From the “Israel is starving Gazans” hoax to the “settler violence” hoax, Hamas and other terrorist groups are playing Jewish leaders like a fiddle. And the Jewish community is paying for it.
The impact of Hamas propaganda is on full display in “A protest letter to PM Netanyahu from world Jewry,” signed by more than 5,000 people, including “leaders of world Jewry from 20 countries.” The letter to Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was “facilitated” by the London Initiative Action Group. Signatories include philanthropists such as Charles Bronfman, one of the founders of Birthright Israel, and leaders of left-wing extremist organizations such as UnXeptable and J Street.
The letter begins by claiming support for Israel and acknowledging the “painful dilemmas” that Israel faces. The writers immediately follow up by saying, “Yet, we cannot escape the fact that the policies and rhetoric of the government you lead are doing lasting damage to Israel, its standing in the world, and the prospects of secure peace for all Israelis and Palestinians.”
No sooner do signers claim that “We are under no illusions about the actions and intentions of Hamas” before proving that they are wallowing in those illusions.
Their first demand on Israel makes their top priority clear; Israel needs to feed Gazans. They tell Israel to “Permanently restore and enable the provision of food and humanitarian aid to the Gazan population.” They acknowledge that Hamas steals the aid, but they are still seeing “human suffering,” and this bothers them. They are not on the ground in Gaza, and they are not risking their lives to deliver aid, but they are upset, and Israel should just fix it. It’s a home run for Hamas.
Next, Israel is told to “end the war” and “bring the hostages home.” Why didn’t Israel think of that before? Apparently, the signers, while not in Gaza, know exactly where the hostages are and how to run a rescue operation without Hamas killing the captives. The signers also demand that Israel “provide assurances” that Jews will not seek to “resettle Gaza or pursue … expulsion of Palestinian civilians … .” So, Palestinians, many of whom support Hamas, must be able to remain in Gaza. On the other hand, Jews, who were forcibly torn from their homes in Gaza just 20 years ago, must not be allowed to return. Hamas is liking that, too.
Thirdly, Israel is to “enforce the law in the West Bank” because “violence by Jewish extremists is unprecedented.” What is unprecedented are the 6,343 Arab terrorist attacks on Jews in Judea and Samaria, with 27 Israelis murdered in 2024 and 300 others wounded. The letter endorsers are either unaware of this or don’t care. They also may not know that many of the “Jewish settler” allegations are later found to be false. It’s another win for Hamas propaganda.
Their final point accuses Israel of policies of “starvation or expulsion as weapons of war” and using “language of racism, hatred and incitement.” It claims that when Israel’s minister of heritage, Amichai Eliyahu, said “all of Gaza will be Jewish,” it was a “moral abomination” primarily because it upset “democratic allies.” Yet many of those same allies are supporting moves that would pose “an existential threat” to Israel.
Although Jews lived in Gaza for centuries and, most recently, 20 years ago, signers will accept nothing less than the permanent ethnic cleansing of Jews from Gaza. Because that’s moral. Just ask Hamas.
The letter ends by saying that “a majority of Israelis are willing to pursue secure peace with the Palestinians as part of a regional normalization process, and we are ready to support any Israeli efforts to that effect.” That sounds lovely; however, 38% of “Palestinians” in Gaza still support the Hamas-led terrorist attacks in southern Israel on Oct. 7, 2023 (as do 59% of Palestinians in Judea and Samaria), and only 12% blame Hamas for their suffering.
If so many Muslim Arabs side with Hamas, and if the signers are “under no illusions about the actions and intentions of Hamas,” what exactly would they have Israel do? Give Hamas whatever they want? The signers would pay no price, but Jews in Israel would pay with their lives.
Signatories on the letter include local rabbis. They are convincing their congregations that they are taking a moral stand. They are leading the Jewish community in making demands on Israeli leaders during an existential war while downplaying terrorism and Jewish rights. Several rabbis are encouraging their congregants to give money to feed Gazans.
Hamas must be thrilled to see how easily they have duped Jews into funding their efforts.
