Anti-Semites All Over Campus: How the College Left Has Gotten Israel All Wrong, Part 2
The Needed History Lesson That Debunks The Absurdities About Israel
Israel, Israelis, and their supporters have been labeled as the following: “occupiers”, “settlers”, “ethnic cleansers”, “colonizers”, and whatever negative connotation the anti-semites on the Left deem them to be. Not only are all of these labels incorrect, but they are absolutely absurd.
On the subject of “occupations”, related to the claim of Israel being an “occupier” – another label that Israel and Jews have been forced to wear – there is indeed an Israeli occupation of the West Bank. An occupation akin to how the United States occupied Nazi Germany and Japan following World War II until the hostile regimes surrendered and relinquished their arms. The terrorists within the West Bank have not fully surrendered; therefore, military occupation is permissible under international law. Furthermore, the Jews did not “occupy” or “colonize” anyone. In fact, the Jews were occupied, colonized, and displaced by everyone – the Romans, the Babylonians, the Byzantines, the Ottomans, and the Arabs during the Great Arab Conquest of the 7th century which resulted in virtually no Jews remaining. Also, the Jews have resided in the land of Israel since 1200 B.C. – a thousand years before a single Muslim ever walked the earth – so if it is really about who got there first, it’s not even close.
Additionally, the Israeli settlements do not come close to satisfying the South African standard of apartheid. Moreover, even if the South African standard for “apartheid” did not exist, Israel’s actions still do not satisfy what the word, “apartheid”, historically and traditionally means. There are nine Sharia Courts (or Islamic Courts of Israel) in the State of Israel. Khaled Kabub, a Muslim, is a member of the justices on the Supreme Court of Israel. Also, 21% of Israel’s population is Arab – whom they treat better than most Arab countries treat their own Arab citizens. Furthermore, the Arabs living in Israel can vote. With all this being said, if Israel is committing apartheid against Palestinians, they seem to be going about it all the wrong way.
Regarding Israel being an “ethnic cleanser”, Israel has clearly not been trying to ethnically cleanse the Palestinians over the last 75 years. This is an unsophisticated and vacuous assertion given that the Palestinian population has increased from 700,000, in 1948, to 7 million, today. Therefore, either Israel is the absolute worst ethnic cleanser in the history of the world OR somebody is lying … For those who are still confused, it’s the latter. Now, ask yourself, ‘Why would they deliberately lie?’
The blissfully unaware college students, across the United States, carelessly and baselessly accuse Israel of committing genocide and apartheid – seeming to lack any understanding of what either of those two words actually mean. Israel defending itself from terrorists by rooting out said terrorists, in Gaza, does not constitute genocide. The people who died in the Israeli airstrikes were not killed because of their nationality but rather because they were either terrorists, themselves, or innocent civilians who were forced and/or coerced by the Hamas terrorists to remain in their locations – all so that Hamas could use them as human shields to advance their terrorist agenda; thus, killing the same people they duplicitously claim to care about. Moreover, the Palestinian deaths are caused by the Hamas terrorists deliberately choosing to place their rockets and to harbor themselves in densely populated areas such as schools, refugee camps, hospitals, and other sensitive areas; ultimately, leaving Israel with a terrible decision to make: kill Hamas or Hamas will kill them.
Israel has and does go above and beyond to avoid civilian casualties. The IDF wirelessly alerts Gazans to flee specific areas so they can eliminate the terrorists. They even drop knock bombs which just make the noise of a bomb but do not actually explode. Israel consistently goes the extra mile; however, Hamas deliberately positions its own civilians to be “sacrificed” so that they can have the campaign material to promote the fiction of Israel being the aggressor.
On another note, the calls for a ceasefire are completely foolish. Hamas is a terrorist organization that is not receptive to reason. Hamas invaded Israel for which Jews suffered the most deaths since the Holocaust and now, the college Left and more, demand a ceasefire??? It is nonsensical to assert anything contradictory to Israel's right to defend itself by rooting out the terrorists in Gaza. Furthermore, a ceasefire would leave Hamas with the capacity to commit further terrorism – a capacity that can be eliminated if Israel finishes the job of eliminating Hamas. For those who call for Israel to stop defending itself – a “ceasefire” – how about you start calling for Hamas to lay down its arms, immediately surrender, and release the hostages. Why? Because if Hamas surrenders and releases the hostages, there will be peace. Unlike the alternative, where if Israel stops defending itself, or lays down its arms, Israel will cease to exist.
Hamas disseminates its propaganda through the Palestinian Health Ministry which repeatedly lies about death counts. An example of this is when they stated that Israel bombed a hospital and that 500 people died when in reality it was a Hamas ally, Palestinian Islamic Jihad, that fired the rocket. The rocket’s trajectory showed that it came from Gaza, the shrapnel from the rocket was distinctly Palestinian, and a hospital was not hit – a parking lot was. How can you be that wrong? Unless of course, you’re not trying to be right…
Moreover, the college Left, at GW and elsewhere, have gotten the “oppressor” label all wrong. Hamas is the regional actor that uses its citizens as human shields when it attacks Israel, Hamas chooses to conduct and harbor its operations in the most sensitive of the densely populated areas within Gaza, Hamas does not allow Palestinians to leave the areas that the Israeli government has told the world when and where it is going to bomb, Hamas leaves their civilians without water because they dug up water pipes to use for rockets and drained the Gazan aquifers to build tunnels, Hamas brainwashes the children of Gaza to hate and fear Jews, and Hamas keeps its citizens in a state of isolation by conducting terrorism.
On the other hand, Israel is the state actor that has been supplying Gaza with free electricity, water, and food. Israel even tried to build a sewage system in Gaza but had to stop because Hamas used the sewage pipes to build rockets. Historically, Israel has given medical aid to Gazans and has even sent their own Israeli citizens into Gaza to provide medical support. Currently, Israel is the state actor coordinating the humanitarian aid going into Gaza, beginning at the Rafah border – which Israel monitors to ensure effective coordination and facilitation of the UN trucks filled with food, water, medical supplies, and more. After all of this, Israel is still viewed as the “oppressor” by the college Left. To the college students protesting Israel, you have gotten it wrong. Israel is not the oppressor – Hamas is.
Author: Jack Fisher
The views expressed are the author's alone and do not represent the official position of the GWCRs.
