“ A Clash of Civilizations “

We are living through momentous times for some of us. Many of us in Canada may not be noticing it, though, seeing that our lives are undisturbed. The North American world remains essentially pacific, South America is more volatile, Europe facing a war of aggression from Russia, Asia concerned with China flexing its muscles. The days when American power assured the world that anybody stepping out of line would be cowed into submission is over. The U.S. has shown its feet of clay, with political division having weakened its spine. Smaller nations are casting about for alliances they can count on in a more dangerous world.

Israel, distracted by internal division, has suddenly found itself under attack. Some countries that were giving some thought to aligning themselves with Israel, perhaps partly because of its military prowess, have faced a rude awakening. Others with longstanding agendas of antagonism have been given new hope by the ease with which a few thousand terrorists could invade Israel’s borders with impunity and wreak havoc, are rethinking their options. These events have roused hopes in its enemies that the Jewish state can be wiped off the face of the earth. Israel will be forced to spend much blood and treasure to regain the level of deterrence they might have enjoyed in the past.

More alarming has been the worldwide reaction to the events in Israel. The stalwarts of western civilization have been loud and strong in their condemnation of the actions of Hamas, an iteration of other movements operating under the general heading of the Moslem Brotherhood. What do they stand for? They stand for a religious dictatorship of Islam, similar in many ways to what we are seeing in Iran and Afghanistan, involving a strict adherence to their interpretation of the Koran and related commentaries.  

To western eyes and ears they represent a movement back to a seventh century view of the world. For them, there is absolutely no room for any other philosophy of life to the extent that its members are sworn to violence to impose universal acceptance of the creed. Most Arab states have had to confront violence from their members. In Egypt, the Army carried out a coup to divest them of power even though they were elected to government.

The Moslem Brotherhood is committed to the total destruction of Israel. Hamas has that goal as one of its principle reasons for being as indicated in its charter. Hamas took over the Strip in 2007, with the violent overthrow of Palestinian Authority. All its representatives were murdered. Since that time the Palestinians in the Strip have suffered under their rule. For humanitarian reasons, Israel has permitted the entry of food, medicines, water and power from over their borders and provided daily employment for twenty-five thousand Gazans each day. These may have provided some of the intelligence that made possible the success of the Hamas incursion. Many Gazans may have joined the Hamas terrorists in the attack after there were openings in the border fence.

Hamas has diverted some of these supplies for their military purposes, often firing missiles and artillery over the border. They have diverted some humanitarian funds and are receiving direct financial support from Iran through Qatar. They use these resources to support their activities at the expense of the Palestinian population. They use the civilian population as human shields, hiding their military installations in proximity to  schools, hospitals, mosques, and populated centers.

Nevertheless, polls have indicated that the vast majority of the Palestinian population in Gaza supports Hamas activities. Unfortunately for Jewish Israelis there is evidence of similar sentiments from a majority of Palestinians who have Israeli citizenship, Hamas has tried to tunnel under the border to attempt incursions and created many (some say 1000) miles of tunnels in the Strip to hide their missile firing capacity. Israel has made ten incursions into the Strip in an effort to stop the continuous barrages of missiles that have caused dozens of casualties in Israel over the years. The last major clash occurred in 2021, resulting in 250 deaths in Gaza and 13 in Israel.

The barbarity of the attack on Israel on October 7, 2023, with its emphasis on killing unarmed civilians of all ages, shocked the civilized world. At least 1400 were slain and more than 230 were taken hostage. Hamas videoed their brutal rampage to the world, parading women who had been raped and the burned bodies of infants that had been butchered, including a pregnant woman whose belly had been carved open so they could stab the baby. Israel has made the decision that Hamas could no longer be tolerated as a neighbor.

What has been shocking is the public declarations of support in major western cities. This has been particularly so in European countries where immigration from Islamic countries has been vigorous. We have seen such even in the U.S. Congress. What has been shocking has been the luke-warm support for Israel’s mission to eradicate Hamas. What has been shocking is that so many young people at institutions of higher learning are supporting a seventh century view of what our society should be like today. What has been shocking is the Jews no longer feel safe in the places where they have lived for generations.