It is difficult to fathom the logic behind the wave of demonstrations against Israel in European capitals, on North American campuses, and in cities in Australia.
This especially after the world has witnessed one of the most grueling exhibitions of utter barbarism and evil, willfully and indiscriminately committed by hordes of incited and drugged Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists against thousands of innocent people living and going about their daily lives in Israel.
One might have expected that an enlightened Western international public, and especially students at renowned university campuses, would have come out in condemnation of such Hamas and Islamic Jihad barbarity, rather than condemning Israel’s legitimate actions in defending its population from such terror.
What is quite obvious, is that these demonstrations are not spontaneous. They are organized by an efficient, well-oiled, and well-financed propaganda machine, together with an assertive policy of mass manipulation run by Hamas and the Palestinian Jihad terror organizations. They also have financial and political support provided by a number of states that regularly sponsor terror organizations and activities against Israel, including Iran, Turkey, and Qatar.
No less curious and interesting is the fact that various North American campuses receive financing from countries that openly support terror.
Hypocrisy, double standards, and antisemitism
The term “propaganda” is defined in the Oxford English Dictionary as “information, especially of a biased or misleading nature, used to promote or publicize a particular political cause or point of view.”
Even assuming that the demonstrations are indeed fueled and manipulated by the various propaganda sources, the question nevertheless arises as to whether the mass participation in such demonstrations is indicative of approval, sympathy, and support for the brutal attacks conducted against Israel and its citizens on October 7. Could these demonstrators, in liberal and open democracies, really be sanctioning such brutal and inhumane acts against Israel’s civilian population and visiting tourists?
If so, then it is a shocking example of hypocrisy, double standards, and blatant antisemitism on the part of the demonstrators, since they are directing their criticism and condemnation solely and blindly against Israel, while choosing to totally ignore the sheer cruelty and brutality of the thousands of Hamas and Islamic Jihad terrorists who charged into Israel to slaughter innocent men, women, and children.
One example of this is perhaps the renowned Swedish environmental activist Greta Thunberg, who published an Instagram post with a photo of herself holding a sign calling for support of Gaza. Despite her reputation as a crusader for liberal issues, she chose to ignore the Hamas atrocities, which included mass murder, rape, and kidnap.
Does Greta Thunberg’s renowned environmental and social concern end when it comes to atrocities committed against Israelis and others in Israel? If so, then one can only conclude that she has finally shown her true colors, in full, antisemitic shades. She should be ashamed of herself.
IN ADDITION to the obvious element of incitement and propaganda behind these demonstrations, there appears to be an acute lack of understanding among the demonstrators of the facts, as well as of the norms of international humanitarian law.
While the demonstrators appear to be openly directing their hatred and hostility toward Israel, it is highly doubtful if they really care or have any knowledge or genuine concern for the civilian population in the Gaza Strip. For years they have been used as human shields by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terror organizations.
The widespread and systematic use of human shields by Hamas in order to protect, conceal, and shield its military installations within Palestinian civilian populated areas in the Gaza Strip is in stark and cynical violation of all accepted rules and norms of international humanitarian law.
One may ask why the brunt of the criticism is not directed against these terror organizations for the crimes of systematically and willfully abusing the local civilian population in the Gaza Strip by using them as human shields. These terror organizations conceal rocket emplacements, weapons storage centers, and command centers in mosques, schools, hospitals, high-rise buildings, private homes, and shopping malls.
Indeed, in a world without manipulation, false incitement, and propaganda, one might expect demonstrators who are genuinely concerned about Palestinian humanitarian rights to encourage the local Palestinian population to object to the willful and deliberate abuse of their rights by Hamas and the Islamic Jihad terror organizations ruling the Gaza area.
One might even have expected some element of acknowledgment of Israel’s efforts to avoid civilian casualties by distinguishing between the civilian population and legitimate military targets, by advising and cautioning the local population to distance themselves from military and terror locations that are hidden among the civilian population.
But, again, tragically, the demonstrators ignore the cruel and cynical abuse by Hamas of the Palestinian population of the Gaza Strip. Instead, they prefer to direct their criticism and condemnation against Israel, thereby displaying the same double standards, hypocrisy, and antisemitism as shown by Greta Thunberg.
Could it be possible that the tragedy of the Hamas and Islamic Jihad attacks on October 7 – in which around 1,400 innocent people were butchered and a further 220 plus were taken hostage into Gaza – has already been forgotten?
Could it be possible that international community leaders, politicians, and demonstrators, as well as students on campuses, would rather overlook the events of October 7, preferring instead to revert to the age-old fixation for singling out and blaming Israel and the Jewish people?
They should be ashamed of themselves.
The writer served as the legal adviser to the Foreign Ministry and as ambassador to Canada. He also served for four years as a legal officer at UN headquarters in New York. He currently directs the International Law Program at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.