Shockingly, the State of Israel has morphed into a soulless terrorist organization driven in large part by theocratic influences. Look not only to the deadly horrors of Gaza—seemingly another 30 or 40 killed every day, a third of them children. The ongoing, state-backed, violent (sometimes murderous) takeover of the West Bank led by radical zealots is just a lower-profile outrage. As American citizens, we must not fear speaking out about this sad and horrifying turn.
Hamas? Terrorists to the core, killers without conscience. The atrocities of October 7, 2023, could have no justification. Of course, Hamas needed elimination, and its hellish ploy of using its own innocents as “the shield” could not trump a just and focused retribution…which it got, in spades. Does that somehow excuse what the State of Israel has been doing for months now? For the love of god and humanity, it does not.
I have no connection to, or particular sympathies for, either the Jewish or Arab communities. I’m just a wasp sort of guy with roots in Catonsville, a non-believer with a long interest in history. In truth, I’ve not even wanted to follow the Middle East conflict; none of us has unlimited bandwidth, and it’s been a busy time. The horrors of that autumn/winter of 23-’24 made me turn away, a sense of profound disgust directed at everyone in the misnamed Holy Land.
But this is now.
Trump sucks the air out of every room every day, an endless cascade of headlines. Then there are floods, China, and the Ukraine war. All of it is important (some existential for America, perhaps). But if you can stomach your way through all that and read on, you come face to face with Israel’s crimes du jour. Indiscriminate bombing. Starvation. Relocations. Illegal settlements. Destruction destruction destruction.
The press does report, but I hear little public discussion, much less outrage. Like it’s happening on a different planet. You do know that your tax dollars and mine are supporting the State of Israel today–as for the past 75 years, under every administration, whatever party. But how can it be, that we continue in the face of these horrors? Billions every year…as if Israel can’t tie the hangman’s knot on its own.
History is a funny thing. The stories can be crystal clear as to right and wrong, fault and innocence, guilt and justification. It just depends on the starting point one chooses when spinning the tale. Hamas and October 7, 2023? Arafat and the Intifada? The Oslo Accords? Say the 1967 war? Independence in 1948 (Nakba to the Palestinians)? Or was it the Balfour Declaration? Or the ungodly pogroms of the 19th century in Eastern Europe? Maybe the first Diaspora, or earlier–say the crossing of the River Jordon? (That is the theocratic argument made today by many settlers trying illegally to seize “Judea and Samaria,” aka the West Bank.)
See nothing, say nothing, do nothing, and we deserve the shame that will be heaped upon us in the future. Yes, it’s uncomfortable to speak out—someone is sure to fling the word “antisemite.” But we must not be fearful to call evil by its name.
Israel’s current actions are those of a terrorist organization.
Dan Watson
Easton
WILLIAM KEPPEN says
Netanyahu will continue his starvation and killing of Palestinian civilians, attempting to kill off Hamas, until Trump/America give him this one simple ultimatum. We are cutting off all aid and arms sales to Israel, until such time as you make a peace deal that allows Palestinian people to live in peace in their traditional homelands, the West Bank and Gaza.
Anne C Stalfort says
Agree! We have got to cut off all aid to Israel until they come to the table and agree to a future that doesn’t include killing Palestinian children. And they must sign on to a two state solution. What is our country doing being on the side of a world leader who bombs hospitals; who bombs families as they are trying to access the little food that manages to make it to Gaza; who is literally starving children? A Palestinian baby who was a healthy, chubby little girl when she was born, died today of malnutrition . Netanyahu caused that. I hope we are horrified as a nation and stop any funding to Israel.
Nadine Sachs says
I hope, as a nation, that we would be horrified at how the barbaric, terrorist group, Hamas, has managed to gain such worldwide support. They care nothing for the Palestinian people as they hide weapons and build terror tunnels under homes, schools and hospitals, putting the civilian population at risk. They started this war on October 7th, 2023 as they brutally raped, burnt and murdered innocent young people at a music festival, entire families in their homes and took hundreds of hostages. Have you heard of the two Bibas boys – Ariel and Kfir, a baby and a toddler? They were kidnapped alive with their mother, Shiri, and when their bodies were finally returned to Israel, forensic evidence showed that the innocent boys were brutally murdered by their captors. What kind of evil would do that to a baby? The kind of evil that we should all be very afraid of. Hamas has openly stated that they would gladly carry out another October 7th. Israel has a duty to protect and defend its people, ensuring that this can never happen again. Hamas can end this atrocious war by returning the remaining 50 hostages, many of them either dead or about to die from starvation. If you care deeply about all children, as I do, apportioning blame to the right people for the suffering of these children is the only way they will ever be helped.
