And one can imagine the state of mind of the local population, who have seen the launch of Qassam rockets literally outside their windows and are now beginning to realize that the response is coming.
Obviously, in such cases, the Hamas leadership usually relies on the support of the international public opinion. Not this time. European and American politicians are in no hurry to voice their outrage at the “blockade”, to demand the immediate opening of “humanitarian corridors” and to send humanitarian aid convoys. A sincere condemnation of terror and attacks on civilians.
However… less than a month ago, Azerbaijan conducted a counterterrorism operation of its own. The West responded with a storm of hysterics, screams and accusations against Azerbaijan. The screams of “blockade”, “famine”, etc. started once the Lachin border checkpoint was set up. These hysterics continue to this day, even after the visit of the UN mission to Karabakh, which did not record any damage to the civilian population and civilian infrastructure.
For example, US Congressman Seth Magaziner rants in an interview with Voice of America: “We must stop all aid to Azerbaijan until they return to the negotiating table to find a real peace settlement that will ensure the protection of Armenians in the region.” Apparently, Mr. Magaziner does not deem it necessary to protect Azerbaijanis. And then he voices a remarkable thought: “What happened was also the failure of the Russian peacekeepers. This was one of those rare cases when American and Russian interests supposedly coincided, and we should be united in our desire for peace in the region.”
Of course, Israel has reasons for its counterterrorism operation in the Gaza Strip. Missile attacks on residential neighborhoods, the music festival massacre, the taking of hostages, more than 800 dead—no country would tolerate something like that.
Azerbaijan was acting against similar forces that in the 1990s had occupied its territory, carried out ethnic cleansing, acts of genocide, and now, in violation of all agreements, concentrated a 10,000-strong military group in Karabakh with hundreds of tanks, artillery, MLRSs and jamming systems. They also refused to engage in dialogue with the Azerbaijani authorities. Finally, they resorted to open terror, planting mines on roads and radio jamming of civil aviation. Azerbaijan acted only within its own territory and got only hysterics, screams and accusations in response.
So, what now? Will the dishonorable Congressman Seth Magaziner go out to the microphones and declare that all aid to Israel must be cut off until it returns to dialogue with Hamas, and that this is one of those rare cases where American interests coincide with… well, with Iranian interests, for example? Will Mayor of Paris Anne Hidalgo travel to Rafah, Egypt to pose in front of humanitarian aid trucks for Hamas? Will French Foreign Minister Catherine Colonna go to Gaza to voice her support? Will President of the European Commission Ursula von der Leyen say something about “shared values”? And if they are not doing this, is it because they do not want to support terrorism, or has Hamas simply not yet built up a powerful enough lobby in the West?
And it is frustratingly clear that if this lobby does come into existence, Western politicians will have the hypocrisy and cynicism to overlook the terror by Hamas and casualties among the Israeli civilian population in the same way. It is only now that Europe is stopping financial aid to Gaza, although terrorist attacks made in Gaza have happened before.
We are, sadly, no strangers to the hypocrisy of Western politicians. But terror against civilians is not an issue where the world can afford double standards. Hundreds of victims will have to pay for it. And not necessarily just in Khojaly or Sderot.
