The issue is not complex: Hamas is pure evil

On Oct. 7, Israel and the Jewish people suffered the worst single-day loss of life since the Holocaust. The depravity of the attack instantly changed our world.

Despite the freshness of the wounds and the undeniable horror of the acts, protests almost immediately erupted blaming the victims, shamefully arguing moral relativism to excuse Hamas’ depraved acts of inhumanity and calling for a cease-fire while over 200 hostages are still being held.

We are writing as proud Jews to state that there is no moral equivalence to Hamas’ crimes against humanity, and to address the misinformation and hatred of Jews that has become manifest.

On the morning of Oct. 7, the Jewish Sabbath, Hamas terrorists invaded Israel from the Gaza Strip and murdered 1,400 people, mostly civilians, in cold blood. They tortured and killed children in front of their parents, and parents in front of their children. They raped young girls. They chopped off limbs. They beheaded babies. They bound families with wire and burned them alive.

The Hamas terrorists proudly recorded and publicized their atrocities. They took over 200 people hostage, including women, children and the elderly.

These crimes against humanity are unthinkable, but they were carefully planned and perpetrated with malice aforethought. This was pure evil. There is no “but” that could be used to explain these actions.

It is a myth that Hamas’ violence is in any way excusable as an outgrowth of the conditions in Gaza. The fact is that any adverse conditions in Gaza are a result of Hamas’ theft and misuse of billions of dollars of international aid that was meant to benefit Gazans. Hamas used this money to enrich its leaders and build a terror infrastructure that includes hundreds of miles of underground tunnels.

Hamas operates its terrorism machine in neighborhoods, near schools, and under hospitals and mosques. Hamas purposely surrounds itself with non-combatants (human shields) so that it can claim that any reprisal by Israel carries a high risk of impacting civilians.

Hamas puts its own people in harm’s way so it can create the optics it misuses to conjure its false narratives.

Israel, on the other hand, takes as many, if not more, precautions than any other military in the world to avoid civilian deaths. Israel values all life. It is an integral part of our ethos.

Gaza was part of Egypt until the Six-Day War, in 1967, at which time it came under the control of Israel. In 1993, as a result of the Oslo Accords, control of Gaza was transferred to the Palestinian Authority. In 2005, Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza, uprooting thousands of Jews who had made it their home.

Israel left behind complete residential neighborhoods, fully equipped greenhouses for businesses and an extensive modern infrastructure. Situated on the Mediterranean, Gaza had the potential to be something great for the Palestinian people. Gaza could have been a thousand things other than the cauldron of terrorism it is today.

Since 2007, after it violently expelled the then-ruling Palestinian Authority, Hamas has been the sole governing body in Gaza. Hamas has purposely deprived the Palestinian population of a normal life in order to build a terrorist state focused on the destruction of Israel and the elimination of the Jewish people.

Looking at the geography of this small tract of land, a number of questions arise. One might wonder why Gaza is walled in along its entire border with Egypt. Or why there is only one border crossing with Egypt.

Looking at the recent events in Ukraine, where millions of refugees were immediately absorbed by its bordering nations, one may ask why Jordan, Egypt and Lebanon are so resolute about not accepting any Gazan refugees. Again, looking at the facts on the ground gives us insight.

The Palestinians are subjugated by their Arab neighbors. In Lebanon and Jordan, Arab Palestinians are still in refugee camps that were established after the Israeli War of Independence, in 1948, at which time the Arab countries rejected the opportunity to form an independent Palestinian state next to Israel.

Most Palestinians in Lebanon are stateless, having been refused Lebanese citizenship, even if they were born there, and no matter how many generations their families have lived in Lebanon. Without citizenship, they are not entitled to health care, education and other government services.

Palestinians living in and outside the 12 official camps can receive health care, education and other social services only from UNRWA, the U.N. agency established for the sole purpose of providing for Palestinian refugees.

Palestinians are precluded from land and property ownership in Lebanon. Employment requires a work permit issued by the Lebanese government, which are infrequently given to Palestinians. Palestinians are legally barred from employment in at least 39 professions, including law, medicine and engineering.

Contrast this with the plight of the over 700,000 Jews who were forced to flee their homes in Arab countries as a result of the War of Independence. Israel welcomed these refugees as new citizens.

Those who seek to excuse Hamas’ horrific acts of terror, murder and continuous missile attacks on Jewish civilians by suggesting that “the issue is complex” need only look to the founding charter of Hamas, which is not long on nuance. Hamas’ charter openly promotes the murder of every Jew on Earth.

This movement is not about bettering the lives of Palestinians, or about “justice” or “two states.” It is about the extermination of Jews, starting with Israel.

Israel has the right, like every sovereign nation, to protect its citizens.

Since the Oct. 7 massacre perpetrated by Hamas terrorists, we have witnessed rallies around the world, and even here in Rhode Island, calling for the extermination of the Jewish people “from the river to the sea.”

After the Holocaust, the Jewish people committed to “Never Again.” We are now once again confronted with an existential threat to our existence.

We must stand together as one Jewish people, supporting Israel’s right to defend itself, bringing light to the darkness that seeks to destroy us.

Jodi M. Gladstone, M.Ed., Esq. is in private practice and runs her own law firm, Gladstone Law, LLC.

Jeffrey Gladstone, Esq. is a partner at the law firm, Partridge Snow & Hahn, LLC, serving clients throughout Rhode Island and Massachusetts.