I have spent years helping American leaders understand the realities of the Middle East. I have worked with policymakers, pastors, diplomats and families. On this anniversary of the brutal Oct. 7 massacre, we must all remember that day without moral confusion or political convenience.
On Oct. 7, 2023, Hamas, other armed groups and many Gaza civilians crossed into Israel and carried out a coordinated assault on innocent people living their lives. Nearly 1,200 people were killed and 252 were abducted. Men, women, children and the elderly were hunted, murdered, tortured and kidnapped. Any honest discussion of the war that followed must begin there.
Israel responded as any sovereign nation must when its people are slaughtered and taken hostage. Governments have a primary duty to protect their citizens. That duty requires us to distinguish between a democracy defending its people and terrorists that made civilians their prey.
ISRAELI MEDICAL WORKERS WHO TREATED OCT 7 WOUNDED RELIVE DAY TERROR HIT HOME
American leaders need to continue to visit the region in order to understand the threats Israel faces from Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran and their allies with the understanding that Israels enemies also attack American targets.
And, they need to continue to recall the history. The Middle East wont be understood by removing the Jewish people from their roots. Judea, Samaria, Hebron, Shiloh and Jerusalem are places woven into the biblical record and the ageless memory of the nation of Israel.
That story still pulses through the hills of Judea and Samaria. The Jewish communities there, too often described only through accusations of “settler violence,” are alive with families, farmers, teachers, business owners and children.
Near the ancient sites that have shaped Jewish and Christian faith for generations, the Jewish residents face terrorism almost daily. Of course, the law should act against any individual who commits violence against Palestinians. But it is wrong to treat Jewish civilians collectively as criminals because of where they live.
THE WAR ON AMERICAS JUDEO-CHRISTIAN ROOTS THREATENS EVERYTHING WE SHARE
The threat has grown beyond rhetoric. In Europe and elsewhere, governments and institutions increasingly seek to isolate Israeli businesses and communities through boycotts, import restrictions and punitive trade measures. Such policies punish ordinary workers and legitimate businesses, including people never accused of violence.
Collective economic punishment of Jewish businesses in the biblical heartland should alarm anyone who understands the legal legitimacy of the Jewish presence there along with their rich and ancient history.
America must resist that drift. Dozens of states have adopted laws or executive orders opposing boycotts of Israel. Yet legislation alone is not enough. American leaders must speak clearly, reject antisemitism from every quarter and preserve the strategic alliance with Israel because it serves both moral principle and American interests.
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