On Grim 10/7 Anniversary, Some Israeli Leaders Call For ‘Moral Clarity’
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(OPINION) Two years since the barbaric terror attack launched by Hamas on Israel, there appears to be a persistent moral ambiguity on how the world has responded to Israel’s plight.
Should they be faulted at all for their call to get Israeli hostages back and to demand the disarmament of Hamas to finally end the war in Gaza?
Israel Foreign Ministry Head of Bureau for Southeast and India Sagi Karni calls for some moral clarity on what is perceived to be a growing sense of partiality that a host of countries have shown against his country.
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“I understand the sentiments, but even in such difficult situations and circumstances, there is a need to have some coolness and understanding of basics here: what started the war and what can end the war. Israel does not wish for the continuation of the war,” Karni said. “The [Israeli] prime minister [Benjamin Netanyahu] has said there is no wish for Israel to control Gaza. .. We want to free Gaza from Hamas.”
His statement is especially directed at the Philippines, a long-time ally of Israel.
“There is a need to have some moral clarity. Filipinos have been killed by Palestinians and Iranians. So why would you vote in the UN, in New York, against Israel, when your people have been killed by Palestinians and Iranians? This is the central fact, despite what people see on TV screens or the phones,” Karni said.
Karni is referring to the Philippines joining 141 other countries that signed a United Nations General Assembly resolution supporting a two-state solution to the ongoing war in Gaza.
Filipino workers were among the casualties in the Hamas attack, and several of them were also kidnapped by the terrorist group. One of those murdered was Filipino caregiver Paul Vincent Castelvi, who was with two Israeli friends, who were also killed.
In all, 10 countries, including the United States, went against the resolution, while 12 others abstained.
When Israel was attacked by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, the Philippines made a strong reiteration that it “stands by Israel.”
One and a half years later, the country’s Chief Executive, President Ferdinand Marcos Jr., seemed to shift the country’s policy stance, as the Philippine Ambassador to Norway Enrico Fos noted the Philippines’ “support for a two-state solution, the revival of the peace process and ceasefire, humanitarian aid to Palestine, and that the country doubled its contribution to the U.N. Relief and Works Agency. This, Fos said, is due to the Philippines’ bilateral relations with Israel and Palestine.
Fos joined 84 other delegations from countries and international organizations at the third follow-up meeting on the Global Alliance for the Implementation of the Two-State Solution held in Oslo in January 2025.
Marcos, however, did not join the UNGA in New York City in last month “to focus on local issues.”
The Philippines was the last and only Asian country that signed the U.N. Resolution in 1948, declaring Israel as a state, with then-President Manuel Quezon signing the momentous manifesto.
The late president also allowed the entry of 1,200 Israelis into the Philippines during the Holocaust.
Meanwhile, Australian-Israeli Danny Majzner, a survivor of the Oct. 7 Hamas attack, is questioning several country leaders about their decision to support the establishment of a Palestinian government.
“What type of a state will it be? Who’s gonna rule it? Is it gonna have its own army? Currency? Politicians? Is Hamas gonna still be in the Gaza Strip? What are you talking about a Palestinian State? You want to do a Palestinian State? Get all the hostages out, disarm the Hamas. Now we can talk about a Palestinian State. And I will, maybe, my personal views, go to saying, yeah, there could be coexistence. At the moment, no coexistence,” he said.
Majzner said he is very disappointed that renowned world leaders are rooting for the creation of such a Palestinian state.
“[France] declared that he is for a Palestinian State, while other countries, Italy and Brazil, and now Germany, which is one of our biggest allies here. Biggest allies. Without them, I don’t know where we would be! Now, Australia,” Majzner said.
He is especially concerned that Australia, also a long-time Israel ally, has shifted its policy stance.
“By you, Mr. Albanese, going and declaring a Palestinian State, what are you doing? You’re taking Yahya Sinwar, who is a mega terrorist, and you’re taking him to the level of a god, on the pedestal! You’re giving the Hamas a prize by saying ‘okay,’” Majzner said, with sarcasm.
His rebuke stems from the pain of losing his older sister, Galit Carbone, in the 10/7 attack. She was killed by members of Hamas, who shot her with two bullets at Kibbutz Be’eri, only four kilometers away from the border with Gaza.
Majzner said he intends to personally talk to Australian Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and visit several of Australia’s major cities.
“I’m gonna do a lot of talking, just to hopefully pass the message: Guys it happened. And in order for it not to happen again, what does the world need to do? What does the U.N> need to do? Not to ignore it. We were not in wrong here. We were attacked viciously on the 7th. We’re just trying to defend ourselves,” Majzner said.
As a host of countries evidently favoring the establishment of a Palestinian state, Israelis continue to ask whether the world has forgotten the fact that their country was unnecessarily dragged into a war it did not seek.
They are also concerned that a 10/7-type carnage may happen again, especially if a Hamas-controlled government in Gaza reigns for another term.
And what about the plight of the remaining 50 hostages — though only about 20 are believed to be alive — who are being harshly and cruelly treated, as photos of hostages go viral online?
Those who continue to stand with Israel are asking, “Has the world gone blind to the deliberate plan to extinguish the Israelis from the face of the earth?”
The daunting question deserves a better verdict at a time when humankind claims to have reached the pinnacle of knowledge in recent history.
Baby Lyn Cacho Resulta is a reporter for the Philippines-based Far East Broadcasting Company.