There is so very much we should not have to endure. But I begin by marking the horrendous terrorist murder of two young staff members of the Israeli Embassy in Washington DC on Wednesday night: Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim, who were about to become engaged. They were shot at close range outside the Capital Jewish Museum, where an event was being held.
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The shooter cried “Free, free Palestine” as he was taken into custody.
The Coalition for Jewish Values has charged in a statement it subsequently released that the antisemitic terrorist attack in Washington DC was “the end result of the genocidal rhetoric used by the anti-Israel movement.”
Calls for ‘Free Palestine,’ stated the organization, are not advocating “for peace or coexistence, but for ethnic cleansing and genocide…
“Those who issue these calls, whether on campus, in Congress, or in so-called civil society, are no different from the leading German academics of the 1940s who designed the Final Solution. Those who accepted, much less voiced this rhetoric now have blood on their hands, and future use of these terms, and tolerance thereof, must be met with immediate consequences.” (Emphasis added)
https://www.israelnationalnews.com/news/408811
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Take note my friends!
With the exception of the great majority of Israelis, some parts of the broader Jewish community, and select groups of friends – e.g., American evangelicals, certain devoted members of Congress – it appears that everyone has forgotten matters of critical importance regarding Israel’s situation.
Forgotten: The slaughter of over 1,200 Jews by Hamas on October 7, 2023.
Forgotten: The subhuman behavior of members of Hamas. They did not “just” kill Jews. They raped and mutilated bodies and burned people alive – all the while bragging about what they had done.
Forgotten: The pledge of Hamas to attack Israel again and again, until the Jewish state has been brought down.
Forgotten: The complicity of many Gazan civilians in the October 7 massacre and in the harboring of Israeli hostages (perhaps to this very day).
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With amnesia so prevalent, it becomes easy to think of what is going on in Gaza as simply “a war between Israel and Hamas” – a war like lots of other wars around the world, one that has gone on too long and should be stopped already. If Hamas remains standing, that’s OK, as long as the killing ends.
But it is not OK!
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We Israelis are bone-weary of having to justify ourselves in the face of incessant lies promulgated by Hamas – lies that are all too eagerly embraced and shared by millions, either because they are ready to believe the worst about Israel or because they are gullible and swallow fabrications that are repeated ad infinitum.
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The evidence that refutes the charges against Israel is out there.
We are charged with “genocide.” But the IDF fights a moral war, with every effort made to avoid civilian casualties. Our adherence to this standard is sterling and sometimes costs the lives of our soldiers.
This is from John Spencer, writing as chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute (MWI) at West Point (emphasis added):
“…In their criticism, Israel’s opponents are erasing a remarkable, historic new standard Israel has set. In my long career studying and advising on urban warfare for the U.S. military, I’ve never known an army to take such measures to attend to the enemy’s civilian population, especially while simultaneously combating the enemy in the very same buildings. In fact, by my analysis, Israel has implemented more precautions to prevent civilian harm than any military in history—above and beyond what international law requires and more than the U.S. did in its wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.
“The international community, and increasingly the United States, barely acknowledges these measures while repeatedly excoriating the IDF for not doing enough to protect civilians—even as it confronts a ruthless terror organization holding its citizens hostage. Instead, the U.S. and its allies should be studying how they can apply the IDF’s tactics for protecting civilians, despite the fact that these militaries would almost certainly be extremely reluctant to employ these techniques because of how it would disadvantage them in any fight with an urban terrorist army like Hamas.”
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The evidence is also out there regarding the fact that Hamas inflates the statistics on civilian casualties (emphasis added):
According to a new report co-authored by Australians Lewi Stone, a professor of mathematical epidemiology (pictured), and law professor Gregory Rose, “The casualty figures supplied by the Gaza Health Ministry are based on false and misleading data…
“Despite the numbers being deeply unreliable, they have been widely accepted to support genocide claims against Israel, ‘and thereby are a major strategic victory of Hamas’s wartime information effort,’ notes the report, titled, ‘Hamas Casualty Reports are a Tangle of Technical Problems.’
“According to Stone, ‘the single biggest issue is lack of identity verification of people reported to be dead via online notifications. Thousands of online reports have been found to be erroneous or problematical.
“’The second biggest issue is that there are many demonstrable inconsistencies within the data, including those that reveal deliberately fabricated figures. Even the Ministry of Health data is in total contradiction to the Gaza Media Office that pushes out the statistics to the world.’
“When asked if the Gaza numbers were accepted because they were the only numbers being issued, the authors of the report said no. The reason, they said, was essentially antisemitism.”
“The Hamas accusations were readily accepted because they resonate with culturally embedded preconceptions…
“’They recognize the market for accusations of fundamental evils committed by Jews who kill God, cook with the blood of non-Jewish children, poison public wells…Allegations of crimes against humanity by Israel merely adapt these preconceptions to 21st century terminology,’ they explained.”
There you have it: Deeply embedded highly negative misconceptions about Jews that have been embraced for ages provide fertile ground for the latest charges. Facts are irrelevant.
“The two hope their report will help disprove the genocide allegations…”
https://www.jns.org/hamas-casualty-numbers-deliberately-fabricated-new-analysis-reveals/
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The latest charge against Israel is that the civilian population of Gaza is starving. This is fallacious but is designed to arouse so much indignation around the world that Israel will be forced to stop fighting.
