Shabbat had finished, I switched on the radio, and heard the wonderfully uplifting news: This morning, our Special Forces located and rescued four of our hostages who had been held captive by the Hamas for eight months!
Along with the rest of the nation, I am rejoicing.
Inevitably, of course, some people are devastated at four Jews being rescued. And if you are one of those, then I address my words here to you.
Whether you’re honest about supporting the Hamas – maybe as an Islamist, maybe as a European or American neo-Nazi, maybe as a college-educated liberal, maybe as an official of the Iranian regime, or maybe as a die-hard Irish nationalist in the Sinn Féin mould;
or whether you like to portray yourself as “pro-Israel but anti-Netanyahu”, maybe as J-street, maybe as Jewish Voice for Peace, maybe as a writer or editor of Jewish Currents;
or whether you pretend to be neutral, maybe as Secretary General of the United Nations, maybe as a Red Cross official —
I understand that you’re devastated at Israel’s successfully rescuing these four and bringing them home to safety. I understand that it doesn’t fit your “narrative” – your constantly-repeated mantra that Israel (or Netanyahu, depending on how dishonest you are) doesn’t care about the hostages. I understand that you are distraught because this dramatic rescue reduces the Hamas’s bargaining power.
But please, dear Jew-haters…oops, sorry, I meant to say “anti-Zionists”, take heart. All is not lost. There is much from which you can draw solace.
First, the fact that that the genocidal psychopaths of the Hamas whom you so dearly love are still holding some 126 of our hostages. There are still plenty of Jews for them to continue torturing and abusing.
But better than that, for you Jew-haters…oops, sorry, I did it again, I meant to say “anti-Zionists”:
This dramatic rescue-mission took place in the Nuseirat refugee camp; that’s where the Hamas were holding these hostages. So inevitably, there were civilian casualties among the Gazans: more than two-hundred killed according to the Hamas – a number which may well rise as either more details become known, or as the Hamas’s accounting department gets to work inflating the figures while differetiating between terrorists and so-called civilians. (Questions: How could 4 hostages be held for months without one "uninvolved" Gazan reporting it? Can it be they did not care?)
This has already led to massive condemnations of Israel.
Mahmoud Abbas, President of the PA, condemned Israel’s operation as a “bloody massacre”, and called for an emergency UN Security Council session.
Josep Borrell, the High Representative of the European Union for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy, wrote on X (formerly Twitter): “Reports from Gaza of another massacre of civilians are appalling. We condemn this in the strongest terms. The bloodbath must end immediately”.
Jordan and Egypt, Israel’s two best friends in the Middle East, both condemned the rescue:
The Jordanian Foreign Ministry said that it “condemned the brutal Israeli assault” on the camp, “a practice that reflects the systematic targeting of Palestinian civilians, the Israeli persistence in violating international law and international humanitarian law, and the continuation of committing war crimes”.
And the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated that Egypt “condemns in the strongest terms the Israeli attacks on the Al-Nuseirat camp”.
And so, dear Jew-haters…oops, sorry, I did it yet again, I meant to say “anti-Zionists” everywhere, take heart. All is not lost. Yes the Jews managed to rescue four of their hostages, but dead Gazans make such excellent Jew-bashing TV footage that it was well worth it.
Let’s be honest: whether you’re an Islamist, or a neo-Nazi, or a college-educated progressive or liberal, or an official of the Iranian regime, or a die-hard Irish nationalist, or a left-wing Jewish activist, or a UN or Red Cross official, you don’t really care about the “Palestinian Arabs” at all, do you. It’s not, and never has been, about them; it’s about hating Israel.
So take solace, Jew-haters…oops, sorry, I did it yet again, I meant to say “anti-Zionists”, in the knowledge that while we here in Israel are rejoicing in the rescue of four of our captives, and while we have confidence in our Army that it can defeat the genocidal psychopaths of the Hamas who are fighting your fight, the world will still continue to condemn us.
Enjoy it.
And here in Israel, we couldn’t give a damn what you think.