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| Steve Witkoff and Prime Minister Netanyahu (JTA) |
Simply put: moral clarity.
First, let me reiterate my belief that the war in Gaza needs
to end. Not because it isn’t just. It most certainly is. But for a variety of
reasons, primarily the loss of international support, including from an
increasing number of members of the U.S. Congress. The details of that shift
(see here) are beyond the scope of this post.
The latest blow to U.S. support for Israel came yesterday in
the Senate:
A record number of Senate Democrats representing a majority of the caucus—voted Wednesday in favor of two resolutions blocking U.S. military sales to Israel.
The vote tally, which included several senators who had not previously opposed such aid, underscores a growing erosion of support for Israel within the party.
Twenty-seven Senate Democrats voted for at least one of the resolutions.
The first was defeated 27–70; the second, 24–73.
On the plus side, it’s gratifying that both resolutions were
defeated by wide margins. Still, it is disheartening that aside from Vermont
Senator Bernie Sanders, who submitted the resolutions, two other Jewish
senators - Georgia’s Jon Ossoff and Michigan’s Elissa Slotkin - voted for them.
But then - on the plus side again - there is this:
President Donald Trump called for Hamas to “surrender” in a post on Truth Social Thursday morning, a day before his Middle East envoy visited Gaza and praised humanitarian efforts there.
“The fastest way to end the Humanitarian Crises in Gaza is for Hamas to SURRENDER AND RELEASE THE HOSTAGES!!!,” wrote Trump in the post.
And this:
The 22-nation Arab League has signed onto a declaration that condemns Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, attack on Israel and calls on Hamas to disarm.
Finally! A little good news among all the overwhelmingly bad news.
But there is more. This morning, I had the pleasure of watching Senator Tom Cotton address his colleagues on the Senate floor. He spoke the truth about what’s happening in Gaza and laid blame squarely where it belongs - on Hamas. He also gave credit to Israel for doing what it can to alleviate the suffering, supporting his remarks with photographic evidence and well-documented facts about Hamas’s tactics and Israel’s humanitarian efforts.
He excoriated fellow senators who have been duped by media
coverage and emotionally charged imagery. He even noted that he was being kind
in suggesting they were merely duped, hinting there were some darker motives beneath their antagonism. I won’t go into detail - you can watch the full
address below.
The fact is, a lot of people have been misled by the overwhelming tide of negative media coverage. Whether intentionally or not, the coverage has grown increasingly one-sided.
Most well-intentioned people believe that ‘Pictures don’t lie’. And say things like, ‘Common human decency demands that Israel stop the war and allow food in’.
The clear implication is that Israel is to blame for
all the suffering in Gaza.
Perception becomes reality in the minds of the average
American. That doesn’t mean the public has become antisemitic. It means their
genuine compassion is being shaped by what they see, hear, and read in the
mainstream media. Misguided though their conclusions may be, they cannot be
ignored.
No one has captured this dilemma better than Rabbi Moshe
Taragin. In a recent article in The Jewish Link, he provides much-needed
moral clarity. It’s a must-read in full, but here are some excerpts:
We are currently entangled in what feels like an unending war to defend our land and our people. This is a morally just war - a war of survival against enemies who openly seek our annihilation. We fight barbarians who have no regard for life - neither ours nor that of the civilians they falsely claim to represent.
We have tried—though not always successfully—to spare civilian lives, but given the circumstances and the extent to which Hamas has embedded itself within the civilian population, this has become increasingly difficult.
Despite the immense challenges of urban warfare, great efforts have been made to minimize civilian casualties - resulting in a civilian-to-combatant casualty ratio that, while still tragic, compares favorably to other recent conflicts.
Still, this war raises serious moral complications. Many innocents in Gaza are caught in the crossfire, and their suffering must weigh heavily on our conscience. October 7 left us with no other choice—but that doesn’t erase the devastation we’ve indirectly caused…
We have made costly mistakes, but we have never engaged in wanton attacks on innocent civilians.
As the humanitarian situation in Gaza deteriorates, much of world opinion has turned against us. Among the critics are many Jews who believe the war crosses profound moral red lines. They argue it provokes global outrage, causes a chilul Hashem, and betrays Jewish values.
Worse, they say, it fuels antisemitism and endangers the Jewish future rather than securing it.
Many Jews who denounce this war believe they are acting in the finest Jewish tradition: fighting for justice and defending human dignity. Intellectual honesty demands that we resist the urge to demonize or dismiss them as self-loathing Jews. In their minds they are not outsiders to our tradition. From their perspective they are passionately committed to Jewish values - even if from our perspective their conclusions are misguided.
But acknowledging their sincerity is not the same as endorsing their understanding of Judaism. Though they speak in Judaism’s name, they reveal only one facet of our vast and intricate identity. Once again, a partial aspect of Judaism has overshadowed the full spectrum of our values. Is Jewish destiny only about building an ethical city of moral spirit? Or is there something greater, something eternal?
We believe in the biblical prophecies that surround this land and our people... Defending Israel is defending Jewish destiny.
But is that true? Did the war create antisemitism? History tells a different story. Antisemitism is as old as time. Those who seek to hate Jews will always find a cause, a crisis or an ideology to justify their fury. Antisemites didn’t wait for a war; they were marching and raging against us in the hours after the Oct. 7 massacre—before a single tank crossed into Gaza.
The ultimate answer to antisemitism is not a utopian culture of tolerance and mutual understanding, an illusion shattered by Nazi Germany. The real answer is Jewish sovereignty—a homeland where Jews live freely and defend themselves. Protecting that homeland is not what fuels antisemitism. It is what defeats it.
Senator Cotton and Rabbi Taragin may come from vastly different worlds - one a Southern conservative lawmaker, the other a Religious Zionist educator in Israel. But both exhibit moral clarity at a time when confusion and malice are rampant. We would do well to heed their words.
