No Genocide in Gaza

By Ray DiLorenzo

No one, it seems, is immune to anti-Israel propaganda, not even Jews.

Gaza has returned to the front page of the news due to potential military and political actions as the war nears its end, raising questions about what should be done with Gaza. I’ve been striving to clarify certain misunderstandings that have surfaced and continue to do so.

As a needed reminder, on October 7, 2023, Hamas launched a brutal attack on Israel’s civilian population, indiscriminately killing 1200 men, women, and children while taking hundreds of civilians hostage and committing acts of murder and rape against many of them. Almost two years later, Hamas still holds 20 hostages, but we do not know whether they are dead or alive. Much of the world seems to have chosen to forget all of that.

The mainstream media, Democrats, much of Islamic Europe, Palestinian allies, self-hating Jews, and antisemites across the globe have worked hard to propagandize the Israeli-Hamas war against Israel. Images and accounts of genocide have littered the pages and screens across America and much of the world in an orchestrated effort to create an anti-Israel narrative. They are succeeding.

International courts of justice, reports from so-called UN experts, sensationalized reports by NGOs, and photoshopped images have created a hatred we have not seen since Nazi Germany.

Antisemitism has reached a crescendo. Jews everywhere are hiding in their homes, not attending classes, or not showing their Star of David, reminiscent of Nazi Germany in the 30s.

Universities across America host anti-Israel demonstrations, some with violence and destruction of property. Universities allow this activity and remain quiet during anti-Jew riots on their campuses, which destroy university property and keep Jewish students in a state of fear.

You would think these ‘great’ universities would cultivate an environment where respectful conversation can occur and diverse perspectives can be shared without fear of retribution. They don’t. This climate of fear and hostility not only endangers Jewish communities but also undermines the principles of open discourse and academic freedom. As tensions escalate, it becomes increasingly important to create dialogue that promotes understanding rather than division. They choose to disregard even common sense. Parents are not receiving the value they deserve.

The so-called Ivy League student, as it turns out, is as gullible as any common Joe on the street.

Antisemites are back in the news, further spreading the lies of genocide. These claims are particularly offensive, especially to Jews who have experienced genocide firsthand.

These accusations can perpetuate harmful stereotypes and exacerbate existing divides within society. It is crucial for educational institutions to foster an environment where respectful conversation can occur. Are they doing that? No, they are not. Instead, many of their professors join in the demonstrations while university leadership says nothing.

These stereotypes can create an environment, especially for young minds, that hinders the development of critical thinking skills needed to challenge misinformation. Instead, they are turned into puppets. A surprise since so many of them are being educated at Yale, Harvard, Columbia, and so on. Modern education, particularly at Ivy League institutions, appears to be inadequate for preparing individuals for real-life challenges.

The word “genocide” is used all too frequently. It’s become as cheap as the word ‘racism.’ Israel’s objective is self-defense, not genocide in any form. Israel is fighting Hamas, not Palestinians. Hamas is notorious for using civilians as human shields and for stealing food from both individuals and relief efforts. All to supply their fighters. Hamas frequently causes harm to civilians, putting them between themselves and the IDF to use as fodder for the press to blame Israel.

Hamas redistributed the billions of dollars sent to Gaza for relief and development to buy and manufacture weapons and tunnels, not to build infrastructure for their people.

The Israeli Defense Force (IDF) repeatedly relocated civilian populations within Gaza to minimize civilian casualties.

“Genocide” is the term for purposely targeting a people and murdering them. That is not what is going on in Gaza. Determining the number of civilian deaths compared to military deaths in Gaza is nearly impossible. The Gaza Ministry of Health does not separate civilian deaths from terrorists in its death tolls. The circumstances also do not allow for any accuracy. Often, civilians were prevented from leaving active battle zones.

Hamas designs its actions to inflict harm on the Palestinian people and generate negative publicity for Israel. Hamas fighters hide in schools, hospitals, and any locations where civilians may gather.

This conflict is a complex war. The IDF is fighting an enemy that cares nothing for its people except to use them as negative press for Israel. The illustrations created by Hamas, depicting suffering and starving civilians while their soldiers are well-fed, serve as valuable propaganda tools. Disappointingly, the Ivy League students have been especially invaluable, bending to their frequent disinformation. Hamas strategically operates within civilian areas and obstructs the evacuation of non-combatants, making these actions useful press tools.

Hamas must have known that the IDF was going to come after them. How could they not? They knew they couldn’t destroy Israel’s military. So what was the plan? Their plan was to destroy Israel’s legitimacy as a nation and use the lives of their people, civilian casualties, to do it.

These factors cloud the extent of this tragedy. The losers include Hamas, the people of both Israel and Gaza, the Democrat Party, which has shown itself to be antisemitic, and academia, which has demonstrated an inability to prepare youth for a difficult world.

The word ‘genocide’ has been cheapened to include any civilian loss of life in a war that Hamas wanted. What did Hamas expect after October 7? The manipulation of language and imagery has served to obscure what the first casualty of war always is…the truth.

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