Please see and share the information in this report, which includes a video of a food market in Gaza City.
https://www.ynetnews.com/article/r17lo2wbxg#autoplay
“Though some markets in Gaza have been photographed empty, residents have also shared images and videos showing bustling food stalls, especially in Gaza City’s Al-Zawiya market. Despite war-related shortages and disruptions, food remains available in many areas, albeit at high prices…
“’Even during the worst times in northern Gaza, people could still buy things — it was just expensive,’ said Jacqui Peleg, director of Imshin, a project documenting life in Gaza. She monitors Gaza-based food-related businesses and shares current footage online that contradicts claims of widespread starvation.
“’There are gaps. Some people can pay, some can’t. The poor go to soup kitchens, and many of those are privately run.’ Peleg (pictured below) added that the narrative of starvation in Gaza long predates the war.
“’They’ve talked about starvation throughout the war, but I keep seeing other images…even when the crossings were open and supplies came in, people still claimed they were being starved. During the start of Ramadan, the crossings were closed, yet people celebrated.”
“…According to her, Hamas has been playing ‘a delicate game for years,’ keeping the population very poor but not starving…” (Emphasis added)
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“Israel has also challenged the starvation claims. The IDF’s Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) recently responded on X (formerly Twitter) to the latest UN-backed Integrated Food Security Phase Classification (IPC) food security report, saying: “Even based on IPC’s own analysis, there is no famine in Gaza…”
“The IPC keeps publishing alarming findings without releasing its data or analysis,” the statement read. “Its lack of transparency has been consistent. Its forecasts have repeatedly overstated the situation. The methodology for assessing Gaza’s food security is deeply flawed.”
COGAT criticized the IPC’s reliance on UN sources that, during the ceasefire, reflected only about one-third of the actual aid entering Gaza.
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The most outrageous claim in recent days was that 14,000 babies in Gaza would die within 48 hours if food didn’t reach them. This was picked up and made the news in many places.
That claim has now been withdrawn. The reality: the 14,000 figure was projecting malnutrition cases in children aged six months to five years throughout a 12-month timeframe. What is more, the IPC report from which this figure was drawn “distinguishes between severe and acute malnutrition, with the 14,000 figure specifically referring to the former category.”
https://www.israelhayom.com/2025/05/21/bbc-un-admit-misleading-in-14000-gaza-babies-claim/
How many people will see this correction, compared to the number who saw the original outrageously erroneous charge?
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And here is the bottom line. I won’t say that the world has forgotten this, for I strongly suspect that most of the Western world simply does not get it (or simply does not care):
When encountering true evil, the moral imperative is to eradicate it.
It is not possible to negotiate with it or cut it slack. Or ignore it.
Hamas, an offshoot of the Islamist Musim Brotherhood, wears the face of true evil.
The Islamists are intent on dominating the world, enforcing a political ideology that seeks to enforce Islamic precepts and norms and reject enlightened Western values. They employ violence and obfuscation in the determined furtherance of their repressive goals. They have scant regard for the sanctity of the individual human being, for basic freedoms, or for life itself.
Hamas, along with its benefactor Iran, has its sights on Israel because our nation is girded by Jewish values, the very antithesis of all that the Islamists embrace.
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It is not possible, in the end, to stand with one foot in one camp and one foot in the other – as many foolishly attempt to do today.
Either you stand against the evil inherent in the Hamas ideology or you do not.
If you stand against it, you will understand that Hamas must be defeated. And you will begin to recognize the enormous import of Israel’s battle against Hamas.
There is, first, the existential issue: Israel will not be defeated by Islamists.
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Agam Berger, an IDF field observer who was abducted by Hamas, was in France this past week and attended a meeting at which French Foreign Minister Jean-Noël Barrot, who is highly critical of Israel’s actions in Gaza, was present.
Berger told him, “They [Hamas] don’t want ‘togetherness’. Diplomatic solutions won’t work because it’s either us or them.” (Emphasis added)
https://www.jns.org/former-israeli-hostage-tells-french-fm-its-them-or-us/
An extremely brave young woman, and very wise at age 20. She knows.
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But there are other issues at stake as well: Israel is fighting for the Western world.
If Hamas – Heaven forbid! – were to be victorious, that would serve as a model for Islamists everywhere, who would be heartened and strengthened in their bids to act.
This would be true with regard to Iran, first, but also with regard to a number of other situations.
It is particularly the case with Arab nations that have Islamists embedded within their population. Both Egypt and Jordan are shaky because the Brotherhood exists within their borders. See Melanie Phillips on this:
https://www.jns.org/king-abdullah-and-the-islamists/
But it is not only Arab nations.
“’Extensive Networks, Covert Operations, and Radicalized Enclaves,’ Le Figaro reported this week, introducing ‘the disturbing report on the Muslim Brotherhood’s push to impose Sharia Law in France.’ In a 73-page report compiled by France’s intelligence services, the study that was presented to Interior Minister Bruno Retailleau offers a stark portrait of a nation being eroded from within. The declassified version, published by Le Figaro, is nothing short of explosive. (Emphasis added)
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The world is in crisis, my friends, and Israel – which is fighting the good fight – is being attacked via libelous and inciteful PR as well as militarily.
It is no longer acceptable to remain on the sidelines when the lies are told or when hateful rhetoric is utilized.
Please! share this as broadly as you can and speak out at every opportunity.
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I ask for prayers for Israel’s wellbeing.
Pray for the wisdom and courage of our leaders.
Pray for the safety of our brave troops.
Pray that the hostages will be brought home.
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©Arlene Kushner. This material is produced by independent journalist Arlene Kushner. Permission is granted for it to be reproduced only with proper attribution.
