The Distorted Western Portrayal of the Israel Arab Conflict

A cursory view of Western newspapers and political commentary might suggest that the core of this conflict is a straightforward war between Hamas and Israel, with Israel wantonly causing widespread destruction and casualties in Gaza. Many assume that Palestinians genuinely seek peace and support a negotiated two-state solution as an end to the conflict, consequently viewing Israel as the primary obstacle. Another common belief is that Israel is the central provocateur overall in Middle Eastern hostilities. Regarding U.N. involvement, it is often presumed that the organization is performing well, while Israel is seen as uncooperative. Finally, blame is frequently directed at Israel for the failure to provide adequate humanitarian aid to Gaza.

Two key errors in this analysis are the inaccurate demonization of Israel, and, more concerning, the failure of the West including the U.N.  to acknowledge Hamas’s and broader Islamic fundamentalist complicity and responsibility for initiating and perpetuating the conflict in Gaza along with much of the turmoil in the Middle East. The distorted arraignment of Israel unfortunately remains ubiquitous. However, history shows—and Gaza confirms—that acting on false conclusions can lead to opposite results than those intended. Palestinian suffering in Gaza will persist as long as Hamas and their supporters continue unchecked with their extremist some would say nihilistic agenda.

One: Israel is arbitrarily attacking Gaza and perpetuating the war without purpose. False! This misconception ignores Hamas’s role in initiating and perpetuating the war. Without the atrocities committed by Hamas on October 7, along with thousands of rockets fired at Israeli communities, there would have been no IDF response in Gaza. Likewise, the key factor perpetuating the fighting is Hamas’s continued aggression—still holding 50, mostly civilian hostages, in breach of international law. To make matters worse, in further breach of international law, is their immoral refusal to allow the Red Cross any access to the hostages.

They are holding the hostages either in deep inhumane tunnels or held by complicit Gazans. The hostage families are understandably devastated, especially as some hostages have been murdered in captivity. Instead of prioritizing their unconditional release, much of the global and Western discourse has absurdly downplayed and sidestepped Hamas’s actions preferring to focus on Israel’s response.  If instead, the West and interested parties including Qatar pressured Hamas enough to release the hostages, Israel would automatically cease operations in Gaza. Conversely, continuing to apply pressure on Israel while only providing lip service to demanding release of the hostages, prolongs Gaza’s suffering and devastation.

Two: The Middle East conflict is framed as an Israeli Hamas conflict.  False! It is much wider in two ways: First, in addition to Hamas calling for Israel’s destruction, so are Iran, Hezbollah, (Lebanon), and the Houthis (Yemen). They all share the same fundamentalist ideology, forcing Israel to contend with multiple enemies intending to pursue their destruction.

Second, in a broader context, other crises in the Middle East of which there are many and are extensive, involve far greater suffering and devastation with no Israeli involvement:|
Syria: The civil war under Assad has displaced over 6 million people internally, with 5.4 million refugees and more than 600,000 deaths—ten times Gaza’s inflated estimates.  Under the present leader Ahmed al-Sharaa the conflict continues, involving the government, opposition, ISIS remnants, Kurdish forces, and foreign powers like Iran and Russia. The latest example happened this month (July) in which Bedouin Jihadists with connections to the government, massacred an estimated 300 Druze, mostly civilians.
Yemen: According to the latest U.N. report in 2022, the ongoing civil war has claimed over 150,000 lives, with more than 227,000 dying from famine,
Iraq: Clashes have caused between 164,000 and 345,000 casualties, and millions of Kurds remain displaced. Ongoing unrest threatens regional stability.
Sudan: The conflict is the world’s largest displacement crisis, with over 30 million in need of humanitarian aid. Both the Sudanese Armed Forces and the Rapid Support Forces have been accused of war crimes, including indiscriminate attacks, sexual violence, and targeting civilian infrastructure.

The high number of casualties speak for themselves. None of these calamities involve Israel to any significant degree.

While each death in Gaza is a tragedy, the exclusive focus on the comparatively lower number of fatalities—while ignoring greater suffering elsewhere in the Middle East, distorts understanding of the overall situation, and underplays the prevalence of widespread unmitigated violence associated with many Arab and Muslim regimes. With multiple wars and calamities in the Middle East, the almost exclusive emphasis on Israel’s destructive response raises questions as why there is mostly singular criticism against Israel.

