By and large, I have tried to avoid writing about events surrounding the regions of the Middle East and Persia. I have chosen to do this because frankly, the regions are a mess, and doing so brings up rather unpleasant memories that I would rather forget. There comes a time though when the catharsis of writing about a topic is greater than the unpleasantness of the memories. For me, it is that time. Fair warning, if you are expecting answers as to how to fix things or settle them down, I don’t have any.

Context Does Matter

To begin, I think it wise to define some commonly used terminology being used. The first is “intifada“. This is an Arabic word with the closest literal translation being “shaking off”. If you watch the news, we keep hearing about how context is everything, so, in the context of the Palestinian and Israeli matters, it is understood, according to Al Jazeera, not to mention numerous other sources, to mean an armed civil uprising against Israel. This goes hand and hand with the phrase “globalize the intifada”, which is used as a call for aggressive resistance, including violence, against the Jewish people across the world and any and all institutions that support them. So, in the proper context, when there is a call to globalize the intifada, as there has been in many pro Palestinian gatherings, it is a call to violence against Israel, against the Jewish people, and against anyone or any organization that supports them.

Another phrase being used is “from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free”. The phrase has become contentious, and to be fair, its history is a bit complicated. The phrase was first widely used by the Palestinian Liberation Organization (PLO) and its leader Yasser Arafat. The phrase calls for the establishment of a single Palestinian state that extends from the Jordan River, to the Mediterranean Sea. For those who don’t want to break out a world map, that would mean that the Nation of Israel would no longer exist. When determining what this phrase means, you need to remember, or learn for the first time, what the goals of the PLO were when the phrase came about.

The PLO was formed of various resistance groups and came to prominence after the six day war in 1968. The primary group within the PLO, was known as Fatah. Other groups of course joined in as well. The goal of the PLO was to end the Nation of Israel through low intensity guerrilla warfare, including attacks on civilians. In essence, and by definition, the PLO was a terrorist organization, largely funded by Syria. From its inception, until 1993, according to its charter, the only solution was armed resistance against any and all who lived in or supported Israel, military and civilian alike. A couple of examples are the 1970 Avivim school bus massacre (9 dead children, 3 dead adults, and 19 others permanently crippled), the Dawson’s Field hijackings, and the Savoy Hotel hostage situation (8 hostages killed as well as three soldiers). The PLO and its leadership denounced terrorism and signed the Oslo Accords in 1993, gaining observer status to the United Nations, and being recognized as the official representation of the Palestinian people by the United Nations and the Arab League. The current chairman of the PLO is Mahmoud Abbas. It should be noted that the PLO is, and always was, a secular organization at its core.

Enter Hamas

Hamas came to prominence after the 1987 as an outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhoods Palestinian branch. They have been the governing body of the Gaza Strip since seizing power from the PLO in 2007. Their stated goals are armed resistance against Israel and the creation of a Palestinian Islamist state to replace Israel. In 1988 The Hamas Covenant was released. This is the charter that Hamas operates under. It was revised in 2017. The full document can be found here: https://irp.fas.org/world/para/docs/hamas-2017.pdf While the 2017 update has friendlier language, the goal and methods remain the same. Here are some highlights:

“There shall be no recognition of the legitimacy of the Zionist entity.
Whatever has befallen the land of Palestine in terms of occupation,
settlement building, Judaization or changes to its features or falsification
of facts is illegitimate. Rights never lapse.” No recognition of Israel, which is contrary to the recognized representation of the Palestinian people.

“Hamas affirms that the Oslo Accords and their addenda contravene
the governing rules of international law in that they generate
commitments that violate the inalienable rights of the Palestinian people.
Therefore, the Movement rejects these agreements and all that flows from them, such as the obligations that are detrimental to the interests
of our people, especially security coordination (collaboration).” A complete rejection of the only thing that had brought some peace and stability to the region.

“Hamas stresses that transgression against the Palestinian people,
usurping their land and banishing them from their homeland cannot be
called peace. Any settlements reached on this basis will not lead to
peace. Resistance and jihad for the liberation of Palestine will remain a
legitimate right, a duty and an honour for all the sons and daughters of
our people and our Ummah.” Jihad until Israel no longer exists.

“Resisting the occupation with all means and methods is a legitimate
right guaranteed by divine laws and by international norms and laws. At
the heart of these lies armed resistance, which is regarded as the
strategic choice for protecting the principles and the rights of the
Palestinian people.” All means and methods. Also of note is “all means and methods” are not endorsed by international norms and laws.

