Finish the war or the whole world will hate you

We’re being told that Israel has a choice to make - being liked, at the expense of our security, or finishing the job of decimating Hamas. Both are not possible. But there is a heavy cost of opting for the latter. Not only will Israel continue to be held with great scorn, but the accompanying animosity could spill over into significant collateral damage for Jews worldwide.

Unlike all of Israel’s previous wars, which lasted for relatively short periods of time, this present battle with Hamas, initiated by the October 7th massacre, has extended for nearly two years, resulting in widespread global antisemitism. That is a troubling factor which cannot be ignored.

So, when U.S. President Donald Trump sternly warns that “Jerusalem is on its way to losing Congress,” that’s the time when decisive moves must be made.  We are at such a point.

With the growing vilification against the Jewish state, the great concern is that we are on the cusp of alienating American political figures, many of whose constituency already have a dim view of Israel, according to a Pew poll which was conducted in March. It cites that some 53% who fall in that category. 

Predictably, a large chunk of those individuals are young people, now, surprisingly, joined by an increasing sector of MAGA voters. When queried about these disquieting statistics, Trump readily admitted that he was aware of this trend. At the same time, he touted his personal support for Israel, stating that no one has done more for her.

Nonetheless, it hasn’t escaped his attention that the Congress of 20 years ago is not the same as today. There is an awareness that the once strong backing it gave to Israel has definitely been downgraded. For the U.S. president, that translates into the urgency of finishing out this war as soon as possible, given the damage he sees it is doing.

It's interesting to look back and analyze what has happened over the last 20 years which dramatically changed the strong and enduring loyalties of Congress, not to mention the American people, when it comes to how they view Israel? One thing is for sure, though. It has nothing to do with the length of the war.  

It was, instead, due to a number of intersecting factors which, when combined together, were responsible for the great shift that has had a huge influence on why the Jewish state is no longer the favored child who can do no wrong.

Let’s begin with the massive migration from Middle-East countries, which has made its way to American shores.  

Already set in their jaded opinions of Israel, many of them strategically settled in particular areas, comprising a large majority within those states, enabling their preferred anti-Israel political candidate to obtain a Congressional seat.  

Once there, that individual didn’t hesitate to openly express their deep disdain for Israel. We’ve seen this, time and again, in the cases of Minnesota Congresswoman Ilhan Omar and Michigan Congresswoman Rashida Tlaib.

Joined by them were other members of Congress, who eagerly embraced Woke ideology, also birthed over the last 20 years. Viewing Israel and Jews, through the lens of oppressors, who victimized their “marginalized” geographic neighbors, the collective Jewish people soon became an extension of the hated white supremacy crowd. 

While these two changes played a major role in the move away from Israeli support, they were not the only contributing factors. American values were undergoing a tremendous metamorphosis, over that 20-year period, through the added influence of social media, often fueled by a very skewed anti-Israel slant. 

Once the October 7th massacre took place, all of these components merged, creating a very jaundiced look at Israel. It’s as if a window of opportunity had been cracked open to cast the Jewish homeland in a very unflattering light.  

Further enhanced by media manipulation and very savvy platform users, all sympathetic to Hamas, it wasn’t long before the roles were cleverly reversed.  Israel became the bullying aggressor, simply by defending herself, while Hamas became the righteous and justified freedom fighters.

It was a dishonest campaign, designed to, yet again, shift the blame on the Jews for something done against them. None of this is new, because history records the many creative rationales which were offered up as to why the Jews were deserving of bad treatment and disenfranchisement. 

But assuming that President Trump is coming from a place of concern, attempting to help restore the good name and standing which Israel enjoyed prior to October 7th, hard questions must be asked.

Will hastily finishing a war, without completely abolishing Hamas, endear the nations to us, once again? Will it put an end to the discrimination that Jews, outside the land, are experiencing, often on a daily basis? Will Jewish performers, lecturers or competitors be warmly welcomed to participate in their craft as before? And will there be a sudden absence of all campus protests against the Jewish state? Will all return to normal for Jewish staff and students at those universities? 

I think most of us can guess what the answers are. That squeezed toothpaste cannot go back into the tube.  Once released, it made its mess and is not easily cleaned up.

While it’s true that after each vicious attack upon the Jewish people, throughout the centuries, things settled down, society has evolved to a place where violence has become an accepted form of protest. Doubts and aspersions have been cast upon the Jews, causing people to withdraw their acceptance and support of them.

In short, the floodgates of Jewish hatred have, once again, been flung open, facilitating the convenient scapegoating of the same people who bore the guilt of whatever ailed humanity. It gave them a free pass, exonerating their own sins and moral failures.  

In many ways, Jew hatred serves the purpose of whitewashing the dark and ugly societal changes which are forced upon everyone by using the pretext that Jews are a danger to all.

It is unlikely that Israel will ever get the chance of being restored to her rightful place of honor by quickly ending the war. So, since we have already been vilified and pronounced guilty, why shouldn’t we do what is best for the survival of our country. Because, in the end, it’s going to be the only safe place for all Jews!