Do Jewish lives matter? Not according to Professor Maulana Karenga in his essay, “The Moral Savagery of Israel’s ‘Self Defense’” (November 9).
Dr. Karenga expresses no sympathy for the 1,400 Israeli civilians massacred by Hamas on October 7. Babies and young people slaughtered, elders tortured and killed, women raped and paraded through the streets before their deaths, and hundreds of hostages of all ages taken.
He writes that “all our sacred texts, even if the phrasing is different, tell and teach us we are morally obligated ‘to bear witness to truth’.” Yet, he fails miserably to bear such witness.
Jews are indigenous to Israel, having inhabited that land since Biblical times. To claim that Jews are colonizers of the land is preposterous and unsupported by fact.
He also fails to tell the truth as to who has governed Gaza since 2007…not the Israelis, but Hamas.
In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from the Gaza Strip, dismantling its settlements and military installations in the name of peace and in hopes of creating a better future. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon made the decision to pull out of Gaza — to completely remove Israeli forces from the land. During that period of withdrawal, Sharon said, “Now the Palestinians bear the burden of proof. They must fight the terror organizations, dismantle their infrastructures, and show sincere intentions of peace.” As we know, this did not happen.
In June 2007, Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip following violent clashes with a rival Palestinian group, Fatah.
Dr. Karenga also ignores the millions of dollars of humanitarian aid stolen by Hamas officials, many of whom who do not even live in Gaza, for their own benefit. He also fails to acknowledge that Hamas used millions of those humanitarian dollars to build a military arsenal including rocket launchers, missiles and a labyrinth of military tunnels intended singularly to attack Israel. Karenga ignores the inconvenient truth that Hamas has stolen money from the Palestinians for years, money that was meant to turn Gaza into a “land of milk and honey” and, by merely accepting the right of Israel to exist in the region, could have done so.
Hamas uses its citizens as human shields, storing weapons in residential areas, schools, and hospitals, firing rockets from densely populated zones, operating command centers in civilian areas, and wearing civilian clothing. Such practices make it challenging for the Israeli military to target legitimate military assets without risking civilian casualties. Hamas sacrifices Palestinian people – women and children – to create outrage against Israel and to further its explicit goal of annihilation of the Jewish people.
Israel takes extraordinary measures to minimize civilian harm, issuing warnings before airstrikes in populated areas, warning civilians by dropping thousands of leaflets in Arabic, sending text messages, and making phone calls to Palestinian civilians. Israel also uses a tactic called “roof knocking,” utilizing a warning projectile as a final attempt to get residents to evacuate a building prior to destruction.
If Israel’s intent was genocide, that would be easy. The Israeli army is instead trying to root out Hamas, which is difficult. Gaza has in fact received everything it needs to sustain life from Israel over the years: food, medicine, water, power, and building materials. The population has almost doubled since 2005, belying the claim of genocide. By contrast, Hamas is explicitly committed to the eradication of all Jews from the face of the earth, and their racist ideology is supported by all who chant “Free Palestine” and “From the River to the Sea.” That is a call to genocide.
An Amnesty International report concluded that “Hamas forces have abducted, tortured or attacked members and supporters of Fatah, their main rival political organization within Gaza, including former members of the Palestinian Authority security forces. Not a single person has been held accountable for the crimes committed by Hamas forces against Palestinians, indicating that these crimes were either ordered or condoned by the authorities. Instead of upholding justice, the Hamas authorities and leadership have continuously encouraged and facilitated these appalling crimes against powerless individuals in Gaza. Their failure to even condemn the unlawful killings, abduction and torture of perceived suspects leaves them effectively with blood on their hands.”
Numerous times since 1948, and with the support of the United States and others, Israel has negotiated peace treaties which could have created an independent state for the Palestinians. Yet, time and time again, the governing bodies for the Palestinians, including the Palestinian Authority, Fatah, the PLO, and Hamas rejected those treaties – in 1948, 1979, 1993 and 2007.
The hate that Dr. Karenga feels for Israel blinds him to the clear failings of Hamas. They have exploited the Palestinians in support of their intolerance, and used babies, children, women and men in their attempt to eliminate the only Jewish country in the world and the only democracy in the Middle East.
In September 1967, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. wrote, “Israel’s right to exist as a state is incontestable.” He added, almost prophetically, “At the same time the great powers have the obligation to recognize that the Arab world is in a state of imposed poverty and backwardness that must threaten peace and harmony.”
Dr. Karenga should open his eyes to the atrocities that Hamas has committed upon its own people and acknowledge that it is Hamas that has governed Gaza for the past 16 years. Israel has offered peace numerous times and been met with swords, not plowshares.
Peace can only come to the holy land when Hamas and their fellow terrorist groups are eliminated. Israel needs a true partner for peace.
Russell Schwartz is the regional president and Richard S. Hirschhaut is the Los Angeles director of the American Jewish Committee.
