In the wake of the massacre of Israeli civilians by Hamas terrorists, the world has reacted -- but not all in the same way.
Condemned Hamas
o United States
o Germany
o France
o Morocco (voiced "deep concern" and condemned attacks on civilians "where ever they are".)
o EU (EU Commission chief von der Leyen: "I unequivocally condemn the attack carried out by Hamas terrorists against Israel. It is terrorism in its most despicable form.")
o Canada
o Great Britain
o Ukraine (President Zelenskiy: condemned the "terror attack" and said Israel's right to defend itself "cannot be doubted".)
o Poland (President Duda: "Rockets attacks and detention of civilians as hostages arouse our deepest opposition. Poland strongly condemns all acts of violence")
o Italy
o Japan
Called For Restraint/Cease-Fire
o UAE (Foreign Ministry: "The UAE calls for the exercise of maximum restraint and an immediate ceasefire to avoid serious repercussions," )
o UN (UN Middle East peace envoy Wennesland: ("I appeal to all to pull back from the brink.")
o China (The Chinese foreign ministry urged both sides "to remain calm, exercise restraint and immediately end the hostilities to protect civilians and avoid further deterioration of the situation")
o Saudi Arabia (The foreign ministry called for an "immediate cessation of violence")
o Egypt (Foreign minister called for "exercising maximum restraint and avoiding exposing civilians to further danger".)
o Turkey (President Erdogan: "We call for restraint from all parties.")
o Russia (Deputy Foreign Minister Bogdanov urged restraint)
o Qatar (The foreign ministry said Israel alone was responsible for the ongoing escalation of violence with the Palestinian people, and called for both sides to show restraint.)
o Kenya (Principal Secretary Sing'oei: While Israel has a right to retaliate, a peaceful path to resolving this unfortunate development is urged,)
o Uganda (President Museveni: "The break out of renewed violence in Israel- Palestine is regrettable. Why don’t the two sides implement the two States’ Solution? To be condemned, in particular, is the practice of targeting civilians and non-combatants by the belligerents.")
Blamed Israel
o Abbas (The Palestinian people have the right to defend themselves against the "terror of settlers and occupation troops,")o African Union (Chairman Mahamat: "Denial of the fundamental rights of the Palestinian people, particularly that of an independent and sovereign State, is the main cause of the permanent Israeli-Palestinian tension" and urged "both parties to put an end to military hostilities and to return, without conditions, to the negotiating table.")
o Kuwait (Blamed Israel for "blatant attacks".)
o Indonesia ("Indonesia requests that acts of violence stop immediately to avoid increasing human casualties. The root of the conflict, namely the occupation of the Palestinian territories by Israel, must be resolved according to the parameters agreed upon by the U.N.")
Apparently, Abbas does not see a need to offer even a mild condemnation or sympathy -- not even in English.
Endorsed the Slaughter
o Irano Hezbollah (described the slaughter of civilians as a"decisive response to Israel's continued occupation and a message to those seeking normalization with Israel".)
No surprise here.
But in the US, there were some surprises when members of "The Squad" condemned the massacre:
o Ilhan Omar: "I condemn the horrific acts we are seeing unfold today in Israel against children, women, the elderly and the unarmed people who are being slaughtered and taken hostage by Hamas... We need to call for de-escalation and a cease-fire."o Bernie Sanders: "I absolutely condemn the horrifying attack on Israel by Hamas and Islamic Jihad. There is no justification for this violence...It must end now"o Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez: "Today is devastating for all those seeking a lasting peace and respect for human rights in Israel and Palestine. I condemn Hamas' attack in the strongest possible terms...An immediate cease-fire and de-escalation are urgently needed to save lives."o Jamaal Bowman: "I strongly condemn the horrific attacks by Hamas and am saddened by the loss of precious lives, especially on the holy day of Simchat Torah."o Ayanna Pressley: "These devastating attacks on Israelis are deeply alarming, and my heart breaks for the victims and their loved ones. It is long past time to stop this cycle of violence..."o Cori Bush: "I strongly condemn the targeting of civilians and I urge an immediate cease-fire and de-escalation to prevent further loss of life"
Seeing these politicians condemn Hamas is unusual, but understandable considering how uncomfortable they must be having to come out with public statements in response to a situation where Jews outnumber how many Palestinian Arabs have been killed.
We will see if their sympathies remain consistent.
Rashida Tlaib did not follow her fellow squad members. She offered no condemnation, settling for "I grieve the Palestinian and Israeli lives lost yesterday, today, and every day."
A major concern was raised by Italian Prime Minister Meloni, who announced that "particular attention is being paid to the security of the Jewish community in the country." Germany has begun dealing with this issue. On Saturday night German police broke up a pro-Hamas rally.
Austria and Germany said on Monday they were suspending aid worth tens of millions of euro to Palestinians in response to Islamist group Hamas' deadly attack on Israel to ensure funds were not flowing into the wrong hands.
This will include aid to the West Bank. Meanwhile, the EU will hold an emergency meeting tomorrow that will include a discussion of development aid.
Of course, considering the $6 billion Iran is getting from the US, Hamas is not too upset.
The overall question is: will the West remain consistent in its condemnation of Hamas, and what actions will they take to back up those words.
