Today (Saturday), the President of the State, Isaac Herzog, published a special op-ed in The New York Times in which he discussed his meetings with the families of the captives and the feelings in Israel regarding the war against Hamas in Gaza. In his words, he called on the world to support Israel and made it clear that "we find ourselves at a crossroads for the entire world."
"I am writing these words from Jerusalem, after meeting with the families of some of the 241 people who were kidnapped by Hamas terrorists on October 7th. In Gaza, there are currently Jewish Israeli citizens, Muslim Israeli citizens, and foreign nationals from various backgrounds," Herzog said. "The meetings with these families were the most difficult and emotionally charged I have experienced in all my years of public service. I also spoke with the families of more than 1,400 of my fellow citizens who were killed on that day, many of them murdered in their bedrooms and kitchens, or while dancing at a music festival. When I returned from one of the kibbutzim that was devastated in that attack, I had to wash the blood off my shoes."
Herzog wrote that, "Tragedy is a part of life in Israel, and I knew it would be part of my presidency. But no one imagined such a tragedy. Contrary to our wishes, in Israel, we find ourselves at a crossroads for the Middle East and the entire world, at the heart of what is nothing less than a struggle for civilization. It is not a battle between Jews and Muslims. It is not just between Israel and Hamas. It is between those who adhere to human morality and those who support barbarism that has no place in the modern world.
"Just like ISIS and Al-Qaeda, Hamas terrorists who attacked Israeli homes and families had no hesitation when it came to burning infants. They tortured children, raped women, and destroyed entire peace-loving communities," he added. "They were so proud of their deeds that they made sure to document them in video clips and even broadcast them live. These videos will forever remain a stain on those Palestinians and their supporters who celebrated this day, serving as proof of the terrorists' wickedness and the ideas that inspired them.
"But what disturbs me almost as much is the understanding that many in the world, including in the Western world, are willing to excuse or even wholeheartedly support these actions. In European capitals, we witnessed rallies supporting the complete destruction of Israel 'from the river to the sea.' Professors and students at American universities deliver speeches and sign statements justifying terrorism, even praising it."
Herzog mentioned that "we have heard certain governments not condemning Hamas but rather condemning Israel's response and even seeking to justify Hamas's atrocities. It was inconceivable to witness such a moral confusion after the September 11 attacks or after the bombings in London, Barcelona, and Baghdad. As I stated in my speeches before both houses of the U.S. Congress this year, terrorism 'contradicts humanity's most basic principles of peace.' It appears that not everyone agrees with this statement.
"All of this shows that the clash of values is happening not only here in Israel but everywhere. The ideology of terrorism threatens all decent people in the world, not just the Jews. History has taught us that wicked ideologies are often initially directed primarily against the Jewish people but tend not to stop there. We find ourselves at the forefront of this battle, but all nations are grappling with the same threat, and they must understand that they could be next in line."
"The suffering will end only by eliminating Hamas"
Furthermore, Herzog addressed the fighting in Gaza: "Since Hamas imposed this war on us, our army has been working to eliminate this unbearable threat and to enable the return of our hostages. This entails warfare in a battlefield that Hamas has created in Gaza for many years – a battlefield where terrorists hide behind and among the civilian population. It's a battlefield with terror tunnels underneath the streets of civilians, a battlefield where Hamas does not prevent innocent civilians from dying at any cost. These casualties are exploited by Hamas to garner global sympathy and to blunt Israel's response.
"Not only does Hamas store rockets beneath schools and homes, but our intelligence and confessions from captured terrorists reveal that Hamas' command center is concealed beneath Gaza's main hospital," the President noted. "The result of these despicable tactics is the civilian suffering we all witness. Many reports of humanitarian difficulties in parts of Gaza cannot be verified, but there is real suffering, which also concerns us. These are our neighbors, and our full withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 was intended to give them a free life and open the door to peace. To our dismay, Hamas and its many Palestinian supporters have chosen a different path.
"Even when Hamas fires hundreds of rockets at our cities, and our soldiers fall in battle, we provide early warnings to the civilians in Gaza through leaflets and phone calls, urging them to leave the main combat areas. This allows us to facilitate humanitarian aid through the Gaza-Egypt border. Hundreds of aid trucks have already arrived, with more expected to arrive daily."
However, Herzog made it clear that "those who think that a cynical exploitation of civilian suffering will tie our hands and save Hamas this time are mistaken. For us and for the Palestinians, the suffering will only end with the removal of Hamas. Anyone who tries to tie our hands, intentionally or not, is not only affecting Israel's defense but also any hope that these horrors will not happen again.
"In the months and years leading up to the Hamas massacre, we began to see signs of a better Middle East, from the Persian Gulf to North Africa, one with a sense of progress and partnership, one in which the State of Israel can finally feel at home with its neighbors in the Middle East," he mentioned. "Will this be how the world looks at the end of this crisis? Or will it be the world desired by Hamas's murderous fundamentalists? These questions will be central among the strategic issues on the agenda during discussions with Secretary of State Antony Blinken during his visit to the region starting on Friday – as these were the questions that arose during President Biden's visit a few weeks ago.
"Much stands in the balance at these moments, not only the future of Israel," summarized Herzog. "On October 7th, we all woke up to a horrifying challenge that threatens our hope and our morality. How we confront this challenge will shape our future."