Israel: Get ready for the progressive backlash to go mainstream

The over/under could be as little as a week, when all our claims of unity with Israel go up in the smoke.  Whatever President Biden may say today, he hasn’t the stomach to oppose key members of his party, his movement, and a global government apparatus that has long ago decided Israel is to blame. 

Last week, there was a sense that the world was united with Israel after the terrorist group Hamas launched the most deadly attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.  Western leaders, in particular, issued stirring statements of support.  President Biden delivered some of the most moving and powerful words of his entire administration, immediately dispatching the Secretary of State to Israel itself in solidarity and planning a trip of his own happening right now.  “We encountered a nation knit together by grief but also a nation united in resolve. The United States shares that resolve. We stand shoulder to shoulder with the people of Israel,” Antony Blinken said while on the ground in the war torn country.  There were, of course, those who chose to speak out about Israel rather than condemn the atrocious actions of Hamas.  Academia, hard-core progressive groups, a few politicians, and some in the media ranged from engaging in moral equivalency between the rampaging horde and those who were slaughtered to something dangerously close to cheering on the terrorists.  Though Israel had left the Gaza Strip in 2005, leaving it entirely under Palestinian control while continuing to provide money and supplies, we were told they were settlers and colonizers and that any form of resistance was therefore justified.  Congressional members of the progressive “squad,” for example, would only call for de-escalation.  Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez issued a typical statement in this regard, claiming “Today is devastating for all those seeking a lasting peace and respect for human rights in Israel and Palestine. I condemn Hamas’ attack in the strongest possible terms. No child and family should ever endure this kind of violence and fear, and this violence will not solve the ongoing oppression and occupation in the region. An immediate ceasefire and de-escalation is urgently needed to save lives.”  Far more extreme was a letter in support from a student group at the University of Virginia, which was sadly typical of the response in the academic world.  “Students for Justice in Palestine unequivocally supports Palestinian Liberation and the right of colonized people everywhere to resist the occupation of their land by whatever means necessary.” Black Lives Matter went so far as to compare the plight of the Palestinians to black people in America, as if to suggest we need a barbaric uprising here.  Perhaps the worst was a Cornell professor who called the Hamas attack “energizing.”  At the same time, in these early days with the world still in shock, these voices were few and far between, the outlier of an outlier, and in some cases, statements of support for Palestine were revised and retracted after receiving the appropriate backlash.

Astute observers, however, knew this moment of unity was unlikely to last, especially once Israel responded with military force of their own, of the overwhelming kind necessary to destroy the terrorists that attacked them.  Hamas makes its home in the Gaza Strip, a narrow swath of land sandwiched between Israel and the Mediterranean Sea.  The region measures barely 140 square miles in total surface area, 24 long and less than eight wide, but is densely populated – ranking third in the world – and mostly urban, a ramshackle collection of dilapidated buildings housing close to 2.5 million people.  Some estimate that half of them are children.  The sort of infrastructure we take for granted in the United States – running water, electricity, air conditioning, etc. – is effectively non-existent, poverty is rampant, and some figures put the unemployment rate at an incredible 70%.  There are many who blame Israel and Egypt for this sad state of affairs.  The two countries have enforced a crippling blockade following Hamas’ electoral victory in 2007, which gave one of the world’s premiere terrorist groups, flush with millions per year from Iran, full control of the Gaza Strip.  Others, of course, blame Hamas itself for canceling all subsequent elections and oppressing their own people, but who is right or wrong isn’t relevant given what is almost certainly to come.  Israel has committed to exterminating Hamas and to do so, they must invade the Gaza Strip itself in what is surely to be a bloody, painful, difficult conquest.  The War in Iraq, particularly the surge in the Anbar Province, gives us a sense of what this looks like in practice.  There is no easy way to execute military operations in an area flush with buildings and other places to hide, where the targets of the operation are mixed in with innocent civilians.  This is not the same as dropping smart bombs on isolated bases where the precision of modern weaponry has transformed war into something out of a video game.  The only way to eradicate Hamas is for Israeli forces to mount a full invasion and (hopefully) short term occupation, literally going door to door, clearing out the rooms of each and every apartment one at a time, building by bloody building.  This is necessarily going to be difficult and violent with no shortage of collateral damage.  Hundreds of thousands of civilians will be displaced, thousands will likely be killed.  Hamas, in particular, has perfected the art of hiding behind soft targets.  They will not meet the Israeli advance to fight as soldier to soldier.  Instead, they will seek refuge in schools, hospitals, and other areas where they can use civilians as shields.  Innocents and children will die, likely in uncomfortably large numbers, but there is no real alternative if the goal is to eradicate Hamas and ensure they are never able to slaughter civilians again.

