Gaza War Day 18:Rocket Fire, UN Meeting, Why the Left Hates Us

Tel Aviv Diary October 24, 2023

Today was far from peaceful. While the ground operation has not yet commenced, both the North and the South experienced fighting. After a two-day lull, Tel Aviv sustained a rocket attack. There were two missile barrages targeting the country's center, with the first aimed at Ben Gurion Airport. All of the rockets aimed at the airport were intercepted. However, one rocket, with a trajectory directed past the airport, hit a home in the village of Alfei Menashe, leveling the house and damaging an adjacent synagogue.

Damaged House in Alfei Menashe

I had just stepped out of my house when the missile warning siren began to sound in Tel Aviv. This was the first attack on Tel Aviv in two days. Like many residents, I had started to readjust to the calm. Today's salvo breached the Iron Dome defense, with one rocket landing in Holon, injuring three individuals, though none severely.

In a separate incident this evening, Hamas attempted to dispatch a team of frogmen into Israel. Israeli frogmen detected the intruders upon their water entry. After monitoring their movement, they were ambushed at the opportune moment, resulting in the elimination of at least ten terrorists.

Up North, several Hezbollah squads preparing to launch anti-tank missiles into Israel were neutralized before they could act. Hezbollah confirmed the loss of six of its fighters. Later in the evening, two missiles, presumably launched by Shiite Militia, targeted the Golan Heights from Syria. Fortunately, both projectiles landed in open fields.

UN SECURITY COUNCIL MEETING

Today, the UN Security Council addressed the Israel-Hamas war. Israelis were taken aback when UN Secretary-General Manuel de Oliveira Guterres addressed the council, stating,

The Hamas attack did not occur in a vacuum. The Palestinian people have endured 56 years of oppressive occupation. They've witnessed their land being steadily consumed by settlements and marred by violence, experienced their economy being suppressed, seen their people displaced, and their homes demolished. Their aspirations for a political resolution have dwindled.

This statement by Guterres appeared to many in Israel as a justification for the Hamas attack. US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken gave a good response to Guterres speech saying:

First, we all recognize the right, and indeed the imperative, of states to defend themselves against terrorism. That’s why we must unequivocally condemn Hamas’s barbaric terrorist attack against Israel – babies riddled with bullets; young people hunted down and gunned down with glee; people, young people beheaded; families burned alive in a final embrace; parents executed in front of their children; children executed in front of their parents; and so many taken hostage in Gaza.

We have to ask – indeed it must be asked – where is the outrage?  Where is the revulsion? Where is the rejection? Where is the explicit condemnation of these horrors? We must affirm the right of any nation to defend itself and to prevent such horror from repeating itself. No member of this council – no nation in this entire body – could or would tolerate the slaughter of its people.

As part of his speech to the UN Security Council, Israeli Foreign Minister Eli Cohen played an intercepted call that a Hamas terrorist made to his parents:

TERRORIST: Hello dad. Dad I am inside Mefalsim. Open your WhatsApp right now, and see all the killed. Look at how many I killed with my own hands, your son killed Jews.

FATHER: Allahu Akhbar, Allahu Akhbar. May God protect you.

TERRORIST: This is inside Mefalsim, father. I am talking to you from the phone of a Jew, I killed her and her husband, I killed ten with my own hands.

FATHER: Allahu Akhbar.

TERRORIST: Open your phone and see how many I killed, father. Open your phone, I am calling you on WhatsApp.

FATHER: Crying (unintelligible).

TERRORIST: I am in Meflasim, father. I killed ten. Ten! Ten with my own bare hands. Their blood is on my hands, let me talk to Mom.

MOTHER: Oh, my son, may God protect you.

TERRORIST: I killed ten all by myself, mother.

FATHER: May God bring you home safely.

TERRORIST: Father, go back to WhatsApp! I want to call you live from Mefalsim.

MOTHER: I wish I was there with you.

TERRORIST: Mother, your son is a hero. I was the first to enter under the guidance and with the help of Allah. Father, lift your head, lift your head. (Talking to terrorists on the scene: Kill! Kill! Kill! Kill them! Inside, inside, into the city.)

BROTHER: Mahmoud, Mahmoud. Come back [to Gaza], that's enough, return.

TERRORIST: Return? There is no return, it is victory or martyrdom. My mother gave birth to me for Islam, Alaa. Are you serious, how will I return? Look at WhatsApp, look at your phone, look at all the killed.

Tonight, I appeared on British LBC news. Before interviewing me, the news anchor played a segment of the UN Secretary-General’s speech, in which he demanded Israel agree to a humanitarian ceasefire. I pointed out that any moral standing Guterres might have held was undermined by the part of his speech where he appeared to justify Hamas's actions. I further argued that asking Israel to consent to a ceasefire is akin to requesting England during World War II to halt hostilities to provide humanitarian aid to Berliners. To many Israelis, after what Hamas did, it feels as if we are battling an enemy as despicable as the Nazis.

