Letter to the editor: Hamas, not Israel, is committing genocide

Commentary

OPINION:

Israel has been falsely accused of engaging in genocide against the Palestinian people (“Where does the rest of the world stand on the allegations that Israel is committing genocide?” web, Jan. 14). But it is not Israel that is engaged in genocide; it is Hamas.

Israel is defending itself against the genocide conducted by Hamas on Oct. 7. For 18 years, Hamas has been attacking Israel and indiscriminately killing Jews. Leaders of Hamas have repeatedly — both orally and in writing — stated their goal to kill every Jew and eliminate the nation of Israel.

That fully aligns with the definition of genocide (“the deliberate killing of a large number of people from a particular nation or ethnic group with the aim of destroying that nation or group”).

Israel does not have as its goal killing every Palestinian or eliminating Gaza. It has as its goal eliminating Hamas. Hamas is not a nation or ethnicity; it is a political group with evil ideology and actions, and it will not cease attacking Israel until it has eliminated the Jewish country.

Much of the killing of Palestinians has been the direct result of Hamas’ actions. Hamas terrorists hide behind their women, children, elderly and sick with the intent of forcing as many civilian casualties as possible so as to portray Israel as barbaric, bloodthirsty and genocidal.

What’s more, many of the so-called innocent Palestinians are not truly innocent. The overwhelming majority voted for Hamas. Many teach their children to hate Jews and Israel; many celebrate the killing of Jews. While they may not be active combatants, many actively support Hamas. That is not innocence.

One truth remains: If the Palestinians lay down their arms and quit attacking Israel and killing Jews, there would be peace. If Israel lay down its arms and quit defending itself, all Israelis would be murdered and Israel would cease to exist.