One of my oldest childhood memories is from the day I learned how to color the Egyptian flag. It started out like any other school day in Cairo, until my kindergarten teacher told us that it was a very special day for Egypt: It was the first anniversary of Sinai Liberation Day, which marked the end of the war with Israel and the restoration of Egyptian sovereignty over the Sinai.
[The Newsweek Report concludes]
This all culminated on Oct. 7, when the Islamic Resistance Movement, Hamas, along with Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) launched a terrorist attack against Israel out of the Gaza Strip, killing more than a thousand innocent civilians and taking more than 200 hostages back to Gaza. In response, Israel declared war against Hamas, with the objective of fully demilitarizing the Gaza Strip and liberating the hostages. And around the world, pan-Islamist organizations mobilized large demonstrations to exert political pressure on Israel and erode public support for its right to defend itself.
Massive disinformation campaigns have been launched on social media platforms, exhibiting the hallmarks of structured communication campaigns and fielding clever soundbites and reductionist talking points to achieve the same goal.
These talking points are not about defending the Palestinian right to self-determination. They have descended into an outright defense of Hamas, including rampant justifications of the atrocities of Oct. 7.As someone whose family fought Israel valiantly on the battlefield, this cannot stand.
It is not a defense of Palestinian rights to justify atrocities, even those committed in their name.
It is time for all stakeholders to shoulder their historical responsibility to reclaim control of the Palestinian cause. It is time for governments and international organizations to call out the IRGC campaign of hybrid and proxy warfare and expose its political and financial links.
It is time we all stood up for peace and against terrorism. It is time to put an end to turmoil in the Middle East: the tragic headlines, the terrorist attacks, the wars, the funerals, the flag-draped coffins, the hatred and the disinformation. If there is one silver lining in all of this, it is the prospect of peace—a meaningful, sustainable peace that puts an end to all the hatred and suffering.
I saw it in my childhood, and I know I can see it again today.
For all the powers that be: Set my region free!
View in this Newsweek report from December 4