"Harris, Gaza and the Voters She Leaves Behind"

Such was the headline of an Op-Ed in the Sunday, September 1, 2024, New York Times.  A mere six days before the 11 month anniversary of the worst attack on the Jewish people since the Holocaust.  It is safe to assume that when an Op-Ed appears in the NY Times, the paper agrees with the contents.  This particular Op-Ed was written by Hala Alyan, who describes herself as a Palestinian American.  Ms. Alyan tells us that she was "raised on stories of the nakba (Arabic for catastrophe, and used to describe the founding of Israel), land theft, a boy burned alive, a young American woman mangled by an Israeli bulldozer (see Rachel Corrie), the searing image of a man trying to protect his son from flying bullets."  She then adds:  "Palestinian Americans and their allies are bringing a context to this election."  

Unfortunately, she gives no context to the events she described.  And one, the nakba, can explain everything that has happened between and the Arabs since Israel's founding in 1948.  It can explain all the attacks on Israel. the intifadas, the suicide bombers, the nonstop rockets and missiles sent into Israel.  The nakba.  The refusal to accept the existence of the State of Israel.  76 years later still living in denial. 

Ms. Alyan expressed her appreciation for Kamala Harris at the DNC, when Harris spoke of Palestinians right to "freedom" and "self-determination," and saying "the scale of suffering is heartbreaking."  But she wanted more.  She wanted Harris to give a "direct naming of who is killing and starving Palestinians."  She wanted Harris to name the perpetrator.  If she did not, allow me:  Hamas!  Along with every Arab who refuses to accept the existence, on a tiny strip of land, of the one Jewish country in the world.  Those are your perpetrators, Ms. Alyan.

However, in her Op-Ed, Ms. Alyan never mentions Hamas.  She never mentions October 7.  She does manage to throw in the usual falsehoods, such as Israel being an apartheid state, and Israel committing genocide.  And she speaks favorably of those who voted "uncommitted" during the Democratic primary, hoping to send a message to party leaders to reverse course on their support for Israel.  Ms. Alyan not only seeks to have a ceasefire, she wants sanctions placed on Israel, and she wants an arms embargo.

I would love to ask Ms. Alyan if she would like to see the United States supply arms to Hamas.  The same Hamas that our country has defined as a terrorist organization.  I would like to ask her why she did not mention the October 7 massacre.  And, if she didn't care about the brutal murder of so many innocents, including children, and the rape and mutilation of women.  I would like to ask her why she did not mention Hamas.  Does she think Hamas bears any responsibility for the events that occurred on October 7 and thereafter?  

As she continues to refer to the "nakba," does that mean Ms. Alyan does not believe Israel has the right to exist?  I'd like to ask her.  Does she support all the wars against Israel?  Does she want to see the Jewish people eliminated?  What does she stand for?  I'd like to ask her.  If she was to ask me my opinion on the killing of innocents in Gaza, I would refer her to my 11/26/23 post about an Op-Ed written by New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof.  Mr. Kristof repeatedly asked "how many dead Gazan children are too many?"  

My reply was:  "Here is the answer, Mr. Kristof - one is too many.  But that cannot deter Israel from doing what it must to defeat Hamas.  Were it otherwise, Israel would have to sit back and just accept attack after attack after attack."  

Ms. Alyan writes:  "Ultimately, nobody is owed constituents.  Nobody is owed votes.  They must be earned."  Her conclusion:  "A democratic system that doesn't represent the wishes of its constituents is either malfunctioning or misnamed."  If that is truly what Ms. Alyan believes, then she does not understand what a democracy is.  I'd like her to explain how her policy towards Israel would represent  Jewish American constituents, and the majority of Americans, who believe the United States should support Israel.  It appears that. for Ms. Alyan. the United States can only be called a democracy, when and if it supports Hamas.

I have so many questions for Ms. Alyan.  Does she think that Hamas, as the governing body of Gaza, operates as a democracy?  Does she support the taking of hostages, including babies?  Does she support Hamas using the people of Gaza as human shields, placing their weapons and arms in people's homes, in hospitals and in mosques?  And, of course, I'd like to ask her what she thinks about the harassment of Jewish students in this country?  And, what place does she see for the Jewish people in America, and in the world?