Victor Davis Hanson
American Greatness
Scan news accounts of anti-Israel campus and street protestors. Read their demands and manifestos. Collate the confusion after October 7 from the Biden administration.
Here are ten of their most common untruths about October 7 and the war that followed.
“Progressive Hamas”: Gay and transgendered student protestors in America would be in mortal danger in Gaza under a fascistic Hamas that has banned homosexual acts and lifestyles. Anyone protesting publicly against Hamas or its allies would be arrested and severely punished.
Women are segregated in most Hamas-run educational institutions. Under the Hamas charter, women are valued mostly as child-bearers. By design, there are almost no women in high positions in business or in government under Hamas.
“Colonists and Settlers”: Students scream that Israelis are “settlers” and “colonists” and sometimes yell at Jewish students to “go back to Poland.”
But the Jewish presence in present-day Israel is deeply rooted in ancient tradition. Dating back at least three millennia, the concept of “Israel” as a distinct Jewish state, situated roughly in its current location, is ingrained in history.
By contrast, the much later Arab invasions of the Byzantine-controlled Levant and their arrival in Palestine occurred about 1800 years after the establishment of a Jewish Israel.
“Two-state Solution”: When student protestors scream “from the river to the sea,” that is not advocacy for a two-state solution. It is a call to eliminate the state of Israel—lying in between the Jordan River and Mediterranean Sea—and its 10 million Jewish and Arab citizens. The Hamas charter is a one-state/no-Israel agenda, which we saw attempted on October 7.
“Occupied Gaza”: Gaza was autonomous. The Israeli border is closed, but so is the Egyptian border. There have not been any Jews in Gaza for nearly two decades.
So on October 7, Gaza was not occupied by Israel. It was under the control of Hamas, designated by the U.S. government as a terrorist organization. After being elected to power in 2006, Hamas cancelled all subsequent elections and ruled as a dictatorship. Gaza forbids Jews from entering Gaza and has driven out most Christians. Israel hosts two million Arabs, both as Israeli citizens and residents.
“Netanyahu is the Problem”: The U.S. and Europe claim that the conservative government of Benjamin Netanyahu is alone behind the Israeli tough response in Gaza. Thus, both the EU and the U.S. are doing their best to undermine or even overthrow the elected Netanyahu administration.
Yet, most Israelis support Netanyahu’s coalition government’s agenda of destroying Hamas in Gaza. There is no evidence that any other alternative Israeli government would do anything differently from the present policies toward Hamas.
“Targeting Civilians”: After murdering nearly 1,200 Israelis on October 7, Hamas scurried back to Gaza and hid in tunnels and bases beneath hospitals, schools, and mosques. Its preplanned strategy was to survive by ensuring Gaza civilians would be killed. Hamas has indiscriminately launched more than 7,000 rockets at Israel, all designed to kill Jewish civilians.
Outside assessors have concluded that Israel has not inadvertently killed a greater ratio of civilians to terrorists compared to most other urban fighting conflicts elsewhere, and perhaps even fewer than American engagements in Mosul and Fallujah.
“Protestors Are Pro-Palestine”: Increasingly, protestors make no distinction between supporting “Palestine” and Hamas. Their chants often echo the original Hamas eliminationist charter and recent genocidal ravings of its leadership. Some protestors wear Hamas logos and wave its flag. Many cheered the Hamas massacre of October 7.
“Anti-Israel Is Not Anti-Semitic”: When protestors scream to Jewish students to “go back to Poland” or call for the “Final Solution,” or assault them or bar them from campus facilities, they do not ask whether they are pro-Israeli. For protestors, anyone identifiable as Jewish becomes a target of their anti-Semitic invective and violence.
“Genocide”: Israel has not tried to wipe out the Palestinian people in the fashion of Hamas’s one-state solution plan for Jews. Before October 7, some 20,000 Gazans a day requested to work in Israel—on the correct expectation of much higher wages and humane treatment.
If Hamas had come out of its tunnels, separated from its impressed civilian shields, released its surviving Israeli hostages, and either openly fought the Israeli Defense Forces or surrendered the organizers of the October 7 massacre, no Gaza civilians would have died.
According to Hamas’s questionable “genocide” figures, roughly 4 percent of the Gazan population died during the Israeli response to October 7. At least a third to almost half of those deaths, according to various international observers, were Hamas terrorists.
“Disproportionate Response”: Iran tried to send 320 missiles and rockets into Israel. Israel replied with three. Hamas launched 7,000 rockets into Israel and slaughtered 1,200 Israelis before the IDF responded in Gaza, often dropping leaflets and sending texts to forewarn citizens.
Israel has been disproportionate only in the effectiveness of its response. Hamas and its Iranian benefactor intended disproportionately to hurt Israel but utterly failed.
So Israel proved to be competent, and Hamas incompetent in their similar efforts to use disproportionate force.
Every American needs to read this, excellent summary of complex events
As far as a “two-state solution” goes, the Arabs have been offered one since 1947, and they refused it, violently, each time.
It’s simple: Jews would coexist peacefully with the Arabs. The Arabs want the Jews dead.
There will never be peace, till the Arabs adjust their attitude.
Why should people agree to the partitioning of a place they see as their own homeland? Before 1947 the land was called Palestine and only “Palestinians” lived there. Then the British came in under the auspices of “The International Community” and demanded they set aside 40% of the country to allow millions of people to move in and settle down.
