Austin and the generals don’t realize that Hamas would recruit jihadis regardless of what Israel does. Western analysts have a paternalistic and ethnocentric assumption that jihadis are passive reactors with no agency of their own. All they can do is react to what the U.S. or Israel does. The idea that they might have reasons of their own to be violent, regardless of what others do, never occurs to them.
“US generals wrongfully blame Israel for ‘creating terrorists’ – opinion,” by Rafael Medoff, Jerusalem Post, December 10, 2023:
US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a retired general, says Israel is “driving” Gazans “into the arms of the enemy.”
A few weeks ago, another general, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Charles Q. Brown, charged that Israel’s anti-terror actions in Gaza are turning the average person there into “someone who now wants to be the next member of Hamas.”
Generals deserve our deepest respect for their service and sacrifice. But that doesn’t mean they are always right. General George Patton used Nazi Party members in the postwar US administration in Germany, resulting in his dismissal. General Douglas MacArthur was fired for defying President Harry Truman’s orders in the Korean War. General Curtis LeMay wanted to use nuclear weapons in Vietnam.
When it comes to understanding what causes young Palestinian Arabs to become Hamas terrorists, President Biden’s generals are getting it all wrong.
It is not Israel that drove Gazans into the arms of Hamas or turned young Gazans into terrorists. It is the Gazans themselves who long ago chose Hamas as their leaders. Democratic elections were held there in 2006, and Hamas was allowed to participate, at the insistence of Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice. Hamas won 76 out of the 132 seats in parliament.
Afterward, Rice acknowledged she was “caught off guard” by the outcome; the result “does say something about us not having a good enough pulse,” she conceded. At the same time, Rice defended the inclusion of Hamas, on the grounds that “You ask yourself, ‘Are you going to support a policy of denying the Palestinians elections that had been promised to them at a certain point in time because people were fearful of the outcome?’”
For the Truman administration and the US military governors of postwar Germany, the answer to an earlier version of Rice’s question was a resounding “yes.” They barred the Nazi Party from running in postwar elections, regardless of how many Germans wanted to vote for it.
Defense Secretary Austin and General Brown might want to ask themselves why it is that children in postwar Germany did not grow up to be Nazis. The American military’s devastation of much of Germany did not cause those children to embrace antisemitism or terrorism. Yet tens of thousands of Gazan children, who grew up in a region from which Israel completely withdrew in 2005, embraced antisemitism and terrorism; they are the ones who fill the ranks of Hamas today….
somehistory says
Fighting back against terror, against rape, mutilation and murder discourages, rather than encourages, more of the evil.
It’s similar to fighting something like sandspurs, goatheads, or crabgrass. Allowed to grow, sprout new plants and spread the weeds in the wind means that there will be more sandspurs and goatheads to injure bare feet, and for crabgrass to choke out flowers and preferred grasses.
mozlums have been recruiting and raising new fighters for decades. They have, for the most part, been allowed to freely grow….claiming all they want is to live like others…all the while making their plans to takeover. They have, esp since 2001, and encouraged in 2011…been using the fake ‘phobia’ to get restraints against their spread and “migration” removed.
If they thought that they would get more fighters on their side, they wouldn’t be insisting on a ceasefire, nor threatening to kill the remaining hostages if the fighting continues.
Hudders. says
I agree with your salient point regarding the ceasefire situation.
Everything the jihadi leaders & brain washed acolytes do, is always geared towards the furtherance of greater terroristic aims & recruitment of more cannon fodder followers. (Be they man, woman or child.)
So called ‘Defense’ Secretary Lloyd Ausin is either seriously deluded, or more likely he is bending the truth somewhat in line with the current administrations’ left leaning, islam embracing viewpoint & proclivities.
For it is not singularly Israels’ righteous actions against the Hamas animals, that is the biggest recruiter; nor primarily because of many other potential candidates the febrile General could have named.
Rather IT IS ISLAM ITSELF & THE QUR’AN to which all blame should fundementally be ascribed to.
Mind mangled muslims are driven naturally into the arms of the terror groups & actions, the deeper their embrace of the death cult & the more poisonous hate filled teachings they are exposed to from the ‘religion of peace.’
