#WTH 10/7: It's not just a war on Israel

Don't just stand there. Do something.

Theodor Herzl wrote these words in 1896…

“I believe that I understand Anti-Semitism, which is really a highly complex movement. I consider it from a Jewish standpoint, yet without fear or hatred. I believe that I can see what elements there are in it of vulgar sport, of common trade jealousy, of inherited prejudice, of religious intolerance, and also of pretended self-defense.

“We have honestly endeavored everywhere to merge ourselves in the social life of surrounding communities and to preserve the faith of our fathers. We are not permitted to do so. In vain are we loyal patriots, our loyalty in some places running to extremes; in vain do we make the same sacrifices of life and property as our fellow-citizens; in vain do we strive to increase the fame of our native land in science and art, or her wealth by trade and commerce. In countries where we have lived for centuries we are still cried down as strangers. and often by those whose ancestors were not yet domiciled in the land where Jews had already had experience of suffering.”

…but it may as well have been yesterday. He could have written it in America today. Or it could have been after the expulsion of the Jews by Spain in 1492, or after the Papal States forced Jews into ghettoes throughout their dominions. It could have been after the Nuremberg Laws in 1935, or after the Farhud in Iraq in 1941, or after the Holocaust, or after the mass expulsion of Jews from Arab lands after 1948. Neither the recitation nor the ignorance of that history can change the facts. It is, however, a reality that the Jewish people, wherever they have lived have faced antisemitism and persecution. That is why Zionism was born, that is why Israel exists.

Why do I begin this way? Because the victory of Hamas and its masters in Iran, like the victory of Hitler in his time, is not the murder of millions or thousands or six or seven. Their victory is the hordes that rise up to support the “justice” of the “settlement” of the “Jewish question.”

For so many of us who have labored at the heart of American democracy, and for people like me who have devoted their professional lives to the study of the Middle East, it is not the sight of what happened on October 7, 2023, that is so devastating, though devastating it is. It is the sight of Hamas’s fellow travelers in academia, at the United Nations, in the U.S. government, across the corporate press, throughout Europe, and of course, in the Middle East itself that is so terribly dispiriting.

Bret Stephens at the New York Times has done a beautiful job cataloging the explosion of antisemitism over the last year, and I can’t do better than he has. In the 366 days since October 7, Marc and I have spent days and weeks writing and talking about the corrosion of American society by critical race theory, by the neo-segregationism at the heart of the DEI movement, about the scourges of antisemitism inside both the Democratic and Republican parties, and about the progress of Israel’s war against Iran’s proxies. We’ve talked about Iran, about Hamas, about Hezbollah, about Israel itself, and about the Jewish community. I hope this work has helped illuminate the challenge that faces us.

Why do I say “us?” Because the hatreds that animate Iran, that underpin each bombing, each murder, each rape, each missile launch, only begin with the Jews. Sure, we can dismiss the useful idiots at the heart of campus protests, and the antisemitism that animates too much of the media, and even the stupidity of members of Congress and their musings on Jewish space lasers, but we cannot dismiss the ideology that unifies the far left and far right, that walks hand in hand with the Islamist extremism of Iran and its Sunni acolytes. And we must fight it. Here’s how.

At Home

Reject tribalism: The intersectionality insanity that infuses too much of Gen Z and the ridiculous professoriat that has corrupted them insists that if you’re pro-choice, you must be pro-trans, anti-capitalism, anti-“white,” and anti-Israel. This groupthink is a scourge and must be rejected in all its forms. There are Democrats who are smart about Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and Israel. And there are Republicans who are the same. As an example, it doesn’t matter that Ritchie Torres is pro-choice, or that Lindsay Graham is pro-life. Together, they need to lean on Chuck Schumer and Mike Johnson to do more to fight Iran, support Israel, and defeat antisemitism. It doesn’t sully their credentials on other issues to work together.

Change the law: We need to pass the Antisemitism Awareness Act, and together build the foundation to crush Iran and its allies in America. We need to change tax law to out the terrorist supporters hiding behind non-profit umbrella groups, using both American and foreign money to foster extremism and antisemitism on campus. We need to double down on Iran sanctions, and return Iran to the economic extremis it faced under Trump.

