Islamists are no different than Hitler, 'Telegraph' op-ed argues

"In almost every abandoned house, an Arabic copy of Mein Kampf," wrote Jake Wallis Simons in a Telegraph op-ed, arguing that the accusations of genocide against Israel in Gaza were unfounded and driven by misinformation. He stated, "Every aspect has been either disproven or cast into irretrievable doubt."

Simons, the editor-in-chief of The Jewish Chronicle, highlighted that the Al-Ahli hospital bombing was not by Israel but by Islamic Jihad, and the casualty figures were exaggerated. "The combatant-to-civilian casualty ratio now likely stands at about 1:1, a historically low figure," he noted. He also pointed out that the UN had downgraded the number of women and children casualties.

He further tackled the claim of genocide, referencing the International Criminal Court president's clarification that Palestinians had a "plausible right to be protected from genocide," but not that genocide was occurring. "There is no case for ‘genocide,’” he emphasized.

On the issue of mass starvation, Simons cited the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification’s Famine Review Committee, which found famine predictions implausible. The committee admitted, "It does not find the [famine prediction] analysis plausible given the uncertainty and lack of convergence of the supporting evidence." Simons criticized officials for ignoring private food deliveries to Gaza, which mitigated the crisis.

Describing the harsh realities faced by Israeli soldiers, Simons recounted his conversation with a paratrooper officer who encountered Palestinians strapped with explosives and children armed with weapons. "Such is the nature of this conflict," he remarked. He described how soldiers found Arabic copies of Mein Kampf in almost every abandoned house, illustrating the dangerous and hostile environment.

Unveiling distorted narratives

Drawing parallels with historical propaganda, Simons quoted George Orwell on the Spanish Civil War: "I saw newspaper reports which did not bear any relation to the facts … Eager intellectuals building emotional superstructures over events that had never happened."

He suggested that the current narrative surrounding Israel and Gaza is similarly distorted. "Antisemitism has always been based on falsehoods," Simons wrote, comparing the current situation to historical falsehoods used to justify hatred and violence.

Simons criticized the global response to the conflict, arguing that the mobilization of the West in favor of Hamas was "as mendacious as it is shameful." He accused progressive elites of being guilty of the very racism they decry. "The modern Islamists and progressives wish to eliminate a supposedly malevolent country for the sake of regional peace," he asserted.

Simons concluded by quoting Howard Jacobson - a British novelist and journalist - in a sentence that antisemites use: “I have nothing against Jews individually. I only hate them by the country.”