Dear Editor
Since the Cincy Jewish Fed and the Jewish Community Relations Council both “wholeheartedly endorse the ceasefire resolution put forth by …Anna Albi” (American Israelite Letter to Editor, March 14, 2024, Page 18) and since it wasn’t taken up by the City Council, probably because there were so many Jews rallying to oppose to it, it seems that those who disagree with the resolution now have the Cincy Fed and Jewish Relations Council to deal with.
One would think we were on same side-or better yet they were on our side (I’m giving my own position, but I imagine many other agree with me. In any event, I agree with me).
Israel was invaded from Gaza by Hamas. Nearly 1500 Israelis (including children, women and the elderly-all civilians) were indiscriminately slaughtered. Many of the woman were raped. Some pregnant woman were also raped. Children and babies were killed-not quickly, but systematically and permanently.
These children-like the Gazans who were killed by Israel in retaliation-will never get a chance to grow up, get married, see their children or grandchildren.
What is the difference: The Israeli children, besides being vulnerable to an invasion rather than to a retaliation of an uninvited Hamas invasion, were indeed innocent. They also were civilians-but Hamas and many Gazans didn’t care.
Meanwhile the Gazan children were methodically, knowingly and strategically placed in a region that Hamas terroristically used. Whether they were placed there by their own parents who sympathized with Hamas (it is estimated that 50-70% of Gazans sympathize with Hamas goals and protocols) or not is irrelevant (in my opinion).
Hamas, and the parents of these children, decided to use the Gazans and their children as sacrifices so they could reach their goal of exterminating Israelis.
While some Gazans are likely innocent, many adults and young adults (50-70%) are Hamas sympathizers. However, “the innocents” are not so innocent, in my opinion. They are like the Good Germans. Without publicly sympathizing with Hamas they elected Hamas to rule Gaza. They also likely knew about Hamas building tunnels under hospitals and schools. How could any adult (especially hospital and school officials) not know?
Well, considering the “Good German” view (in the above paragraph): You, indeed, might not know if you “knowingly don’t care” what Hamas might do to Israeli children. Hamas certainly knew and the Gazans should have known — but perhaps a few actually didn’t. So why should they suffer?
Because Hamas attacked and brutalized Israel and Israelis — and the terrorists of Hamas attacked from Gaza. Israel has to protect herself or she will be eliminated. Apparently, some in the world believe that Israel should look after Gaza better than Hamas and the Gazans look after the Gaza.
Hamas certainly didn’t care about the Gazan children when they attacked Israel — they just wanted to murder Israelis. They intentionally invited a retaliation.
In WWII Dresden in Germany was bombed. Nagasaki and Hiroshima were A-bombed. Who did these horrendous acts that also likely killed some innocents. The United States did. Why? Because sometimes eradicating a threat in a war saves more lives than the act of retaliation commits. And the lives saved are the same ones who were initially attacked.
Many men in the Navy — during WWII — cheered that they no longer had to invade Japan — because a lot of Navy personnel — American lives were saved. It is unfortunate that innocent Japanese lives were lost-but the Japan hierarchy decided that losing Japanese lives was worth it if it meant eliminating America and American lives.
Yes, it would be nice if there was indeed a ceasefire. But think about it. A ceasefire with whom. It would be a ceasefire with the one who perpetrated the invasion that brutally murdered Israeli woman, children and elderly.
One wonders why anyone with half a brain would think that the party who initiated the attack would be willing to make a deal that would benefit the party that they originally attacked (It is obvious that the Jewish Fed. of Cincy and the Jewish Community Relations Council both believe in miracles).
Assuming the ceasefire led to innocent Israeli hostages being released, what else would happen is that Israel — in order to get the hostages back — would have to release convicted Hamas or Palestinians — likely the same type of terrorists who would again murder and rape other Israeli’s in the future.
So while it might seem you are being compassionate with a ceasefire — you actually are trading present Israeli hostages for future Israeli deaths (and most likely additional rapes and mutilations). This terrorist charge also — perhaps — leading to the beginning of the end, that is, the final solution and the elimination of Israel.
It’s bad enough that the Cincy Fed and the Jewish Community Relations Council endorse the ceasefire, but to “wholeheartedly” endorse it is a travesty.
It’s a travesty because I’m Jewish (and I believe many other Cincy Jews agree with my position on a ceasefire) and neither of the Jewish organizations “wholehearted endorsement of the ceasefire resolution” represents this view.
They depend on donations to prosper, yet both have the cheek (dare I say chutzpah) to ignore (and seemingly dismiss) a contrary view.
Bryan Taplits
Blue Ash, OH