ISRAEL’S GAZA GROUND OFFENSIVE

Speculation continues regarding commencement of the ground offensive. The Army has repeatedly confirmed its readiness. Today during a press conference, IDF Chief of Staff Herzi Halevi stated unequivocally that the army is ready and just waiting for the government to authorize the attack.

Two predominant factors appear to be causing the delay. First, there's the US request for additional time to fortify its forces before Israel initiates the ground offensive— with the Eisenhower Carrier Group scheduled to arrive in our vicinity by the weekend. Furthermore, efforts are ongoing to assess the feasibility of reaching an agreement for the large-scale release of hostages. Late last night, there seemed to be a promising chance for such an arrangement, but that hope dissipated as the night progressed. Israeli sources remain optimistic about the possibility of reaching an agreement, though prospect is waning

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ON THE HOME FRONT …

Domestically, chaos prevails. Eighteen days into the war, the government has yet to introduce a systematic plan to compensate unemployed individuals or businesses that have incurred losses. Economy Minister Nir Barkat and Finance Minister Smotrich have presented contrasting proposals, and are at loggerheads over which plan should be implemented.

On a related note, the town of Shlomi, situated right on the Northern border, and which has mostly been evacuated, contains 1,000 apartments without any protected spaces. In 2018, the government allocated 1 billion shekels to construct protected spaces in all apartments along the Northern border. However, in the five years that followed, only 200 protected spaces have been constructed.

French President Macron recently visited Israel, becoming the latest Western leader to do so. He spoke emphatically in defense of Israel, asserting that the anti-ISIS coalition should be involved in combating Hamas

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Yocheved Lifshitz, 85, who was released by Hamas last night, spoke to the press today. She detailed her kidnapping experience, recounting how she was abducted and assaulted during the process. However, she also mentioned that, upon reaching the underground location where Hamas held her captive, she was treated civilly.

•••∞•••

While I addressed the issue of antisemitism in the US last week, the ongoing global events necessitate further consideration. The photo below was taken in Warsaw, Poland, where an individual advocating the elimination of Jews was identified as a Swedish medical student studying in Warsaw. How can one make sense of this?

This is merely one instance among several antisemitic actions in recent days. Israelis and Jews worldwide are undoubtedly dismayed by these events. To many in Israel, Greta Thunberg's stance on the Hamas massacre was a significant shock — after the renowned environmental activist from Sweden (previously revered by many Israelis) tweeted in support of Hamas. Thunberg's sentiment has been pervasive across the far-left, including numerous environmental activists, even before Israel initiated any counteraction against Gaza.

It is no surprise that the left supports the Palestinian cause. However, as I mentioned previously, it's truly puzzling why they would back Hamas, a right-wing, fundamentalist terrorist organization. It's perplexing why women's rights activists would support a group that shamelessly denies rights to women, or why LGBTQ activists would endorse an organization that flagrantly executes members of the LGBTQ community.

Professor of History at Cornell, Russel Rickford caused a stir, the day after the Oct. 7th Hamas massacre, when he remarked at a pro-Palestinian event: “It [the Hamas action] was exhilarating. It was energizing. And if they weren't exhilarated by this challenge to the monopoly of violence, the shifting power dynamics, then they wouldn't be human. I was exhilarated.”

Rickford has since apologized for his choice of words and is currently on a leave of absence. However, Rickford isn't the only one; a significant portion of the academic left shares this perspective, which can be traced back to Frantz Fanon, a renowned revolutionary theorist. His book, “The Wretched of the Earth,” (1961) is a required reading in Columbia College's classic Contemporary Civilization Course, a mandatory course for all students.

In the book Fanon writes:

• “For the colonized, life can only materialize from the rotting cadaver of the colonist.”

• “The oppressed will always believe the worst about themselves.”

• “Violence is man re-creating himself.”

• “Decolonization is always a violent phenomenon.”

I took Contemporary Civilization (CC) at Columbia College 50 years ago. At that time, Fanon’s book was not on the list. My recollection is that all required reading for CC was discussed thoroughly in small class settings. I can only imagine the nature of discussions taking place in today's classes. As I mentioned earlier, every student graduating from Columbia College is required to read this book. I'm unaware of the mandatory readings at other elite colleges, but I wouldn't be surprised if this book is featured on reading lists throughout the US.

Given that much of the far left-wing labels all Israelis as “colonists,” it's not surprising that numerous left-leaning intellectuals appear to be untroubled by the massacre that occurred near Gaza on the 7th. As I began to delve into this topic, I was stunned. I now better understand why Israel supporters are on the defensive on elite campuses throughout the US.