In a moment of political correctness meant to appease the enemies of its single most trustworthy ally in the entire Middle East, the United States chose to blacken the eye of Israel regarding the attack on the UNRWA school which took place on Sunday.

“Political correctness” is an oft-used method of taking the easy route by doing nothing more than what is popular. This is precisely what the U.S. did. If however they had chosen to do something which is actually appropriate instead of politically correct, their statement would have been  entirely different. For example:

“Israel faces an enemy which has consistently violated virtually every humanitarian law known to mankind. Hamas has fired a combined total of over 15,000 rockets at Israel since 2001, which are designed to murder civilians. They place their rocket launching infrastructure in civilian facilities and residential neighborhoods intentionally to increase the chances of homes being destroyed which causes hatred toward Israel. This also ensures there will be civilian deaths. They require their civilians to be human shields.  These are internationally recognized crimes against humanity.

Their goal is to ensure civilian casualties, so no matter how careful Israel is, there will be some who are in harm’s way and get killed. It’s a tactic designed to have Israel criticized by the world.  The United States fully understands the tactics of Hamas and recognizes that no other army in human history has taken more measures to minimize civilian casualties than the IDF. In the case of the incident at the UNRWA school, Israel indicated it had targeted terrorists on a motorcycle and took them out. Unfortunately, there were civilian deaths. This is an occasional unintended consequence when terrorists intentionally operate in civilian areas. In response to international criticism the IDF indicated it is investigating the incident. Until they release their report we will refrain from passing judgment.”

But instead of being the leader in seeking truth and standing up for what is right, the U.S. took a spineless approach and joined in with the chorus of Israel’s critics. It’s yet another example of the U.S. following, instead of what it’s been known for, which is leading the way. This has been a strident criticism throughout the Obama presidency.

By criticizing Israel, the U.S. played right into the hands of Hamas, proving that its strategy worked. Hamas saw Israel heavily criticized by its most significant ally. Congratulations, America! You have given Hamas a chance to give itself high fives.

Has it occurred to the U.S. that if it was Israel’s intent to kill civilians Operation “Protective Edge” would look quite different? If Israel didn’t take every possible measure to reduce civilian casualties not a single building would remain standing in Gaza. The death toll would be in the hundreds of thousands.

Israel is the only free democracy in the region. It is governed by civil laws. If the investigation confirms that fault lies with Israel, the Israelis will face up to it. Let’s not forget a judge recently sentenced former prime minister Ehud Olmer to prison for corruption. So there is a checks and balance system in place.

Has the U.S. forgotten how this most recent war in Gaza got started? It was Hamas that abducted and murdered three Jewish teenagers for doing nothing other than being Jews. It was this heinous crime that lead up to the war in Gaza. How was Hamas punished for this crime? It wasn’t.

Moreover, UNRWA has proven itself to be less than honest about their endeavors in Gaza. For example, they have been accused of vilifying Israel in the various schools they run. Evidence has been made public they actually teach school children to promote jihad. This “education” goes on in the public schools as well as the summer camps they run in Gaza.

Plus, whenever an UNRWA representative is interviewed by the media, they focus exclusively on the “humanitarian crisis” going on in Gaza. Their statements are full of accusations against Israel, while not containing a single word about the atrocious tactics of Hamas. Israel is portrayed as a vicious bully that is recklessly killing innocent people.

What country would tolerate a single rocket, yet alone thousands? Yet there is no mention of Hamas firing rockets at Israeli civilians. Then again we shouldn’t expect them to criticize an organization which demands civilians stand in between them and Israeli weapons. No doubt any criticism of Hamas would likely be met with a swift execution. The fact than UNRWA capitulates rather than tell the truth is shameful and discredits them from being a trustworthy voice.

Furthermore, the United States deserves to be additionally called out. Let’s not forget that we have accepted the PA unity government which is backed by Hamas. Due to Hamas’ falling out of favor in Egypt with the Muslim Brotherhood being once again outlawed, they needed cash. So the U.S. chose to back the PA unity government, which means they are able to receive U.S. taxpayer support given to the PA.  This, despite the fact that Hamas is listed by the State Department as a terrorist group.  The PA in turn is using 6% of the $400 million it receives from the U.S. to pay stipends to terrorists in Israeli jails, many of whom are Hamas members. Those who committed the worst crimes earn the highest payoffs. 

I suggest the United States do some serious soul searching and realize Israel is on the forefront of fighting against Islamic fundamentalism. If the U.S. wants to be seen as standing for what is right as opposed to what is politically correct, it will recognize the critical role Israel is playing, one that serves the interest of every American who loves freedom. We should stop trying to appease those who will not settle for appeasement. Their goal is the destruction of the state of Israel and eradication of every last Jew. The sooner the U.S. realizes this, the more apt it might be to stop submitting to the enemies of Israel, who are also the enemies of the U.S.. BTW, Islam means “submission.” That’s exactly the opposite of what the U.S. stands for: freedom.

Dan Calic is a writer, history student and speaker. See additional articles on his Facebook page.