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I sat in Rome this week facing government and business figures. What will happen in Gaza, they asked. I said that after the atrocities the Gazans committed against us, they have lost their right to live beside us and should be dispersed to other countries. Their main reason for existence is the destruction of Israel and the murder of Jews. For this purpose, they are willing to suffer the disgrace of hunger and cold and to see their children die, as long as they murdered and humiliated Jews.
They had many opportunities to change their ways and take care of their lives, but they preferred to dedicate their existence to the grand plan of our destruction. A Nazi entity grew on our southern border, and it's no coincidence that our soldiers found Arabic translations of Hitler's book "Mein Kampf" in children's rooms in Gaza. These are their gods. Well, there is a price for this. In the choice between our lives and theirs, our answer is clear.
One of those present spoke about a political and economic solution. I replied that we tried this for decades. You Europeans look at the Middle East with Western eyes, through rational discourse, as if England and France were here. This was also our conception until October 6. We thought Gazans preferred to live well and raise families rather than experience another round of murder and killing. While Europeans donated billions to them – amounts that could have built Singapore twice in the Middle East – they stole the money for the private benefit of their leaders and to establish the largest terror fortress in history. They were astonished to hear about the length of tunnels dug there (more than 435 miles).
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This week in Gaza, we saw for the first time demonstrations against Hamas with unmasked faces. This caused some naive people to believe that change is beginning. The ancient Middle Eastern rule asks where the power lies. Hamas has controlled food distribution until now and thus recruited more terrorists to its ranks, which have thinned during the war. Now, as Israel, with American administration support, puts more pressure on them, and the destruction of homes and environment takes its toll, cracks begin to appear in the Gazan population's support for continuing the war. This is a sign to continue pressing more. Either way, we must not be confused; they do not regret the massacre. Their sons were proud of it and filmed how they raped, burned, and murdered us, and the families who sent them rejoiced in the humiliation of Jews. There is no fundamental change in this society, and it is not our job to help it undergo such change.
Now the problem is knocking on your door, I told my interlocutors in Rome. We are at least fighting evil, but you are tired. Europe is being conquered, and your eyes are failing. The maximum your leaders do is criticize Israel for its actions. Israel is fighting for you too. We are the forward position of the entire West, the front of Judeo-Christian civilization. It's no coincidence that enemies of the West attack us first. They understand what you refuse to understand.
By the way, Mike Huckabee said similar things this week at a Senate hearing marking his entry into the position of US Ambassador to Israel. He was asked why support for Israel is important to America and replied that in Iran's view, Israel is the first course ("the Little Satan"), and after it, America will come to the main course ("the Great Satan"). And what happens to Israel is like "the canary in a coal mine" through which they checked whether there are toxic gases endangering the miners and the entire mine.
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In the end, I continued, Europe will have to choose between traditional antisemitism and the desire to survive. Yusuf al-Qaradawi, a supreme authority in the Islamic world and, until recently, the spiritual leader of the "Muslim Brotherhood," published more than twenty years ago a religious ruling that directed Muslim policy in Europe:
"Constantinople (the capital of Eastern Christianity) was conquered in 1453 by the Ottoman Mehmed bin Murad (and became Istanbul)... and now the conquest of the other city – Rome – remains, and for this we hope and in this we believe. The meaning of this – Islam will return to Europe once again as a conqueror and victor, after being expelled from it twice... This time, the conquest of Europe will not be by the sword, but through preaching and spreading Islamic ideology... until it includes both East and West." Rome is a symbol of the capital of Western Christianity, meaning the conquest of Judeo-Christian civilization.
There are now serious forces in Europe who understand this, not always out of love for Mordecai but out of hatred for Haman. They fear for their lives and look to Israel as an example and model for a state fighting evil and terror. Israel combines in its essence what European countries discarded long ago: religious tradition and healthy nationalism. These are two decisive conditions for survival in history. Now, after a great delay, there are elements that understand this and seek to cooperate with us.
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Here's the rub. Some of these elements belong to what is called the "extreme right" in Europe. As is known, we are "allowed" to cooperate with the most radical elements of the European left, but God forbid with the other side. For years, the European and Israeli intellectual elite determined the boundaries of what is permitted and forbidden regarding contact and cooperation with political groups. Identity politics still determines coalitions in the world today.
This week, a conference on combating antisemitism was held in Jerusalem, led by Minister for Diaspora Affairs Amichai Chikli, who maintains a pragmatic policy of cooperation with all global forces supporting Israel, including those from the "extreme right" quarters. They are worried about the danger of an Islamist takeover of Europe, especially groups identified with the "Muslim Brotherhood," which are even boycotted in some Arab countries.
These parties may have antisemitic roots, but politics is dynamic, and today, these leaders clearly condemn antisemitism and stand by Israel. For them, Israel's war against Hamas is the war of the entire free world, and we are the front line of their struggle for the soul of their nations. In my opinion, Israel is not doing enough to organize and unite these forces to change Europe's traditional attitude toward us.
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Elements in the leadership of diaspora Jewry have come out strongly against this cooperation between the Israeli government and "extreme right" elements. They remember how these parties acted in the past and fear the present. Some believe they can still mark the political boundaries for others as well. Israel is the state of the Jewish people, including diaspora Jews; we are their insurance policy. In the moment of truth, we will be there for them and welcome them with open arms. To tell the truth, I don't understand why French Jews are not returning home to Zion and continue to insist on living there, despite the flourishing antisemitism and violent incidents against them due to the spread of radical Islam around them.
In any case, Israel needs to calculate its political considerations independently, not necessarily according to the dictates of diaspora Jews. Indeed, one needs to be careful regarding any cooperation, but the rise of the right in Europe today is not related to antisemitism but to an enemy common to Europe and us. Hamas is an example of this. It would not be wise on our part to boycott these forces just in the name of the past, especially when they are taking (and are destined to take) leadership among countries whose governments, until recently, did not favor us much. Some elements among us defame this cooperation? This did not prevent them from supporting cooperation with radical anti-Israel elements from the other side. We do not live by their words. The Jew has returned not only to history but also to world politics. We have a message for the world.
