(Note. In previous posts I have discussed how the Democratic Party has moved away from support for Israel. We've seen it in the way Democrats in Congress vote, with all 45 Democratic Senators voting to block all or some military aid to Israel, while Israel is fighting a multifront war. We've seen it in the poll numbers showing rank and file Democrats now favoring the Palestinians over Israel. But now, we have a sitting U.S. Senator openly saying that we need to move away from support for Israel. Whether he truly knows nothing of the many ways the U.S. benefits from Israel as an ally, or whether he is just an antisemite, I leave up to my readers. But Senator Chris Van Hollen (D-Md), who has aspirations to become President, was the keynote speaker at DAWN (Democracy for the Arab World Now), along with other Jew haters. More on that later.)
Senator Van Hollen penned an Op-Ed for the May 26, 2026 New York Times. I should not have been shocked upon reading his Op-Ed, knowing how the Democrats no longer favor Israel. But here was a Democratic U.S. Senator saying it all out loud. Before I give you some quotes from his Op-Ed, let me be clear. He says all the usual lies about Israel - being an apartheid state, engaging in ethnic cleansing, engaging in genocide and enforcing collective punishment. What does he say about Hamas? NOTHING! What does he say about October 7, 2023? NOTHING! Who does he blame for violence and instability throughout the Middle East? ISRAEL! (Technically, he blames the conflict between Israel and the Palestines, but it's Israel's fault for the ongoing conflict.) (Note. I avoid the use of expletives in my blog. I cannot promise I'll be able to refrain here.)
Let's start with this. Van Hollen: "The Israeli-Palestinian conflict has ensnared us in violence and caused instability throughout the Middle East." Oh? The Lebanese civil war (April, 1975 - October, 1990) was a war involving Muslims and Christians. There were an estimated 120,000 to 150,000 casualties, with about 1 million people displaced. Lebanon went from being a Christian run country to a Muslim country. Hundreds of thousnds of Christians were displaced. The war between Iran and Iraq lasted from 1980 to 1988. An estimated 450,000 to 500,000 people were killed, with 1 to 2 million people being wounded. Then we had the war between Iraq and the U.S. allies. Over 1 million Christians have been displaced from Iraq. I guess Senator Van Hollen does not care about Christian deaths and displacement from their homes in the Middle East. Because the Jews were not involved.
The Syrian civil war (March, 2011 to December 2024) resulted in an estimated 350,00 to 580,000 or more deaths, Civilian deaths were estimated at 219,000 to 306,000. 13 to 14 million people were displaced, with many people fleeing to nearby countries and to Europe. The Saudi and Yemen/Houthis war began in 2014. There have been hundreds of thousands of deaths. Not to mention what has been described as widespread famine and malnutrition, with many people being displaced. One estimate has 150,000 people being directly killed, and 377,000 people being killed indirectly.
Sudan, although in Africa, is Middle East adjacent. That civil war, begun in 2023, resulted in anywhere from 150,000 to over 400,000 deaths. 14 million people were forcibly displaced, with 25 million facing severe issues of food insecurity and famine. Although not Middle East adjacent, the West African country of Nigeria has seen over 130,000 Christians being killed (murdered), with tens of thousands being abducted. But that's just Muslims killing Christians again, so need for antisemites to be bothered by any of it. I would love to ask Senator Van Hollen what Israel or the Israel - Palestinian conflict had to do with any of those conflicts. After all, he blames Israel for all the instability in the Middle East. And, of course, I'd like to know why he doesn't seem to give a damn about those conflicts which resulted in many more casualties than the Israeli - Palestinian conflict.
How dare he not mention Hamas? How dare he not mention that Israel vacated Gaza in 2005. And that the people of Gaza elected Hamas, a terrorist organization, as their govenment. He clearly did not discuss the numerous times the Palestinians have been offered a state of their own, starting the same time as when Israel was offered a state, by the UNGA resolution in November, 1947. He chose not to discuss the billions of dollars in aid that Hamas has received over the years, which would have enabled them to build a productive society in Gaza. He chose not to ask why they used all their money to build underground tunnels into Israel so that they can kill and kidnap Jews. And, of course, he did not mention all the wars that Hamas started.
Worst of all, he chose not to mention the events of October 7, 2023. When thousands of Hamas terrorists entered Israel and brutally raped, tortured and murdered 1200 people - mostly civilians, and took another 251 people as hostages. They even raped and murdered and took as hostages little babies. Van Hollen also failed to mention how joyful the Hamas terrorists were while committing their atrocities. Nor did he mention how the people of Gaza, the so-called innocents, joined in the celebrations of those killed and kidnapped.
Van Hollen is rather explicit in saying how he feels about Israel: "For decades, we (Democrats) have called for a two-state solution, but we've failed to use our leverage to make it real. It's past time that we use that leverage to end the occupation and achieve two states with full political and legal rights for all. That means withdrawing taxpayer support from Israel and conditioning arms sales." It's a shame that Delaware didn't invade Maryland, rape and torture and murder 1200 people there (maybe some of the Senator's friends or family) and kidnap another 251 people. I wonder what this idiot Senator would say then. I can tell you what the Israelis now think of this idea of a two-state solution. And how October 7 affected them. (See Part II.)