Calling people antisemitic because they criticize the Israeli government for any specific policy decision is a bad move. Strategically, it is FAR better to listen and understand what their criticism is, what it is based on, whether their basis is factual, and whether the links between the facts, logic, and the policy criticism is sound. If it is, then perhaps the Israeli government might consider altering the policy or action in question.
Alternately, if the facts are mistaken or incomplete, or the connecting logic is flawed, the criticism must be undermined on the grounds of the erroneus fact-logic complex, and not by an irrelevant and counterproductive ad hominem assault. Simplistic and gratuitous insults are the mark of inept extremists who, unable to answer a question effectively, must resort to shooting the messenger. This morally relugnant tactic will only turn friends with constructive criticism towards the treadmill of the indifferent, or into the clutches of the haters.
I hope that well intentioned but unthinking people desist from calling Megyn Kelly antisemitic or anti-Israel, which she is not. Such foolishness will only push her, and other thinking friends of Israel, away.
Having said that, I do not agree with Ms. Kelly's conclusion that since more of the world is abandoning Israel a) following the protracted nature of the Gaza war, b) Hamas' consistent and effective utilization of Gazan civilian suffering, and especially c) by their empathy-evoking visuals of real (and faux) Gazans, and d) the objectively overwhelming destruction of 75% of Gaza, Israel should end the Gaza war despite leaving the declared goals of the war unfulfilled.
Ms. Kelly's thinking and conclusions would be appropriate in a conflict over territory, alternative reasonable systems of governments, or expansionist ambitions of some deranged emperor would be. However, Hamas is part of a self-declared "religious ideology," possessing a fundamental identity-principle calling for the annihilation not only of all Israeli Jews, but ALL Jews around the world. Leaving Hamas standing in Gaza will permit them to continue to attempt to achieve their often stated goal of repeating October 7ths until Israel ceases to exist - and failing that, causing untold suffering to Israelis while trying to do so.
The expedient short-term solution, given Ms. Kelly's accurate observation of world opinion, would be to bow to international public opinion, hand Gaza over to the likes of a pathetic, duplicitous, and demonstrably antisemitic U.N./E.U./UNWRA/UNIFIL group, who would abandon Gaza in favour of a Hamas revival after the second terrorist attack, and then be forced to stand by while Hamas II, in whatever disguise, retrofits plans for a larger, more powerful, and better coordinated Genocidal expedition next time around.
Prime Minisfer Netanyahu can choose between a short-term fix, consisting of maybe a week's approval by the world's media, followed by resumed condemnation and isolation for his continuing war (that Hamas could have ended on October 8th, 2023, by returning the hostages), and the rebuilding of the unrepentant Genocidal force across Israel's southeastern 20 mile border.
On the other hand, Prime Minister Netanyahu can opt for the more costly long-term effort involving eradication of the next-door terror-enclave, managing the general security of the statelet, possibly following Dr. Mordechai Kedar's "Clan-based Emirate Plan" (or a better alternative, should any of the critics if the Clan Emirate Plan provide a superior option.)
Dr. Kedar's Emirate Clan Plan would permit civic and civil autonomy for the Gazans and other Palestinian Arabs, but allow Israel to retain control for its own, and the Palestinian Arab Emirates security from pro-terrorist forces in coordination with the Clan-Emirate authorities. No more terror-tunnels, no more terror rockets, better lives for Israelis and Gazans, who would no longer feed their infants with the vile, extreme hatred taught by UNWRA schools and sumner camps. These U.N. funded institutions begat and sustained the malignant Jew hatred among the Gazans and far too many of their co-religionists for the preceding 100 years
I think that Megyn Kelly and many other non-antisemites, including a loud, and therefore significant, but decided minority of Israelis have focused on the short-term solution, while Hamas and its parent Muslim Brotherhood, inherently focus on the very long term outcome. The West, including Israel, can never expect to prevail in the multi-millenial marathon by training for a 4 year election cycle sprint. Hanas and Islamists count on the immediate public pressure in democracies to erode support for a war, and to engender sufficient opposition soon to a war to induce the democratic leadership to succumb to the short-term interests of a sufficient number of voices to end the war.
Megyn Kelly likely knows that this long-term strategy was responsible for North Vietnam defeating a much more powerful United States and go on to kill millions of South Vietnamese after "cessation of hostilities." North Vietnamese propaganda guru, General Giap, is reputed to have said, " The victory of North Vietnam over the United States was won as much on the streets of Berkeley as in the jungles of Vietnam."
Perhaps the most salient differences between the situation faced by Prime Minister Netanyahu and President Richard Nixon in March of 1973 is that Washington is approximately 8,300 miles from Hanoi, with the Pacific Ocean acting as a super-buffer between them. Second, North Vietnam did not inculcate a fanatical mission to kill every last American on the face of the earth in its citizenry.
On the other hand, Gaza City is only 42 miles from Tel Aviv and 48 miles from Jerusalem. Additionally, the "communal Palestinian Arab ethic," based.on a startling Revisionist history, is the obligation of each Palestinian Arab to annihilate the Jewish State of Israel and all of the earth's Jews. The Gazan's "civilian behavior" to the hostages, recorded by the terrorists on their cell phones and joyously shared on October 7th is testament to that tragic, but evil truth.
Keeping these realities in mind makes Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's military decisions much more realistic, rational and reasonable. I believe that Megyn Kelly is sufficiently open minded and intellectually honest to consider these realities and embed them as a salient part of her reasoning about the alternatives facing Israel.
David Nussbaum is a retired professor of psychology, University of Toronto Scarborough, an Elected Fellow of both the Canadian and American Psychological Associations and Chair of the Canadian PA Section for the Study of Extremism and Terrorism. He and his wife made Aliyah in 2020, and he is in his fifth Daf Yomi cycle.
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