Dear Editor,
American Jews have an important job to do while Israel is at war. We don’t need to spin the story. We don’t need to embellish or exaggerate the events. We do need for people to know the truth and understand what is going on. We need people to know that the American press is not always our friend. Israel needs us to educate our fellow Americans.
People have been referring to October 7 as the Israeli 9/11 but this is not correct. On 9/11, America was attacked by a band of terrorists without a country of their own. They came from many places.
What happened in Israel is much closer to December 7, 1941, when America was surprise attacked by the empire of Japan. In the days and weeks which followed December 7, nobody pleaded with America to “just go in and get the leaders but try not to harm innocent civilians.” We were attacked by Japan and we fought war against them and against Germany for our survival. Nobody pleaded with the allies to leave the innocent Germans alone, and just try to go in and root out the Nazis. We were at war with Germany the country.
It is the same in Israel. Hamas is a terrorist organization, but it is also the governing body of Gaza. The relationship of Hamas to Gaza is the same as the relationship of the Nazi party to Germany, chosen by them, as an instrument of a national will.
There is a lot of talk of encouraging or forcing Israel into a cease fire. A ceasefire is what Hamas wants. A ceasefire is a victory for Hamas. It allows them to live on and continue to make war on Israel while hiding behind the civilians in Gaza. No war was ever truly ended with a ceasefire.
No outside countries pleaded with the United States for a ceasefire with Germany or with Japan. Our war aims were clear from the start: unconditional surrender. And we did not stop making war in the air with our bombers and our fighters, and on the sea, and on the land until Germany and Japan surrendered unconditionally. For the war between Israel and its enemies to truly end, it must end with the unconditional surrender of Hamas Gaza. The war could end today. It could end tomorrow. It will end when the military and political leaders of Gaza surrender unconditionally, and lay down their weapons, or with their utter destruction. The government of Israel needs to make this clear: that they will accept nothing less than an immediate and unconditional surrender. Otherwise the war will continue. The people who Gaza must know that this war was brought down on them not by Israel, but by their own leaders.
Once Israel has accepted the unconditional surrender of Hamas Gaza, then the compromise necessary to create, adjust and lasting peace can begin. Not before.
Mitchell Katz
Cincinnati, OH