LETTER: Observers must remember that Hamas is to blame

The shift in focus from a despicable inhumane terrorist invasion of Israel by Hamas intentionally murdering, mutilating and kidnapping civilians to blaming Israel for the humanitarian crisis in Gaza is as maddening as it is predictable.

Whether it’s watching demonstrations demanding “Free Palestine” (a slogan calling for the destruction of Israel) or news anchors pivoting from a clichéd recitation of Israel’s right to defend itself to emotion-filled tales of human suffering “caused by Israeli military operations,” Hamas’ responsibility is invisible.

Calls for a “humanitarian pause” or ceasefire imply Israeli control and culpability for the devastation in Gaza. The hypocrisy is staggering.

Not once do those demonstrators or anchors state that Hamas could release the hostages and surrender to protect the people of Gaza. Not once do they differentiate murder from war.

They do talk of “historical context” as an implicit justification for brutality and inhumanity.

Where were the hundreds of thousands of demonstrators in the Middle East when Russia invaded Ukraine, leveling civilian populations? Where are the Arab countries offering refuge for Palestinians as the European Union did for Ukrainians? Where are the calls for the hostages to be released?

I posit they are lost in the swamp of anti-Semitism. Talk about historical context.