both absurd and even antisemitic. 

There is another way that would end Palestinian suffering. An obvious one which would be quicker and easier. Instead of demanding Israel stop its fight for survival, they should be demanding that Hamas lay down their arms and surrender. If Hamas did that, there would not be a single additional Palestinian casualty. The war would end and Gaza could then begin to rebuild

I have not heard any nation demanding that. Not the UN. Not Doctors Without Borders. Not anyone. Except the US. For all those others, it’s all on Israel. Their demand for a cease fire is made with righteous indignation. Not a peep about the brutal attack against us on October 7^th. Not a peep about the brutal sexual terror Hamas committed against their female Jewish captives before killing them. Not a peep about Hamas laying down arms.  Not from inside Gaza. And not from outside Gaza. 

Thankfully, the Biden administration actually understands all that. Which is why they alone (of all the members of the UN security council) vetoed a resolution calling for a cease fire. I am particularly grateful for President Biden’s comments at the recent White House Chanukah party. Where he said the following: 

“You don’t have to be a Jew to be a Zionist, and I’m a Zionist,” Biden said at the menorah-lighting ceremony. “Were there no Israel, there would not be a Jew in the world who is safe.” 

Thank you, Mr. President for your understanding and steadfast support of the Jewish people and the state of Israel. We may disagree about other issues affecting Israel’s future. But our agreement here is huge. And at the moment far more important than what comes later. We can talk about those things when the time comes. For now, I think it is important for the entire Jewish world to recognize that support. And to publicly express our appreciation and gratitude to the leader of the free world for his unwavering commitment to our survival as a people. 

God bless the United States of America