Avi Benlolo: The left’s disingenuous push to redeem the depraved brutality of Hamas

Article content

When good people refuse silence, it makes a world of difference. Our sages have taught us that our freedom can never be taken for granted, and that the scales of justice are often so evenly weighted between good and bad that even a feather on one side of the scale or another can alter our world. Today, for those of us who fight to defend democracy, we are called to action to protect our way of life against savagery.

Many of those who say they fight for human rights, who stand up for women’s rights, for gay rights and for the rights offered by the constitutions of liberal democracy are undermining the fundamental values held sacred in the West.

Last week, in the Toronto Star, for instance, one columnist wrote a scathing condemnation of former prime minister Stephen Harper’s visit to Israel and his denunciation of Hamas: “Harper’s ahistorical and disingenuous framing … reflects the extent to which what we’re witnessing from the powerful is an attempt to promote a simplistic viewpoint of ‘good and bad.’”

Where I come from, there is, in fact, a simplistic view of right and wrong, sacred and profane, as well as good and bad. Hamas murdering innocent children and shooting them in the back is bad. Hamas raping and mutilating women, that’s bad. Hamas kidnapping people is bad. There are no ifs, ands or buts.

There are serious and severe efforts to wear down a value system primarily grounded in the Judeo-Christian beliefs ingrained in western civilization. Blurring the lines between terrorists by calling them “militants” or “combatants” is one prevalent method we can observe in the media today. This distortion is extraordinarily dangerous for our society because it undermines our fundamental principles of truth and justice.

When the truth is blurred, bent and denied, the very fabric of our democracy is put in jeopardy. But there was a strong glimmer of hope in reaction to my column last week. I had expressed defiance to denials and distortions of the truth, and in return, I received numerous letters from readers who unabashedly supported the Jewish community and Israel.

One person wrote, “I am so disappointed in our community here in Canada that you would need to write that. My grandparents, great uncles, etc. fought in WW2 and taught me that I have a special responsibility to Jewish people. ‘Never again’ was something I learned as a kid. I’m ashamed of what is happening….”

A more poignant denouncement of our society today came from a member of the military.

“As a 57-year-old Roman Catholic, who is finishing a career in the (Royal Canadian Air Force), please do not lump me in with the rest of the non-Jewish, hateful, morally bankrupt mob we see in the street or corridors of power in Ottawa,” he wrote.

“I will tell you that amongst my military colleagues, the opinion is clear. We understand rules and engagement, we understand the laws of conflict, and we sadly understand collateral damage. No military in the world, including our own, goes to ends that the (Israel Defense Forces do) to prevent civilian death. As I have said repeatedly over the last four months, I stand with you today and tomorrow, and the phrase NEVER AGAIN is for all humanity, not just Jews.”

It’s important now more than ever to recognize that there are millions of citizens amongst us who “get it.” We see our left-leaning media give Palestinian terrorists a free pass and may think this sentiment represents Canadians. It does not. We see our own government waffle between support for Hamas and support for Israel and think it reflects public opinion. It does not. We see pro-Hamas mobs on our streets and university campuses waving Palestinian flags while calling for the genocide of the Jewish people and think everyone feels this way. They do not.

In fact, a recent Research Co. poll in British Columbia found that over 77 per cent of residents on Vancouver Island, 74 per cent in the Fraser Valley and 71 per cent in southern B.C. are concerned about rising antisemitism in Canada. Significantly, nearly two-thirds of the province’s residents (64 per cent) agree with Canada’s decision to suspend funding for the United Nations Relief Works Agency after some of its staff were found to be complicit in terrorism.

A revelatory survey conducted earlier this month by the Harvard Center for American Political Studies and Harris Poll has found that 82 per cent of Americans support Israel in the conflict against Hamas. In January, the firms also found that an overwhelming 83 per cent of Americans say Oct. 7 was a terror attack. But if you listen to U.S. President Joe Biden in recent weeks, you will think that the tide is shifting against Israel. Nothing could be further from the truth. Contrary to Biden’s recent pronouncements, the January polling results even found that 67 per cent of Americans say a ceasefire should happen only if all hostages are freed and Hamas is removed from power.

When it comes to right and wrong, or good and bad, never listen to the street, political leaders or the media. If you want to preserve our free way of life and defend democracy, then listen to your heart.

National Post

Avi Abraham Benlolo is the founder and CEO of the Abraham Global Peace Initiative.