If you get angry about the US Government or European Union letting millions of “migrants” cross the border illegally and settle into sanctuary cities, then you should be able to understand the position these people are in. They just don’t balk at the application of force.
I agree. If the Arabs gave up their guns. There would still be Arabs. If the Jews gave up their guns. There would be no Jews.
or their body temperature.
It’s about time someone told the truth about what’s going on. Thank you.
Nice professional-grade banner. “World Anti-Imperialist Platform”.
The two individuals holding the banner don’t fit in to the rest of the crowd.
Yes! Interesting observation there. They look Chinese to me!
Great logical, rational, and evidence-based arguments.
None of which the Left considers worth the time to read or understand.
Mob rule does not exist to listen to reason.
Israel understands this, completely.
It is just a power struggle. It will likely never rise above that level of thinking and action. Besides, there are too many parties that profit from this unending tension in the mid-east.
It appears that the Left wants to bring in more people to the US who share the idea of unthinking mob rule. Being logical is too Western for them.
Preaching to the choir has its benefits, but it will not change the minds of those in the mob. The cognitive dissonance that rationality incites will only cause more derangement and violence on the Left.
That’s how we are wired, especially young, inexperienced, and incomplete people.
Led by bat-shit crazy young women, of course.
In America, outlaw masks and the problem goes away immediately. Duh.
This should be running in a chyron on all the news channels. The scariest proposition is that the opposition to these facts is loud, well funded, efficiently organized and runs universities. These succinct summarizations are excellent to save for quick references before gatherings where one can assume the subject may come up. We can’t afford to go along to get along this year, and VDH is our best weapon in the word wars.
organized and runs universities
the Gordian Knot of the whole thing… runs universities.
I attended college/University in the mid-late 1960’s. things were SO very different then, as I’m certain Vicor can verify. There were a select few “instigators who know how to modify and play he narrative and when and how to connect with some likely converts. There remained a solid presence of an underlying sanity that did serve to mostly keep things in check. Not much of that these days. Seems when the match is struck the fire when kindled takes off and roars.
A further irony about the “colonialist/settler” meme thrown at Israel is that those in the United States who are chanting this are themselves “colonialists/settlers” in a “colonialist/settler” state- the USA.
100% Accurate.
How did the Israeli and/or US intelligence miss the Oct 7 attack? If they knew it was coming and let it happen, would seem to obviate all their “justified” response.
Not the first time that’s happened. In the October War the Israelis had advance warning of the Egyptian and Syrian attacks, but chose to do nothing because being seen as the helpless victim would score them more points on the world stage.
Since the previous time Israel had a major war before that (the Six Days War) they launched such a massive pre-emptive strike it destroyed the entire air forces and struck at ground forces before they had even begun moving, catching their erstwhile opponents completely unprepared. There are still allegations the attack was unjustified given the rapidity and scale of the offensive and the amount of territory conquered in such a short time.
Finding the truth is so difficult that it’s hard to know what is really happening in Gaza. Who can we trust and what unbiased sources are available? It appears that a lot of people are either not interested or not willing to put in the effort to find the truth or they drink the kool-aid. We must think for ourselves, work to expose the propaganda, arm ourselves with the truth, and fight the good fight before it’s too late.
Check out Amir Tsfarti of Behold Israel. He has a telegram channel. It’s free. He is an Israeli Jew who believes Jesus is Israel’s long awaited Messiah. He is an Author of many books. We read his telegram account each day for updates on what is really happening in Israel and Gaza and Rafah. Three of Amir’s children are serving in the IDF, his fourth is too young. He is legit and speaks the whole Truth.
So easy to chant, so good to feel righteous, so despicable to be irresponsibly ignorant and vile.
Sincerity apparently doesn’t fit the founding funders of Hamas.
Eric Hoffer wrote in 1968: ” I have a premonition that will not leave me; as it goes with Israel so will it go with all of us. Should Israel perish the holocaust will be upon us. ”
I am reminded of Hoffer’s premonition whenever the campus protestors (as quoted by VDH) chant about “settlers” and “colonialists,” or whenever liberal Democrats begin local city council meetings in the U.S. with a ritual apology regarding the “stolen land” upon which their modern cities stand — a new and current Democrat tradition.
Yes, the old “stolen land” meme. Stolen from WHOM? When? ANd under what circumstances? Sarael, as Dr. Hanson so plainly stated, have been there going back a few thousand years…. after being brought out with a Mighty Hand from the slavery of the Pharoahs in Egypt.
I winder how many of we Yanks know the deails of the starting of the Massachussete Bay Colony. they had nended to land in a very different area, but stormy weather (they did end up leaving England a bit late in the season, and did encouner some heavy weather on the passage). As it happened, the very area where they first tlanded had NO inhabitants. Turns out two tribes had been warring. ne bested the otehr ahd hauled the survivors off to become slaves for the victors. thus that area of Massachussetts Bay was….. vacant and available. Stolen from WHOM, now?
Thank you for this post and your continued support. It is such a pleasure for me, as an Israeli who grew up in the US, to see a college professor go against the progressive tide and stick to his principles in defending Israel. Thank you again.
After ww2 the Jews proclaimed “ never again “. They meant it.