OPINION:
“Hamas is coming.”
That chilling declaration was scrawled in red paint on the statue outside the historic Union Station, blocks from the U.S. Capitol.
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As Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu reminded Congress, referring to the war with Hamas, “This is not a clash of civilizations. It’s a clash between barbarism and civilization. It’s a clash between those who glorify death and those who sanctify life.”
But the truth is, we’ve been warned before.
In 1981, then-Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin was asked what lessons the world should learn from the Holocaust. His reply deserves our attention: “If an enemy of our people says he seeks to destroy us, believe him.”
That’s exactly what Hamas has done.
A few days after the threats of violence and the flag-burning protests at Union Square, Islamic terrorists once again demonstrated their intent to annihilate Israelis when Hezbollah launched a missile that hit a group of kids playing on a soccer field. Twelve children died, five of them from the same family.
Every Iran-backed terrorist organization has been unrelenting in their chaos and violence. Today, the Oct. 7 death toll stands at 1,175. Women were raped, bodies were mutilated, and 115 of the 251 people taken hostage remain in captivity today if they’re alive at all.
Americans need to hear directly from survivors of those terror attacks so they can understand the terrifying reality of what they’re capable of doing. It is far too easy to think of the problem as “over there” while forgetting that those suffering are human beings like us.
Consider my friend, Dr. Yiftach Gepner, a professor of Tel Aviv University’s school of medicine. Dr. Gepner and his brother Eldad live in the agricultural village of Ein Habesor, the site of one of many violent attacks on Oct. 7.
Early in the morning, gunfire erupted outside the village. A bullet struck Eldad and Dr. Gepner loaded him into his car, intent on reaching the hospital. As they pulled onto the highway, they were confronted by two trucks packed with Hamas terrorists, plus several two-person teams on motorcycles.
Two motorcyclists pursued and opened fire. During the attack, Gepner’s brother was shot twice more, both times from behind. “He was in tremendous pain,” Dr. Gepner recalls.
After throwing the car in reverse and retreating under heavy gunfire, Dr. Gepner returned to Ein Habesor and transferred Eldad to an intensive care ambulance. The highway had become a death trap, with terrorists hiding along the road and killing the drivers of passing vehicles.
But Eldad couldn’t wait. Waiting would mean death all the same. Miraculously, they were able to reach the Soroka Medical Center in Beersheba, allowing Eldad to receive life-saving medical care.
Barbaric attacks like this are what the Israeli people experience every day from groups like Hamas. It’s taking a painful toll, not just physically but psychologically and economically as well.
The village of Ein Habesor is known as “Israel’s breadbasket” because of its key role in the country’s farming and agriculture. Farms in this region supply 75% of Israel’s vegetables and 20% of its fruit.
Now it’s struggling to recover from the destruction Hamas unleashed. It’s also decimated the livelihoods of the area’s farmers, complicating their ability to provide for their already struggling families.
That’s why we’ve partnered with Dr. Gepner to launch a fundraising campaign to build a new community hub for Ein Habesor that includes a sports complex and a senior center. With these facilities, we aim to help residents overcome the traumatic aftermath of the attacks by providing social and physical activities that will restore hope and get this region back on its feet.
And yet, a small minority in America remains opposed to sending crucial aid and financial support to Israel.
But if I’ve learned anything from Dr. Gepner, it’s that the West needs to take Hamas seriously. Given the horrific spectacle we watched last week at Union Square, it should be abundantly clear that Hamas is not only Israel’s problem. They’re our problem too.
All Americans must condemn perpetrators of terrorism and support those working to defeat them. There is no humane reason to do otherwise. Hamas continues to violate the fundamental human rights of both Israeli and Palestinian civilians, and peace is not possible until they are destroyed.
What happened in Ein Habesor simply cannot be reduced to a regional dispute. What happened there can happen here. Because when a violent ideology is left unchecked, it’s a threat to freedom and democracy everywhere.
So, the next time someone asks you why it’s essential for Americans to stand with Israel, remind them that terrorist sympathizers burned our flag and scrawled “Hamas is coming” on our own national monuments.
We believe them.
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David Donaldson is the co-founder and CEO of CityServe International, a non-profit relief organization headquartered in Bakersfield, California.
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