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December 3, 2023
Key Takeaways from a longer-than-usual newsletter:
- Prior to Hamas's violating and ending the seven-day pause in the fighting in Gaza, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said last week that "Israel has the right to do everything it can to ensure that the slaughter Hamas carried out on October 7th can never be repeated. Hamas cannot remain in control of Gaza. It cannot retain the capacity to repeat that carnage."
- Hamas embeds itself in and beneath civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools. Is the world you want to live in a world where terrorists can operate with impunity if they are clever enough to dig networks of underground tunnels and use civilians as human shields?
- Everyone who cares about protecting innocent civilians should be demanding that Hamas immediately stop its murderous acts of terror and deplorable use of innocent men, women, and children as human shields. Demanding that Israel agree to a ceasefire now, while Hamas remains armed and committed to repeating October 7 is unreasonable and wrong, especially since Hamas could not abide by the last ceasefire for more than a week.
- The world, including organizations committed to fighting for women's rights and safety across the globe, must condemn the unspeakable horrors of Hamas's rapes, mutilations, and other acts of sexual violence against women on October 7.
- Last week, not one House Democrat voted against a resolution affirming Israel's right to exist (but one Republican did) and every single Democrat voted to condemn Hamas’s October 7 attack and called for the immediate release of the hostages. But Republicans, not Democrats, voted to cut aid to Israel by 30% in September, and Republicans, not Democrats, torpedoed President Biden's October 20 emergency aid request for Israel in November (thanks to the House GOP, Israel still does not have that aid). Congress must pass Biden's entire aid package, not only the Israel component, as soon as possible.
Read to the end for corrections, what you may have missed last week, fun stuff, and upcoming events.
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Hi Steve,
Has the world gone mad? Hamas attacked Israel on October 7, deliberately murdering 1,200 people, murdering more Jews on any day since the Holocaust. Hamas murdered, raped, and tortured babies, children, and the elderly. They took 240 hostages, denied them medical treatment, and badly mistreated--in some cases tortured-- them, including pinning a boiling piece of metal to the legs of children, drugging children, and forcing children at gunpoint to watch videos of Hamas's October 7 atrocities. These threads from Alex Plitsas and Tamara Zieve about the videos are hard but vital reading.
The world is ignoring Hamas's violent sexual violence. Dahlia Lithwick, Mimi Rocah, Tamara Sepper, Jennifer Taub, Joyce White Vance, and Julie Zebrak wrote a must-read article explaining that the world’s feminists need to show up for Israeli victims, and solidarity for victims of sexual assault should trump other politics.
Yet despite overwhelming evidence of depraved sexual violence committed by Hamas against Israeli women, the world has been too slow to respond. The women’s rights group UN Women issued a statement condemning Hamas and then it deleted the post nearly 50 days after October 7. Finally, after 57 days of pressure, it condemned Hamas. Israel's Minister of Foreign Affairs called on UN Women's Executive Director to resign, calling her announcement "feeble and late."
Daphne Lazar Price writes "I know many are worried about the death and suffering of Palestinians in Gaza. I am, too, but does this mean that they cannot express sympathy for the Israeli women who were brutalized and murdered, and for those of us who grieve for this devastation?"
"More shockingly," writes Sawsan Hasson, "in the age of #MeToo and Believe Women, far too many supposed supporters of justice, human rights, and feminism—including young women the same age as the music festival victims—are engaging in rape-denial. Some have chosen to justify or even mock and celebrate one of the most gruesome and publicized attacks on women in recent memory."
On November 29, the First Lady of the State of Israel, Mrs. Michal Herzog, appeared with Rep. Steny Hoyer (D-MD) at the Jewish Democratic Council of America's weekly community briefing. Hoyer is the first half and Herzog is the second half of this program but watch all of it, including Herzog's moving account of the world's silence in the face of horrors Hamas inflicted on Israeli women.
Meredith Jacobs wrote that "the brutal rapes, bodily mutilations and sadistic murder of women and children on Oct. 7 is being dismissed as lies and Zionist propaganda." On November 30, Rep. Sheila Cherfilus-McCormick (D-FL) and Rep. Young Kim (R-CA) led 87 colleagues in a bipartisan letter urging the UN to publicly condemn Hamas for its brutal October 7 attack on innocent Israelis that included the murder, torture, rape, and sexual violence against Israeli women and women of other nationalities. For more facts on the long silence of UN Women, go to #MeToo_UNless_UR_a_Jew. Read last week's posts from First Lady Mrs. Michal Herzog, Jennifer Rubin, and Sheryl Sandberg.
