As Israel prosecutes the war in Gaza, we reflect on the terrible hatred and atrocity of Hamas. When Israel left Gaza (Sept. 12, 2005), they offered Gaza freedom and development if only they would live in peace with Israel. Instead, Hamas came to power and murdered the leaders of the Palestinian Authority. They turned from the offer of liberty and self-determination to create a terrorist state that would be armed to destroy Israel. Israel had no choice but to blockade Gaza to prevent offensive weapons import. That blockade now shows itself to have been ineffective. Patrolling the sea and the borders did not prevent the importation of missiles and the manufacture of missiles. How amazing that the leftists and apologists for Hamas describe the problem as Israel’s occupation and ignore what happened when Hamas came to power! There would be no blockade in a peaceful Gaza.
The recent attack of Hamas shows us people under an ideology of hatred that pursues atrocities. Despite this, on American University campuses there are demonstrations supporting Hamas and blaming Israel for the occupation and the blockade. Such moral blindness shocks the hearts of those who have a moral sense. These folks talk about Palestinian children who died in past Israel wars against Hamas. They cannot distinguish between an Israel that seeks to not kill civilians but has no choice when Hamas uses them as human shields. Hamas is responsible for killing their own women and children and then using it for propaganda. There are videos where they even admit this strategy. The moral issue of intentionality is ignored. So how did we get to this place of moral blindness?
The U. S. has Palestinians living in the country who demonstrate for Hamas. The most glaring example of the moral obtuseness of some of these is Rashida Tlaib, a congresswoman from Dearborn. In this case, the moral obtuseness is due to ethnic prejudice and hatred that knows no boundaries. This leads to gross moral blindness.
However, what of the leftist university students and leftists on the streets of our cities? The issue is moral relativism. Since moral relativism now dominates the university faculties, moral bankruptcy is the result. I remember studying Nietzsche in College. I was 19 and had lost my faith. Meaningless hit me hard. I cried as I read. My quest for the next three years was to overcome both historical relativism and moral relativism and to find a place to stand. I found it again in the Spring of 1970. In knowledge relativism, there is no true historical knowledge. There are only warring narratives and power assertions. What really happened in Gaza in 2005 does not matter. There is no facticity. The left has chosen to designate Israel as a colonial state that oppresses the indigenous Palestinian people. Therefore they assert that the atrocities are understandable.
Wow! I was amazed that President Biden showed moral clarity in this fight. He gave a great speech supporting Israel. But I am grieved that the universities have removed moral and historical knowledge and now affirm a bankrupt morality based on power. I will be writing more on this in the future But I would like every person defending leftist anti-Semitism and anti-Israel, antisemitic and antibiblical, and anti-American views to answer two questions. Do they believe that there is a historical reality and that we can approach knowing the truth of what really happened in history? Is there true historical knowledge? The second question is whether or not there are objective moral norms. If they do not believe in historical knowledge or objective moral norms, we should shame them and not listen to them at all. They have undercut the ground for moral behavior.