In Case You Missed It

‘There wasn’t a ceasefire after the 9/11 attacks; 

I stand with Israel’

By Ken Calvert

October 29, 2023
The Desert Sun

The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men to do nothing. On Oct. 7, Jewish families came face to face with evil once again.

In the wake of the unprecedented and horrific attack on Israeli civilians by Hamas terrorists, the civilized world has a clear call to action: to stand with Israel.

The terrorists committed savage acts. Men, women and children were murdered; entire families were slaughtered in their own homes. As some of the survivors have explained in devastating detail, those who died quickly were spared from being tortured, raped, burned alive, and forced to watch as their children or parents were brutalized. More than 200 people, including children, were abducted and are now being held hostage in Gaza.

This was not another flare-up in the long-running tension between Palestinians and Israel. This was an act of terrorism on a massive scale. It’s been called Israel’s 9/11. In reality, it was worse, the equivalent would be if 50,000 Americans had died on 9/11. Just like our country was never the same after 9/11, it’s now clear the course of Israel’s history is now on a divergent path.

To secure its country and people, Israel knows it must eliminate Hamas and its terrorism infrastructure from the ground up. This outcome is not just an Israeli goal – it’s an American objective too. 32 Americans were killed by Hamas and more are held hostage. Hamas and its backers in Iran have continued to pose a direct threat to the safety of Americans in the Middle East and beyond.

As chairperson of the House Defense Appropriations Subcommittee, I spend most of my time in Washington focused on how to keep America and our allies safe. I’m proud of my subcommittee’s bipartisan military support for Israel, including funding for the Iron Dome defense system that’s saved countless lives.

I believe in the days since the attack on Israel, President Biden has spoken with important clarity and resolve. I’ve been to the White House and talked to Biden administration officials about our ongoing support for Israel. In his remarks to the nation, President Biden said, “The United States has Israel’s back. We will make sure the Jewish and democratic State of Israel can defend itself today, tomorrow, as we always have.” I couldn’t agree more and will work with my colleagues and the administration to meet that commitment.

It’s important to note that not everyone agrees with solidarity for Israel. The progressive leftwing of the Democratic Party had a kneejerk reaction to the Oct. 7 atrocities, suggesting the attacks were morally equivalent to Israel’s strikes on Hamas in Gaza.

Let’s be clear, while those strikes have unfortunately killed or injured civilians, the targets are Hamas terrorists or their military infrastructure. It’s actually a calculated strategy by Hamas to locate its terrorist network among civilians to use them as shields. They then quickly use that footage for propaganda. There is no moral equivalence between actions that intentionally murder civilians, and those designed to eliminate violent terrorists. Every single death of a civilian in Gaza is the responsibility of Hamas – not Israel.

Progressives have also been quick to call for a ceasefire. This is preposterous. Israel must respond to the unprovoked attack by Hamas and eliminate the threat. A failure to respond would only encourage more violence in the future from Hamas, which does not believe Israel has a right to exist and is committed to the extermination of the Jewish people.

It’s important to remember history. There wasn’t a ceasefire after the 9/11 attacks. There wasn’t a ceasefire after the Pearl Harbor bombing. There wasn’t a ceasefire after the Nazis killed millions during the Holocaust. And, there should not be a ceasefire now. It is important to note that the aggressors in this conflict have never stopped launching rockets at Israel, there are reports of terrorists still inside the country, and they still hold the hostages.

Some of the most troubling forms of anti-Israel sentiment, if not outright antisemitism, has occurred on college campuses in the days following the attacks in Israel. Rallies and protests organized under the guise of supporting Palestine have included pro-Hamas and anti-Israel language.

Harvard University student groups signed onto a statement saying they “hold the Israeli regime entirely responsible for all unfolding violence.” Here in Riverside County, a student group called “Students for Justice in Palestine” at the University of California, Riverside, posted a vile statement calling for the removal of Jews in Israel “from the river to the sea” and ended with praising “glory to our martyrs.”

The playbook of these anti-Israel organizations sounds a lot like the early Nazi party and after the war, Holocaust deniers. In the wake of the horrors of the Holocaust, the world made a promise that we would never stand by and allow for the dehumanization and genocide of the Jewish people again. Today we can viscerally see how the Jewish people are once again under attack from the left and it is incumbent upon all of us to call out these despicable acts and say forcefully “Never Again.”

Holocaust survivor and Nobel Peace Prize recipient Elie Wiesel said, “We must always take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented. Sometimes we must interfere.” That is why I unapologetically stand with Israel and support their right to defend their homeland and their people. War is ugly, we wish it upon no nation or people, but Hamas brought this fight and Israel has the right to end it on their terms.

Rep. Ken Calvert represents the 41st Congressional District in the U.S. House of Representatives. Calvert represents the cities of Palm Springs, Palm Desert, Rancho Mirage, La Quinta and Indian Wells.