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“Those that fail to learn from history are doomed to repeat it.” – Winston Churchill
On Saturday, Oct. 7, Israel faced the most devastating massacre since the Holocaust. Media outlets covered the carnage, condemning the Hamas terrorists.
Yet disturbing events have transpired across the globe. Organized by pro-Palestinian groups, demonstrations supporting the terrorist act have occurred in NYC, Berlin, London, and other locations. Israel has declared Oct. 7 their own 9/11.
A few politicians on the far left have even refused to take a firm stance on condemning the brutality. More troubling is the opinion of several Americans, heard on outlets such as C-SPAN, blaming Israel.
First, anyone ignoring the horrific pictures, videos, and accounts needs a reality check. Has civility left humanity? Women, older adults, Holocaust survivors, and children were intentional targets of these uncivilized terrorists, resembling the brutal tactics of ISIS. How can anyone condone the rape, mutilation, and deliberate murder of innocent civilians? Such actions are not a result of fighting oppression but the intentional onslaught of terrorism. Quoting the great Southern Baptist preacher George W. Truett:
If you and I were out here in the street and saw some bullying, braggart, boastful man trampling a helpless little woman or a helpless little child, and you and I should fold our hands and say, “I don’t believe in war, I don’t believe in interfering in other people’s business,” and let the child be slaughtered and the woman destroyed, manhood has left us, that’s all. We have to have regard.[i]
Americans and the Western world must stand with Israel and ensure their existence remains. President Harry Truman played an integral role in establishing Israel and supporting the nation. In 1948, Truman and the United States recognized the State of Israel and remained adamant they were their strongest ally. The U.S. has maintained this alliance in every administration since. America has provided aid from the 1940s to today.
During World War II, the Holocaust claimed the lives of approximately half of the Jewish race. The devastation continued when thousands of Jews had no place to call home. Strict immigration standards prevented entrance into most of the Western world. Jews slowly migrated to modern-day Israel, joining others in the region who already lived there. When nobody helped the Jews, they took it upon themselves to return to their homeland.
The Palestine-Israel problem is not new. However, the Western world must ensure the safety of the Jewish race. They ignored them for years during World War II and cannot make the same mistake today. Israel remains the only standing democratic government in the Middle East. They serve as the eyes and ears of the U.S. and its allies in a region that despises the West. Whether or not global leaders like it, the U.S. has taken a side, and its position is to support Israel.
This past weekend, radical people from across the region cheered on the attack against Israel. In places such as Iraq and Yemen, citizens took to the streets to burn Israeli and American flags. Such scenes bear a striking resemblance to the days following the 9/11 attacks.
In Iran, “death to America” is a standard phrase and a way of life. Americans must confront reality. An attack on Israel is an attack on American democracy and everything the nation stands for.
Outside of Israel, the U.S. has the second-largest Jewish population globally. The democratic principles in Israel directly result from the U.S.
Paraphrasing Ronald Reagan, appeasement does nothing. While the U.S. may have been an isolationist in the past, those days are gone. After entering global conflicts (WWI & WWII) and losing American lives in battle, the U.S. must protect its people and face tyranny in the name of freedom and democracy.
Israel is strong, and rest assured, they will fight. War brings forth destruction, and unfortunately, many civilians will die. However, we must defeat Hamas and like-minded terrorists. Americans should not grow complacent, lest they forget 9/11.
Americans must stand with Israel. Regardless of party affiliation, all politicians should condemn the intentional killing of innocent civilians and stand by America’s ally.
Is democracy worth defending? Ask the Afghan people who cried in hysteria and clung to airplanes when the U.S. left their country. May our country never become complacent and forget history.
[i] George Truett, “The Lord Reigneth” (sermon, First Baptist Church of Dallas, Dallas, TX, December 14, 1941), http://digitalcollections.baylor.edu/cdm/search/collection/fa-gwt (accessed October 9, 2023).
