SCHRAM: Sad role reversal undrway in Middle East

Ever again.

The sickening sound of human decency shattering echoes around our world. It is being smashed both by human violence and human passivity. It was ignited by the horrific Oct. 7 slaughter and hostage kidnapping of innocent Israelis including babies and children by Gaza’s ruling Hamas terrorists. The terrorists whose charter vows to exterminate Israel invaded the land that was created 75 years earlier with a commitment of “Never Again,” as an almost-shattered world hoped peace could finally be forged now that we finally were a planet of United Nations.

It seemed implausible, indeed impossible, back then that we would ever again be staring at breaking news like this front page headline from Thursday’s New York Times: “Familiar Fear Gripping Jews Across Europe.” And this lede by correspondent Roger Cohen:

“Perhaps not since the Holocaust, which saw the annihilation of about two-thirds of Europe’s Jewish community, have the Jews of Europe lived in an atmosphere of fear so acute that it feels like a fundamental shift in the terms of their existence.

“Across a Europe of daubed Stars of David on apartment buildings, bomb threats to Jewish stores and demonstrations calling for Israel’s eradication, Jews speak of alarm as pro-Palestinian sentiment surges.”

But as our disbelieving eyes read that, our brains were already telling us precisely what you are thinking right now: Not just across Europe! It’s all over our United States too. Anti-Semitic violence, death threats and hate-killing is happening — ever again! Where we live, work, study and play. Even at our finest university campuses (where they are replied to by shamefully limp both-sidism statements from invertebrate college presidents).

There was a moment after the Oct. 7 terrorist invasion and atrocities when Israel seemed to have a world of support. World leaders initially condemned Hamas terrorists for invading Israel and committing unspeakable atrocities — killing babies in cribs, killing some children in their beds and kidnapping others as hostages, raping women and slaughtering innocents at a music festival.

This was the moment when an Israel that was as wise and smart as it is powerful and determined could have recognized that it suddenly was in a most unaccustomed worldwide position — holding a globally moral and humane high-ground. But that high ground is a highly unfamiliar territory for Israel’s right-wing hardliners. They have famously been their own worst enemies when it comes to the world’s message wars. And so, once again, they failed to conduct their retribution in the wise ways that could have let them execute their vital and proper military retribution — to exterminate the inhumane terrorists of Hamas in a way that showed they were a people capable of both combat power and compassionate performance.

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu was right to quickly form a new unity governing coalition with opposition leader Benny Gantz. But they needed to publicly and symbolically be seen moving as one in messaging the world.

They needed to jointly address the world’s leaders calling for a new global unity to end the abuses by Hamas terrorists who are funded and armed by Iran. World leaders must act immediately to truly make peace before it is too late. They needed to call upon U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres and all the world to act at once to rid the world of the Hamas terrorist regime that has committed not just one war crime atrocity against innocent civilians but two:

1. The unacceptable Oct. 7 atrocities against innocent Israeli civilian victims; and

2. The absolutely unacceptable atrocity of hiding its command centers, rocket launchers, etc. among the Palestinian civilians and in its vast network of tunnels beneath the Palestinians. In short Hamas has long been forcing Palestinians into becoming their human shield victims.

And Israel’s joint governing leaders needed to tell the United Nations in unmistakable terms what has just happened — and why. Hamas not only set out to kill Israel’s innocent civilians but has acted to deliberately force Israel into retaliation that will kill thousands of innocent Palestinian civilians. And that was Hamas’ main goal — cause Israel to turn world opinion against Israel.

Why? Because Iran wants most of all to make it impossible for Saudi Arabia and its allies to establish diplomatic recognition of Israel, a move that is about to happen.

But instead, Israel responded by taking the extraordinary steps of repeatedly warning Gazans to flee northern Gaza — but many couldn’t go and others had nowhere to go once they began to flee south. Then Israel cut off water, electricity, supplies — and then began its massive air and ground assault aimed at Hamas targets but devastating those innocent Palestinian civilians. So as the whole world watched, Israel of course was seen as the enemy that was destroying the lives of innocent Palestinians.

Way back in 1973, the late Israeli diplomat Abba Eban observed that the Palestinians “never miss an opportunity to miss an opportunity.” Today, Eban must be shaking his head as he sees Netanyahu repeatedly making the other side’s infamous trait his own.