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The response in the West to the Hamas terror attack and kidnapping of Israeli citizens is worth analyzing.  Major Western institutions lent their support to the cause of “Free Palestine” and the like.  It seems a bit off target to me, as better messaging would focus on Hamas freeing the hostages and surrendering the individuals responsible for committing gross acts of terror and barbarity against a civilian population.

In most of the protest coverage I’ve seen there has been little to no call for accountability upon the elected government of Gaza (Hamas).  What I have seen and heard are slogans around the theme of “Palestine from the River to the Sea.”

FILE – Pro-Palestinian protesters take part in a rally to express solidarity with Palestinians, in front of the parliament, in Athens, Greece, Sunday, Nov. 5, 2023. The Jordan River is a winding, 200-plus-mile run to the east of Israel and the West Bank. The sea is the glittering Mediterranean to its west. But a phrase about the space in-between, “from the river to the sea,” has become a battle cry with new power to roil Jews and pro-Palestinian activists in the aftermath of Hamas’ murderous rampage across southern Israel Oct. 7 and Israel’s bombardment of Gaza. (AP Photo/Yorgos Karahalis, File)

So, from “The River to the Sea” is the complete erasure of the state of Israel and the expulsion/decimation of the Jewish people that live there.  You would think that people involved in protests that used this slogan would be horrified and not participate in protests calling for genocide.  The sentiment was repeated by union leaders in Canada:

“Mr. Hahn, whose CUPE Ontario represents almost 300,000 workers and calls itself the “political wing of the Canadian Union of Public Employees,” said in one social-media post on Sunday, the day after the initial attacks, that he was thankful for “the power of resistance around the globe.”

He added that “resistance is fruitful and no matter what some might say, resistance brings progress.” He also shared an image on Instagram that contained the text, “From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free” – a phrase associated with calls for the destruction of Israel.

On Tuesday, Mr. Ford condemned Mr. Hahn’s posts. Mr. Ford said in a statement that he does not believe Mr. Hahn’s views reflect those of the tens of thousands of workers represented by the union.

“The comments by the president of CUPE Ontario glorifying and celebrating the rape, abduction and murder of innocent Israeli people are disturbing, and I denounce them wholeheartedly,” the statement said.”

Yeah.  Canadian Universities were also getting in on celebrating or at least not speaking out against the rape, abduction, and murder of innocent people. (Some American Universities were also complicit.)

“A statement from McMaster began with the phrase, “Violence is never the answer and we hope that everyone would focus on the human costs when such attacks on civilians occur.” It added: “Our thoughts are with our students, faculty and staff, both Israeli and Palestinian, who have family and loved ones in the area.” An initial statement from the University of Toronto expressed concern for the safety of students and faculty in the Middle East, and those who have friends or family there.

Several social-media users reacted with outrage to the statements, which they characterized as inappropriately ambivalent. Andrew Morris, a professor at the University of Toronto’s faculty of medicine, was among them.”

One would think that it would be a fairly easy slam dunk to condemn actions that included the rape, torture and kidnapping of civilians.  For the record –

“According to the Israeli prime minister’s office, more than 1,400 people have been killed in Israel, with 6,900 others injured. At least 32 of those killed are Americans. And Israeli officials say 239 people are being held hostage in Gaza. Ten Americans remain unaccounted for, “some significant number” of which are hostages, Secretary of State Antony Blinken said Oct. 24. Israeli officials say 357 IDF soldiers have been killed since Oct. 7, including 39 since the ground campaign began.”

Canadian Unions and Universities dropped the ball on this one and at least three are being taken to court for their lack of action on antisemitism.

Hopefully the lawsuits will be a reminder to them of the Western values they should be defending.