As you have likely gathered from the video above, one of the latest brouhahas in Israel (slowly beginning to pale next to what many people think is the increasing likelihood of war with Iran in the next week or two) has to do with whether or not there was a massacre on October 7th.

Yes, you read that correctly. Some people are insisting that there was no massacre on October 7 — and chief among those “some people” is our Prime Minister.

David Horovitz sums it up very well (it’s a screenshot, so the links are not active):

It should not surprise you that those people whose loved ones were killed in what they’d long thought was a massacre on October 7 found the whole thing not just confusing, but stupefying and horrifying — another attempt on the part of the PM not just to lie (because really, 1400 dead people isn’t a massacre?) but to rewrite Jewish history to suit his own political goals.

As you saw in the clips of the PM in the video at the top, he used to call it a massacre at every possible opportunity. But then his political needs changed.

An Israeli group called Democracy Now posted a video of Shirel Hogeg, from Ofakim (where there was, actually, something that was much more than an “event”), gently explaining to the PM that where he lives and where he was on October 7th, there was most certainly a massacre.

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The Prime Minister had been scheduled to address a major gathering of a leading American Jewish organization this coming week. At present, both because he had to travel last week to see Donald and because he might be a tad busy next week running a war, it now appears that he’ll address the confab virtually — meaning that he’ll record some utterly predictable video in the middle of the night and they’ll play it and everyone will get all excited.

What’s that got to do with the issue above what October 7 really was?

Had the Prime Minister actually travelled to DC to address the gathering, he would have received a standing ovation. About that, there’s no doubt.

It’s quite possible that the organization had no choice but to invite him, though that’s far more debatable than it’s willing to acknowledge. Another possibility would have been to invite him, but for him not to be applauded when he was done. Or a barely polite smattering of quiet applause, perhaps.

But no, he would certainly have gotten a standing ovation. Because that’s how people think they need to respond when in the presence of Benjamin Netanyahu. Why, I’m not entirely certain. But cult-like, that’s what they do.

In the meantime, we Israelis, in the grips of a government that will not shut down the horrific Jewish violence in Judea and Samaria, that will not address the murder slaughterhouses that Arab cities in this country have become, that will not lay down the line with the Haredim and demand some change in their anti-Zionist rhetoric and behavior, that is now insisting that there was actually no massacre on October 7—we, who live with that every day and watch the coalition whittle away at the very essence of this country, would have had to watch supposed “lovers of Israel” and “supporters of Israel” cheer the man who’s taking it apart.

Many people I speak to here, when they hear about those standing ovations, are simply bewildered. “What are they there to support,” people wonder, “a nation and a state, or a man?”

If only the people giving the ovation would ask themselves that question.

Have no doubt. That ovation could well have been covered on the Israeli nightly news or a bit in the weekend papers. Not extensively, but still, shown for a few seconds on a couple of channels. And why? Because to millions of Israelis, it’s utterly incomprehensible. A majority of Israelis (depending on the poll, it’s usually 60-75%) think it’s time for Bibi to go.

Do Jews outside Israel who support the Jewish state care what its citizens think?

October 7th was a disaster, not an event. You’d think that Jews everywhere, who care deeply about Israel, would understand that trying to rewrite history so that it’s just an “event” crosses yet another red line. You’d think that they would know that to applaud that person puts them squarely on the wrong side of history. You’d think that they would understand that to Israelis, when they give ovations like that, they’ve become part of the problem, not part of our protection—and that they’ve made Israelis feel even more alone than we already did.

You’d think a lot of things. You’d think that especially now, Israel’s “supporters” would actually care what real Israelis feel and fear.

You’d think that. But you’d be wrong.

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