International law permits a state to wage war in order to defend itself and subdue the enemy that rises against it * Many of the civilian population among the Arab enemy are full partners in the war against us * For generations the West has been steeped in antisemitism * The claim that we are committing “genocide” and “war crimes” is a distinctly antisemitic claim * The phenomenon of auto-antisemitism – Jewish self-hatred, is a result of very long exile * Unfortunately, our public establishments are also infected with these corrupt conceptions * In the end, those who sin in hatred of Israel, are punished * The more we strengthen, and without relying on miracles defeat our enemies, the more they will respect us, and we will suffer from less antisemitism
The Moral Truth
Q: A broad public in Europe and North America, represented by the governments, sharply criticizes the State of Israel because of its war against Hamas. According to them, the IDF kills too many civilians who are not involved in the war, contrary to international law. Is this correct?
A: It is proper to preface that, in principle, international law obligates Israel, since one of the seven Noahide commandments is to establish courts, and it is a general rule that there is no commandment that the Children of Noah (non-Jews) are obligated in, and Israel is exempt from. However, the intention is to what is agreed upon by all people in the cultural environment in which we live, such as for example, that it is forbidden in war to deliberately harm peaceful civilians – and not matters that are disputed between right-wing and left-wing legal experts.
However, international law permits a state to wage war in order to defend itself, and subdue the enemy that rises against it. If the enemy uses civilians as human shields, and kindergartens and hospitals as military bases, it is not entitled to protection because of this, rather, the responsibility for harming civilians who are in those places falls upon it. Indeed, when possible, time must be given to civilians to evacuate from there, and if this is dangerous, then there are guidelines from legal experts in various countries on how to eliminate the enemy while trying to minimize harm to civilians. However, it is clear that the attempt not to harm civilians does not prevent striving to kill all enemy soldiers to the last one of them, or alternatively, to receive their absolute surrender.
In the case of the Arab enemy, many of the civilian population are full partners in the war against us. This was proven on the day of the massacre that began the war, when thousands of civilians participated joyfully in murder, rape, abuse of the living and the dead, and there was no civilian or religious person or doctor who raised a voice in protest. In such a situation, it is not surprising that many times the population agrees to serve as a shield for enemy fighters, and is not willing to evacuate when given time, and there is no moral reason to spare it, and so is international law as well.
Antisemitism
Q: Why then do so many in the West accuse us of “war crimes” and “genocide”? Is there no legitimate moral basis in their claim?
A: Unfortunately, the West has been steeped in antisemitism for generations. Even when they claimed against the Jews that they murder children in order to knead matzah with their blood, they alleged a “moral claim.” Who could agree to murdering children for religious worship?! But this was a wicked blood libel, which was accepted in hearts, because of their antisemitic position. Even in modern times, when many in the West claimed against the Jews that they are a parasitic and exploitative race, which destroys culture and humanity, they ostensibly made a ‘moral argument’. The Nazis, may their name be erased, led this claim to the ‘Final Solution’, but many people in Europe agreed to the claim itself, and thus cooperated with the Nazis, openly, or indirectly. But this “moral claim” was a terrible libel – not only were the Jews not dangerous to humanity, but on the contrary, Jewish contributions actually helped make the West a global leader in science, economics, and culture.
Even today, when they claim that we are committing “genocide” and “war crimes,” this is a distinctly antisemitic claim. In many wars that were waged in recent decades, such as in Iraq, Syria, Darfur, Sudan, Yemen, Myanmar, Afghanistan and Ethiopia, in each of which hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed, and the percentage of civilians who were killed and perished was many times higher than the fighters, and in the fighting method they did not always use civilians as human shields like Hamas does in Gaza, and even so, only rarely were the actions defined as war crimes and genocide. Whereas the State of Israel is vilified, despite all the excessive efforts it makes not to harm civilians.
Is the British Prime Minister Also Antisemitic?
Q: Can one also claim against British Prime Minister Starmer, whose spouse is Jewish, or against French President Macron, that they are antisemitic? After all, they condemn hatred of every person and every nation, and would be horrified if accused of antisemitism.
A: There is no other explanation for the fact that they hurl such serious accusations at the State of Israel, other than antisemitism. Apparently, they are not aware of this, but there is no other explanation for the double standard with which they relate to us. If they listened honestly to the position of our Arab enemies, they would understand that their goal is to destroy the State of Israel, and what Israel does for its defense, is too little and too late for what is needed. And all this because of them.
If they thought honestly, how would another state react to an enemy that inscribed on its flag its elimination, and carried out such a cruel massacre with broad popular support, they would understand that the State of Israel is doing less than the minimum required for its defense.
Let them check how they received the vilifications of the “journalists” from Gaza about hunger (when a journalist who does not report thus – will be killed), and in contrast, hundreds of thousands of people had to actually die in other places (Yemen, Darfur, Somalia and Ethiopia) in order for hunger to be declared there.
The Condemnations at the UN
According to what was reported on the Arutz Sheva website (23 Kislev 5784), since 2015, the UN General Assembly has condemned Israel 141 times, followed by Russia 23 times, Syria – 10, North Korea – 8, Iran and Myanmar – 7.