Three: Hamas is fighting for the well being of the Palestinians: False!
Since 2005, Gaza has operated as a de facto Palestinian state under Hamas with no Israeli presence. What did Hamas do with this opportunity to advance the Palestinian cause? Instead of building a prosperous, Singapore-like territory, they prioritized investing heavily in military arsenals and constructing the most fortified tunnel network in history to use against Israel. Then, they launched the October 7 attack fully aware it would (justifiably) evoke a strong Israeli response leading to immense suffering for their Gaza population. Following that, their continued refusal to release the hostages continue to prolong the Gaza crisis.

There are three notable ironies in this conflict:
i. Western governments are more focused on the welfare of Gazans than Hamas is.

ii. Leaders like French President Macron advocate for establishing a Palestinian state alongside Israel, yet neither Hamas nor the broader Palestinian establishment have publicly supported a negotiated two-state solution. All offers of a Palestinian state—beginning with the 1948 UN Partition plan—have been rejected by the Palestinians.

iii. When comparing the conditions of Palestinians in Gaza and the West Bank to those of the two million Israeli Arabs, the Israeli Arabs are on average much better off financially, enjoy more legal rights and have more opportunity for advancement than Palestinians either in the West Bank or Gaza.

Four: Blaming Israel for mishandling the humanitarian crisis: False! Hamas has repeatedly demonstrated contempt for Gaza’s population, particularly in food distribution. They only cooperated when controlling the process, but evidence shows that then they have repeatedly stolen free aid intended for refugees or sold it back for profit back to them. When control was taken from them, Hamas responded with violence, disrupting aid, increasing casualties, and hindering relief efforts. Despite Israel’s general cooperation and Hamas’s interference, it is Israel who is often blamed for inadequate aid provision.  Focusing solely on Israel—the victim—is unprecedented. Furthermore, let us not forget for a moment, that the crisis could be resolved instantly if Hamas released the hostages and laid down its arms .

Five: The U.N. is playing a positive impartial role in the conflict. False! Since 1948, the U.N. has exacerbated rather than lessened the Palestinian refugee crisis. Unlike other crises, UNRWA’s policy of “once a refugee, always a refugee” indefinitely extends refugee status to descendants, even those who have settled abroad and integrated into their new society. In contrast, the 1948 war also created a comparable Jewish refugee problem—Jews expelled from Arab countries. They no longer hold refugee status because they have long since integrated into their new society, primarily in Israel. Furthermore, UNRWA’s taking of responsibility for Gaza’s population has allowed Hamas to neglect civilian care and instead focus exclusively on building their extensive tunnels and weapon arsenals. In addition, evidence also shows that UNRWA-run schools indoctrinate children from a young age to hate Jews and prepare them to become martyrs against Israel. Finally, and appallingly, not only have documents also confirmed that some UNRWA workers participated in the October 7 massacre, but none have been prosecuted.

Overall, rather than pursuing resolution of the refugee issue, the U.N. has exacerbated the problem through its “once a refugee always a refugee” counterproductive policy. It also repeatedly demonstrated bias in favor of Hamas. Finally, it has indulged  Hamas’s breaches of international law while repeatedly criticizing Israel.

Six: The lack of a resolution to the present conflict is due to Israeli intransigence: False. Since they have not changed their destructive ideology opposing peace, a viable solution must include Hamas laying down its arms and being barred from governing Gaza afterward. Anything less risks a recurrence of events similar to those of October 7. Additionally, accommodating the Hamas demand that freeing the hostages is predicated on Israel releasing hundreds of convicted killers.while none of the Palestinian leadership have definitively renounced their goal of destroying Israel, will simply undermine Israeli security. A prime example is the case of Yahya Sinwar, Hamas’s former leader, who was released unrepentant in a prisoner exchange. Had Sinwar not been at the helm, the October 7 attack may not have occurred.

The Consequences of the present conflict: Despite Hamas’s assault, Israel thrives while Gaza remains in ruins. Palestinians often claim victimhood, but their own choices bear responsibility for their hardships. This victim narrative, reinforced by passive and active Western support, regrettably persists. Those truly wanting to help the Palestinians should demand Hamas to release the hostages, lay down their arms, and withdraw from politics. The broader Palestinian leadership should prioritize reconciliation over supporting destructive acts against Israel.