Self-inflicted casualties

Hamas knew full well that the Israelis would retaliate with force and fury when they attacked innocent Jewish civilians last Oct. 7. They knew that scores would be caught in the crossfire and that the death toll on the Palestinians side would be massive. They went ahead with the attacks anyway. True enough, the Israelis exercised their right to defend themselves and Gaza bore the brunt of Israel’s wrath.

Seeing that they were on the brink of defeat, Hamas launched a pity campaign depicting the Israelis as ruthless killers. While no one can deny the substantial casualty count, many of the macabre videos featuring besieged Palestinian victims were proven fake. It is part of Hamas’ global campaign to vilify the Jews. Hamas quoted 14,000 casualties but no one can verify this since no census was taken. Regardless, certain media outlets took Hamas’ word even without fact checking. Hence, millions bought into Hamas’ pity narrative and took to the streets demanding a ceasefire.

A ceasefire was exactly what Hamas wanted. It would provide them the window to re-group and re-arm.

At first, Israel refused to a fighting pause as it would give Hamas the tactical advantage. But it eventually acceded in exchange for the release of hostages. A truce was signed and the ceasefire began last Nov. 24.

But as expected, Hamas broke the truce. Three Israelis were killed and several injured when two Hamas gunmen opened fire at a bus stop in Jerusalem last Nov. 30. This was on top of rockets fired at Israel. Hamas also failed to fulfill its commitments in terms of hostage release and hostage identification.

Are we surprised that Hamas broke the truce? Of course not. This is typical of Islamic warfare. The Quran dictates certain principles of war, one of them is the Principle of Hudaybayya. This principle states that peace treaties are not sacrosanct but an opportunity to consolidate forces when losing a war. This principle was exercised by Muhammad himself when he broke the ten-year peace treaty he himself signed with the Meccans. He broke it after only two years through a surprise attack.

The second is the Principle of Taqiyya. This principle says that treaties, even when sworn in the name of the Quran, can be broken so long as it advances the cause of Islam.

The Palestinians broke every single ceasefire signed with Israel and others since 1948. Historical records prove this. Commitments made by Palestinians cannot be taken at face value.

So with the ceasefire broken, the fighting resumes. Who will be biggest loser? Who else but the Palestinian people. Who put them in harm’s way? Hamas did – the cabal that the Palestinians elected to represent them and whom they count as their own.

I say “count as their own” because who do you think Hamas is? They are Palestinians. The sliver of Palestinian society who do not agree with Hamas’ principles, values and agenda are too few to be relevant.

Let’s not forget that the Palestinian people elected the Hamas leadership knowing who they are – a radical terrorist group. When the brutal Oct. 7 attacks occurred, the Palestinian people cheered in unison – not one condemned the barbaric acts. When Jewish hostages, including six-month-old babies, were paraded in the streets of Gaza, not one Palestinian cried foul. Instead, they stoned, kicked and mocked those captured. When a young Palestinian fighter bragged to his parents that he had killed a Jewish family of ten, his parents declared him a hero. Palestinian civilians teach their children to hate Jews; Palestinian parents willingly allow their children to become suicide bombers.

Abroad, it is Palestinians who defame monuments and disrespect the traditions of their host countries. It is Palestinians who engage in civil disobedience all in the name of Jewish hate, cloaked in a call for freedom. It is Palestinians who collude to change the systems, values and faiths of their host countries into Islam. They seek not to integrate into the countries that welcomed them but to overrun them through violence. This is why they were kicked out by Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon. It is why no Arab country will take them as refugees today.

All these are symptoms of a decayed society from the inside. They celebrate murder and destruction in a way no one in history has – not even the most brutal despots.

No doubt, Israel will succeed in obliterating Hamas and more Palestinian civilians will die in the process. But the casualties are self-inflicted. After all, it was Hamas started this conflict. It is Hamas who use their people as human shields. It was Hamas who broke the ceasefire. It is Hamas that claims they will not stop until every Jew is dead. Hamas and Palestinians are one and the same.

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Blinded by the glitz of pop stars and comedians, we oftentimes fail to give credit to the serious artists in our midst.

Ramon “Montet” Acoymo is a worthy candidate for national artist. A product of La Salle, Montet is a doctor of History and Philosophy with a Master’s degree in voice performance. He was Dean of the College of Music at UP where he still teaches today. He is also the musical director of La Salle’s famous singing group, the Kundirana.

Montet is a renowned tenor who stands head and shoulders with the world’s best. He sang with the famed Madrigal singers before becoming a solo artist. He performed in prestigious venues abroad, including before royalty – all the while, carrying the Philippine flag.

When not on tour, Montet gives back by sharing his talent with OFWs and the armed forces. We salute world-class Filipino talent who pursue excellence. Let us give our serious artists the credit they deserve.

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Email: [email protected]. Follow him on Twitter @aj_masigan