Ridding the world of Hamas is a necessary first step: Alan Williams

Re: "Western media have contributed to the loss of truth in Gaza," (The Hill Times, Nov. 15, by Lama Alsafi). Ms. Alsafi and I agree on many issues. I, too, am aghast at the horrific living conditions of the people in Gaza. I, too, deplore the tragic loss of life in Gaza since Oct. 7, and I, too, acknowledge that by failing to provide appropriate context, mainstream media often fail their audiences. Where we disagree, however, is in the timing and substance of this context. To me, we need to go back 76 years in history. In 1947, when the United Nations voted to partition the land, Israel accepted the decision and proceeded to build a society based on democratic principles, committed to a free society, supporting human rights and justice for all. The Arab countries immediately waged war. Israel integrated hundreds of thousands of refugees displaced from Arab lands into their society. The Arabs decided to leave their refugees in tents as pawns for the world to see. After 75 years of missed opportunities and self-serving decisions by its leaders, Gazans live in appalling conditions with a GDP per capita one-tenth that of Israel. Nonetheless, their leaders worth a staggering $11-billion, revelling in luxury in Qatar. Gazans should be angry. But their anger should be directed at their own leaders, not at Israel. Their quality of life could have mirrored that of Israel. Whom you elect and what values you embrace make a difference. Another contextual oversight by Ms. Alsafi are the events of Oct. 7. On that day, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel and barbarically massacred 1,200 civilians. These were non-combatants, grandparents, parents and children, some attending a music festival, others spending a peaceful Saturday morning in their homes—brutally and sadistically murdered with great glee. Hamas knew that their pogrom on Oct. 7 would trigger a military response. They knew that many citizens in Gaza would pay the price with their lives. They didn’t care. Ms. Alsafi claims that this is a genocidal war. She is right. Hamas has never hidden its genocidal ideology. It advocates for the elimination of the Jewish State of Israel. Ghazi Hamad, a senior member of Hamas, has hailed the systematic slaughter of civilians in Israel on Oct. 7, vowing, in an interview, that if given the chance the Palestinian terror group would repeat similar assaults many times in the future until Israel is exterminated. In contrast to Hamas, Israel is operating in war consistent with its values as a nation that treasures life. To minimize civilian deaths, Israel phones and drops thousands of leaflets into Gaza, informing the residents as to when and where bombings will occur so that they can get out of harm’s way. Israel has provided incubators for newborns, baby food and medical supplies to the Al-Shira hospital. As for Ms. Alsafi’s desire for a ceasefire, that will result in more—not fewer—deaths. A ceasefire simply provides Hamas with more time to retrench and rearm, thereby extending the war and risking the lives of more civilians. If Ms. Alsafi sincerely wants to help the people in Gaza, she should hope that Israel completes its mission as quickly as possible. Both the people living in Israel and those living in Gaza are entitled to live in peace. Ridding the world of Hamas is a necessary first step. Alan Williams Ottawa, Ont.