Avi Abelow | Jan 12, 2025
Getty Images AFP GALI TIBBON
The Times of Israel recently reported the statements of a number of prominent centrist and liberal American Jewish organizations opposing the resettlement of Gaza by Jews, calling it a “far-right” policy. Groups opposed to the idea include the Jewish Federations of North America, the American Jewish Committee (AJC), United Reform Judaism, United Synagogue (the Conservative movement) and the Anti-Defamation League (ADL).
Their audacity is astounding.
These same organizations supported the disastrous 2005 Gaza Disengagement, which led to the destruction of 21 thriving Jewish communities, the expulsion of nearly 10,000 Jews from their homes, and the rise of a terrorist regime in Gaza that led to the October 7th massacre.
Yet, to this day, they refuse to admit how catastrophically wrong they were. Their continued denial of reality reveals just how out of touch they remain with the harsh truths of the Middle East.
When Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza in 2005, these American Jewish organizations were among the loudest cheerleaders for the move. They claimed it would advance peace. They claimed it would bolster Israel’s security. Instead, it created a vacuum filled by Hamas, a genocidal terror organization that turned Gaza into a launchpad for rockets and terror tunnels aimed at Israel.
These organizations’ objections to resettling Gaza are not just strategically misguided; they are historically ignorant. Gaza is not a “Palestinian enclave.” It is Jewish land, with a history of Jewish presence going back thousands of years. From the biblical city of Gaza to the Jewish communities that flourished there during the Roman and Byzantine periods, to Rabbi Yehuda Najara, the Chief Rabbi of Gaza City in the 16th century who wrote the popular Shabbat son sung Friday night “Ka Ribon,” Gaza has always been part of the Jewish homeland.
Dismissing Gaza as “Palestinian” erases Jewish history. It also ignores the realities of the present. A vast majority of the Gaza population openly supports Hamas and celebrated the massacre and kidnapping of Jews on October 7th. They have demonstrated an opposition to peace with Israel at every opportunity.
The importance of resettling Jews in Gaza is validated by history, but is also necessitated by the current strategic need to ensure a strong Israeli presence that can deter future attacks and protect Israeli citizens.
The Middle East is not a place for weakness. In this region, where strength is respected, survival depends on deterrence. The Sunni revolution toppling the Assad regime in Syria should have taught these American Jewish organizations that Israel must remain strong to deter its enemies.
Instead of internalizing this reality, these groups cling to an outdated apologist mentality, disconnected from the Middle East’s brutal dynamics. They focus on appeasing international opinion and the Biden administration rather than prioritizing what is necessary to defend Israel and deter those who seek its destruction.
The irony is that many of these organizations champion liberal values. They fail to recognize that the only way to preserve liberal values in Israel is through strength and sovereignty—not retreat and appeasement.
The Middle East is not a place for wishful thinking. It is a place where moral clarity and decisive action are essential for survival.
The tragedy of October 7th was a direct result of abandoning Gaza, leaving a vacuum wide open for corrupt, antisemitic jihadists under the Palestinian Authority and, subsequently, Hamas to fill. The best way to honor the memory of those murdered on Oct. 7th and prevent future atrocities is to learn from that mistake, not repeat it.
Resettling Gaza with a strong Jewish presence is not an act of extremism; it is an act of survival and justice.
If these American Jewish organizations cannot acknowledge their own mistakes, admit that they were juxtaposing Western culture on the Middle East and learn the hard truths of this region. Perhaps they should step aside and let those with moral clarity lead the way.
The stakes are too high for Israel—and for the Jewish people worldwide—for anything less.
“Liberal Jews” are liberal First, Last and in between.
But most are “Socialists or even Communists” in spirit
Apropos of nothing, a funny Chinese variation on the Orpheus legend from 2017, “Hansen and the Beast.” I saw it in the theater and enjoyed it at the time. I see Daily Motion has the whole movie free but with commercials.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hanson_and_the_Beast
Yohay Sponder on politicians. Israel’s Mark Twain.
https://youtu.be/bgA4AwEG8eU?si=cEywVyH30V5LhgjR
“Suppose you were an idiot, and suppose you were a member of Congress; but I repeat myself.”
Mark Twain
“The Holocaust was an obscene period in our nation’s history. [on followup] No, not our nation’s, but in World War II. I mean, we all lived in this century. I didn’t live in this century, but in this century’s history.”
Press conference (September 15, 1988), paraphrased in Esquire (August 1992), The New Yorker (October 10, 1988), p. 102
“James Danforth “Dan” Quayle (born 4 February 1947) is an American politician and lawyer who served as the 44th vice president of the United States from 1989 to 1993. Quayle was also a U.S. representative from 1977 to 1981 and a U.S. senator from 1981 to 1989 from the state of Indiana. In 1999 Quayle joined Cerberus Capital Management, a multibillion-dollar private-equity firm, where he serves as chairman of the company’s global investments division.”
https://en.wikiquote.org/wiki/Dan_Quayle
In Greek mythology, Cerberus is a three-headed dog that guards the entrance to the underworld, Hades. He is also known as the hound of Hades. Cerberus’s parents were Typhon, a fire-breathing giant, and Echinda, a half-woman, half-serpent monster. Cerberus is said to have devoured anyone who tried to escape Hades, but the hero Orpheus was able to pass through by charming Cerberus with music. Heracles, a warrior, was tasked with bringing Cerberus to the land of the living, which he accomplished and then returned Cerberus to Hades.
The best solution is to squeeze the Palestinians into one corner of Gaza and let nature take it’s course with an internal civil war which will cull the population naturally.
Gazans love to fight? War lords will emerge. Let them do themselves in.
These organizations are no more Jewish than is George Soros or Zelensky. They are leftist Democrats who disingenuously cover their political leanings with their claims to represent Jewish people. Let us not forget the full page NYT ad paid for by over 600 “Jewish” organizations in 2022 kissing BLM butt. And we all know where BLM stands on October 7 atrocity. Fat lot of good their love for BLM did. These organizations are a cancer within Judaism and at a minimum they are to be ignored.