Destruction in Kibbutz Be’eri: Terror attack that started the war
Destruction in Gaza: Israeli bombing during the war
In October 2023, Hamas attacked Israel, massacring 1200+ and taking 251 hostages. Israel declared war in response.
The resulting war has caused vast destruction in Gaza and exacerbated the ongoing humanitarian crisis.
Hamas is currently holding 97 hostages, including 5 Americans.
Israel is a Western democracy where citizens vote for their government, much like the U.S.A.
Israel has citizens of many ethnicities, including Jews, Arabs, Christian Bedouins, Druze, Maronites, Arameans, Assyrians, African Hebrews, Caucasians, Circassians, Eastern Europeans, Finns, Samaritans, and Vietnamese.
Judaism is the state religion that governs state holidays and entitles any Jew to citizenship. All citizens in Israel share the same citizenship rights; the only distinction is that Jews are automatically citizens.
Israel is a U.S. ally. That alliance is a crucial component of American national security.
Israel has been accused of using excessive force in responding to the October attack by Hamas.
Gaza is a small strip of land bordered by Israel and Egypt, where Palestinians reside. In 2006, the Palestinian people elected Hamas to be their government. Hamas took over the country, stopped holding elections, and has ruled over the country without holding further elections.
Hamas’ mandate to destroy Israel and the West has taken priority over the well-being of Palestinians. The Palestinians are left exposed to violence, impoverished, and without many of their essential needs being met.
Hamas is designated a terror group by the U.S. and most other world democracies. They are an outgrowth of the Muslim Brotherhood and are sponsored by Iran and Turkey. They enforce Sharia law, which does not permit the freedom of speech, movement, press, or religion, frequently executing dissenters.
Hamas has been accused of conducting warfare from civilian-populated areas to maximize civilian deaths in efforts to incite foreign outrage toward Israel.
Hamas aims to destroy the country of Israel and all groups that fail to follow Muslim law. Once elected, Hamas built a vast underground network of tunnels through which it delivered weapons and other supplies in preparation for a war against Israel.
Iran and its proxies, through American Muslims for Palestine, the Council on American–Islamic Relations, and other U.S. groups, have waged a successful disinformation campaign about the war and the history of the region. They manipulate how Hamas is presented in social media, disseminating booklets with proposed talking points and terminology guides. They aim to portray Palestinians as an indigenous and oppressed minority with Hamas as their “freedom fighters.”
Some of the disseminated “talking points”:
Talking point: The U.S. is giving Israel money it should spend domestically.
The US provides aid to many countries, including Ukraine ($61B), Israel ($14B), Gaza ($9B), Taiwan ($8B), Ethiopia ($2B), Jordan ($1.6B), and Egypt ($1.4B). 77% of the military aid to Israel, Ukraine, and Taiwan must be spent in the U.S. economy.
Talking point: Call for Ceasefire Now!
CAIR, AMP, and SJP use the slogan “Ceasefire Now!”. Yet Hamas has rejected every U.S.-approved ceasefire proposal in 2024, agreeing only to an Egyptian-brokered plan in which they exchange dead hostage bodies for live prisoners. Israel rejected that plan.
Talking point: Israel is an Occupier committing apartheid and genocide
Israel “Freed Palestine” in 2005, withdrawing entirely from the Gaza Strip. Palestinians elected Hamas, who has had complete control over Gaza since.
The 2.1 million Israeli Arabs enjoy full rights and hold important positions in society, such as supreme court judges, business leaders, and university presidents. However, people living in the West Bank and Gaza are not Israeli citizens and need permits to enter Israel. They are not Israeli citizens. The “apartheid wall” is a security border between Israel and these regions. Over 200 suicide bombers have entered Israel from these areas, killing thousands of civilians.
Apartheid was the South African system under which a small black minority was subjected to severe political, economic, and social discrimination by whites. They could not be citizens, vote, or participate in the government, and they were segregated in every aspect of daily life. Israeli Arabs experience none of that.
Israel is waging war on Hamas. There is no genocide, but there are civilian casualties. By May 2024, there have been approximately 16,000 military deaths and 18,000 civilian deaths, including 5,000 men, 7,800 children under 18, and 5,000 women. Aside from deaths, a large portion of the population has been displaced by the war, deepening the humanitarian crisis that has grown since Hamas took power.
Hezbollah is a Shiite Islamist paramilitary group funded by Iran and pledging allegiance to Iran's Supreme Leader. It was founded during the Lebanese civil war, and in 1992, Hezbollah became a formal political party in Lebanon, winning seats in the Lebanese parliament. Among their goals are the destruction of Israel and the eradication of Western influence in the Middle East. Hezbollah also operates an international drug trafficking organization. Hezbollah is designated a terrorist group by the U.S. and is responsible for several attacks against the U.S., killing hundreds of Americans.
Hezbollah and the US
Truck bombing of the US Embassy in Beirut, 1983
Bombing of US Marine barracks
Attack on US Embassy annex, Beirut
Hijacking of TWA flight 847
Saudi Arabia Khobar Towers attack
