Let’s talk about ‘Ethnic Cleansing!’

Words matter. The misuse of words… matters even more. It is not a new phenomenon for words to be appropriated by those the least appropriate to do so.  When the word “genocide” which was clearly used to discuss Hitler’s evil plan to eliminate the Jews of Europe… is now twisted to somehow be hurled against later generations of those self-same Jews when they courageously respond to the murderous attacks by Hamas barbarians against the children, grandchildren and great grandchildren of those who escaped Hitler’s clutches…. is simply unconscionable.

It is bad enough when our enemies make claims against Israel which are invalid, but when self-professed “morally-superior” Jews do it, it is time to discuss the error of their ways.

In a recent advertisement in a newspaper known for its endemic anti-Israel bias,  progressive Jewish clergy and entertainment industry pundits, who wish to be known as “creatives”… who consider themselves authorities on all- things- of- high- intellectual- and moral value, signed a petition against Israel’s supposed ethnic cleansing of Palestinians. Where does one begin to respond?

Perhaps we should discuss Hitler’s goal to ethnically cleanse Europe of the ancestors of the very same people who are signing at the bottom of the advertisement? He was fairly successful in eliminating six million of our grandparents, and great grandparents from Europe. Hitler set the bar very high when he created the crematorium to burn the bodies of our six million relatives so that there would be an easy way to dispose of their bodies and the evidence. Who exactly are the people in the 21st century who have studied Mein Kampf in detail to learn from its clear vision? Low and behold, it is Hamas… which perpetrated the burning of Jewish babies, families and innocents in their homes during their attacks on Israel on October 7th. There was one difference however…. Hitler first killed their victims with Ziklon-B gas, and then burned the bodies. Hamas burned the people while they were bound with tape … whole families alive. The families were discovered in the aftermath, bodies fused together… parents hugging their children in the flames.  That is what Genocide looks like. That is what ethnic cleansing looks like.

Perhaps we should discuss the instruction manuals discovered in the tunnels of Gaza and Lebanon. These were the underground quarters of Hamas and Hezbollah which contained all of their essential needs… for the cleansing of the Jews of Israel from their homeland of more than four thousand years. The manuals were provided by Iran with specific instructions on how to sexually violate, physically dismember our body parts while we were still alive… and how to burn us to ashes…preferably while we were still conscious. This is ethnic cleansing. Did we see front page advertisements by the self-same moral authorities- raging against Hamas for perpetrating the atrocities or against Iran for orchestrating their evil goals… or against the people of Gaza for participating with glee in assisting with the atrocities?

Perhaps we should discuss whether we, the people set upon in such a horrific manner, who have been told time and time again that their enemies intend to perpetrate these abominations against us as often as the possibly can… have a right to ensure that will never happen again? Do the victims have a right to life? Or is it only those “innocent civilians” who empowered the villains…who taught their own children to be filled with hate against a people they had never met… who dragged our lifeless bodies through their streets spitting and stomping on them in celebration… who reveled in the glory of their terrorist-heroes’ deaths…who mysteriously have the right to continue “as they were” ?

Every Muslim country in the Middle east has cleansed itself of its Jews. They were not the only ones to do so. It is our history. It is our pain, and it is precisely why the State of Israel was created as a safe haven for Jews who have historically been ethnically cleansed from countries around the globe. Our ancestral biblical homeland is unique and we unabashedly lay claim to it.

If the Jews of Israel were interested in “ethnically cleansing’ ourselves from Moslems… we would not treat them with so much respect within our own borders.  They have rights which they would never have experienced anywhere else in the Middle East and we protect their right to life as we do our own. Israel has vowed however to cleanse Gaza of Hamas. If that is unacceptable to the progressive left and so called “creatives” of the USA… then so be it.

Offering the Gazan population the opportunity to leave their worn torn cities where they now live in tents without any quality of life in the aftermath of the evils which Hamas has perpetrated… is not ethnic cleansing. Offering to pay families to move elsewhere is not ethnic cleansing. Jews were never offered one penny to relocate.  They were offered the clothes on their back and the contents of one suitcase… nothing more.

It is important to pay attention to the remarks of UAE Ambassador Yousuf Al Otaiba to the United States. … who admitted that he has no better ideas for the future of the people of Gaza than that which has been offered by President Trump. Does that indicate that Israel is in any fashion, ethnically cleansing the population of Gaza ?