Richard Lynch says
I agree 100% with your comments. I have written to our Senator to stop supporting isreal on their actions in the Middle East.we are as guilty as isreal on all the killings….
Kent Robertson says
I don’t know, Dan. My understanding is that Hamas has attacked innocent civilians in Israel on an ongoing basis for decades. The Palestinian people voted them into power. They used that power to carry out more attacks.
War is Hell.
Israel will have no peace until Hamas and it’s sympathizers are gone. You’ve already chronicled Hamas’ atrocities. How would you proceed if you were Netanyahu? If you were Israeli?
When the line was drawn in the sand by thecall Allies declaring the Jewish homeland after WW II, the stage was set for this conflict. Two people’s with legitimate claims to their homelands. What did they expect would happen?
We now have what we have. if I have to choose, I will side with the Jewish people over Hamas…every time.
Barbara Denton says
Kent you are absolutely correct. The Palestinians have no right to this land. They lived their working for the landowners who were conducting the commerce and farming. You have to look at history. Iran wants them destroyed and they have been financing this destruction since the 80’s. Hamas must be totally removed. Palestine is no none’s homeland. Israel is the homeland of the Jewish people and will remain as such.
Michael Pullen says
Nothing justifies the genocide and ethnic cleansing Israel is committing in Gaza. Nothing.
War, murder, starvation as a means of control and submission, destruction and death do not end hatred and attack, they provoke it and guarantee the cycle will continue by legitimizing indiscriminate killing.
These are policies of a rogue nation, and the United States is complicit in the terror raining down on the Palestinian people.
Jane Hopkinson says
Dan, I agree with you 100% and thank you for speaking out. You are so right when you speak of history. “The stories can be crystal clear as to right and wrong, fault and innocence, guilt and justification. It just depends on the starting point one chooses when spinning the tale.”
Unfortunately, we are living in a period of hate and chaos. The fact that we continue to support Israel and deny support to programs like FEMA, Medicaid, scientific research, education, as well as throwing innocent people out of this country or putting them in jail.
We can help balance the budget by stopping support to Israel and their program of genocide. Dan, thank you for your comments.
Melanie Waxman says
I am writing in response to recent letters condemning Israel’s actions in Gaza and calling for an end to U.S. aid. While I too care deeply about the lives of all civilians — especially children — I urge fellow readers to pause and ask: who is truly responsible for the suffering of innocent Palestinians and Israelis alike?
On October 7, 2023, Hamas launched one of the most brutal terror attacks in modern memory. Civilians were raped, burned alive, beheaded. Infants, such as baby Kfir Bibas and his toddler brother Ariel, were kidnapped with their mother and later found murdered. Over 1,200 Israelis were slaughtered in a single day. These are not the acts of freedom fighters — they are the acts of a terrorist organization, fully funded and armed by Iran, whose charter openly calls for the destruction of Israel.
For those calling for Israel to “come to the table,” it must be noted that Arab leaders have been offered a state alongside Israel numerous times — in 1937, 1947, 1967, 2000, 2008, and again in 2020. Each offer was rejected. Why? Because Hamas and many others do not want peace with Israel. They want no Israel at all.
We must also ask: if terrorists crossed into Canada or Mexico and brutally attacked U.S. civilians — burned families alive in their homes, took hostages, slaughtered babies — would we not respond militarily to stop it from ever happening again? Of course we would. So does Israel. It has the right and the obligation to protect its people.
Yes, the images from Gaza are heartbreaking. But they are also Hamas’s strategy. They hide weapons and leaders in schools, mosques, hospitals, and apartment buildings. They build terror tunnels under neighborhoods. Every Palestinian death is a victory for Hamas’s propaganda, not for peace.
Meanwhile, the world is silent about the real genocide happening in Syria, where hundreds of thousands have died. Why is that ignored? Why do we condemn Israel more harshly than we do brutal regimes that kill indiscriminately?
Let us be clear: Hamas does not care about the Palestinian people. Anyone who sympathizes with Hamas would be silenced, jailed, or executed under its rule. And if we, as a nation, truly care about all children, we must stop pretending that peace will come by blaming those defending themselves from terror.
Israel did not start this war. Hamas did. And Hamas can end it — today — by releasing the remaining hostages and surrendering their weapons. Until then, the world must choose: stand with a democracy trying to protect its citizens, or with terrorists who would commit another October 7th — proudly.
Barbara Denton says
Excellent response. Everything you say is true. The anti-semitic responses on this page are astounding. I think you all need to step back and think about your motivation.