Perhaps if the good General would take some time to study the Qur’an, it’s twisted vile teachings & also study the brutal bloody history of islam & the actions of it’s followers over time; he might see where the blame lies.
Blaming Israel is helping nobody but the terrorist scum; surely the Gerneral sees this?
One has to either question his motives, or perhaps his diplomatic competency.
PRCS says
Without getting him on record, can’t tell if he does know that Islam is both antithetical to and incompatible with U.S. law or if he does and is covering for it.
Rob Porter says
‘Defense’ Secretary Lloyd Austin is not only seriously deluded, he is grossly ignorant of Islam and how it twists the thinking of believers. These U.S. generals are just horribly and dangerously ignorant of Islam. In my estimation their arrogance and stupidity plays a role. Just remember, these are the same incompetents who fouled up the U.S. withdrawal from Afghanistan and handed $86 billion of military equipment to the enemy.
Evidently they did not benefit from the days when Robert Spencer instructed the military. If they knew anything about Islam and Muslims they’d know that Islam and not Israel’s punitive actions determine the usual imbecilic, one-sided Muslim thinking. Logic is never even tried. Muslims will hate Jews and Israel no matter what Israel does and these intellectually challenged U.S. generals need to learn this. Read the Qur’an you clowns!
somehistory says
thank you, Hudders. You may some good points, too.
Hoi Polloi says
It’s projection. The question I’d like to ask US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin is just what drove him ‘into the arms of the enemy?’
somehistory says
Wish you could get the chance to ask him HP.
Hoi Polloi says
Me, too.
ElderlyZionist says
I don’t think it’s possible for the Arabs to hate us more than they already do. It’s impossible to disarm their hatred, so we must defeat it.
Ernie says
You’re right ElderlyZionist , it is as you say .
OLD GUY says
100% correct.
Keys says
Not all the Gazans are being driven to Hamas. See proof in the video in Hugh Fitzgerald’s recent post.
https://jihadwatch.org/2023/12/gaza-woman-denounces-hamas-for-stealing-all-the-aid-haniyehs-son-spent-25000-on-jewelry
somehistory says
Keys, there was an elderly man before the woman, who spoke with al jezeera about hamas….in a negative way….and the reporter wouldn’t allow him to finish.
The ones who see a twisted *glory* in rape and murder, may join up as some did on the initial raid on the festival, but many will see that they are pawns. They may not turn on the terror group, but they won’t join it either.
rubiconcrest says
Well what ‘drove’ them to attack Oct 7 after so many years of ‘peace’. Perhaps our withdrawal from Afghanistan or the money we sent to Iran. It certainly wasn’t the now suffering citizens of Gaza. Or perhaps the good generals advisors graduated from Georgetown ME department funded by SA.
rubiconcrest says
As the author ably implies, noting some history that the general could have learned as well with a little research, the fault lies with the Gazans themselves and what they have taught the next generation.
PRCS says
Not just General Austin.
During the 2020 presidential campaign:
Biden: Muslims Will Serve ‘At Every Level’ of His Administration
https://jihadwatch.org/2020/10/biden-muslims-will-serve-at-every-level-of-his-administration
With a little research, Biden and his handlers might have discovered that Muslims are commanded to fight those who make lawful that which Allah and His Messenger have made unlawful.
https://corpus.quran.com/translation.jsp?chapter=9&verse=29
And there are many such secular, man-made U.S. laws.
James Lincoln says
PRCS,
That was the most dangerous thing that Biden said during his basement campaign.
Emilie Green says
“US Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin, a retired general”
Austin got into West Point because of AA
Austin got his stars because of AA
Austin got the DOD job because of AA.
BTeboe says
Yes he did. My ophthalmologist, a retired Army doctor who was friends with another retired Army doctor who was a West Point grad, told him that while he was going to West Point he was pretty much ordered to tutor Austin in high school algebra. I would like to know how someone without basic math skills was able to get into West Point. AA is the answer. And he’s still just as stupid as ever.
Hoi Polloi says
Or how students get into Harvard and Princeton with C averages in remedial courses, then get a slate of A grades once there. Hmm.
