In the war between Hamas and Israel, many of those chanting for Palestine to be “free” do not know what a “Free Palestine” would look like if Hamas wins the war. The Hamas Charter calls for continuous war until the land from the “river to the sea” is “free.” By “free” they mean under the control of an Islamic theocracy.
A “Free Palestine,” despite what college students wish for, means an Islamic theocracy, as exists now in Gaza, replaces a democratic nation. This means an end to LGBT rights, subjugation of women, and oppression or murder of anyone (Muslim, Christian, Jew, etc.) who disagrees with them.
Upset by the pro-Hamas cheers, I attended a multi-denominational community Hanukkah menorah lighting in support of Israel. There I spoke to someone traveling to Israel as a volunteer. He asked why I did not go too, putting the thought in my mind.
Over the next few weeks, I became increasingly upset by the media’s failure to challenge the depiction of the war. People were protesting against Israel to end the suffering of the displaced in Gaza but not mentioning the suffering of the Israelis displaced from Northern Israel where homes were also being bombed to rubble. Body counts (now known to be false) of people killed in attacks on military targets were compared to those murdered by Hamas, as if there is no difference between unintentional deaths in war and the premeditated sadistic murder of civilians. People arrested, convicted and in jail, after stabbing attacks, are portrayed as hostages similar to those kidnapped from their homes.
All these things in the media created a concern in me that those in Israel would feel isolated. I decided to go and show them they were not alone. It turns out, I was not alone. Most of the Sar-el people I met felt the same. They were upset by the media, the politicians, and the misinformed but well-meaning protesters. Terms like “occupier,” “apartheid state,” “open air prison” and “genocide” had been weaponized for years without challenge. Few were pointing out that Islamists believe once land has been conquered by Islam, if it is not under Islamic control, it is “occupied.” This ideology starts with Israel but threatens all of the land once under the Islamic theocracy. (I let others decide what that includes, certainly ISIS believed it included Muslim territory not under the theocracy.)
So, despite the democratic freedoms in Israel where 20% of the citizens are Arab (people who, if they left in 1948, would now be called Palestinians) to Hamas the land is not free. People should learn about the Oslo accords, the 1990’s agreement between Israel and the Palestinian Authority (PA) that would lead to a Palestinian state after the PA stopped attacks on Jews. To this date the PA continues to fund attackers and Israel is blamed for trying to disarm them and not giving them a state. Since 2005, Israel has not been in Gaza, so “occupation” was renamed “open air prison.” Are they in a prison because people need to be checked for suicide bomb vests before they leave or because they are not allowed to openly import rockets? If checkpoints make an open air prison then the U.S. is an open air prison because the TSA checks for bombs and there are border checkpoints to prevent smuggling.
Apartheid and genocide are both grossly misapplied. Israel is a democracy with all citizens having equal rights, that is not apartheid. Calling Israel apartheid based on treatment of Palestinians is like calling Arizona apartheid because neighboring California is a sanctuary state and thus treats undocumented migrants better. Genocide is defined as systematically killing a specific population. Israel drops leaflets etc. asking people to leave an area and allows food and water to enter an active war zone, the opposite of targeting a population for death. Again, it is Hamas that shoots at civilians who attempt to leave targeted areas, steals aid and then sells it to the starving population, and kills anyone working with Israelis to help Palestinian civilians.
No one seems to protest Hamas firing rockets at civilians in Israel, at aid crossings or threatening to attack U.S. soldiers if they bring aid onto land in Gaza. I have seen no media reports of protesters chanting “death to Hamas rapists and baby killers” or “Hamas murderers release the hostages now” or “Hamas let the Red Cross see the hostages.”
I do not know how to fix the U.S. educational system which has produced so many who do not question teachers or their definition of words or seek historical facts to determine truth and are thus easily misled. This has led to compassionate students supporting genocidal sadistic rapists and protesting those fighting to destroy their evil hold on a civilian population.
There is a path to peace. As in WW II, deaths and suffering stopped with the unconditional surrender of Germany and Japan. Until Hamas is no longer able to threaten those who would work with Israel for peace, few nations will volunteer to help in Gaza. It will require politicians and world leaders to commit to the demilitarization of Gaza plus the decades needed to reeducate those indoctrinated in the Islamist hatred of Jews.
It has been said many times that five minutes after Hamas releases the hostages and surrenders, the bombing stops. The sooner Hamas is gone and the process begins, the better for everyone. I can only hope the protesters begin to see the truth of this war.
Michael Raab, M.D. is a resident of Sanibel.
