Okay yāall, I donāt really get political on here as much as some other peopleāI have done political stuff in the past, but not a lot. But something needs to be said.
And yes, I will be the one to say it, because if a Jewish person says it, some people are just gonna say that theyāre colonizers, this, that, and the other. But we need reason, and not just blindly accuse each other of deplorable acts.
Thereās been a lot of heat on both sides of the Israel-Palestine issue, and for good reason. But Iām going to offer my own perspective. I know Iām going to get a lot of hate, but Iām not going to stand here and just blindly accept the marginalization of human lives.
Iām from the USA, as some of yāall know, and my country has sadly done a lot of hurt towards many different people of many different backgrounds, and weāre still dealing with the repercussions of that today. So keep this in mind, because I want to ask you all some questions.
Native Americans were subject to horrible treatment by white settlers, including being put on reservations, having their land taken, and having their culture erased. Would this give them the right to storm the US Capitol, rape women, take mothers and children as hostages, and kill civilians?
African-Americans, also, were subject to horrible treatment, including the slave trade, segregation, and outright murder based on nothing but the color of their skin. Would this give them the right to storm the US Capitol, rape women, take mothers and children as hostages, and kill civilians?
For a more recent example, Japanese people were put in internment camps during WWII. Many of these people had never set foot on Japanese soil, but had been born and raised as American citizens. Would this give them the right to storm the US Capitol, rape women, take mothers and children as hostages, and kill civilians?
If the answer to these three scenarios is no, why is it okay when Hamas does it to Israeli citizens?
Iām not going to address the issue of land ownership, since that isnāt getting anyone anywhere with this argument. But what I will say is this: the day that Hamas chose to start this whole thing shows you all you need to know about their true colors.
What day was that? October 7th, 2023. Right at the beginning of the Feast of Sukkot, one of the holiest days in Judaism.
Hamas literally chose one of the holiest days in the Jewish faith to start the killing, torturing, and suffering of Jews that continues today, more than a year after it started. This is no arbitrary date, and many other terrorist groups have a similar modus operandiātake the 2019 Sri Lanka Easter bombings, for example.
Hamas arenāt freedom fighters, or a resistance movement. They are terrorists who will not stop killing until every Jew both in Israel and outside Israel is dead.
And they donāt just kill Jews. Theyāve even killed other Palestiniansātake the conflict in July and August of 2014 when 23 Palestinians were murdered by Hamas, many of whom were supporters of Rafah, Hamasās political rivals.
When I say this, I am not trying to dunk on Palestinians. Many Palestinians have nothing to do with this, and just want the fighting to stop. But there are other Palestinians, and many Palestinian supporters, who have done absolutely reprehensible thingsāattacking Jews publicly, tearing missing posters of Jews down, and calling for the death of Jews, to name a few.
I fully understand that many Palestinians do have grievances against the Israeli state. That is perfectly valid, and I will always fight as an American for free speech everywhere, and for the right for the people to speak out against oppression. But these actions that are being taken are not the answer, and theyāre only going to lead to more antisemitism and Islamophobia, both of which we have enough of in society without all this.
In summary, to the Jews: keep fighting. You matter, you are loved, and you are necessary in this world. All is not lost yet.
To the Palestinians: You have a right to your beliefs, and to your opinions, including about the Jewish state. I will always fight for your right to speak your minds, and to speak out against oppression and discrimination. But all it takes for evil to triumph is for good men to do nothing. Speak out against oppression of your neighbors, and speak out against terrorism.
History has its eyes on both of you. For your sakes, and for the sakes of those after you, choose wisely.
