Ground Invasion and Global Antisemitism
Israel-Gaza News From October 20-27
Welcome to the first Friday Newsletter Update. The format will be as follows. A “Quick Hits” section where I will select the major stories from the week. A “Closer Look,” where I elaborate on each of the stories in “Quick Hits.” Later on, I will release other editions called “Digging Deeper,” where I go more in-depth on topics and give you a deeper understanding of history and context.
Quick Hits
The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) invited dozens of journalists from international news outlets for a viewing of the footage taken by the terrorists of the atrocities committed on October 7th, where over 1400 Israeli civilians were murdered, raped, and mutilated. Reports said that there were many reporters deeply disturbed by the footage, including open weeping and gagging. You can read about this here and here.
Two Hostages of the 224 taken by Hamas were released this week. Two women, aged 79 and 85, are back safe in Israel, though their husbands are still being held. They reported being beaten and force-marched across Gaza and through tunnels, although once they arrived in the underground prison, they were fed and treated with a modicum of decency. It should be stressed that both women's husbands are currently hostages so that reality shapes their comments.
We are seeing shocking scenes of Antisemitism across the country. Genocidal slogans of “From the River to the Sea” and “Glory to the Martyrs” were projected on campus buildings at George Washington University. Jews were beaten or forced to hide by “Palestinean Supporters” here, here, and here. The Anti Defamation League, a left-wing Jewish organization harshly criticized by many American Jews for its anti-Israel posture, has reported a 400% rise in antisemitic crimes in the past three weeks.
Rashida Talib, a sitting U.S. congresswoman, continues to put out Hamas propaganda on her social media feeds about the explosion near the Palestinian hospital despite her own party and president, insisting that it was a rocket fired from Palestinian Islamic Jihad.
Radical Settler Violence against Palestinians in the West Bank by non-IDF-sanctioned Jewish religious radicals is on the rise. The Israeli government in the past has checked these radicals with military action—but seems to be unable or unwilling to stop these attacks. Presumably, their focus is on Gaza in the South and Hezbollah in the North, but the defense of Palestinians under their occupation should be a top concern. Such violence could become a major issue for the IDF if the violence provokes an uprising in the West Bank. We’ll discuss more below.
The past three days have seen an Israeli naval incursion into northern Gaza as well as two ground raid operations. The belief is that they are preparing for a larger ground invasion that appears imminent. Israeli government officials have publically stated that “a date has been set” for the ground invasion.
A Closer Look
IDF Screening of Atrocities
We began with the story of the IDF screening images and videos of the atrocities perpetrated by Hamas because it is essential to understanding this conflict. It is perfectly legitimate for questions to be asked of the IDF as to how they select their military targets and if they are doing enough to protect the civilians of Gaza during their military operation. But, it is essential to remember that Israel did not ask for this war; it was forced upon them by acts of unspeakable evil committed on innocent civilians, many of whom had spent much of their lives as peace activists advocating for the people of Gaza.
As we noted last week, American and International news consistently behave with a double standard towards the activity of the state of Israel. Holding Israel to standards they do not apply to any other regime in the world. The IDF is concerned that media outlets will default to the “both sides” pattern that has marked coverage for decades. The IDF’s message was clear at this screening: There is no moral equivalency between Hamas and Israel. When the IDF strikes Hamas, they seek to avoid civilian casualties often, going above and beyond the international laws of armed conflict. When Hamas attacks, civilians are the targets.
Frankly, that does not even state it properly. Jews are the targets. An audio call was recorded between a Hamas terrorist and his parents. Here is what he boasted of: “Father, I Killed 10 Jews! Check your WhatsApp! I sent you the photos! Father, I killed 10 Jews! I killed 10 Jews with my own hands. Check your WhatsApp. Father, be proud of me!” To which his father responded, “Allah be praised,” and “Allah protect you.” he then spoke with his mother and expressed a similar sentiment—you can listen to the horrible call here.
We hear much rhetoric in the West about “Decolonizing” and critique (some of it legitimate) of the Israeli occupation. But, these terrorists were not freedom fighters. The goal was not to “Kill the occupiers” or “Decolonize the Land.” It was not even “Kill Israelis”; the goal was to kill Jews—to kill as many Jews as possible. Those in America and around the world calling for a “ceasefire” are free to do so. But, they must recognize that they are calling on the Israeli government to permit a genocidal regime to operate with impunity on its borders.
Settler Violence and What to Make of it.
As stated in the quick hits section, radical settler violence against Palestinians in the West Bank by non-IDF-sanctioned Jewish religious radicals is on the rise. I am currently working on a few “Explainers” that will hopefully give my readers a better sense of what is going on in the region, in particular, the history of how the borders got to where they are today and what the controversy about settlements and settlers, as well as how the people of Israel perceive them. But I will give you a briefer summary here.
(Image Courtesy of AFP)
The “West Bank” is the area in pink on the map above. It is governed by the Palestinian Authority who manages the day-to-day operations (Sanitation, Police, City Governance) of the West Bank. The West Bank does not have a military, nor does it have an international airport due to Israeli security concerns. But, in the day-to-day management, the Palestinians are supposed to be left to their own devices within the West Bank this has not been the case. Since 1967, there have been waves of settlers moving into the occupied West Bank for various reasons. You can read a Jewish source here and a neutral source here. I intend to discuss this further in an “Explainer,” but for now, you need to know that they are controversial within Israel, and they have done some really bad things throughout the years.
Perhaps the group responsible for most of the terrible things done by settlers is the hardline religious Israelis. They believe that God has given all of the land to the Jews, and thus, they must go and take it back as Joshua was commanded to by God in the Bible. This group, while a fringe group, has grown in popularity over recent years and even managed to get representation in the current Israeli government. These settlers have used this moment to attack their Palestinian neighbors, threatening them, destroying their property, and even killing them. It is imperative for Israel to stop these attacks and protect the civilians in the West Bank. First and foremost, because it is the right thing to do—but also pragmatically—they do not need to deal with an uprising in the West Bank that could very well be sparked by such violence from the extremist settlers.
I hope this has been a helpful newsletter—feel free to send it to whomever you think it may be useful to—I’d also love to know what questions you may have or things you want to be explained; it will help me know where to focus on the “Digging Deeper” editions.
Zach, thank you for sharing your knowledge with us. I have shared the site with our family address list.
Great job, Zach. I’m learning from your insights!