As an American Jew, the fear of being surrounded by those who support genocide is palpable
Israeli troops focus on Hamas leadership in Khan Younis area of Gaza
FOX News' Greg Palkot reports from staging area for Israeli forces near Gaza border.
I still hear the cries of two brothers who witnessed their father murdered by Hamas terrorists on October 7. One shouted, "Why am I alive?" Yet to some Americans, this slaughter was somehow justified.
The Israeli Defense Forces recently screened for Seattle media a 47-minute video documenting just a fraction of Hamas's brutality. While nearly all outlets were invited, only a handful showed up, most of us conservative. Every television outlet apparently passed.
The video shows the two boys, around ten years old, abruptly awakened by their father, rushing them to a backyard bomb shelter. A Hamas militant spots them, hurls a grenade, and their father dies instantly before their eyes. The next scene shows the boys dragged to their living room where they relive the trauma, and call out for their father, with one saying he was blinded by the blast.
This compilation, sourced from Hamas's GoPro and phone footage, surveillance, and social media videos, also includes clips taken by survivors fleeing the chaos. Israel's intent with these screenings is to bear witness to these atrocities, balancing respect for the victims' families who may not wish for this footage to be permanently online.
The images are graphic and unforgettable, the crimes unthinkable and unforgivable. The sounds of fear and pain are haunting.
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Babies and young children were shot or burned to death. Men and women were seeking cover while being pursued by Hamas, one shouting "Kill the Jew!" when a wounded civilian was found alive. The bloodied bodies of drivers gunned down as they tried to flee, faces turned to pulp from Hamas firearms. Then there were the beheadings — and the Hamas thugs taking selfies with their victims.
Watching the video, turning away at times from its intensity, I thought of Americans protesting in support of "resistance," chanting slogans that align with these terrorists I just saw mercilessly slaughtering Jews. They scream, "Resistance is justified when people are occupied," "From the River to the Sea," and "Long live the intifada."
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I started replaying in my head the Oakland City Council ceasefire resolution debate. During public comment, one antisemite after another took to the podium to declare, "The notion that there was a massacre of Jews is a fabricated narrative." Another said, "I support the right of Palestinians to resist occupation, including through Hamas, the armed wing of the unified Palestinian resistance."
An innocent Jewish staff member tried unsuccessfully to hide in a Kindergarten classroom while Hamas hunted her. This scene contrasts sharply with college students and professors taunting Jewish Americans on campus. University of Washington associate professor Megan Ybarra praised the attacks as "justice," while Cornell University professor Russell Rockford called the attacks "exhilarating" and "energizing."
The video showed piles of dead Nova music festival goers lying next to each other in pools of blood as an IDF responder pleaded for someone to show signs of life. None did.
The video also showed the aftermath of the Nova music festival attack: lifeless bodies in pools of blood, with IDF responders desperately seeking signs of life. Survivors recounted witnessing brutal gang rapes during these attacks, yet there's been no unequivocal condemnation from many Progressives against such war crimes. Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Seattle) even dismissed these atrocities, calling for "balanced" condemnation.
My book "What’s Killing America: Inside the Radical Left’s Tragic Destruction of Our Cities," highlights this disturbing progressive apathy. I never imagined being shocked any further by the left's indifference to such Holocaust-like crimes. Yet, I am shocked.
After viewing the footage, it’s clear: Israel must eliminate Hamas, irredeemable barbarians with bloodlust for Jews. They must be stopped by Israel, as they won't cease otherwise. All ceasefires do is give them time to regroup and plot to kill more Jews.
I’m uncertain, however, about what to do with Hamas sympathizers and defenders who are marching in streets from New York to Seattle. These people are our neighbors, coworkers, teachers, doctors, and grocers. They are celebrities who entertain us on a screen, lawyers we go to for legal advice, and associates we ask for help picking a jacket in our size.
Hamas militants stand by vehicles as hostages who were abducted during the Oct. 7 attack on Israel are handed over by Hamas militants to members of the International Committee of the Red Cross in an unknown location in the Gaza Strip on Monday. (Hamas Military Wing/Reuters)
They are Americans, and they devalue Jewish life to the point where they defend terrorists who behead innocents with knives, laugh and cheer as they gun down kids running for their lives, and call their parents to gleefully share their kill count.
Indifference allowed the Holocaust to occur. Justifying Hamas's actions necessitates dehumanizing Jews, something Hamas clearly does. Never again? It just happened again and it’s being defended.
As an American Jew, the fear of being surrounded by those who support genocide against my people is palpable. I'm left wondering about my safety and what action to take in a society where such twisted views are increasingly normalized.
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Jason Rantz, author of "What’s Killing America: Inside the Radical Left’s Tragic Destruction of Our Cities," is a Seattle-based talk show host on KTTH Radio. Follow him on Twitter @JasonRantz.
