COMMENTARY: Civilians caught in the crossfire of a no-win war

By Berl Falbaum

There are two issues in the Israeli-Hamas war which have not received the kind of analysis they deserve despite the almost around-the-clock cable television coverage of the conflict.

One is the reasons for the tragic hardship of civilians in Gaza and the other, the double standard, driven by hatred and anti-Semitism, of those condemning Israel in protests on college campuses, in demonstrations and on various online sites.

First, the civilians in Gaza. Let’s be very clear: It is heartbreaking to see their agony. Who is not moved by the destruction of their homes, and parents trying desperately to protect
their children? It is gut-wrenching, heart-rending that they should be victims in a war in which they had no voice in launching or power in ending.

And they are trapped by the borders of the Mediterranean Sea on the west, and the Egyptian and Israeli borders on the south, east, and north.

But Gazans are not the enemies of the Israeli army. The enemy is Hamas which has a history of using civilians as shields. It’s part of Hamas’ strategy; lost lives serve its international public relations objectives, and forces Israeli to “second guess” its operations. When Israel advised Gazans to move to the south to avoid coming attacks, Hamas told them to stay.

Israel, throughout its history, has always worked to spare civilians in warfare. As a matter of policy, it issued warnings of upcoming attacks, putting its own soldiers in greater danger.

Sadly, journalists interviewing Gazans about their plight never ask them if they understand why Israel is responding as it is, or what, if anything, they know of Hamas’ massacre. It distorts the story when reporters only ask them about their pain and despair.

What about Egypt? At this writing, it has refused to open its borders to refugees. Egypt could ease the refugee crisis and, as Republican presidential candidate Nikki Haley stated, the Arab countries could end the war instantly with pressure on Hamas.

It is important to remember that Egypt controlled Gaza from 1948 until 1967 when Israel took over after winning the war. But Israel voluntarily left Gaza in 2005, giving Hamas, which took control of the strip by overthrowing the Palestinian Authority, the opportunity to develop a strong economy and improve the lives of its residents. Instead, it used its finances to build an army in hopes of destroying Israel.

Another tragic consequence of wars is that civilians regrettably are always collateral damage.

I have first-hand knowledge of this aspect of war. My family escaped the Holocaust and fled, along with about 20,000 Jews, to Shanghai in 1939. Occupied by the Japanese, the city became a target for the Allies. We became collateral damage.

In a major Allied bombing when I was six, we lost 33 refugees in a raid on July 17, 1945. I have never forgotten that date when I hid under blankets, fingers stuck in my ears to block out the sound of exploding bombs.

Indeed, the U.S. and its Allies in World War II strategically targeted civilians, leveling several cities in Germany, including Berlin, Dresden, and Cologne.

No, the blame for the loss of civilian lives lies not with Israel, it lies with Hamas. Sadly, no one has the answer to the ultimate question: With Hamas embedded in a civilian population what is Israel to do?

Before we move on: Let us stress that Palestinians in the West Bank are totally justified in protesting some of Israel’s policies. When the war is over, Israel needs to address issues Palestinians consider oppressive as well as its settlement policies.

Now to the second point: With the war only days old, the criticism of Israel is already increasing, with the focus primarily on the misery of Gazans. In Hamas’ calls for a “day of revenge,” thousands around the world took to the streets.

But these demonstrators have been silent on another massacre. There were -- are -- no demonstrations, condemnations, or outrage to Russia’s unprovoked war on Ukraine which, as of July 2023, had 9,000 civilian fatalities, including 500 children?

Russian President Putin destroyed hospitals, schools, villages with exclusively civilian populations and kidnapped 20,000 children, taking them to Russia. This inhumanity has been met by silence.

Nor, for instance, have there been any condemnations to the humanitarian disaster in the war in Yemen. Indeed, that war has nearly escaped any media attention.

Suddenly, the protestors against Israel found their conscience. Ignoring Hamas’ butchery, and other wars and terrorist attacks Hamas launched against Israel, they can’t tolerate Israel’s response.

What accounts for this obvious double standard? It pains one to point to the answer. But the signs with swastikas and chants of “Death to Israel” make the answer very clear. Israel is a Jewish state. The loathing of Jews feeds their hatred and blinds them to the inhumanity of Hamas’ savagery.

Just as Israel’s target is Hamas and not Gaza’s residents, the anger by protestors is fed not by a concern for the Palestinians but by the “aggressors” who are Jews.

Yet, the word “anti-Semitism” is conspicuously absent from news coverage.

As the war heads into an expected very bloody phase, let us pray for Gazans, hope that Israel’s counteroffensive limits civilian casualties as much as possible, and that Israel is successful in destroying Hamas.

If Israel achieves its goal, perhaps the Palestinian Authority will regain control of Gaza and negotiate peace with Israel. (Important to note: Mahmoud Abbas, president of the Palestinian Authority, has condemned Hamas although his comments were deleted after publication.)

If that happens then all those who died in this conflict -- Gazans and Israelis -- will not have died in vain.
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Berl Falbaum is a veteran journalist and author of 12 books.