For lovers of the Holy Land, these have been challenging weeks. Watching Israel’s staunchest allies withdraw support due to accusations of genocide and starvation in Gaza has been painful. But the most disheartening reversal came from within.
Rabbi Yosef Blau, the long-time mashgiach ruchani of Yeshiva University, penned a letter that’s signed by many Orthodox rabbis, some of whom I call colleagues, voicing opposition to Israel’s actions in Gaza. “Orthodox Jewry, who are the most loyal supporters of Israel, bears a unique moral responsibility. We must affirm that Judaism’s vision of justice and compassion extends to all human beings.” While there is truth to this statement, on the whole, the letter lacks a great deal of context.
“We affirm that Hamas’s sins and crimes do not relieve the government of Israel’s obligations to make whatever efforts necessary to prevent mass starvation,” Rabbi Blau writes. There is no mass starvation in Gaza. A “Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories” (COGAT) review found that Hamas has been inflating the reported numbers of hunger related deaths as “part of a broader effort to discredit the State of Israel and achieve political gains.” Most confirmed deaths were attributed to preexisting conditions.
However, the food crisis is complicated. The United Nations has left massive amounts of aid spoiling in Gaza, while simultaneously admitting that 88% of the aid it delivered did not reach civilians. Even though Israel’s responsibility in this regard is debatable, the Jewish State is working to improve the situation. From pauses in fighting, opening humanitarian corridors, allowing air-drops, and letting hundreds of trucks in daily, progress is being made. Yet, the opening of the flood gates has allowed Hamas to replenish its stock, thus prolonging the war.
What the letter doesn’t mention is the successful work of the Gaza Humanitarian Foundation (GHF), delivering more than one million meals, while bypassing Hamas. If the UN would coordinate with the GHF, the food shortages could be alleviated without resupplying the terrorists.
The claims of devastation are not limited to food shortages. Seventy percent of the buildings in Gaza have been destroyed. This is a tragic reality but the question is, why has it happened? According to Major Andrew Fox, a former airborne officer and Middle East specialist, this is due to Hamas’s own actions. During the four-month pause in Rafah, Hamas cleared out the civilian population and booby-trapped the homes. This made it necessary to detonate any building containing an IED, thus leading to the mass destruction.
“The justified anger toward Hamas has dangerously expanded by some extremists into blanket suspicion of the entire population of Gaza – children included – tarnished as future terrorists,” the letter states.
While collective punishment is morally reprehensible, the reality on the ground raises hard questions about the role of Gaza’s civilian population. Footage of celebrations over captured Israelis remains seared in our collective memory. To date, not a single rescued hostage has reported receiving help from civilians. A recent Palestinian Center for Policy and Survey Research poll found that the vast majority of Arabs in both Gaza and Judea and Samaria oppose Hamas’s disarmament.
Hamas often exploits children – waving white flags to mask ambushes on IDF soldiers and even being recruited as fighters at age 15. UNRWA’s education promotes hate of Jews and the Jewish State from birth. Given these realities, it makes trusting the other side a near impossibility.
The letter also highlights Gaza’s rising death toll. Every innocent life lost is a tragedy, but these statistics need context. Hamas’s own Health Ministry acknowledges that the majority of reported deaths were combat-aged men. Over a year ago, John Spencer, the chair of War Studies at the Madison Policy Forum, noted that no urban warfare had ever achieved a 1:1.5 civilian-to-combatant ratio until the Israel/Gaza conflict. By Hamas’s current figures, the ratio has decreased to less than 1:1, making it the most targeted campaign in history.
Prime Minister Netanyahu’s unspecified end goal for the war is concerning. It would be comforting to know where this is headed. But all attempts to create an Arab-nation sponsored interim government have failed. The Arab League is unwilling to take responsibility for the Palestinian problem. But amazingly, some Arab nations condemned the Oct 7 attacks by Hamas. “The New York Declaration” recognizes the terror group as the obstacle to peace and calls for them to disarm, leave the region, and return the hostages.
Rabbi Blau’s letter is well intentioned. He and the signing rabbis all want a better future for the region. But this is war, and with it comes harsh realities. As much as we would all like them to disappear, they cannot be wished away.
Negotiations between Israel and Hamas collapsed due to several countries vowing recognition of a Palestinian State, undercutting the diplomatic process. This leaves Israel with no choice but to resume the existential fight of extricating Hamas and bringing home the hostages. The anti-Israel movement seizes on statements such as Rabbi Blau’s to strengthen their case and divide our nation. In this dark hour, Israel needs unity; not abandonment or public criticism from her “most loyal supporters.”
