Israel at War—The Biggest Lie, Part II

The propaganda media in the West is working overtime to amplify the deaths and suffering of the palestinian civilians as a consequence of a war initated by their leadership, the terror group, Hamas. Part of Hamas' strategy is to put civilians directly in harm's way, and then use their deaths or suffering as a propaganda tool. The leftist media (meaning 95% of all media) gleefully amplifies palestinian propaganda in an effort to demonize Israel and force them to throttle down their efforts to exterminate Hamas. Hence, the ubiquitous calls among leftist for a "ceasefire." [1]

In a recent "Israel at War" post, entitled The Biggest Lie, I addressed the many, many lies that have have grown out of the Hamas atrocities and their aftermath. I identified what i think is the biggest lie of all:

The vast majority of palestinians do not support Hamas, do not hate Jews, and are basically peaceful members of the global community who, if allowed to live in peace, would represent no threat to Israel.

In a poll conducted "from October 31 to November 7, the Arab World for Research and Development (AWRAD) surveyed 668 Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza Strip." The findings were not surprising to me, but might give pause to any palestinian apologist who argues that 'the biggest lie' is, in fact, the truth. 

A brief summary of some of the many findings @AGHamilton29 provides some key polling statistics:

• 75% [of palestinians] support the 10/7 massacre. 
• 76% [of palestinians] have a positive view of Hamas. 9
• 8.2% [of palestinians] have a negative view of America 
• Interestingly, 64% [of palestinians] have a negative view of Iran. 
• Also worth noting when given a choice between a shared state where both people co-exist, two states, or a Palestinian state from the river to the sea, 77.7% [of palestinians] choose the last option. 

I readily admit that all polling is suspect and that it could be inaccurate, but even if the numbers are off by 5 or 10 percent, the findings indicate that allowing Gaza and the West Bank, to maintain their current structure does nothing but invite Hamas 2.0 down the road. At least half, and probably closer to three-quarters of all palestinians support Hamas and reject any two state solution, preferring to see Israel disappear ("from the river to the sea"). [2]

Yet, Western leaders want to believe 'the biggest lie' because it allows them to try to impose yet another "ceasefire" that will enable to palestinians to create Hamas 2.0, even if Hamas 1.0 is completely destroyed. It allows the West to do what they always do, kick the can down the road, solving nothing, and placing yet another long term existential threat on Israel.

The correct approach for israel, IMO, is quite harsh and will be condemned by every Western government, all Muslims and their leftist allies. But condemnation doesn't make the approach wrong, in fact the harsher the opprobrium, the stronger the indication that it just might be the only approach that will enable Israel to live in some semblance of peace.

But more on that topic of a future post.

FOOTNOTES:

[1]  As an aside, it's reasonable to assert that there was a ceasefire in place on October 6th. That ceasefire was broken not by Israeli, but by Hamas, who committed shocking atrocities that killed 1,200 people, injuries thousands and kidnapped 240 more. It was the palestinian leadership (a.k.a. Hamas) that chose to abrogate the existing ceasefire, so any deaths and suffering that now occur are on Hamas and Hamas alone.

[2]  The palestinian attitude toward Israel is mirrored by most of the countries in the Arab Crescent. Alex Berenson writes:

... the deliberate atrocities of Oct. 7, planned by Hamas’s military commanders and cheered by its political leaders, mark Hamas as the Islamic State’s true successor. The two groups have in common the use of terror for propaganda, a profound indifference to civilian life, and a reliance on the Quran’s bloodiest verses as a foundational text.

But they differ in their enemies.

The Islamic State intended a modern caliphate on Muslim lands and thus spent most of its time killing other Muslims. Hamas - for now and the foreseeable future - is focused on destroying Israel, from the (Jordan) River to the (Mediterranean) Sea and back again.

Hamas’s project has far more support among Muslims and Arabs. A large survey of Arab nations last year found overwhelming support for the Palestinian cause and opposition to the establishment of diplomatic ties with Israel.

How overwhelming? 84 percent of respondents said their countries should not establish relations with Israel; only 8 percent thought they should.

By overwhelming majorities, Arab Muslims insist that their 5 million square miles of land be judenrein—free of all Jews. That's not going to change any time soon. The palestinians are Arab Muslims—a people whose name (palestinians) was created in the 1960s to help the Muslims achieve the destruction of Israel and make even Israel's measly 8,600 square miles free of all Jews.

Once you understand that harsh reality, the next steps become obvious, if in fact, difficult.