E T says
Geeez Thank you so much for your comment. Ever since the 2020 election, I have repeatedly tried to figure out how the mail-in guy was SUPPOSED to have been elected. I worked in multiple Canadian elections in various positions for 30+ years, and trained peoplekind to work as Returning Officers ( Secretary of State).
I finally went to bed at 3:30 am on Nov. 4, 2020. Donald J Trump had won, even though Foxy news had called Arizona ( with how many votes not counted)? BUT he had an insurmountable lead in other states at that hour.
Pennsylvania 682,000 votes
Georgia 311,000
Michigan 307,000
Wisconsin 128,000
I was off to bed
The next morning LOL LOL REALLY who are they kidding?
Well I have finally figured it out 2+2=5. Yes I am NOT allowed to say it but 2 plus 2
EQUALS 5.
So there was no COUP, just a dumbed down society is what I am to believe?
E T says
Bring down that miserable from within.
James Lincoln says
All likely so, Emilie.
In the very unlikely event that it was not completely AA, Austin is still as dumb as a rock.
mgoldberg says
We did to Japan what we did to Germany. And we stayed there for 7 yrs until an entire new generation had been educated to not wish to destroy or submit us. That started a new movment. And Austin should realize we haven’t actually won a war since then. Nor has Israel ever been allowed to defeat it’s ruthless enemies who would scream in joy at eliminating them from this earth.
and convincing all those children that the Jews, who they are taught are the vilest of creatures are more than capable of defeating all their Jihadist screaming elders who indeed will leave them with nothing, whilst mega billions has been squirreled away for the hamas leaders.
࿗Infidel࿘ says
Given what has happened to our military under his watch, Sec Austin should absolutely avoid saying anything about foreign affairs
Kepha says
Gazans were already in the arms of the enemy. Remember on 9/11/01. when the fat lady with a hijab and ugly glasses danced for the cameras, and they were honking horns and handing out candy?
PRCS says
Yes, I remember that ululating woman
Not holding my breath, but will Gazans express a collective sigh of relief when HAMAS no longer governs them?
Pray Hard says
Gazans are moslems. Hamas is moslems. Moslems are moslems. “Collective sigh of relief”? Hardly.
PRCS says
We’ll see.
ploome says
Another affirmative action genius. He belongs at Harvard.
This country is in deep doo doo.
PRCS says
“Austin and the generals don’t realize that Hamas would recruit jihadis regardless of what Israel does.”
Add this example to that: anyone, ANYONE, who has publicly declared that “we” defeated ISIS.
Fellow JW readers will likely have addtional examples.
Joe Kool says
For some reason our govt as well as most other western govts are pretending that islam is a peaceful religion, Hamas is just another islamic jihad group, one of many, but they all have the same denominator. If its Israels fault, then explain why did they commit 9/11, The London train bombings, the Madrid train bombings, the Bataclan attack, the Berlin Christmas Market attack, the San Bernardino attack, the daily attacks on Nigerians and other African countries, the attack in Nice in 2016, Europe is under siege as we speak, the daily murders and rapes of Europeans doesn’t even make the news anymore, the list is endless and we know the media covers up as much as they can so….mind boggling!
Pray Hard says
Same old trope, over and over and over, just as false and delusional as “winning their hearts and minds”.
Violet says
Austin is a Globalist in lock-step with his Globalist masters deliberately turning prosperous free countries into chaotic hell holes in order to bring in a one world government.
E T says
Funny how Collaborators, Traitors have been renamed Globalists.
Clifford Hendler says
This projecting jackass, proves that knee grow AA recipients are exactly what you’d expect…incompetent, intellectually lazy, woke and the perfect poster boy for the Peter Principle.
Keys says
Incompetent?
I thought talking loudly and forcefully while looking angry and offended, and glaring disdainfully and accusingly at others makes what one says true, and makes one competent. /sarc
Julia says
This is actual racism and no Western anti racist cares: “Western analysts have a paternalistic and ethnocentric assumption that jihadis are passive reactors with no agency of their own. All they can do is react to what the U.S. or Israel does. The idea that they might have reasons of their own to be violent, regardless of what others do, never occurs to them.”
Moreover, these generals are ignoring all the audios and videos that are going viral right now, where Gazans are cursing Yahya Sinwar and Hamas.