On November 29, Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) delivered a major speech on antisemitism on the Senate floor. He said that "not long ago, many of us marched together for Black and Brown lives, we stood against anti-Asian hatred, we protested bigotry against the LGBTQ community, we fought for reproductive justice out of the recognition that injustice against one oppressed group is injustice against all. But apparently, in the eyes of some, that principle does not extend to the Jewish people."
The blindness of the world toward the rape and mutilation of Jewish women is only the latest example.
Apparently, in the eyes of some, Israel does not have the right to self-defense. When Hamas broke the ceasefire on Friday by firing rockets into Israel and failing to release all of the women it abducted, it held 137 hostages from the October 7 massacre, including two children and ten over the age of 75. Israel's military pressure and international diplomacy led by President Biden secured the release of 102 hostages (78 Israelis, 24 foreign nationals). Two hostages have been found dead.
Secretary of State Antony Blinken said on December 1 that the pause came to an end "because of Hamas. Hamas reneged on commitments it made. In fact, even before the pause came to an end, it committed an atrocious terrorist attack in Jerusalem, killing three people, wounding others, including Americans. It began firing rockets before the pause had ended. And as I said, it reneged on commitments it made in terms of releasing certain hostages."
During the pause, Israel traded three security prisoners, many of whom are guilty of violent offenses, for each hostage. Dozens of hostages have been released but dozens remain in captivity. All of the hostages must be brought home. But some people want Israel to call it a day, let bygones be bygones, and agree to an unconditional ceasefire that would leave Hamas armed, dangerous, and able to repeat October 7--as Hamas's leaders have promised that they would. A ceasefire was in place on October 6. In what universe is this fair? In what universe does this make any moral sense? Not in the universe I live in or the universe I hope to live in. Not in the universe Israel lives in.
And fortunately, not the universe the Biden administration lives in. Blinken said on November 30 that "Israel has the right to do everything it can to ensure that the slaughter Hamas carried out on October 7th can never be repeated. Hamas cannot remain in control of Gaza. It cannot retain the capacity to repeat that carnage."
Some people are asking how many innocent Palestinians must die in Gaza. They should ask that question of Hamas, not Israel. Putting aside the cheering from Palestinians as security risks return as heroes, putting aside the jeering and pelting with stones by Palestinians of Red Cross vehicles carrying released hostages to Israel, putting aside that hundreds or thousands of Palestinians killed by Israel were in Hamas, innocent Palestinians have been killed too, and the loss of any innocent person, Jewish or Palestinian, is tragic. But the fault lies with Hamas for all of these deaths.
Hamas embeds itself in and beneath civilian infrastructure, including hospitals and schools. Is the world you want to live in a world where terrorists can operate with impunity if they are clever enough to dig networks of underground tunnels and use civilians as human shields?
If you want a ceasefire it's yours for the having: Israel has said that it would extend the ceasefire by one day for every day Hamas releases ten hostages. Put pressure on Hamas to agree, put pressure on the Arab world to persuade Hamas to agree, and you've got your ceasefire.
But a ceasefire was in effect on October 6 too. Israel cannot be expected to agree to an open-ended ceasefire that would leave Hamas free to re-arm, re-group, and plan its next attack. I don't know what country would--not any country with a government that wanted to remain in power or citizens who wanted to remain alive.
A two-state solution is the endgame because a two-state solution is the only solution that will allow both Jews and Palestinians to realize their national aspirations in the land (not all of the land for either side) that both sides are attached to. But wants to kill Jews and establish a brutal Islamic state in place of Israel.
An ideology cannot be killed, but those who want to implement an ideology can be incapacitated. Nazis still exist 80 years after World War II. But they are no longer able to murder six million Jews. And when we were bombing Germany to defeat the Nazis, no one argued that the deaths of German civilians would aid Nazi recruitment.
Peace should be our first instinct. But unfortunately, wars sometimes must be fought and this is one of those times, however tragic that is. Israel should not have to sacrifice its citizens because Hamas is willing to sacrifice theirs, but that's what allowing Hamas to remain in control of Gaza would mean.
Blinken said on November 30 that "everyone around the world who cares about protecting innocent civilians, innocent lives, should be calling on Hamas – indeed, demanding of Hamas – that it immediately stop its murderous acts of terror and deplorable use of innocent men, women, and children as human shields."