The Human Rights Council condemned Israel 104 condemnations, compared to Syria (where at least half a million were killed, and nearly ten million were expelled and emigrated) – 43 condemnations, North Korea – 16, Iran 14, Venezuela and Sudan – 3.
The International Health Organization has not condemned any country except Israel, and it did so 9 times.
Apparently, antisemitism is so rooted in their environment, that they do not notice the injustice that cries to heaven from these decisions, as well as from their positions.
Jews Who Condemn Israel
Q: Are the Jews who condemn the State of Israel and claim that it commits “war crimes” and “genocide” also antisemitic?
A: Indeed, it is difficult to understand this unique phenomenon that hardly exists among other nations. This well-known phenomenon is called auto-antisemitism – Jewish self-hatred. Apparently, it is a result of very long exile, in which our nation was despised and vilified, and at the same time, continued to yearn for redemption and repair. In practice, this phenomenon is composed of two factors. One, internalizing antisemitic claims while assuming that the position of the many and the strong, is the just position. The second, purism – the unrealistic double standard applied to Jews, expecting them to be morally perfect in ways that no other people are expected to be. One could argue that the concept of being God’s chosen people has been perverted into an impossible standard that denies Jews the right to exist as a nation, unless they achieve perfect moral purity.
Unfortunately, Israel’s own internal public systems are infected with such problematic ideological conceptions. Thus, it turns out that the legal, security and academic systems serves, to a certain degree, as a protective wall for the Arab enemy, and does not allow Israel to express its position with moral clarity and, defeat its enemies.
When Rising, and When Falling
Because of the special destiny of the people of Israel, to bring blessing to the world, one cannot be indifferent to it. If they do not succeed in seeing its contribution to the world, they hate it for its pretension. Our Sages said: “This nation is compared to the dust of the earth, and also compared to the stars in heaven. When they descend, they descend to the dust, and when they rise, they rise to the stars (Megillah 16a).
So too, Israel toward themselves – the natural desire for existence that suffices for all nations, does not suffice for Israel. The consciousness of the mission inherent in Israel pushes for tikkun (repair). In the positive state, Jews pray for true tikkun, and take concrete action in every way possible to help bring about the repair of the world (tikkun olam). In the negative state, following crises and frustration over lack of success in immediately repairing the world, to make “peace now,” internal revulsion and self-hatred develop, and thus we have auto-antisemitic Jews, who harm the world, Israel, and themselves.
The Punishment for Hatred of Israel
In the end, those who sin in hatred of Israel are punished, as it is said: “Cursed be those who curse you, and blessed be those who bless you” (Genesis 27:29). The problem is that the wicked do not make the connection between their sin, and their punishment. But whoever looks at reality without antisemitic bias, sees with his own eyes – how the European countries that sinned in antisemitism are being harmed, and deteriorating. Since they hate us and love our haters, their punishment is that our haters destroy their countries. Thus, it was, for example, after World War II, when Europe became a heap of ruins, and lost its leading position in the world. Even now, when Europe supports the haters of Israel, it opens its gates to them, and they destroy it with corruption, wickedness and crime.
The Repair
Indeed, many hate us, but for the first time after many generations, thanks to the return to Zion and the establishment of the State of Israel and its wonderful successes, Israel has hundreds of millions of supporters around the world, and they are among the best and most leading people, and they are growing. In the past, righteous gentiles pitied us, but today, they respect us, and pin many hopes on us – that we will fulfill our destiny, fight evil, and pave ways to add good and blessing to the world.
Antisemitism is a result of the galut (exile), and therefore in the long term, the more we strengthen, and without relying on miracles defeat our enemies, the more they will respect us, and we will suffer from less antisemitism. The more Jewish identity is strengthened through Torah study and observance of mitzvot, the more we will merit greater respect from all nations, who will understand that the Land of Israel is the land that God gave to our forefathers and to us, and the Arabs who invaded it over the generations, have no national rights over it.
From strengthening in emunah (faith), Torah and mitzvot, we will advance to applying full sovereignty over the entire Land, while presenting two options before the Arabs who live in it: 1) to be gerim toshavim (resident aliens), meaning, clear supporters of the Jewish state, who faithfully observe all laws (seven commandments of the Children of Noah), and receive full citizenship rights. 2) to emigrate from it. In the meantime, we must strengthen ties with all our lovers from the nations of the world, and together, try to raise the banner of the values of justice and morality in the Bible.
On Rosh Hashanah that falls in the midst of the war, we must increase prayer, which expresses firm faith in the righteousness of Torah and its message to all humanity, prepare for the physical military war against our enemies, and the ideological/propaganda war against those who hate Israel, pray for our supporters that they succeed in saving their countries – until the time when ‘sins cease from the earth and the wicked are no more, and the kingdom of wickedness disappears like smoke, for You will remove the rule of arrogance from the earth’.
This article appears in the ‘Besheva’ newspaper and was translated from Hebrew.