Richard Marks says
The responses are not anti-semitic. They are appropriately pointing out the extreme and inhumane conditions upon which Innocent people have been subjected. The actions of the IDF go beyond what is considered unavoidable collateral damage. We should immediately withhold any funds that go to the military. While the actions of the government may not have risen to genocide as happened in Germany and Rawanda, they still have shown a complete disregard for the lives of innocent people who have no place to be safe.
Deirdre LaMotte says
There is absolutely nothing “anti-Semitic” when one calls out genocide. The leaders of Israel are
nothing but staunch right wing criminals who are eradicating Palestinians, nothing more, just
debauched humans with no moral code. They have ruined Israel, which is fine with them as long as they remain in power.
Sound familiar?
Kristen Greenaway says
Another viewpoint from Robert Reich
https://open.substack.com/pub/robertreich/p/a-betrayal-of-the-victims-of-the?r=agzm4&utm_medium=ios
Melanie Beth Waxman says
Hmmm…I understand how heartbreaking this situation is — for everyone. But it’s important to remember that Israel is responding to an unprovoked and brutal terrorist attack that killed over 1,200 people on October 7. Any country would act to defend its people after something like that. At the same time, Israel has faced a nearly impossible challenge: trying to target Hamas, which intentionally operates from within civilian areas, while doing everything it can to limit harm to innocent people.
A lot of the humanitarian crisis in Gaza stems from the actions of Hamas itself — blocking or redirecting aid, refusing to release hostages, and using civilian infrastructure to hide weapons and fighters. These actions make it harder to get help to the people who desperately need it.
And when I look at what’s happening elsewhere — like in Syria, where the government has killed hundreds of thousands of its own people over the past decade, including with chemical weapons — it’s hard not to notice the difference in how these situations are talked about. Israel, as a democracy, is held to a different standard, and that scrutiny is part of being an open society. But it’s also important that we look at all conflicts with the same lens of truth, accountability, and compassion.
If we really care about human rights and protecting civilians, then we have to be willing to call out all actors — including Hamas, for the role it plays in prolonging this crisis and putting lives at risk
Rebecca Ellison says
Washington Post, July 30, 2025.
60,000 Gazans have been killed. 18,500 were children.
These are their names.
https://www.washingtonpost.com/world/interactive/2025/israel-gaza-war-children-death-toll/?itid=hp-top-table-main_p001_f013
Joan Wetmore says
Dan, I completely agree. Photos of children with arms and legs as thin as pencils, faces twisted in pain, are more than heartbreaking.
I don’t think Israel’s actions have as much to do with Hamas as they do with both keeping Netanyahu out of jail and with giving the Israelis who are haters permission to go beyond shooting people in the knees, as they were doing before this erupted, and watch them starve instead.
But I don’t know what action we can take, other than pleading with out Senators and Congressmen to stop finding Israel..
Melanie Waxman says
Fair Conversation Checklist (Start by VERIFYING your sources!!!!!)
☐ Do you oppose the killing of all innocent civilians, whether they are Israeli, Palestinian, Syrian, or from any other group? (I DO)
☐ Do you separate criticism of Israeli government policies from hatred of Jewish people worldwide (rejecting Anti-Semitism)? (I DO)
☐ Have you learned about the full history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, including actions by multiple countries and groups, not just one side? (I HAVE – Degrees and first-hand knowledge)
☐ Do you acknowledge the atrocities of Hamas on October 7th, not just the casualties in Gaza? (IT’S CALLED TERRORISM!)
☐ Do you apply the same moral standard to Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and other regions where civilians are killed, or is your outrage selective? (Sounds like that applies to very few of you.)
☐ If a similar attack happened to the United States, targeting innocent civilians, would you expect the U.S. to defend itself against the attackers? (Yes or No?)
Answer yourself truthfully- are you a hypocrite?
Rebecca Ellison says
Your posted list of your personal rules ‘for a fair conversation’ is pure nonsense … and deeply insulting to your readers. We do not need a list of anyone’s ‘rules’ to have a thoughtful community discussion.
But if you would like to apply your rules to yourself, please feel free.
But rather than Making up your own list, why not just start with the Ten Commandments.
Killing is wrong whether or not the person being killed is ‘innocent’ in your eyes, or actually in anyone’s eyes.
Starvation and genocide are both wrong.
Coveting is also wrong … present example is Israel (and Trump personally) now clearly covet Palestinian land.
Your rules are petty and silly in light of the enormity of the questions/problems facing the world today.
What about Ukraine vs. Russia? You don’t seem to have them on your radar.
Melanie waxman says
Killing and murder are not the same — and all three major monotheistic religions make that clear. Murder is condemned; killing in self-defense, war, or justice is viewed differently (see Exodus 20:13, Qur’an 5:32, Matthew 5:21).
Debate is part of freedom — and I welcome it. But let’s not lose sight of what truly matters.