Khaled Abu Toameh Shouts a Clarion Call—Will the World Listen?

I believe Israelis and Palestinians both deserve to live in Peace and have their kids play safely in their backyards. However, working on Peace for over a decade, I’ve noted, what many call Peace does not match the word’s salient definition. What follows the declaration of being a Peace activist too often recounts a one-sided demand to espouse their narrative devoid of any reconciliation.

As a Jew, it’s very upsetting to ponder the current atmosphere railed against Jews and Israelis, while the foreign powers of France, Britain, Canada and other countries snuggle up to Hamas, the Gazan government and terrorist group that murdered, raped, tortured, beheaded and abducted thousands of Israelis and foreign nationals on October 7. Really? The reward for their carnage is now let’s give them a Palestinian state? Make Hamas even greater heroes amongst their people? I can’t help but wonder what forces are promoting this move, given the rampant antisemitism swirling like a massive hurricane across the globe.

Khaled Abu Toameh tells it like it is from his vantage point regardless of other’s opinions, and at times despite threats on his own safety. He’s an expert on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict and lives it every day while living in Jerusalem.

I think for a Jew to describe what’s wrong with the Pro-Palestinian perspective might be accurate, but come across as biased, talking from a perspective that isn’t as effective as from a Palestinian.

Consequently, I thought I would help share the evaluation of the current situation from Khaled Abu Toameh, a distinguished Palestinian. He is a 62-year-old man, whose father is an Israeli Arab and whose mother is a Palestinian Arab. Abu Toameh is a renowned journalist who writes for The Jerusalem Post and is a Senior Distinguished Fellow at the Gatestone Institute. He also is a producer and consultant for NBC News since 1989 and has created documentaries on Palestinian issues for the BBC, Channel 4, and other international outlets. Abu Toameh has lectured at numerous universities and think tanks worldwide, including SOAS, and Chatham House.

Mr. Abu Toameh is known for his candid reporting on the Palestinian Authority, internal Palestinian politics, and has produced documentaries exploring the themes of:

• Corruption within the Palestinian Authority
• Human rights challenges in Palestinian territories
• The complexities of Palestinian state-building

He presents unfiltered perspectives that challenge mainstream narratives, which has earned both praise and criticism. Because of his views he has been harassed and threatened by individuals aligned with the Palestinian Authority and militant groups like Hamas for exposing corruption and human rights abuses. He has been targeted online by activists and political operatives who accuse him of “collaborating” with Israel or “betraying” Palestinian interests. Additionally, he has suffered professional isolation by some Arab media outlets who have distanced themselves from him, and he’s been excluded from certain press events or forums due to his critical stance.

I admire him and find that he is intelligent, brave and steadfast in his beliefs to tell the truth as he sees it. In How Hamas Sees the West’s Recognition of ‘Palestine,’ published by the Gatestone Institute, he warns:

• “Hamas’s primary goal is to remain in power after the war so that it can continue its jihad (holy war) to eliminate Israel.
• Western leaders have succeeded in making any negotiations impossible. The message they sent — especially in Europeans — was: Massacre and keep the hostages and be rewarded with a state. The terrorists clearly see, yet again, that terrorism pays off. So, keep on doing it!
• Despite their opposition to the “two-state solution,” the Palestinian terrorists are nevertheless prepared to take any land Israel gives them so it can be used as a launchpad to destroy Israel.
• In 2017, Hamas issued a “policy document” that confirmed this approach. The terror group made it clear in its document that it would not oppose the establishment of a Palestinian state in the West Bank, Gaza Strip and east Jerusalem. Hamas, however, stressed that this does not mean that the terror group would recognize Israel’s right to exist.
• Hamas’s policy document has been mistakenly interpreted by some Westerners as a sign of pragmatism, moderation and acceptance of the “two-state solution” on the part of the terror group. False. Hamas, as part of a campaign to deceive and mislead Westerners into accepting it as a legitimate player in the Palestinian arena, is pretending that it supports a Palestinian state next to Israel. In reality, Hamas is clearly stating that such a state will be used for “the full and complete liberation of Palestine, from the [Jordan] river to the [Mediterranean] sea.”
• In the same document, Hamas makes it abundantly clear that it will pursue its jihad against Israel after the establishment of a Palestinian state.
• This is certainly not the right time to talk about a “two-state solution.” The jihadists and terrorists see it as a reward for their atrocities against Israel. It is more important to focus efforts on dismantling and crushing all the Palestinian terror groups and embarking on a process of deradicalization for the Palestinians before talking about a peace process or “two-state solution.”
• Under the current circumstances, statements about recognizing a Palestinian state send a message to the Palestinians that terrorism and violence — not negotiations — are the best way to gain international support for statehood… and anything else.”

I know reading this is disturbing, but we can’t ignore what’s happening and how it is portrayed so often with distortions and partial truths. Take heed, it’s urgent.

There are too many horror stories to go around regarding this war. For example, Netanyahu’s current push for the expansion of the Israeli-Hamas war, despite the potential for killing the remaining hostages.

We all should feel horror at this news but even more distressing, imagine how the families of the hostages feel.

Israel is solely being blamed worldwide for the famine in Gaza. While certainly there have been policies promoted by some in the Israeli government slowing humanitarian aid to Gaza, what about the fact that according to UNOPS data, “87% of aid trucks entering Gaza since May 19 didn’t reach their intended destinations—many were looted either by armed actors or desperate civilians. Bags of flour in markets often bear UN logos, while other packaging has markings indicating it came from the Israeli-backed Gaza Humanitarian Foundation — all originally handed out for free. These stolen aid bags are sold, flour has reached $60 per kilogram, lentils $35, far beyond what most residents can afford. Residents say organized groups dominate aid sites, grabbing supplies and turning them into a ‘huge business.”

Hamas routinely blocks aid coming into Gaza as well as in its distribution. It has significantly contributed to the starvation of their own people. They have even shot and killed Gazans seeking this food. As reported by the Council on Foreign Relations…”It is not only Israel that is creating this terrible reality; Hamas is complicit in this industry of death, hunting down the hungry with the death squads it calls Al-Sahm, in order to inform anyone who approaches [the distribution centers] that do not belong to Hamas that their only [fate] will be to fall victim to the arrows of the Al-Sahm Unit. This is the bitter reality: Hamas and its Al-Sahm Unit, which hunts down those who seek nothing but a crust of bread.”

Finally, the death toll in Gaza, despite which figure you use, is horrific. Yes, we know Hamas has intentionally used their people as human shields and put them in harm’s way. But we know they have, which helps legitimize the accusation of genocide, even so, Israel chose to use methods which created a loss of life impossible to ignore. Israel was morally bound to act to prevent this devastation. We know that they tried with warnings before bombings, evacuations, etc., but the world has been clear, IT ISN’T ENOUGH WHEN NIGHTLY WE SEE PICTURES OF THE DEAD CHILDREN.

And Israelis are portrayed as evil in Arab newspapers and far too often in international media as well. Above, we see anti-war activists protesting the war, holding pictures of Gaza children who’ve been killed. Do I really have to say Israelis and Jews have hearts too, and many believe the war should stop now and the hostages must come home? The answer to that question in today’s antisemitic atmosphere is, sadly, yes.

We know Hamas doesn’t care about its people, given these examples of inhumane treatment. But surely Israel should demand a higher bar for its government and our people.

May You Live in Peace, שלום and سلام.