Unfortunately, the images coming out of Gaza in recent days
make it easy for them to draw such outrageous and offensive comparisons. While
I am not convinced that the scale of starvation is as great as portrayed by
virtually every major media outlet, I will concede that many Palestinians are
indeed starving. And it is all too easy for the world to place the blame
squarely on Israel.
I’m not going to dispute that these images seem to
indicate Israeli culpability. Whether it be due to deliberate denial of aid, as
some claim, or because the realities of war have hampered the entry of food
trucks, or because of Hamas looting and interference with distribution. The
fact remains: there is a food shortage in Gaza, and a great many people are
suffering.
I’m also not going to get into whether most Palestinians
believe the Jewish presence in Israel is an illegitimate colonization; nor will
I belabor the fact that many in Gaza, Judea and Samaria (the West Bank)
celebrated the October 7th massacre. Those facts - while important -
are no longer the point in the face of real human suffering.
What matters now is the world’s reaction. This time, it’s
not only the ‘usual suspects’ blaming Israel. It’s some of Israel’s strongest
allies in Congress. As Jewish Insider reports:
Representative Ritchie Torres is one of several pro-Israel Democrats who have grown more critical of the Israeli government’s handling of the humanitarian situation in Gaza in recent days.
And it’s not just
Democrats. Some of Israel’s staunchest Republican supporters have also
expressed concern:
House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA), appearing on CNN’s The Lead, expressed strong concern about the humanitarian crisis in Gaza… Johnson’s comments, following President Donald Trump’s remark that “real starvation” is happening in Gaza, show growing concern even among pro-Israel Republicans.
“I do hope it comes to an end soon,” Johnson said of the war, “and we bring an end to this suffering and misery, because it is quite sad and quite alarming to see. We've got a humanitarian crisis in Gaza — I mean, the pictures tell 1,000 words and it’s heartbreaking.”
It’s one thing to ignore those who’ve never been friendly to
Israel. But when your closest friends and allies raise concerns, you’d better
pay attention and act.
To Israel’s credit - it has acted. It has opened the
floodgates and allowed hundreds of food trucks into Gaza. It has implemented a
10-hour daily pause in fighting to facilitate the distribution of humanitarian
aid.
I just hope it’s not too little, too late. And that the
erosion of support doesn’t become permanent.
One way or another, this war must end—and the hostages must
be released. As soon as possible if Israel hopes to salvage its reputation even
among its friends - no matter how justified its war effort has been.
That said, it must not go unmentioned how the leaders of
three major G7 countries—France, the UK, and Canada - have now shown their true
colors. These liberal-left governments have announced their intent to
unilaterally recognize a so-called ‘State of Palestine’. A state that does not
exist. A state that has no functioning government. A state likely to be ruled
by those whose foundational belief is that Jews have no right to a country of
their own.
Their recognition has no legal effect. But it sends a loud
and dangerous message. It signals that they could not care less about the
safety of the Jewish people. If they purpose was to show how much they care for the welfare of Palestinians, they could have
demanded an end to the war. But recognizing a state ruled by those whose
ultimate goal is to destroy Israel makes these three leaders the ideological
heirs - not of peacemakers, but of those who stood silent (or worse) in the
face of genocidal hatred.
They may claim they support Israel’s right to exist. But
actions speak louder than words. Recognizing a Palestinian state on Israel’s
long and vulnerable eastern border after the October 7th atrocities which
many of the October 7th massacre supporters would govern - tells us all we
need to know.
These foreign leaders have made no mention – NONE - of
Hamas’s responsibility for the suffering in Gaza. They see only Israel’s faults
and blame only Israel’s current leadership. As if Israel simply woke up one
morning and decided to commit genocide. As if October 7th never
happened. As if Palestinians had ever launched a deadly intifada; never
bombed buses or cafés, never slaughtered Jews Davening in synagogues.
Even after all those horrific acts over the years, Israel
did not fire a single shot into Gaza. It was only after the worst massacre of
Jews since the Holocaust, and the abduction of 250 innocent hostages, that
Israel responded.
None of this was mentioned by the leaders of France, the UK,
or Canada. Not a word about the fact that the fastest way to end the war and starvation
is for Hamas to return the hostages and lay down arms!
I am with UK Chief Rabbi Ephraim Mirvis on this. Although he directed his comments to the UK, it applies to all three countries. What they have done is embolden Hamas. They’ve
allowed Hamas to claim that the atrocities of October 7th worked.
A final word about the UK: When the UN voted to create the
State of Israel, the UK abstained. Even after the Holocaust, when survivors languished in DP camps with nowhere to go. Britain had no sympathy for us then.
But now it leaps to recognize a Palestinian state to show how humanitarian it
is.
The UK sickens me. On a personal level I’ve come to hate
British accents. Not because of the way they sound, but because of the views
they often represent. When I hear a British-accented reporter speak about
Israel, I can almost guarantee they will be critical. I’ve even heard justification
for Hamas as “legitimate resistance.”
This is especially true of the BBC. Yet somehow, the world
hears that accent and thinks: ‘how civilized a British accent sounds’. With a few notable exceptions, the UK hasn’t been
civilized since their ancestors expelled the Jews from their country hundreds
of years ago. And they’ve just proven it again.
