There has to be a place for what to some may seem an unworkable juggling of disparate opinions, namely criticizing Hamas for its premeditated, evil, and animalistic behavior on October 7, and Israel for its scorched earth response. How can this not be a logical take on what’s going on?
It can’t be all or nothing for one side or the other. Well, it can be, but that’s not helpful.
Hamas’ mission is to rid the Middle East of Jews. This is heartless and untenable. Israel’s mission is to rid the region of Hamas, a terrorist organization, which in Israel’s mind is the point of the Gaza invasion but which also, to much of the rest of the world, is looking more and more like indiscriminate, ruthless murder of innocents, of people caught in the middle.
The anti-Semitic rhetoric is predictable. It’s always been here, idling just below the surface. It doesn’t need much of a reason to rear its ugly head. What’s different, perhaps, is that those who are protesting on behalf of the myriad Palestinian civilians whose lives have been upended or just plain ended are not necessarily voicing anti-Semitism. They’re simply reacting to a situation that warrants humanitarian attention, calling for what amounts to a difficult decision by Israel to dial things back, to reassess battle plans and strategy, stop the daily assaults on people who already have very little to cling to in the way of relief and hope.
I don’t know. It’s just difficult at times to listen to Netanyahu and others without wanting to tell them to shut up. It’s frustrating to keep being told that we’re not seeing what we’re seeing, regardless of the perceived righteousness of the Israeli cause, or the suffering of residents of Gaza.
Not every dissenting or pro-Palestinian opinion is evidence of anti-Semitism.
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