September 4, 2024

 by Dr. Walid Phares

 and Gazelle Sharmahd

The post-hostage-execution demonstrations in Israel are a prime example of how the jihadist machine has always used the left -or the weak part of it- to crumble modern free governments from within.

When experts warn that the “left-wing” (leadership) is collaborating with jihadist organizations, it is not an accusation that demonstrators are consciously advocating for the goals of Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis, or the Islamic regime in Iran. The warning is an attempt to awaken the rank-and-file to the reality that their cause is manipulated, orchestrated, hijacked, and abused by a network of brokers that have worked closely with the Islamic Regime in Iran and the Muslim Brotherhood to keep the main Islamist powers intact and facilitate business deals, like the 2014 Obama-deal that transferred $150 billion to the Ayatollahs in Iran.

The deal did not guarantee or even consider the survival of hostages 

The masses, part of them emotionally depressed by the latest criminal execution of six innocent hostages, have been convinced by disingenuous sources that all it will take to bring the hostages back is to cut a deal with Hamas. They have been convinced that a ceasefire deal will save all hostages and put an end to the war. But such fairytale policies do not reflect the much harsher reality.

What the demonstrators have not been told was that this deal in no way, shape, or form even mentions the names of the living, nor the executed, hostages. The deal does not demand from Hamas the crucial condition of keeping the hostages alive until the deal can be implemented. The deal did not guarantee or even consider the survival of hostages as a prerequisite to any future negotiations.

Despite the fact that Hamas rejected the deal, even if they had accepted it, Hamas – for all practical purposes were only obligated to release corpses in exchange for Israel’s full withdrawal from Gaza before they dismantle Hamas, which means Hamas could (and would) simply retake the areas they have already lost, re-arm, and re-supply with the promised financial aid in phase 3 (of the deal) and then launch yet another terrorist attack as they have promised their base. Every time a cease-fire has been negotiated, it has always led to more civilian deaths, more hostages, and more destabilization for the state of Israel.

“PeaceNow” hastened Israel’s withdrawal before they could help the Lebanese to end the occupation by the Assad regime and disarm Hezbollah.

This is not the first time a left-wing cause has been manipulated, orchestrated, hijacked, and abused to break down stable progressive and pro-western governments from within. Nor is it the first time for Israel:

1.       In 1982-1983, left-wing protests called “PeaceNow” forced Israel’s prime minister Menahem Begin (and after him Itzhak Shamir) to withdraw from Beirut and then the mountains during Israel’s war in Lebanon against Arafat and Assad forces. “PeaceNow” hastened Israel’s withdrawal before they could help the Lebanese to end the occupation by the Assad regime and disarm Hezbollah. As a consequence, Lebanon has been occupied almost entirely by forces of the Islamic regime and their militias ever since.

2.       In 2000, again, left-wing activists pressured the government of Israel’s prime minister and labor party leader Ehud Barak to not only entirely withdraw from the last free enclave in south Lebanon but to dismantle the last resistance against Hezbollah. As a result, the Khomeinist forces deployed across south Lebanon installed their weapons, munitions, and missiles, and waged war against the Galilee, and have since October 7 engulfed Israel from the north.

3.       Demonstrations of “leftist groups” during the era of the Cold War were used by Islamists to topple the pro-western government of the Shah of Iran and install Ayatollah Khomeini and the jihadist Islamic Regime through a coup, allowing them to seize total control over the entire nation of Iran.

The Result: The Islamic Regime seized control of Iran and immediately executed, assassinated, imprisoned, and lynched the left activists, communists, the supporters of Iran’s national government and Shah, and even mass executed former allies and rivaling Islamo-marxist groups like the MEK at that time. The regime has since occupied Iran, replaced its constitution, government, ministries, courts, laws, flag, and national anthem, stole Iran’s resources, and massacred any opposition voice. Today, after 45 years, the regime maintains its network of brokers capable and well-versed in using the momentum of demonstrators to crush a free country’s government in order to destroy and occupy it.

Instead of pressuring Israel to abdicate to Hamas, pressure Qatar to force Hamas to release the hostages 

To the left-wing activists protesting in Israel today, know that both of us are somewhere in the center and are liberal on many levels and appreciate your progressive advancements. We would understand your political opposition to your own government on domestic, economic, and environmental levels. But on the national security of Israel, consider yourselves warned.

Demonstrations and criticism of one’s government are a right and a pillar of every modern society. However, domestic unrest during a time of war is a national security threat that, in the best-case scenario, will weaken the nation’s ability to protect its borders and civilians, and in the worst-case scenario, like in Iran and Lebanon, could cost the nation its sovereignty as your enemy seizes your homeland.  

The demonstrators’ anger, as they have witnessed their fellow countrymen, women, and children tortured, raped, and executed in Gaza’s terror tunnels by Hamas for months, is justified and should be amplified. Every human is a world, a universe, and must be protected and saved. Hostages are some of the most vulnerable humans robbed of their rights, freedom, and voice. They cannot protect themselves, they need your voices.

But instead of pressuring the government of Israel to abdicate to Hamas, demonstrations should pressure Mr. Netanyahu to end the jihadi militias and, more importantly, should focus their demands on the US Administration and international community to pressure Qatar to force Hamas to release the hostages – and even deter the Islamic Regime from incentivizing Hamas to seize hostages by stopping any transfer of money to the Ayatollahs. 

The jihadists are “savvy partners” of left-wing causes 

If you want to protect the lives of your loved ones in the terror tunnels of Gaza, you should demand that all 40+ countries, whose citizens were massacred or kidnapped on October 7, form an emergency global task force. Such a collaboration would provide incredible leverage of all these nations against the terrorist networks to guarantee the immediate safe return of all hostages. Ask these Western democracies what have they done to resolve the problem other than rooting for the same status quo that created the problem in the first place. Up to now, they have simply left Israel on its own and have not moved a finger in defense of their own nationals, who became victims of October 7, except to scold Israeli strategies and paralyze their efforts through courts, threats, and misinformation.

And to the media, the most helpful role you can play is to responsibly describe the situation as it is. Otherwise, you are (knowingly or unwittingly) complicit in destabilizing a country at war with a network of terrorists and billion-dollar brokers.

The jihadists are “savvy partners” of left-wing causes and large swaths of the media, using them to further their own goals. Jihadist forces have come to realize that they cannot destroy modern societies from the outside with terror attacks and wars alone. Therefore, they have perfected the craft of crumbling pro-western governments from within. The rank-and-file activists need to awaken to the reality that they are being played and are being used as instruments of their own destruction. The media must either take responsibility or be held accountable for their role before it is too late to prevent the utter demolition of all modern free countries from within.

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Dr Walid Phares is former foreign policy advisor to Donald Trump, Newsmax contributor, and co-host of “War & Freedom” Podcast and co-President of #EducateAmerica platform.   

Gazelle Sharmahd, daughter of German-American hostage in Iran, Jimmy Sharmahd, co-host of “War & Freedom” Podcast and co-President #EducateAmerica platform.