Letter to the editor: Hypocrisy on terrorism is unacceptable
· The Washington TimesOPINION:
As we mark 25 years since the horrific 9/11 attacks, I’m struck by the hypocrisy of the world’s differing reactions to Al Qaeda’s terrorism, which killed 2,977 people in America, and Hamas’ Oct. 7, 2023, massacre in Israel, which killed 1,200 people in a much smaller country.
While 9/11 was deadlier, Hamas’ terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians in their homes and at a music festival were more barbaric. It involved systematic mass rape, beheadings and the deliberate mass murder of children.
In November 2023, Dr. Chen Kugel, head of Israel’s National Institute of Forensic Medicine, showed a lump of charcoal recovered from the Oct. 7 massacre.
When examined through a CT scan, he explained that it revealed “two spines, one of an adult and one of someone younger, maybe 10 or 12 years old … roped around with this metal wire. These were people who were hugging one another and burned while they were tied together. It might be a parent and a child.”
Hamas also kidnapped 251 people, including toddlers and a baby, Kfir Bibas, who was later murdered by his captors. Yet while Americans killed on 9/11 are remembered with sympathy, Israel is vilified for defending itself.
A recent New York Times news article stated: “Israelis still largely view themselves as the victims of Oct. 7 … Conversely, many abroad view Israel’s counteroffensive as excessive … [and accuse] Israel of war crimes.”
No one would say Americans merely “view themselves as the victims” of Sept. 11. Nor is America demonized for the ensuing war, notwithstanding the exponentially higher casualties.
Especially considering that Israel repeatedly offered the Palestinians a state born in peace — which they violently rejected — the double standard against Israel is unconscionable.
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STEPHEN A. SILVER
San Francisco, California