One thing you'll notice after the Israeli raid that rescued four hostages is how deep the divide is on this. Many people are happy with the rescue. Then there are the voices who describe it as a "release" of four hostages and focus primarily on the claims that many people were killed in the operation
Most of those who condemn the operation put up talking points such as "200 killed to release 4". These commentators NEVER condemn the taking of hostages in the first place, and they NEVER condemn Hamas for unlawfully keeping hostages in civilian areas
What's clear here is just how totally captured these commentators are by the extremist pro-Hamas mentality. Notice how after the operation, knowing that Hamas is hiding hostages in densely populated civilian areas, they NEVER call on Hamas to free hostages and stop this.
Even when they find out that people like journalists and doctors are being brought into the Hamas crimes by keeping hostages in their homes, there is never a Road to Damascus moment here, where these people say "oh this is a red line, how dare Hamas do this."
I'll admit over the years to supporting many causes. But there has to be a red line in any cause. Why did supporting Palestinians become an excuse for every Hamas crime imaginable? A normal person would be shocked to find out hostges were held by civilians.
The number of civilians already implicated in the crimes of Oct. 7 and kidnapping and holding hostages is already a large number. This illustrates a radicalized society. We need to ask tough questions about this.
If human rights groups were doing their job, they'd ask tough questions about how Hamas was able to get civilians to hold hostages, including journalists and medical personnel. This endangers these people obviously.
Instead what happens is that all the Hamas men who dress as civilians are described as civilians when they are killed and all these other civilians who take part in hostage taking are all described as civilian professionals when they also end up killed in this war.
The whole process is directed toward trying to "civilianize" Hamas completely, such that, with the exception of Oct. 7, everyone in Gaza is portrayed as a civilian.
If Hamas and the pro-Palestinian crowd had been held to an equal standard many years ago this wouldn't have happened. Hamas was given excuses and empowered to create a criminal terrorist empire in Gaza in which everything is hijacked to help Hamas.
As Hamas hijacked every aspect of civilian society in Gaza, the int'l community was there beside it to whitewash its conquest of that society, and always turn Hamas into "armed groups" and never condemn or mention them.
This is why when Hamas members turn up at hospitals or UN facilities...it's never a shock to the managers of the facility...in fact they always welcome Hamas. When Hamas places hostages in civilian homes, there is never condern or shock.
You can tell how much the int'l community is connected to Hamas by looking at statements after the June 8 raid in Nuseirat. Has even one organization called on civilians in Gaza to stop holding hostages? Has even one? No.
The excuses for Hamas crimes aren't helping Palestinians. Obviously Hamas crimes have always been a setback for two states. Hamas only exists in order to sabotage peace and two states and to create endless war.
If the int'l community had been responsible it would have isolated Hamas and made it clear that its crimes are unacceptable and it would have supported peace and moderate groups; instead of excusing how Hamas radicalized Gaza and took over civilian institutions to exploit them.
x.com