Palestinian state supporters should all condemn Hamas terrorist attack against Israel

I write these words with a heavy, broken heart. Amid so much sorrow, I want to specifically address those who believe that the Palestinians deserve their own state.

I am one of those who still dreams of a future when an independent Palestine will peacefully coexist with the State of Israel (and not in its place). However, I feel compelled to write these words because I have not heard enough voices in the so called pro-Palestinian camp condemning the cruelty perpetrated by Hamas this past Shabbat. This truly worries me.

This past weekend was supposed to be joyful, marking the end of the Jewish High Holidays. Jews around the world were supposed to dance with the Torah, honoring our enduring relationship with our stories and traditions. Instead, a significant number of terrorists perpetrated the largest massacre against Jews since the Holocaust. Hamas terrorists, who have no respect for the sanctity of life, slaughtered civilians in cold blood and took more than 100 hostages back to Gaza, including babies, children, women, and elderly people. Why? Simply because they were Israelis and Jewish.

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How do you make peace with terrorists like Hamas?

This is the true face of Hamas. For them, every Israeli is a settler, and every piece of land is Palestine. That’s why they killed over 270 young people who were dancing in the desert and why they entered the villages and kibbutzim surrounding the Gazan border and executed entire families. If given free rein, they would kill every Israeli and every Jew. How is it possible to dream about peace with people who do not recognize your right to exist?

As a man of faith, I am deeply disturbed by the fact that these terrorist assassins embarked on a killing spree while chanting “Allahu Akbar,” the Islamic exclamation of faith used in the call to prayer. I know that this is a desecration of Islam, but it is not for me alone to say that. It would mean so much to many of us if Muslims across the country unite their voices to denounce those who defame the Quran and its teachings.

By the same token, this is an opportunity for the entire progressive community to understand that you can be against many of the policies carried by any Israeli government and still declare openly and without reservations that what Hamas did constitutes an affront to God and an attack on human rights. Being pro-Palestine doesn’t have to be synonym to being anti-Israel. This flawed equation is certainly not helping anybody to achieve peace in the Middle East.

If individuals within the pro-Palestinian camp are waiting for distressing images from Gaza to talk about human rights (and those pictures will unfortunately emerge), then let me tell you that those voices never really cared for human rights. The fundamental principle underlying human rights is the universal condemnation of indiscriminate civilian killings, irrespective of their religion or nationality.

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Recognizing that Israel is not going anywhere is crucial

The events of this Oct. 7 shocked not only Israel but also much of the world. This shockwave has led to significant repercussions, including the suspension of aid payments to Palestinians by the European Union and other entities. As President Joe Biden said in the last few days, the world now sees that Hamas resembles ISIS, that they don’t have the best interests of Palestinians at heart, and that their whole mission is the annihilation of the State of Israel.

Just as a quick reminder, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005, removing roadblocks, dismantling settlements, and ending the occupation. Palestinians were left to themselves to take the necessary steps in building their upcoming state. However, the results have been far from ideal. Hamas won the elections in 2006 and, ever since, their goal has been clear: “from the Jordan River to the Mediterranean Sea, Palestine will be free.”

How many in the pro-Palestinian camp resonate with this misguided dream? The longer people hold onto this antisemitic vision of a Judenrein Palestine, the more prolonged the journey will be for Palestinians to establish their own state. Recognizing that Israel is not going anywhere is crucial. Only then can meaningful dialogues occur, paving the way for a brighter future for both Israelis and Palestinians.

One final note: The scholar Yuval Noah Harari describes terrorism as a fly trying to destroy a China shop. We all know that Hamas won’t ever be able to annihilate the Jewish State, but that doesn’t take away the pain of witnessing hundreds of families mourning their dear ones. The upcoming days won’t be easy but, as a man of faith, I’ll continue to pray, work, and believe that a better Middle East is still possible and within reach.

Rabbi Joshua Kullock is the senior rabbi of the West End Synagogue in Nashville, Tennessee.

This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: Israel war: Palestinian state supporters should condemn Hamas attack