Resist siren song

The international community must take decisive action against Hamas and designate it as a terror organization to disrupt its funding.

The war in Gaza is being reduced to a propaganda battle and sloganeering reflected in the spreading mass protests that deviate from the task or responsibility to annihilate terrorism and the evil that it brings.

Lost in the protests calling for a halt to the offensive against Hamas is the fact that it is the terror group that invited reprisals after its barbaric 7 October attack on Israel.

More than 1,400 individuals, mostly civilians, including babies and old people who could barely walk, were massacred in the tragic incident that reminded Israelis of the mass murders during the Holocaust in World War II.

The short memories of the protestors are remarkable as they fell quickly to the seduction of those who preach hatred. Mass protests in some of the global centers, such as London and New York, are demanding an immediate ceasefire in Gaza, which unfortunately favors only the cornered terrorists.

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken, who appeared before Congress to seek a supplemental budget to assist both Ukraine against Russia and Israel against Hamas, warned about the seduction of the terror group and its supporters.

“We’ve seen Hamas and other groups play the siren song of nihilism to try to attract people to their perverted cause. We want to make sure that we have a better response and that we have a better answer across the board. That’s part of the strategic proposition and one that’s profoundly humanitarian,” Blinken posited.

Homer’s Odysseus describes the siren song as so appealing and tempting that it lures sailors to their deaths. Odysseus overcame the hypnotic trap by plugging his crew’s ears with wax.

Israel has maintained the right to defend itself in a war imposed on it by Hamas.

Israeli Ambassador to the Philippines Ilan Fluss said the right of Israel to defend itself and its citizens against acts of terror is unequivocal and non-negotiable.

“Every sovereign nation has the inherent duty to protect its citizens, and Israel is no exception. Any attempts to undermine this right are an affront to self-defense and national security principles,” Fluss said.

A good point made by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is that two conflicts the United States entered into — World War II and the war on terror — were never subjected to calls for a ceasefire.

Netanyahu equated a cessation of the Israeli offensive to waving the white flag to Hamas.

Fluss said the call should reverberate for the “immediate and unconditional release of the Palestinian people and all of the hostages from the oppressive grip of Hamas.”

The Hamas terror group has repeatedly demonstrated its disregard for human rights, using its citizens as human shields, and has been responsible for countless acts of violence against innocent civilians, including Filipinos, Fluss pointed out.

The international community must take decisive action against Hamas and designate it as a terror organization to disrupt its funding, which comes primarily from Iran. The founding charter of Hamas, advocating for Israel’s destruction and the murder of all Jews from all over the world, aligns with a modern Nazi regime. Rejecting peace negotiations, Hamas perpetuates an endless cycle of violence and bloodshed.

Fluss pointed to misconceptions and false information being spread, mainly that Israel is occupying Gaza.

“The war is with the terrorist organization Hamas, not the Palestinian people. Israel is not occupying Gaza and has no plans of occupying Gaza. Unfortunately, Hamas is the government of Gaza,” Fluss said.

He indicated that among the immediate concerns of the operation in the Gaza Strip is the immediate release of all hostages, including babies, women, and elderly people, and the dismantling of all terror facilities.

Israel’s commitment is not merely for its citizens but also for humanity’s safety and security since Hamas is equivalent to the Islamic State, whose global mission is to spread malice and evil.

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