Israel is fighting not only for Israel. Israel is fighting for the Free World

Nothing has been the same since October 7. The shadow of the Holocaust got company. Since October 7, the bestial terror of Hamas accompanies us at every step, our abducted children, siblings and parents accompany us with every breath. Since October 7, we finally have clarity. Actually, we three clarities. The first: Hamas is ISIS. It is part of the new Axis of Evil, which is led by Iran and includes Russia and North Korea. The second: Israel is not just fighting for Israel. It is fighting for the entire Free World. And the third? Solidarity is a precious resource! Unfortunately, its value is also subject to inflation.

In the first few weeks after October 7, its value soared. It was hip to show solidarity. To shed a tear over Nova. To post photos of Shani Louk. It felt good to dig out Jewish acquaintances from the contacts and send an empathetic message. A tsunami of solidarity washed over us. Then something unforgivable happened: Israel defended itself. Israel attacked the Gaza Strip. Not in order to punish the Palestinians. Not even the many hundreds of Palestinian civilians who murdered, raped and looted together with the Hamas terror mob. Israel attacked the Gaza Strip to destroy Hamas. To ensure that no child in Israel can ever again be torn from bed and abducted by bloodthirsty terrorists. That no mother can ever again be raped and then murdered in front of her children. So that we Jews – in Israel and in the diaspora – never have to experience this jihadist anti-Semitic horror again.

The silence

And in no time, the damned inflation set in: the worth of solidarity with Jews sank. And how it sank. It was out to show solidarity with Israel. To demand the release of Israeli hostages. To decry anti-Semitic hate speech on Twitter.

Israel defended itself. And suddenly it became quiet. While we still had trouble breathing because the trauma was so fresh, we learned how painful silence can be. The silence of women’s organizations and human rights activists about the systematic mass rapes. The silence about the hostages being starved and tortured in Hamas terror tunnels. The silence about Hamas’ ongoing rocket terror. The silence about the weapons hidden under the beds of Palestinian children. The silence about UNRWA teachers holding hostages. The silence about the theft of humanitarian aid for Palestinian civilians by Hamas.

Propaganda machine

During this time, the engine of the Hamas propaganda machine was revving at full speed, plunging the value of solidarity with Israel to an all-time low. The Tiktok Intifada transformed the silence into shouting. It became hip to shout hate slogans at pro-Palestinian demonstrations. “From the river to the sea” became the mantra of indoctrinated students who fell in love with their new identities as hate screamers. Bloodthirsty terrorists became freedom fighters. Dancing victims of the Nova Festival became occupiers who deserved no better. Hostages, including women and small children, became “prisoners”, on a par with captured Hamas terrorists. Since October 7, we have had clarity: as great the pain, as great the collective trauma. We cannot afford to sink into larmoyance. Our soldiers are fighting in Gaza to destroy Hamas.

Strength and action

We are fighting in the information war to expose the smear campaign. Our soldiers are fighting in Gaza to free the hostages. We are fighting in Berlin and New York so that the faces of the hostages do not disappear from the world’s sight. The families of the dead and the hostages show us how this works, how pain and powerlessness are transformed into strength and action. They have experienced the incomprehensible, lost large parts of their families.

Now they are fighting day and night, young and old, crying and laughing. And how they fight. Like the whole country. We have experienced inhuman things, but Israel will emerge from this nightmare stronger and more united. We Jews will wake up from this nightmare stronger and more united. Since October 7, we have clarity: Am Israel Chai.