It is critical to understand that not one of the Arab nations in the Middle East is willing to allow the Gazans to immigrate to their countries. Why do you think that might be? Because they fear them. They, most of all, understand that the feeding of their mother’s milk of terrorism has been the nourishment of generations of Gazans, who know little else. Those in Gaza who actually do want more for their children and grandchildren, according to Ambassador David Friedman in his remarks… will grasp the gold ring of opportunity to leave the hell created by the actions of their own leaders and venture forth into a world of hope. A quote from David Friedman:

“A few thoughts on President Trump’s Gaza plan, after the benefit of a little sleep: 1) those screaming about a “forced evacuation” obviously don’t understand the landscape. I know, from many direct conversations, that most people in Gaza wanted to leave even before 10/7, but no one would take them in. Now, the issue is both amplified and academic: there simply is no physical option to remain in Gaza.”   More of his thoughts on the subject can be seen at:   https://x.com/DavidM_Friedman/status/1887188880996045238

Israel just returned 369 of our Hamas/Palestinian prisoners to the loving arms of their families, in exchange for three of our innocents that Hamas captured, tortured, and starved. What follows is an example of the prisoners which we returned. If we had wanted to “ethnically cleanse the Palestinians”, we would most certainly have begun with these perpetrators of evil. Below is a partial list of those being returned in this exchange, as provided to the English language press by the Jerusalem Press Club on February 15, 2025:

Among the 369 prisoners expected to be freed in exchange for Sagie Dekel-Chen, Sasha Trofanov, and Iair Horn, here are the names of the most notable prisoners, (well fed and medically cared for.):

1) Ahmad Barghouti – Former assistant to Marwan Barghouti and commander of Fatah’s military wing in Ramallah. Sentenced to 13 life terms for his role in the murder of 12 Israelis and the injury of dozens in multiple suicide bombings during the Second Intifada, including the Sea Food Market bombing (Tel Aviv) and attacks in Neve Yaakov and Jaffa Road (Jerusalem).

2) Mazen al-Qadi – A Tanzim terrorist from Al-Bireh, sentenced to three life terms + 25 years. Convicted of transporting the terrorist who carried out the Sea Food Market shooting attack (2002), which killed three people and wounded 35 others. In October 2023, it was revealed that he was under investigation for an intimate relationship with female IDF soldiers in Ramon Prison.

3) Muhammad Naifa – Senior Tanzim operative from Tulkarem, responsible for the murder of 13 Israelis. Sentenced to 13 life terms, set for permanent deportation. In 2018, he attempted to kidnap an IDF soldier, prompting an Israeli special forces operation to thwart the plot.

4) Osama al-Ashkar – Senior commander in the Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades from Tulkarm, serving eight life sentences + 50 years for planning and executing two deadly terrorist attacks (2002) in the Kibbutzim Metzer and Hermesh, murdering eight Israelis. Set for deportation.

5) Shadi Abu-Shahdam – A Tanzim terrorist from Hebron, sentenced to six life terms + 20 years. He played a role in the 2002 suicide bombing at the Mahane Yehuda Market bus station (Jerusalem), where six people were murdered and dozens wounded. Also convicted of planning attacks against IDF soldiers in the West Bank. Set for deportation.

6) Amjad Taqatqa – A Fatah operative from Bethlehem, serving six life sentences + 20 years for his involvement in the Mahane Yehuda Market suicide bombing (April 2002), where six Israelis were murdered. Set for deportation.

7) Wadah Bazzara – A Tanzim terrorist sentenced to two life terms for his role in the 2002 Petah Tikva “Em HaMoshavot” shopping center bombing, where Ruti Peled (z”l) and her 18-month-old granddaughter Sinai Keinan (z”l) were murdered, and dozens of civilians were injured. He helped transfer the explosive belt used in the attack and was involved in a shooting attack and other terror-related activities.

8) Said Shitah – A Tanzim terrorist from Salfit, serving two life sentences for the murder of brothers Shlomo and Mordechai Ades (z”l) in July 2002. Set for deportation.

9) Ibrahim Sarachna – A Tanzim terrorist from Silwan, East Jerusalem, sentenced to life in prison for transporting three suicide bombers who carried out attacks that killed five Israelis.

10) Ahmad Abu Khadr – A senior Tanzim terrorist from Jenin, planned to carry out a suicide bombing at Sheba Medical Center (2002) and dispatched multiple attackers during the Second Intifada. Set for deportation.

The next time you hear someone proclaim that Israel is trying to “ethnically cleanse” Gaza…. I truly hope you will find yourself well-armed with information which will disarm, disappoint and destroy – their misinformed, misguided, and virulently antisemitic claims against those who actually understand what it is to have been “ethnically cleansed.”