After October 7th there will be no “two sides”. You are either on the side of a democratic state or on the side of terrorists.
Israel is not waging war against the Palestinians, but against the terrorist organization Hamas. In the face of its barbaric atrocities, Israel undoubtedly has the right to defend itself. Israel did not want this war, but after the largest massacre of Jews since World War II, we will fight with all our might to finally eliminate Hamas and its leadership.
Israel is doing everything it can to avoid casualties among the Palestinian civilian population. Hamas, which governs in Gaza, is solely responsible for the outcome of the war it started. 240 hostages are being held in Gaza, including babies and elderly people, from 41 countries. Israel demands their immediate and unconditional return to their families.
After October 7th, there will be no “two sides” or “balance”. Either we are on the side of a democratic State that represents humanity and defends its people, or we are on the side of terrorists who have only one objective: to kill as many Jews as possible and exterminate the Jewish State.
Not only should the free world question its learned reactions, but the media should rethink the possibility of giving “both sides” a platform when it comes to Hamas. The decision to offer the representative of the Palestinian Authority who refuses to designate Hamas as a terrorist organization a platform to oppose my op-ed is an example of this.
It is a tragic paradox that the Palestinian Authority seeks to blame Israel rather than hold the murderous Hamas accountable. Hamas is a threat to the Palestinian people and does not care about their fate. They hide in residential areas, use civilians as human shields and fire rockets at Israel from there.
This is perpetrator-victim reversal
For those who, like UN Secretary-General António Guterres, claim that the attacks “did not happen in a vacuum,” I challenge you to do a thought experiment that has been on the minds of all Israelis since October 7: Think about your child, your parents, your grandparents, a pregnant friend and your pets – because they were not spared either. Delve into the darkest depths of your imagination and imagine the worst fates that could befall your loved ones. If that’s not harrowing enough, imagine that your loved ones will soon be at the mercy of those killers who have documented their bestial carnage for four weeks. In our attempts to understand evil, we often look for excuses. We long for a semblance of rationality, and in doing so, we occasionally fall into the dangerous waters of perpetrator-victim inversion. But the time for political maneuvering and appeasement is over.
Regrettably, the UN General Assembly has now passed a resolution that concealed the Hamas terrorist attack. She does not name the bloodthirsty perpetrators or the victims. This glaring omission casts a shadow over an organization that was created to protect us from such heinous acts.
Austria’s decision to vote against such a one-sided and false resolution gives me hope. The bipartisan support in Austria for this principled position is encouraging and a testament to Austria’s commitment to truth and justice. I am proud to represent Israel in a country that defends these values.
David Roet (*1963 in Jerusalem) is the designated ambassador of the State of Israel to Austria.
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