Yasser Arafat, one of the most effective PR content creators of all time, said this to Israeli reporter Zvi Yechezkeli when asked why he rejected Ehud Barak’s Camp David proposal and reignited the Intifada.
Yechezkeli was shocked to discover that to Arafat, being offered nearly everything he demanded was not seen as a magnanimous gesture by Jews willing to compromise for peace. To Arafat, it was a sign that he was right—an admission of Jewish guilt, and a reason to demand even more.
When something is yours, you don’t settle for less than everything—not when you’re right and the other side is wrong.
It’s not about numbers. It’s about justice.
Arafat was a diabolical genius. He knew history. He knew the truth. But he also knew how to manipulate people, perhaps better than anyone in modern times.
So now, I will use his words:
“It’s not about numbers. It’s about justice.”
Jews around the world are being attacked by haters who blame them for the 50,000 Gazans killed in a war they started—by invading Israel, torturing, raping, slaughtering, burning entire families alive.
“Genocide!” scream the haters, ignoring the facts. They don’t care that civilian casualties, while always tragic, are an unfortunate reality of war—or that the combatant-to-civilian ratio in Gaza is the lowest in modern warfare (approximately 1:1). Instead, they shout: “How many dead will satisfy you? When will the numbers be too high for you and make you demand Israel stop?!”
Jews, bombarded by these hateful accusations, often find themselves stunned—at a loss for words.
We didn’t want this war.
We hoped Gazans would use their beachfront piece of land to build a thriving new Singapore, vibrant and successful.
We don’t like killing. We don’t like destruction.
We are the people who help others improve their lives. We are builders.
As far as we are concerned, the optimal number of dead Gazans or destroyed buildings is zero.
But that doesn’t mean we should demand Israel stop the war.
On the contrary.
Israel has a moral obligation—to her citizens and to Jews everywhere.
Israelis must be able to sleep in their beds or attend a party without fearing invaders who might swoop in to torture, slaughter, or take hostages.
Jews worldwide must know they won’t be targeted by hostage-takers hoping to blackmail the only Jewish state.
Israel must fulfill the promise: NEVER AGAIN.
We didn’t create the horrors of October 7th—Gazans did.
They took our families and friends hostage and will not give them back.
They attacked us—and repeatedly vow to do it again, and again, until we no longer exist.
We do not love war. We love our families and must protect them.
Our soldiers went to war because they saw their sisters defiled and tossed to the ground like trash.
They saw their parents forced to evacuate their homes to keep the little ones safe from missiles or the next wave of invaders.
They went to war to prevent future children from experiencing what my friend’s granddaughter Liel experienced. A 12-year-old, begging the security forces to rescue her from the house where terrorists were holding her hostage, saying: “I have school tomorrow!” A terrified little girl, murdered with her twin brother, aunt, and other neighbors.
They went to war to prevent future women from being slaughtered like Michal. She went to a party to celebrate with friends and her mother, our friend, had to spend a week searching for her before she was found—and identified by her dental records.
Our soldiers went to war to make it clear—to the attackers and to every person around the world who cheered them on—that we meant it when we said: NEVER AGAIN.
So when the haters scream, “How many Gazans must die before you tell Israel to stop?!” this is what Jews—and all who value freedom—must reply:
“It’s not about the numbers. It’s about justice.”
Take, for example, Rafah, in the south of the Gaza Strip, on the border with Egypt. Rafah was a bustling city with an extensive infrastructure of terror tunnels and smuggling tunnels. Hostages were held here. Hersch Goldberg Polin and other hostages were murdered here. Weapons, ammunition, new cars, and more were smuggled into Gaza through their tunnels.
Rafah no longer exists. This doesn’t bring me joy, but it does help me breathe a little easier.
This is what consequences look like. It’s not about the numbers. It’s about justice. It’s about proving that we meant it when we said NEVER AGAIN.