Israel is aware of this and has been urging up to 1.1 million Palestinian civilians to evacuate northern Gaza since last Friday, suggesting the planned invasion is imminent.  Israeli Defense Minister Yoav Gallant explained that Israel urged the evacuation to separate Hamas militants from the civilian population and thereby reduce casualties.  “So those who want to save their life, please go south,” he said at a news conference with Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin.  Needless to say, the evacuation is likely to be disruptive beyond anything we have seen in recent years, perhaps short of the Syrian Civil War, and lives will likely be lost simply carrying it out, but what is the alternative if you indeed stand with Israel as sizeable majorities keep insisting?  They could, of course, simply level the entire strip, destroying everything in the area, but that would certainly prove far more destructive, potentially killing millions.  It’s also worth noting that Israel is taking a military risk by issuing the call to evacuate, allowing thousands or even tens of thousands of militants to escape along with the civilians, setting back their own operation.  The only reason to do so is to preserve innocent life even at their own expense, but almost immediately after the call was issued, the United Nations, long a hotbed of anti-Israeli sentiment, sprung into action opposing it.  Spokesperson Stephane Dujarric claimed there would be “devastating human consequences,” apparently unaware of the savagery unleashed from the strip a week earlier.  A steady stream of objections and potential horror stories swiftly followed.  “The scale and speed of the unfolding humanitarian crisis is bone-chilling. Gaza is fast becoming a hellhole and is on the brink of collapse,” explained Philippe Lazzarini, the United Nations Commissioner General for Palestinian refugees and affairs while refusing to evacuate its own schools in the Gaza Strip, leaving hundreds of thousands within harm’s way.  “Gaza’s medical infrastructure has been irreparably damaged and healthcare providers are working in a dire situation with limited access to medical supplies and conditions that do not allow them to provide timely and quality healthcare,” added UN Special Rapporteur (whatever that means) Tlaleng Mofokeng, who focuses on the “right to health.”  The message couldn’t be clearer:  Gaza Strip, which lacked basic necessities for years, had been transformed from a paradise on Earth to hell hole by the Israelis.  By Monday, the UN had taken to calling the evacuation illegal under international law.  “We are concerned that this order, combined with the imposition of a complete siege of Gaza, may not be considered as lawful temporary evacuation and would therefore amount to a forcible transfer of civilians in breach of international law,” claimed Ravina Shamdasani, a spokesperson for the UN human rights office.  “Those who managed to comply with the Israeli authorities’ order to evacuate are now trapped in the south of the Gaza Strip, with scant shelter, fast-depleting food supplies, little or no access to clean water, sanitation, medicine and other basic needs.”

In the meantime, Palestinians sympathetic with Hamas and much of the mainstream media were happy to play along.  Over the weekend, it was widely reported that Israel intentionally bombed a caravan of civilians on the designated evacuation route.  The Associated Press, for example, dutifully reprinted what was provided to them by Hamas itself – and employs Hamas sympathizers as reporters.  “Hamas’ media office said airstrikes hit cars in three locations as they headed south from Gaza City, killing 70 people. There was no immediate comment from the Israeli military on the strike.”  They cited two “witnesses” who were “driving from their home in the north when the strike hit some distance ahead on the road and two vehicles burst into flames.”  “Why should we trust that they’re trying to keep us safe?” said Fayza Hamoudi, one of the witnesses, “her voice choking” according to the Associated Press.  “They are sick,” she added.  An initial account originated from “Eye on Palestine” on X, who posted “The moment when Israel war planes bombed the convoy of civilians whist [sic] freely from the north to the south of Gaza yesterday.  The Israeli occupation forces deceived the citizens of Gaza after warning them to leave their homes and then attacking them on the roads.”  Not surprisingly, the story proved to be fake.  Israel War room quickly released images of the explosion, showing that it clearly didn’t originate from an airstrike and was caused by a vehicle that appeared to be a white van on the ground.  “According to OSINT researchers, the explosion in question seems to have come from a source on the ground, not a strike.  The Palestinian propaganda machine is in full swing, folks,” they noted.  Amnesty International chimed in by claiming Israel is using illegal chemical weapons, duped by another fake story given they were smokescreen rounds that do not “cause any damage” if used in open areas according to a community fact check, also on X.  American politicians were easily duped as well when Representative Ilhan Omar, an outspoken member of the progressive squad and no friend of Israel, posted an image of a dead child, claiming the death was the result of an Israeli strike.  In truth, the image was actually from 10 years ago and occurred during the Syrian Civil War.