HAMAS is an Islamist terrorist group whose stated purpose is the eradication of the nation of Israel. They say it is not because they are Jewish, then go on to say that because they keep saying they are Jewish, they need to be eliminated. If they would just stop being Israel, everything would be fine. That is right up there with if women would just dress more modestly, there wouldn’t be rape in ignorance. When HAMAS, or those who support them, say “from the river to the sea”, the meaning is loud and clear, in context of course. Are there those who use the phrase out of ignorance? I hope so. Are there those who use it to mean something different? I hope so. Are there those who use the Confederate flag as a sign of southern heritage? Of course there are. We have decided, culturally, that that flag, like many other symbols, has become so ingrained with something evil, that there can functionally be no other meaning. The phrase from the river to the sea has become so ingrained with the elimination of the Nation of Israel by any and all means for over 50 years that there can be no other meaning, just ignorance of what is said, no matter the context.

The First Amendment Is Hard

In the Supreme Court case Brandenburge v. Ohio, a very high bar was set about what constitutes “incitement” under the First Amendment by a two part test. The first part of the test asks if the speech is “directed to inciting or producing imminent lawless action” and the second part of the test asks if the speech is “likely to incite or produce such action.” This test has protected KKK leaders, and NAACP leaders alike. The First Amendment can be hard to swallow. I am not a lawyer, but I can look at what is happening, and what has happened, and apply that to things being said. Does “globalize the intifada” meet the legal standard? Honestly, I don’t know, but I think that two OSU students might think it does. (https://wpde.com/news/nation-world/punched-because-they-were-jewish-college-students-recovering-after-alleged-anti-semitic-attack-ohio-state-university-broken-nose-jaw-injuries-hate-crime-racial-slur-antisemitism). When Harvard asked the Chabad House on the campus to hide their Menorah, it certainly seemed to think it does. (https://www.jpost.com/diaspora/antisemitism/article-778151) An elderly couple on their way to celebrate Shabbat probably thinks it does. (https://www.cnn.com/2023/12/11/us/beverly-hills-antisemitic-hate-crime-charge/index.html) Those who attend vandalized synagogs in Maryland, Washington D.C., Seattle, Fresno, and who knows how many other communities, probably think so.

We know what this type of speech is already leading to in the US. We know what it has led to in the Middle East region. We know how this can end. Six million or more Jewish people silenced forever and five million or more prisoners of war with them, should remind us. Does this pass the Brandenburge test? I don’t know, as I said, I am not a lawyer. I do know that it passes the test for being vile and despicable. I also think there is a solid argument that, given the results that we are seeing, it may well not be protected speech.

Really Dumb Smart People

Unless you live under a rock, the testimony of three College presidents about antisemitism has at least in part reached your knowledge. Harvard, in particular, ranks last in free speech policies according to The Foundation for Individual Rights and Expression (FIRE). By way of note, Penn ranks 148 (well below average) and M.I.T. ranks 136 with an average ranking. While these three institutes of higher learning have been in the spotlight, problems with free speech policies being applied equally have been an issue with most colleges and universities in the country. Speakers deemed “controversial” are subjected to different standards and often events cancelled, because the majority group decries them or has some sort of outrage about their voice being heard. Harvard students, for example (admittedly low hanging fruit), tried to remove Harvard Law Students for Life (HLSFL) and Harvard for Life from campus by falsely tying them to an attack on a pro-choice lgbtq student before an event. The President of Harvard, at the congressional hearings, said “I have sought to confront hate while preserving free expression…. The free exchange of ideas is the foundation upon which Harvard is built.” Two days later, the university cancelled an event by The John Adams Society, a conservative leaning group, featuring two Democratic congress people, Reps. Jake Auchincloss of Massachusetts and Ro Khanna of California. Interestingly enough, Rep. Jake Auchincloss a Harvard alum. criticized the testimony of the President of the University. “Harvard ranks last out of 248 universities for support of free speech. But when it comes to denouncing antisemitism, suddenly the university has anxieties about the First Amendment. It rings hollow,”  that statement comes out and mysteriously two days later an event planned well in advance that had confirmations from the necessary staff and university police force, and no signs of any trouble, has an event cancelled. I’m sure it is a coincidence. None of these colleges would tolerate a KKK group on their campus, and rightly so. Why then is calling for violence and extermination of the Jewish people suddenly a matter of free speech? It is a problem not limited to these three schools, but it is certainly highlighted by them. There is no doubt that students and faculty in these universities are intelligent, but they seem to remain largely uneducated about one of the worst times in world history, or the historic persecution of the Jewish people. In short, they are really dumb for a bunch of smart people.