If you think it's unrealistic for Hamas to agree to that, then you understand why Israel cannot agree, nor should we expect Israel to agree, to an open-ended ceasefire that leaves Hamas armed and in control of Gaza. Israel can and must, as Blinken said, neutralize "the threat posed by Hamas while minimizing harm to innocent men, women, and children." That's reasonable and right. What is unreasonable and wrong is demanding a ceasefire now, which is tantamount to denying Israel's right to self-defense.
Proponents of an immediate ceasefire have yet to offer a better, realistic alternative for neutralizing Hamas. This is the opposite of the Iran Deal, where opponents of diplomacy could not provide a better alternative to the Iran Deal. In this case, Israel must use force. We would too.
Should Israel end the war in return for all of the hostages? I've long argued that Jews in the diaspora have the right, if not the obligation, to speak out in support or against decisions made by Israel's government. I believe that the United States does and should have a say on the assistance we provide to Israel. Those rights must be exercised responsibly, but we have those rights.
If there was ever a situation where we should defer to the government of Israel, where it is not our place to voice dissenting opinions, it is on this question: Should Israel risk the hostages to potentially save more lives in the future or should Israel bring home every hostage that it can at any price. Michael Oren wrote that Israel's choice is between body and soul. Only Israelis living in Israel can answer that question. Not us.
Congress overwhelmingly supports Israel in its fight against Hamas. Last week, the House unanimously passed H.Res.793, a resolution condemning Hamas for its brutal attack on Israel; condemning Hamas for the taking of hostages; condemning Hamas for threats made against hostages; demanding that Hamas immediately release all hostages and return them to safety; recognizing that the taking of hostages is a violation of international humanitarian law; and expressing sympathy to the hostages, wounded, deceased, and their families, for this travesty to justice and personal hardship.
Also last week, the House passed H.Res.888, a resolution reaffirming the State of Israel’s right to exist; recognizing that denying Israel’s right to exist is a form of antisemitism; rejecting calls for Israel’s destruction and the elimination of the only Jewish State; and condemning the Hamas-led terrorist attack on Israel. The vote was 412-1, with one voting present.
Rep. Jerry Nadler (D-NY) tweeted, "for the unrelenting naysayers out there: not one [House Democrat] voted tonight against Israel’s right to exist. Tom Massie, a Republican did. And every single Dem voted to condemn Hamas’ October 7th attack & called for the immediate release of the hostages."
To which I would add that Republicans, not Democrats, voted to cut aid to Israel by 30% in September, and Republicans, not Democrats, torpedoed President Biden's October 20 emergency aid request for Israel in November. Congress must immediately pass President Biden's entire emergency aid package, not only the Israel component. Anything less is a betrayal of our allies and our values.
Biden will veto anything less and he would be right to do so. If you are a pro-Israel organization that wants the emergency aid package for Israel to pass and you are not lobbying for the entire package, you're doing it wrong. Urge your members of Congress to pass the entire package immediately.
Corrections. I'm entitled to my own opinions but not to my own facts, so I appreciate it when readers bring errors to my attention. In last week's newsletter, I misspelled Dov Ben-Shimon's name.
In Case You Missed It:
- Steve Sheffey: Perfect Enemy: A book for our time. My interview with Israeli author Alex Sinclair about his new novel, a what-comes-next page-turner that builds on Sinclair’s non-fiction about Israel and the Palestinians.
Tweets of the Week. Emanuel Miller and Ron Filipkowski.
Twitter Thread of the Week. DCPetterson.
Video Clips of the Week. Vice President Kamala Harris.
And by popular demand, because this newsletter aims to please, more Tom Hanks and other SNL stars spoofing Jerry Seinfeld.
For those new to this newsletter. This is the newsletter even Republicans have to read and the original home of the viral and beloved 2022 and 2023 Top Ten Signs You're At a Republican Seder. If someone forwarded this to you, why not subscribe and get it in your inbox every Sunday? Just click here--it's free.
I periodically update my Medium posts on why Democrats are better than Republicans on Israel and antisemitism and on why the Antisemitism Awareness Act and the IHRA definition are the wrong solutions to real problems. You can read my most recent effort to define "pro-Israel" here (it's a work in progress, as am I).
I hope you enjoyed today's newsletter. Donations are welcome (this takes time to write and costs money to send). If you'd like to chip in, click here and fill in the amount of your choice. If you see something that says "Save your info and create a PayPal account," click the button to the right and it will go away. You don't need a PayPal account. Or you can Venmo @Steven-Sheffey (last four phone digits are 9479). You can send a check too. But no crypto or gold bars.
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