These organizations, individuals, and others are apparently unaware that Hamas invests heavily in propaganda.  They employ actors, create scenes, stage fake dead bodies, and more.  NBC and ABC News, for example, were taken in by a report from a purported dental student, Salma Shurrab, interviewing her about the situation on the ground as though she were a destitute bystander.  Ms Sharrab is actually a professional presenter, who has traveled the world and is a member of the Palestinian elite, a friend of Hamas happy to dress down for the cause.  Israel War Room has referred to this phenomenon as #pallywood, documenting instances when people who are supposed to be critically wounded miraculously get up and walk away, along with dead bodies that prove to be by dummies.  “A moment of miracle: a Palestinian ‘wounded’ being evacuated on a stretcher in serious condition recovers in a moment! Residents of Gaza continue filming exciting blockbusters. #Pallywood,” read one of their efforts debunking an incident on X. A report yesterday provides another perfect example, when an Israeli airstrike supposedly killed 500 civilians at a hospital in Gaza.  At the time, there was no way to know if the report was accurate. It was provided by “Palestinian officials,” in other words Hamas itself, according to The New York Times, which by the way also came out against the evacuation, meaning they don’t want Palestinians to leave and will be happy to report on their deaths if they stay.  CNN headlined it, “Palestinian health ministry says 200 to 300 people may have been killed in Israeli strike on hospital in Gaza,” whatever the “may have been” means there.  Shortly after, they updated the number to 500, noting “Hamas says” as if we can take their word for it.  Israel, however, almost immediately claimed the explosion was due to a rocket fired by another terrorist group, Islamic Jihad, and appears to have some evidence to that effect (President Biden himself concurred).  CNN has also been busy “investigating” other incidents, repackaging the false story that Israel intentionally targeted a refugee caravan by now claiming that someone who evacuated was killed after they evacuated.  “These people all thought that they were finally safe and that nothing would happen in the area,” they quoted a Palestinian as saying. “You can follow the orders so that you aren’t exposed to danger, but the danger will still reach you wherever you are,” apparently unaware there is no safe space once the missiles start firing.

Whether these stories turn out to be true or false, and to be sure I have no inside knowledge of anything and don’t really trust anyone, one thing is clear:  The media cannot be relied upon to report honestly, and politicians cannot be relied upon to stand firm.  They will quickly forget the savagery that led to the invasion, and just as quickly turn their attention to what they perceive as the excesses of the Israeli response.  Progressive politicians are already lining up against it and will only get more vocal.  Ms. Ocasio-Cortez, for example, recently claimed, “I believe deeply that the majority of people of all kinds do not want to see Gaza leveled and innocents killed, & that they feel and hold the pain of Israeli families destroyed.  We must build on our solidarity and common humanity to stop an atrocity in the making.  End the cycle,” pretending that the atrocity – some 1,100 slaughtered in cold blood – hadn’t already occurred.  The Biden Administration, meanwhile, is already questioning Israel’s plans after promising to stand “shoulder to shoulder.”  President Biden himself appeared on 60 Minutes this past weekend and said, emphatically, that Israel should not occupy Gaza again.  “Look, what happened in Gaza, in my view, is Hamas and the extreme elements of Hamas don’t represent all the Palestinian people. And I think that it would be a mistake for Israel to occupy Gaza again,” he said without suggesting any alternative.   Somehow, however, they are going to take “out the extremists” because that “is a necessary requirement.” At least according to this admittedly cynical observer, a monstrous backlash certainly seems imminent from all the usual suspects.  The over/under could be as little as a week after the full scale invasion starts, when all our claims of unity with Israel in the face of atrocity go up in the smoke.  Unity in this matter is fleeing.  Whatever President Biden may say today, he hasn’t the stomach to oppose key members of his party, his movement, and a global government apparatus that has long ago decided Israel is to blame for all the troubles in the region.  The result will be more life wasted for a long period.  There is no peace through weakness or wokeness.