Give War a Chance

Lately I am alternating between depressed and angry. I think lots of people will understand. Yesterday was a depressed day, overwhelmed at the sheer hate for Jews in the world and the morally impossible situations our enemies love to place us in. Today is an angry day, overwhelmed at the sheer hate for Jews in the world and the morally impossible situations our enemies love to place us in.

Let’s look at some news. Paul Kessler, a Jewish man at a counter-protest against an anti-Israel protest in Los Angeles, was struck on the head with a megaphone, hit his head on the pavement and died. Exactly what happened is unclear, but he would be alive if the anti-Israel protest had not happened.

The Auschwitz Museum lost 6,100 followers on X (Twitter) since 7 October. Apparently whether the genocide of the Jewish people is a bad thing depends on who is doing the murdering, or perhaps where.

A number of anti-Israel sit-ins have been held at railway stations across the UK, where passersby have been intimidated and the stations brought to a standstill. The police have done very little. Jim Henderson, an elderly poppy seller at a Scottish railway station, was beaten by anti-Israel thugs holding a sit-in. To explain to non-UK readers: this coming Sunday is Remembrance Sunday in the UK, the anniversary of the end of World War I and the official day of remembrance for all those British service people who died in war, particularly the two World Wars. Paper poppies are sold in return for donations to a charity which supports those wounded in battle and their families as well as the families of those killed in battle. Henderson said the thugs were ““Chanting. Saying it’s all about the British Government, British people, Jews.”

More than 70,000 people are expected at an anti-Israel rally in Central London on Sunday, assuming the police don’t ban it for fear of disruption to the Remembrance Sunday memorial service. This is entirely possible. Read Heidi Bachram’s account of an anti-Israel rally in Brighton for how “peaceful” these rallies and marches can be. Look at Hen Mazzig’s footage of a recent anti-Israel rally (matched to ironic BBC commentary).

These aren’t humanitarians demanding peace. These are antisemities demanding violence. For them, the only good Jew is a dead Jew (although they hold up a few anti-Zionist Jews for plausible deniability), and the only good governments are those that support Hamas.

Scottish First Minister Humza Yousaf says he is “beyond angry” at Home Secretary Suella Braverman for describing these anti-Israel marches and rallies as “hate marches,” saying she is starting “a culture war”, as if expressing horror at those supporting mass murder, rape, torture and hostage-taking is analogous to wanting Heather Has Two Mommies banned from the school library.

Yousaf says that “if Armistice was about anything, my goodness, it’s about peace” which is a slippery statement. It’s telling that he focuses on the armistice at the end of World War I, even though World War II looms as large, if not larger, in the collective memory. Britain could have had peace in 1939, if the British had suppressed their consciences and supported Nazism. They chose to fight for freedom and democracy.

Israel doesn’t have the option of suppressing its collective conscience and agreeing to a ceasefire. If it doesn’t fight today, Hamas will make sure it fights tomorrow, and the day after, and the day after. World War II happened because the world realised that appeasing Fascist antisemites is worse than war. The current war in Gaza is happening because Israel knows that appeasing Islamist antisemites is worse than war.

We need to keep saying this until the world understands it: There was a ceasefire. Hamas broke it on 7 October. They said they will do the same thing again and again and again. The world must not give them the opportunity.