An appeal to the conscience of the world

(JNS) — Israel is bringing light to the world when it is out front confronting evil, as it is doing with its war with Hamas. The ultimate future of the Middle East rides on Israel not only winning the war in Gaza but successfully battling the demonic leadership of Iran which controls every move of its surrogates as a well-trained puppeteer. Let’s be clear, this is a regional war. The complexity of that confrontation may well override the immediate demands of individuals and transform the horizon.

Israel faces an existential threat to its very existence. Today, there is not only a battlefield in the air, land and sea; there is a battle at home, on the airwaves, on the Internet, and in the hearts and minds of citizens the world over. Israel Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has faced these challenges straight-on with mixed success through extraordinary determination and courage, and he needs to be supported.

Six hostages were murdered in captivity by Hamas recently, innocent prisoners of an Arab Palestinian-elected leadership that is determined to destroy Israel. All are heroes of Israel and the Jewish people. We need to be shouting from the rafters that Hamas must return the hostages, and we must be proud that the men and women of the Israel Defense Forces put their lives at risk every hour, every day on the frontlines.

Israel was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, some 50 years after the Yom Kippur War, breaking a truce that had extended back several years. Hamas committed horrendous atrocities, killing 1,200 and brutalizing many more, destroying their homes and communities, and kidnapping 240 as hostages into Gaza with perhaps less than a hundred still alive and hidden by Hamas.

Though a peace-negotiating team in Egypt recently proposed a revised agreement for the parties to adopt a path to end the war and return the hostages, it is a good moment to say this: Hamas has been the obstacle, and it is unacceptable and outrageous that the United States is pressuring Israel publicly to modify its position to accommodate this terrorist leadership.

And now, Hamas threatens that they will execute hostages one at a time if Israel continues to try and free their citizens from captivity. Such blatant threats and actions go against the moral laws of world society.

From my perspective, any final agreement must require that all the hostages be released upfront. This would include those who are still alive and those who were killed on or after Oct. 7 and whose bodies Hamas continues to hold captive. Additionally, the Philadelphi Corridor must remain secure and in Israel’s control. These most recent murders prove that any incentive agreement with future possibilities is worthless, and all future paths for terror must be closed.

Israel is losing the information war, and it needs to fight harder, smarter and in new ways to tell its own story more meaningfully. Israel must step forward with new messaging and stop the world’s gaslighting. Often, when I hear the phrase “Bring the hostages home” uttered it is followed by “End the war now,” which is then followed by, “for humanitarian reasons as 40,000 Gazans have been killed and their homes destroyed.” Israel is hardly mentioned except in negative terms, and Netanyahu is seen as the enemy of world peace.

We need to hear that the existential threat to Israel that has arisen from this war is choreographed and supported by Iran. We need to hear that Hamas has used extensive funding from world bodies over the years to build literally hundreds of miles of elaborate tunnels, and countless numbers of bombs and missiles—many of which came through the Philadelphi Corridor—rather than investing that funding for a better life in their people and their society.

We need to be reminded that Israel withdrew voluntarily from Gush Katif in Gaza in 2005 giving the Palestinian Arabs every opportunity to build their own great country with freedom for its people, and instead, Hamas used both their energy and resources to construct an evil infrastructure of hatred against Israel, including their educational system for the children of Gaza.

We need to hear that Israel built a thriving country, with a free citizenry and opportunity for the widest diversity of people and cultures—citizens of all colors and backgrounds including the Palestinians. We need to be reminded and celebrate the extraordinary nature of the developing industries in Israel, leading the world in high-tech, water conservation innovations and new agricultural methods that have made a difference well beyond its borders, including many countries in Africa.

We need to hear the truth — that it is Israel that is suffering through this war, as nearly 100,000 people remain displaced on its northern border as Iran has coordinated with Hezbollah to fire missiles and anti-tank weaponry into Israel’s northern towns, destroying their infrastructure and setting miles upon miles of forestation on fire. We need to be reminded that hundreds of thousands of reservists have had to leave their families, their children and their jobs to stand on the front lines to stay the course in Israel.

We need to hear calls for Hamas to surrender. People need to demand Hamas stop blocking the humanitarian aid for their own people. Calls need to go out to Hamas and Iran to destroy the tunnels and put down their weapons so there will be no further killing and destruction in Gaza. Hamas’s leadership must step aside so the Palestinian people can have a future of prosperity and peace. Unfortunately, the world doesn’t mention the terror Hamas has inflicted upon the Palestinian people over these past years.

If the world is looking for light and peace in this conflict, it needs to stop scapegoating Israel and the Jewish people and take measures to fight for a just future. For the United States, this battle should include issuing sanctions against Iran; enforcing the Taylor Force Act, which calls for the cutting of American funding to the Palestinian Authority when it financially rewards the families of terrorists who injure and kill Israelis; and demanding the enforcement of U.N. Security Council Resolution 1701, which calls for a demilitarized zone between Lebanon and Israel, allowing Israeli citizens to return to their homes in the north. As a Jewish people, we have a history and a commitment to bring the light into the world. Israel is in a tough neighborhood, and we need to recognize that. Hamas is evil, and their future must be ended to create a better life for the Arab Palestinian population in Gaza. We must end this war on terms that ensure the long-term security and safety of Israel yet leave open the door for Israel to uplift and work together with its neighbors for the good of all people.