Never Again, Or Starting Again?

According to pretty much anywhere that tracks ‘hate crime’ statistics, Jewish people world wide are subject to a disproportionate amount of hate crimes on a per capita level. According to the FBI, 2022 saw Jews facing more religious based hate crimes than any other religious group. There were 1,385 documented hate crimes toward Jews. Broken down, there were 775 cases of anti-Jewish destruction, damage or vandalism of property; 358 cases of intimidation; 103 cases of simple assault; 38 cases of aggravated assault; and eight cases of larceny or theft. Second on the list were Muslims with a reported 205. A full 7% of all hate crimes, not just religious based, in the US, are directed at the Jewish people who make up about 2.4% of the US population. By the numbers, over 50% of all religious based hate crimes are directed at Jewish individuals or organizations. This number rose significantly from the 817 the year before, and is set to rise again this year.

It doesn’t matter if it is calls for world wide intifada, chants about from the river to the sea, calls for Jews to put on their “Jewish badge” straight out of Nazi Germany, or the blood liable straight out of the middle ages which are popularized and televised in Syria, Lebanon, and other areas in the region, it is looking a lot more like it is starting again and a lot less like never again.

Calls For Ceasefire

I get it. I don’t like the violence of any war. I don’t like the civilian casualties (I stipulate that there is no known number of civilian casualties because HAMAS does not distinguish and controls the flow of information). The loss of life by violence is always a tragedy. I want people to get the aid that they need. I also know that aid tucks are being hijacked before they reach their destinations, sometimes by civilians and sometimes by terrorists. There are no simple solutions in this region of the world. There may not be any solution frankly. For there to be an actual cease fire, Hezbollah has to be convinced to stop firing rockets from Lebanon, the Houthi rebels in Yemen need to stop disrupting shipping, and HAMAS, as well as the other two need to recognize Israel’s right to exist. Because of who backs the players in the region, that means that ultimately any lasting peace relies on Iran, the single largest state sponsor of terrorism, to suddenly become reasonable and rational and act as a good player on the world stage. The stated goal of HAMAS is the removal of Israel. There can be no lasting peace with that as a goal, combined with the belief that you have a divinely mandated right to the land. Recently, Ghazi Hamad, a senior HAMAS leader, said ““We must teach Israel a lesson, and we will do it twice and three times. The Al-Aqsa Deluge [the name Hamas gave its October 7 onslaught] is just the first time, and there will be a second, a third, a fourth.” Ismail Haniyeh, the leader of HAMAS, has called for the blood of more women and children, and has stated unequivocally that they are justified in anything that they do. If you must, you can find their vile rants on X (formerly Twitter).

HAMAS has a long history of violating cease fire agreements. In 2008, 2012, 2014, 2021, and now with the October terrorist attack and hostage taking, HAMAS has broken a cease fire by launching attacks, specifically against Israeli population centers as they believe any means necessary must be employed. HAMAS has also used repeated ceasefires to regroup, rearm, and prepare to attack again. There can be no peace with an enemy who does not seek peace.

Final Thoughts

I often don’t like writing about stuff like this because there are no good solutions. There aren’t really to many bad solutions either. The Oslo accords had some hope as a segue to potential longer term peace, but they broke down on both sides fairly rapidly. There are some very valid reasons to criticize decisions made by the Israeli government, and I would never say otherwise. That is a different topic for a different day. That does not justify the atrocities committed on October 7 however.

The UN has chosen to avoid the mounting evidence of widespread rape and sexual assault by HAMAS. The group Physicians for Human Rights Israel has a long track record of advocating for Palestinian civilians in Gaza. In the report that they issued, they said “What we know for sure is that it was more than just one case and it was widespread, in that this happened in more than one location and more than a handful of times. What we don’t know and what the police are investigating is whether it was ordered to be done and whether it was systematic.” Israel has gone so far as to present video testimony of a rape witness from the music festival that was attacked. What she described is disgusting enough that I will not print it or link to it. For those who want to know, an internet search will find it I imagine. Released hostages have reported being sexually assaulted and/or raped while in captivity. Combat medics who were among the first to see bodies describe scenes that are vomitous. These reports are now being corroborated with international news agencies. I honestly don’t know how you make peace with any group that will go to that level, let alone defend or support them. I could never support it, and am pretty sure I couldn’t make peace with it.

So, is it never again, or is it starting again? I honestly don’t know, and frankly that terrifies me.