You can tell a lot about an activist by the issues they choose to speak up about. I mean that in a very specific sense, not general. What I don’t mean is that you can tell a lot about an environmentalist by whether or not they speak up about drug cartels in Mexico. Those are two different issues, and the environmentalist chose the path they chose.
What I do mean is that you can tell a lot about an activist by what they choose to speak up about within their sphere of activism. For instance, let’s say an environmentalist was all about saving trees; they’re against the tearing down and killing of trees, especially when done by major corporations to build their buildings. But for some reason, these environmentalists have no written or spoken record of saying anything when one particular company is responsible. They’ve called out Target, Wal-Mart, Nike, Adidas, you name it. But whenever Amazon expands its territory and begins destroying large plots of forests to build their new facilities, these environmentalists say nothing.
Some people would become aware of this routine silence and begin to wonder why. Why are these activists staying silent on an issue they should arguably be the loudest about? What is it that Amazon has over them? Are they working with Amazon? Do they secretly work for Amazon? Are they a plant from Amazon to distract people from what Amazon is doing?
All of these are valid questions, but the problem is, whenever they’re publicly posed, the people asking them face harsh ridicule, and even risk losing their jobs. So many go back to being quiet and moving on with their lives.
The problem is, those questions really do need to be answered. Something nefarious is going on, and it’s actually costing the environment more than helping.
That is what it’s like in this Arab/Israeli conflict space.
On October 7th, 2023, Hamas and other Gazan civilians invaded Israel, murdered men, women, and children, gang raped women, burned entire families alive, and took hundreds of people hostage; 132 of whom are still there, if they’re still alive. We found out many things since then:
A CNN Gaza-based photojournalist turned out to be a Hamas member who participated in the atrocities of October 7th.
The United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) employees are accused of participating in October 7th as well; and though many news outlets are saying there’s no proof, there is overwhelming proof of UNRWA teachers calling for the death of Jews for years.
On October 8th, people on the anti-Israel side celebrated October 7th in the streets and on social media.
The Council on Arab-Islamic Relations (CAIR) leader celebrated October 7th.
Hamas echoes other jihadi group’s disdain for Africans by their brutal murder of Tanzanian students Felix Mtenga and Joshua Molal.
Hamas keeps lying about the casualty count while trying to get as many civilians killed as possible. They’ve even admitted it.
Much more
For people in this space who claim to care about Palestinians in Gaza, one would think at the very least, that they would then call out Israel and Hamas. One would think that at the very least, they would still oppose the Israeli government and petition for UNRWA to be dismantled, or at least be audited. One might think that they would at least distance themselves from the ones calling for the death of Jews. One would think that while calling out Israel (however misinformed), that they would also bring to light the things that continue to hamper any kind of peace, like the fact that Hamas won’t give back the hostages, or the fact that they keep using rockets, or the fact that Hamas has its foot on the necks of Gazans.
But that’s not what they’re doing. And like the environmentalist example previously given, they are either strangely silent on the things they should be the loudest about, or worse, denying those things even exist. They may not have celebrated on October 7th, but they sure didn’t condemn it. Government officials like Rashida Tlaib had nothing to say about what happened on October 7th, and even refused to vote on a bill condemning rape and sexual violence by Hamas. But the congresswoman is very loud–and consistently so–about calls for a ceasefire, which really means for Israel to cease.
The same thing is true for people like Tucker Carlson, who claims so much to be “America first,” but has not once mentioned the American hostages that are still in Gaza. He decries the aid we give to Israel (that they can only use to buy from the US), but never mentions the aid we give to the Palestinian Authority (which goes to Hamas and pays terrorist salaries). He says we should only be focused on issues in America, but has not uttered a peep about the jihadi students on college campuses across the US blocking Jews from entering into certain parts of the school. Tucker’s duplicitousness is not just in what he is saying, but what he refuses to say; and that proves that he doesn’t really subscribe to the “America first” mantra. Whether he realizes it or not, the mantra is just a cover for him to push another agenda.
It would behoove us all who are trying to make sense of all of this to pay attention not just to what is being said, but what is not. Not everyone is about real justice, and the truth will always bear itself out.
Well said 🙏❤️🇮🇱 Am Israel Chai 💙