I came across an interesting op-ed written by journalist Ilan Benjamin, the cousin of Daniel Pearl, who was murdered by Jihadists in 2002. The piece was published less than a week after Hamas’ October 7 attack on Israel, in which terrorists murdered over 1,400 Israelis, many of whom were civilians. It led me to an interesting theory about this conflict.
In the piece, Benjamin recalled his history of being a “progressive Jew” who served in the Israel Defense Forces (IDF) and advocated for better treatment of Palestinian refugees. While he maintained the Jewish state’s right to defend itself, he also took issue with his government and how it has handled the peace process with the Palestinians.
He described how after his cousin’s murder, he refused to give in to hate and the notion that peace was not possible.
Danny’s parents did not call for revenge. Instead they set up The Daniel Pearl Foundation that offers fellowships, sponsors cross-cultural music events (Danny was a gifted musician), and brings people together to improve the world. Even after what my family had been through, their work encouraged me to be idealistic and believe that the Jewish people could make peace with our neighbors. I became a fierce advocate for peace.
When I immigrated to Israel at the age of 18 and enlisted in the Israel Defense Forces, I was still driven by ideals. I thought I could promote more goodwill with our Palestinian neighbors. Serving in a combat unit based on the Gaza border, I witnessed the release of the kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, held for five years by Hamas, when his freedom was exchanged for more than 1,000 Palestinian prisoners. One for 1,000. Despite my many criticisms of the Israeli government, I recognized then how much Israel valued the life of every soldier.
However, Benjamin’s story takes a more drastic and somber turn after the October 7 massacre, particularly the murders of people at the music festival in Kibbutz Be’eri. He and his host family in Israel espoused left-leaning views and were advocates for peace. However, the brutality of Hamas on that day shattered his ideals and that of many others who survived. I recently interviewed radio talk show host Dov Hikind, who traveled to Israel in the aftermath of the assault and told me that many of the Israelis who perished “were people who supported the Palestinians.” He added: “You should hear them now.”
I suspect most, if not all, of those who survived might be moving more to Benjamin’s way of thinking. The author’s disillusionment was further cemented by the “disproportionate” hatred for Israel among his friends who espoused social justice. At first, he figured it was simple ignorance that motivated their animus against Israel. But later, he found out that the hard left has a clear bias against the Jewish people in general, especially when it comes to intersectional activism.
In a poignant conclusion, the author seems resigned to the notion that his idealism was ill-advised. He lashes out at the leftists who support Hamas as being aligned with Nazis and Palestinians, who he believes no longer have a moral ground.
To non-Jewish friends who have reached out, thank you. It is simply the human thing to do. To friends who dare justify what has happened, you are not friends. You are nothing but Nazi supporters dressed up in leftist intellectual language. To the Palestinians: you have lost all moral authority to claim victimhood. I will never advocate for you again. To my family, friends in Israel, and Jews around the world hurting right now, I love you. Stay safe.
While it might seem counterintuitive, this scenario is precisely what Hamas might want. It plays directly into their plans and their ultimate objective. If the terrorist group can turn Israelis who have the same attitudes as Benjamin’s into those who are more in line with the hawkish elements of Israel’s government, it would help to keep the war going.
The reality is that Hamas doesn’t want peace. It wants war. More fighting will lead to more civilian casualties in Gaza, which Hamas will then use to stoke international public opinion against Israel and sap its credibility on the world stage. It is why they use human shields to maximize noncombatant deaths. A recent report showed that the terrorist group gunned down Gaza residents attempting to flee the region. It routinely uses civilian deaths as a way to attack Israel.
If there are fewer Israelis who want a peaceful solution to the conflict, then the violence can continue and Hamas, along with other radical Islamic terrorist groups, can continue the fight against the Jewish state. Unfortunately, in the end the primary ones who will suffer will be the Palestinian civilians living under these terrorist regimes.