Speak out: For too long, Jews have sought to fade into the woodwork, hoping that by diminishing their own identities or elevating other issues, people would forget the hatred of Jews that plagues every century. SCREW THAT. Whether you’re Christian, Muslim, Jewish, or anything else, silence — as the haters like to say — is complicity. It can be the antisemitism you see at your school, the Jew-hatred you see in your company, the unequal treatment you see in your community. Whatever it is, wherever it is, call it out. Never explain it away; educate your children; educate your friends. Don’t wait for people to commit evil before summoning that within yourself that is righteous.

Defeat the enemy: I wrote about this last month, but I can’t say it often enough… It’s long past time to remove the Rashida Tlaibs and Louis Farrakhans and Ta-Nehisi Coates and Tucker Carlsons and Laura Loomers from our political lives in America. Our tolerance for their hatred must end. And I know, there will always be costs to shoving aside such types. It’s worth the price. Speak. We are the majority.

Learn the law: No, the First Amendment doesn’t give you the right to shout down your adversaries, nor to deplatform people with whom you disagree. The First Amendment doesn’t permit you to call for other people to die, let alone do them physical harm. That’s not how our constitution works. Learn about it. Share about it. Demand our schools teach it. (A propos of which, substack coming soon on just this topic.)

Abroad

Iran: The government of the Islamic Republic must be stopped, and its ability to export weapons, support terrorism, and develop nuclear bombs stymied. Israel has shown us just how weak and hollow the regime in Tehran really is. It’s long past time for the United States to consider whether the existence of the Islamic Republic’s system in Iran is tolerable for our own national security. This doesn’t necessarily mean war, but it does mean a change in our national policy of tolerance and cooperation with the regime.

Iran’s collaborators: Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, Yemen, not to speak of the West Bank and Gaza, are en route to destruction because of the Islamic Republic of Iran. But it’s not enough to remove the poison from these vassal states. The United States must do more to help good people stand against their aggressors in Tehran. We have looked away for decades as hundreds of thousands have died needlessly at the hands of the Iranians and their henchmen. We need a proactive and competitive policy to edge out the Iranians in favor of people who are more inclined to the values we support. If that means gutting the Department of State and AID, so be it. Congress, this is your job.

The Palestinians: The failure of Western paternalism in the West Bank and Gaza has fostered the growth of terrorist rump states that kill children, exploit women, foster Islamist extremism, and deny Palestinians a moment of hope for their future. The future of “Palestine” doesn’t rest on Benjamin Netanyahu; it rests on the United States and European nations that have wasted hundreds of billions towards no good end. There needs first to be an accounting of the mistakes of the last 30 years since Oslo, and an understanding of what will be necessary for a state of Palestine to exist that neither threatens Israel nor the United States.

Israel: There are still four American hostages in Gaza, not that you would know it. Give Israel what it needs to defeat our shared enemies and bring the hostages home.

America: For some years now, we have had leaders lacked any vision for a world led by the United States. One made retreat his signature, another made burden-sharing the be-all and end-all. We don’t need to be everywhere, and we can’t solve every problem. Then again, we have learned time and again how problems fester when we ignore them, or pretend they are solved by pieces of paper. Once upon a time, the United States celebrated our values, and knew that if we did not compete against our enemies, they would win, with disastrous consequences to ourselves. Think of it as a selfish foreign policy; or think of it as a values-driven foreign policy; or think of it as the only foreign policy that will keep America safe and prosperous. What does that mean? It means arming our friends that want to fight for themselves, to the hilt if needed. It means building up our deterrence and our military and remaining on the cutting edge. It means recognizing there are regimes that are anathema to our interests, and that allowing them to arm themselves with nuclear weapons is insane.

Over the last four years, we have failed Ukraine, and we have failed Israel. We are only lucky that they have enough fight in them to continue even as we slow roll the arms necessary to win the fight. We have serious choices before us in the coming weeks. Think not just about crime, immigration, and abortion. Think about the future of the free world.