A Year After Oct. 7, Israel Still Has the Right to Defend Itself
Those who deny this right, both the terrorists abroad and the fools at home who cloak their hatred in cries of “genocide” cannot claim the moral high ground.
Following the horrific attacks last October 7th, the Israeli government produced a tape splicing together footage from the violent incursion by Hamas terrorists. The embassy invited several journalists to witness the tape first hand and see the truth of what had really happened that day. I had the terrible privilege of viewing it.
The darkened viewing room was silent as the grave, with occasional interjections of horror and revulsion as we witnessed the carnage. One clip that sticks with me as I begin my own journey with fatherhood is a man shepherding his young boys into an outdoor shed as terrorists enter his house. Using his body as a shield, he sacrifices himself as they throw a grenade into the shed to ensure his children survive. The young boy’s wails still echo in my brain.
I bring this story up not to evoke pity for the terror inflicted upon the Jewish state last year, but to emphasize how necessary and urgent it is that Israel be allowed to continue its campaign to protect itself. If Israel is forced to lay down its arms, it will cease to exist.
An AP-Pearson Institute poll found that the majority of Americans still sympathize with Israel in the conflict and that more Americans view Israel as an ally now than before the Oct. 7th attacks. While these numbers are a slight decline from earlier in the year, there is no question that Americans still overall have a positive view of the Israeli efforts at self-defense.
Yet even in the face of mass support for Israel’s right to defend itself, large segments of radicals continue to push the lie that Gaza is facing a genocide with American backing. Qatari propaganda rag Al Jazeera continues to push the genocide narrative while useful idiots like Queers for Palestine riot in American streets. These protestors claim that they simply wish to see an end to wanton death and destruction in the region, but their actions say otherwise.
If base anti-Semitism wasn’t the motivation for many of these protestors, why are there thousands of them marching in the streets on Oct. 7th to decry Israel? Does it honor those killed on either side of the conflict to chant anti-Israeli slogans on the day that saw the deadliest attack on Jews since the Holocaust?
Even President Biden, whose party is becoming increasingly associated with anti-Israel sentiment, felt the need to come out against the rising tide of hatred from his side. “I also strongly condemn the vicious surge in antisemitism in America and around the world,” the President wrote in a statement. “It is unacceptable. All of us must stand united against antisemitism and against hate in all its forms.”
The State Department concurred, writing “On this painful anniversary, the United States stands with Israel as it defends itself against terrorism. We remain steadfast in our commitment to lasting peace and stability across the region and for a common future for Israelis and Palestinians with equal measures of security, dignity, opportunity, and freedom.”
Much as I am loath to say it, the Biden administration is correct. Israel has a right to exist and has the right to use force to defend itself. In the face of terror, where two innocent young boys are left without a father due to the twisted acts of human scum, Israel is in a fight to live free from the endless threat of annihilation.
Those who deny this right, both the terrorists abroad and the fools at home who cloak their hatred in cries of “genocide” cannot claim the moral high ground. As long as innocent men, women, and children are used as human shields by vile terrorists, Israel must remain vigilant. And as long as there are those willing to march in the streets to celebrate this carnage, Israel must remain vigilant.
One year on, Israel’s struggle for survival is still essential. But as history has shown, the Jews are a resilient people. This too, shall pass.