My 5 Reflections On the Anniversary of The October 7 Terror Attacks
Today marks one year since Hamas carried out the worst massacre of Jews since the Holocaust.
It’s been one year since over 1200 innocent Israeli civilians were murdered, and over 230 hostages were taken captive into Gaza. Hamas’ actions kicked off an Israeli campaign to dismantle and destroy Hamas, leading to the deaths of thousands of Gazans, and the destruction of Hamas in Gaza.
Here are my 5 reflections on the anniversary of this event:
1) The secular Western mind struggles to make sense of Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran
To the average secular Westerner, people like Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran act in ways that make no sense.
Why would Hamas start a war that it knew it would lose? Why would it bring the wrath of the IDF onto its tiny enclave of Gaza, knowing it's outgunned and knowing the civilian casualties would be so high thanks to the urban nature of Gaza and thanks to their deliberate use of their own people as human shields?
To the secular mind that only thinks in terms of the Australian/American/Western European dream of temporal comfort, prosperity and peace, these actions make no sense.
But suppose we understand that Hamas is not motivated by a desire for a two-state solution, let alone by just wanting to raise their children and have good jobs, but by the destruction of the state of Israel from the religious lens of Islam. In that case, we begin to understand why they behave the way they do. They're happy to sacrifice their own men, women and children as Islamic martyr's for the cause of Israel's destruction. 'From the River to the Sea' is an eliminationist saying that demands nothing less than the genocide of Jews, both in Israel, and around the world.
2) Jewish people have never felt so unsafe…in the modern West
While there was widespread sympathy for Israel and Jewish people in the aftermath of October 7, this was short-lived.
Antisemitic attacks have risen markedly since October 7 last years, to the point where many Jewish people feel unsafe openly identifying themselves as Jews here in the West. The Executive Council of Australian Jewry (ECAJ) recorded more than 1800 antisemitic incidents since October 7 last year – the highest number since records began - and no doubt more went unreported.
According to Alex Ryvchin from the ECAJ,
‘The Jewish community [here in Australia] has been permanently transformed by the events of the past year. We have been hardened, shed some of our optimism and naivete, and now firmly understand that the battle for our rights and freedoms is a battle for the very future of this country.’
3) The Big Question: Were Israel’s actions in Gaza genocide?
Anti-Israel protestors and human rights groups accuse Israel of ‘genocide’.
And yes, it is heartbreaking and horrifying to see dead babies on our TVs and social media feeds. We’re rightly horrified by the deaths of civilians for whatever reason.
But – and I say this carefully – it’s a very strange genocide when, after a year of fighting in one of the most dense urban environments on earth, where Hamas uses civilians as human shields (thus increasing the number of civilians killed) and with buildings reduced to rubble, around 98% of its pre-war civilian population is still alive.[1] Furthermore, as I’ve written before, the ratio of civilian dead to Hamas fighters killed is much lower than in other urban warfare environments around the world.
Now, has Israel been more heavy-handed than necessary to achieve its aim of dismantling Hamas? Many people would say ‘yes’.
However, former Deputy NATO commander General Sir John McCall visited Gaza as part of an EU delegation. He was sceptical of how much Israel did to prevent civilian deaths. But after visiting Gaza, and talking to commanders on the ground, he changed his mind:
‘They do things we [British military] haven’t done, like dropping leaflets and sending text messages or phone calls to warn civilians [of impending attacks]. We questioned operational commanders and legal teams about whether they call off missions when civilians are in danger, and they said yes. I’m satisfied with their rules and intent, but I can’t guarantee every mission follows those procedures. However, they do have strict investigative processes for when things go wrong.’
4) Israel is often held to standards no other country is held to
When it comes to self-defence, Israel is often held to standards no other country is held to.
Imagine this scenario:
What if 12 months ago, Hobart had to be evacuated because it was under threat from a terrorist organisation off the coast of Tasmania, who over the past year fired 8000 rockets into the apple isle – each one designed to kill, maim and destroy? What if each of those Hobart residents had to be housed in temporary accommodation across Australia – hotels and the like, away and unable to return to their homes?
Would Australia sit back and accept this perverse status quo?
Of course not. No right-minded government on earth would.
We Aussies would be calling for, demanding, the neutralisation, if not elimination, of said terrorist organisation, the end of the threat to our territory, and the return of Hobartians to their rightful abodes.
But unlike Australia in the above fictional scenario, Israel is facing such a terrorist threat. The terrorist organisation is Hezbollah, the most dangerous terrorist organisation on the planet. It has over 150,000 rockets aimed at Israel.
And Israel is just expected to cop this status quo: to 'de-escalate', pause for a 'ceasefire', and negotiate with a terrorist organisation whose sole intent is to wipe Israel off the face of the earth.
And we wonder why Israelis ignore such nieve calls and take it upon themselves to destroy Hezbollah and the threat it poses to their existence.
5) The Palestinians need to adopt the ‘Hungarian’ solution: Start Coexisting with your neighbours rather than fighting them
Pro-Palestinian protesters in the West and the Middle East chant ‘From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free’. For many protestors, this is not a call for a two-state solution or peaceful coexistence but the elimination of the Jewish state.
And look, I get it.
Growing up among the Hungarian community here in Sydney, I was taught about the horrifying Treaty of Trianon that Hungary was forced to sign after World War 1, where we lost 60% of our 1000-year historic territory to our neighbours. Oh, and we lost WW2 and were occupied by the Soviets under communism for 45 years.
It’s still a sore wound among many Hungarians. (And yes, I grew up hating those nations that took Hungarian land).
But since the end of communism, Hungary has built cooperative relationships with its neighbours, rather than terrorising them. Whether through forming the Visegrad Group, or EU and NATO integration.
And now, Hungary’s living standards are near OECD levels (and growing).
Palestinians, you can do better. With an economic powerhouse like Israel next door, Gaza could become the Singapore of the Levant – if only enough Palestinians were ready for it.
[1] I got this number by dividing the estimated number of 30,000 civilian deaths out of a total population of 2.1 million. Source: https://www.cia.gov/the-world-factbook/countries/gaza-strip/