No. Nothing Israel did caused the October 7 massacre. The massacre was planned by a terror organization, Hamas, whose raison d’etre is explicit: annihilate the Jewish people. The massacre was not a ‘military operation’ as some have called it; true military operations do not deliberately target civilians–they focus on destroying military targets. And, they certainly do not include raping, beheading, burning and mutilating people, nor taking civilians and non-combatants as hostages.

This is a myth that particularly cries out for nuance and subtlety. Hamas has created military targets out of hospitals, mosques, schools, etc. Hamas uses civilian targets as a shield in a cruel strategy to, at least in theory, make it impossible for Israel to respond without world-wide outrage. Israel does not target civilians. Israel goes to extraordinary lengths to avoid civilian casualties Civilian casualties are a tragic consequence of every military operation. Hamas callously causes civilian deaths by placing military targets among civilians. But, yes, sadly, civilians are killed in the military operations of Israel in Gaza.

Hamas is the primary cause of the humanitarian crisis and has been for almost 20 years. Hamas siphons off resources to support its military goals. There is plenty of concrete, electricity, and fuel to construct many miles of concrete-reinforced tunnels under Gaza and make hundreds of rockets. These resources could be used to improve the lives of the Palestinian people. The same is true of money: Hamas receives hundreds of millions of dollars. That money does not find its way to the people of Gaza. However, it would be disingenuous to suggest Israel is not at least partially responsible.  Israel must establish a viable, humanitarian corridor for both supplies and people.

This issue cannot be fully explained here. That said, Zionism is the belief that Jews are a people and as such deserve a homeland. If you oppose Zionism, you negate the entire idea of Jewish peoplehood which is a core component of Judaism. So, for all practical purposes anti-Zionism is antisemitism. There are those who say that being an anti-Zionist is simply opposing the policies of the State of Israel–that isn’t true. If it is true, why do people attack Jews and Jewish institutions when they ‘oppose’ the policies of the Israeli government? Why not simply protest at the Israeli embassy or consulate?

No. The sole purpose for the existence of Hamas, according to Hamas’ own charter, is the annihilation of the Jewish people. Hamas is, in fact, the contemporary equivalent of the Nazis. Everything Hamas does is to further their goal of eradicating the Jewish people from the earth. The cry, ‘from the river to the sea, Palestine will be free,’ means ‘free of Jews.’ It does not mean ‘free’ in terms of civil rights. Listening to crowds chant this at rallies around the world is chilling because it means to annihilate the Jews.

Of all the myths, this is the most insidious and dangerous because it utterly negates thousands of years of Jewish history. Jews have been in what is now called Israel for millennia. The historical record conclusively demonstrates that Jews were expelled from Jerusalem several times, the most recent of which was after the destruction of the Second Temple in 70 C.E. The archeological evidence is also conclusive. Even after the destruction of the Temple, Jews remained in the land we now call Israel to one extent or another. To suggest that Israel is a colonial power in the same way England colonized India is simply wrong. The Jewish people have as much of a claim to that land as any other people.  

Israel is well within her rights to respond to the October 7 massacre. No nation would withstand such a horrific attack without responding. The issue is the appropriate response. Many people, though by no means all, agree that ideally Hamas cannot be left intact after hostilities cease. Is this even possible to achieve? This is a subject of some debate even among people who support an Israeli military response.  

However, we in the Jewish world, both in Israel and in the Diaspora, should reasonably expect three things. First, Israel will take every measure necessary to limit civilian casualties as much as possible. We should properly expect that a military action be conducted according to accepted rules of war. We should expect the soldiers of the IDF to adhere to the highest ethical standard. Second, we should reasonably expect that the Israeli government has a definition of 'victory' or what it means for Hamas to be defeated and actual plan to govern Gaza when military operations cease. It would be unacceptable for there to be no plan. Furthermore, it would be best if Israel made that plan clear to its citizens and to the world now.  Regardless, there must be a plan for the governance of Gaza after the war. Third, Israel has the responsibility to create a humanitarian corridor and facilitate the safe passage of supplies and people. This could be done in conjunction with Egypt or in some other fashion, but Israel is obliged to do this.