Israel is on the front lines of the war against the US and Israel by the Iranian Regime-backed Hamas and other proxies.
The October 7, 2023, invasion of Israel by evil Hamas, backed by the Iranian Regime and Hamas’ brutal murder of approximately 1,200 Israelis, Americans and others, maiming of many thousands more, commission of horrendous atrocities and kidnapping at least 200 Israelis, Americans and others, including women and children, who they viciously abused and are continuing to hold hostage, is not a single isolated occurrence. It is a part of a broader war strategy directed against the US and Israel.
It is reported that Iranian Regime backed proxies and terrorists have attacked US forces more than 150 times since the Biden Administration took office. The means of attack have included drones, rockets and even ballistic missiles. The Houthis, another Iranian Regime proxy, have attacked US ships in the Red Sea and Gulf of Aden, as well as those of others and Iran brazenly seized an oil tanker in the Gulf of Oman.
Israel is on the front lines of the war against the US and Israel by the Iranian Regime backed Hamas and other proxies.
Hamas and its supporters (collectively, Hamasniks) are not only antisemites, they also have other reprehensible prejudices. They hate Jews, Christians, the US and Israel. See for example a 2022 video at MEMRI online in which Mahmoud Al-Zahar, one of the founders and a senior official of Hamas, vows to cleanse the world of Christianity and outlines the goal of conquering the world.
Whether it’s Hamasniks in the US shouting their support for the Houthis, despite attacks on shipping and naval forces of the US and allies, disrupting or attempts to disrupt, including violently, time honored observances, such as the New York City Thanksgiving parade, public tree-lighting ceremonies and the New Year’s Eve ball-dropping in New York’s Time Square, as well as, closing down bridges, tunnels and roadways during rush hour, it appears the US is under siege. There are also those who immorally and malevolently celebrate October 7th and the horrible atrocities Hamas committed or in an unfathomable moral inversion speciously blame Israel. They also explicitly or implicitly threaten the US, as well.
There have also been reports that many of the Hamasniks are being remunerated and that there is coordination, directly or indirectly, with Hamas or its cohorts. Hamas is a US designated terrorist organization and attempting or conspiring to or actually providing it with material support (including services) is prohibited under the US anti-terrorist law (18 USC 2339). There are also local laws that prohibit the kind of improper activities noted above, which accounts for some of the arrests that occurred.
Hamas is also racist, misogynistic and an oppressor. In a recent violent demonstration in New York City, a Hamasnik was apprehended by the police and he cussed at the them using a horrible racial epithet.
Women under the Hamas and PA regimes are legally second-class citizens. Domestic physical and mental abuse against women in the home is rampant; honor killings regularly occur; and there is systemic discrimination against women, both civilly and criminally. Women are blatantly mistreated and exploited, including in matters of economic access and inheritance; and there is no equal protection for women under the law. Christian women are often molested without consequence and Christians generally are the subject of extortion and oppression by the PA, Hamas and their cohorts. The PA and Hamas also prohibit land sales to Jews in the areas under their control, with extremely strict penalties against violators.
Imagine, being barred from buying a house anywhere in the US because you are a Muslim, Christian or Jew. Yet, regarding Jews this is the law under the PA and Hamas and it is vigorously and brutally enforced, both judicially and extra-judicially. Thousands of people of African slave origin are still labeled slaves and reportedly live in a ghetto area of Gaza called Al-Abeed, meaning ‘The Slaves’. There is also rampant child abuse, child labor, sexual exploitation of children and forced labor in Hamas controlled Gaza and the PA controlled areas.
Hamasniks project unto others their own evil intentions. The facts belie their abhorrent blood libels against Israel including the cruel and baseless claim of genocide. Whether it’s the undeniable fact that the population in Gaza and the areas controlled by the PA have grown dramatically or the many thousands of Palestinian Arab children who have had heart operations and other life saving procedures in Israel, the claim is specious and utterly absurd.
The American people have woken up to the danger posed by Hamas and the Iranian Regime and its proxies. Recent polls report that an overwhelming majority of Americans support Israel, not Hamas.
It’s time for the Biden Administration to stop pandering to Hamasniks. They may be strident and vocal in their demands for an unconditional ceasefire and desire to eliminate Israel, but they don’t represent the will of a majority of US voters. Unfortunately, the mistakes being made by the Biden Administration are reminiscent of another time, when President Jimmy Carter was running for re-election. Carter faced comparable challenges and his weak response to the crises of Americans being held hostage in Iran and equivocal support of Israel because of what he viewed as the right wing government of Menachem Begin ob”m are eerily similar to the errors being made by the current administration.
Despite wise counsel from his close advisor, Hamilton Jordan, to stop wavering and unequivocally embrace the US’ loyal friend and ally Israel, Carter demurred. The results speak for themselves. Carter’s Jewish support dropped from 71% to 45%, he lost decisively to President Ronald Reagan and the rest is history.
In striking contrast, recent polling shows that Pennsylvania Democratic Senator John Fetterman has seen his support rise because of his strong backing of Israel, as he disregarded concerns about alienating his progressive base in favor of doing what was right.
We must be unqualified in our support of Israel and the mission to eradicate the evil that is Hamas. The security and fate of the US is at stake.
This is a time for Reaganesque determination and action. It is not a time for mere words and appeasement. The response on the evening of Thursday, January 11th to the aggression by the Houthis and since is a good start. However, more is necessary to prevent further attacks by the Iranian Regime and its proxies. The US must project its overwhelming power to re-establish deterrence.
Hamas and its cohorts must be prevented from committing any further acts of aggression and atrocities. It’s unacceptable that Hamas continues to hold and abuse hostages, including American ones. We must fully and unconditionally support Israel’s efforts to rescue the hostages and defeat Hamas.
Source - Leonard Grunstein
Leonard Grunstein, a retired attorney and banker, founded and served as Chairman of Metropolitan National Bank and then Israel Discount Bank of NY. He also founded Project Ezrah and serves on the Board of Revel at Yeshiva University and the AIPAC National Council. He has published articles in the Banking Law Journal, Real Estate Finance Journal and other fine publications.