You cannot make peace with people who do not want peace’

No doubt, the St. Louis Board of Aldermen believed sincerely in their own good intentions when they passed their resolution last week calling on President Joe Biden to work toward a cease-fire in Israel’s war with Hamas. 

But there is a famous road paved with good intentions. And the distinguished aldermen have already traveled a long way down it. 

The first point they overlooked is that there was a cease-fire on Oct. 6. Hamas violated it when they launched an unprovoked, relentless missile barrage, breached the security barrier, murdered over 1,200 Israelis, committed atrocities against civilians, women, and babies, and took over 200 hostages. 

At present, over 100 hostages remain unaccounted for, over 100,000 Israelis remain displaced as Palestinian rockets continue to rain down on Israeli cities, and the Palestinian people support Hamas leadership by an astonishing majority. 

The purpose of a cease-fire is to open an avenue toward peace. But Hamas (as well as the Palestinian Authority) has repeatedly and unequivocally rejected one peace proposal after another for decades. 

Those who cry out for peace refuse to acknowledge this simple truth: You cannot make peace with people who do not want peace. This is why the only thing a cease-fire will accomplish is to enable and embolden Hamas and its terrorist allies to regroup and renew their crimes against humanity — which includes oppression of their own people as well as violence against Israelis. It is also why a two-state solution will never succeed until the Palestinians are willing to live in peace alongside their Jewish neighbors. 

By calling for a cease-fire, the St. Louis aldermen make themselves complicit in the ongoing acts of inhumanity perpetrated by Hamas. For all their good intentions, their resolution delays the cause of peace rather than advancing it and perpetuates unconscionable human suffering on both sides. 

Rabbi Ze’ev Smason, Chairman, Coalition for Jewish Values (CJV)
Rabbi Yonason Goldson, CJV President

‘Unconscionable’ charge of genocide against Israel

That South Africa has brought charges of genocide against Israel at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, Netherlands, is totally unconscionable.

The militant, terrorist, organization, Hamas, initiated the unprovoked war against the Jewish State, and unfortunately, thousands of innocent Palestinians have been killed in the crossfire. Israel has tried to mitigate the number of casualties, but it’s an impossible task when Hamas has used these innocent civilians as human shields.

War is hell, and I defy any nation to state that in wars throughout the ages wherein innocent people weren’t killed or injured.

What was Israel supposed to do when it was brutally attacked on Oct. 7 and more than 1,200 mostly Israeli citizens were massacred and 240 were taken hostage?

Israel has every right to defend itself, and so far is doing what Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has promised to do-obliterate Hamas from the face of the map.

What if the U.S. or one of its allies had been the victim of such an attack? Wouldn’t they have fought back in a like manner, inflicting as much damage as possible against their enemies, knowing that innocent civilians would be maimed or killed?

Israel and Jews are being scapegoated only because of their religion, and the fact that anti-Semitism is currently running rampant throughout the world.

Damn South Africa and the International World Court for the egregious, nefarious, travesty and injustice that is being perpetrated against the Jewish state.

Gene Carton
Clayton