Article in The Times of Israel by Andy Blumenthal: With the October 7 invasion, Hamas was after something much bigger and more important to them than the one-day massacre of Israelis; they wanted a massive blood libel against Israel to turn the world against them. Just like Hamas used a barrage of missiles on the day of their attack to divert from their invasion, so too was the invasion and massacre itself a manipulative provocation, for any forceful response whatsoever automatically turns the perception of Israel into the “genocidal” aggressors. To our great detriment, Hamas’s strategy was largely successful. They inflicted significant damage on Israel and the Jewish people not only through sheer terrorism but also through the insidious setup for Israel to be perceived as the perpetrator rather than the victim. However, now it is Israel's turn not only to destroy Hamas and rescue the hostages but also to set the record straight.

1. 1/14/24, 5:42 AM Victimhood for the cameras | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/victimhood-for-the-cameras/ 1/8
THE BLOGS
Andy Blumenthal
Leadership With Heart
Victimhood for the
cameras
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2. 1/14/24, 5:42 AM Victimhood for the cameras | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/victimhood-for-the-cameras/ 2/8
Credit Photo: Aurel_Cham via https://pixabay.com/illustrations/propaganda-obey-shepard-fairey-7287298/
One hundred days ago, on October 7, 2023, Israel failed to respond to a horrific
attack by Hamas until it was almost too late. This resulted in more than 20
border communities and military outposts being overrun, 1,200 Israelis
mercilessly butchered, and another 240 being abducted.
Just as in the Yom Kippur War exactly 50 years prior, Israel unfortunately
miscalculated. Intelligence sources within and outside the country warned them
of the enemy’s preparations for an imminent attack. A full investigation into the
incident will need to explain how this happened despite their full knowledge of
Hamas’ charter calling for the destruction of Israel and the five wars they had
initiated just since 2007.
The Real Plan All Along
Not only did Israel miss the signs of the Hamas invasion, but they were
completely blindsided by the ensuing Jewish blood libel that followed, and that
was likely the primary goal all along. Continuing their pattern of attacking and
then playing the victim, Hamas carried out a vicious and morally repugnant

3. 1/14/24, 5:42 AM Victimhood for the cameras | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/victimhood-for-the-cameras/ 3/8
invasion to force Israel into a massive response. Its leaders happily sacrificed
Gaza’s citizens for the sake of headlines: “Israel attacks civilians,” “Israel is
carrying out a genocide.”
They had no other way to counter the increasing recognition that Israel has
always wanted peace and to coexist with neighboring Muslim states in the
Middle East, including the Palestinian people.
Judging from the news, they have largely succeeded. Coverage of world events
such as aggression by Russia, China, and North Korea has largely been
subsumed by the Palestinians’ self-made “plight.” For, despite vast amounts of
aid and endless UNRWA “care and feeding,” they have produced virtually
nothing from their modern existence except hate and war.
Hamas is extraordinarily skilled at its propaganda craft. In addition to literally
posing as victims on the battlefield, they have as a military strategy embedded
themselves into the civilian population, including its mosques, schools, homes,
and hospitals, and created a network of hundreds of miles of terror tunnels
beneath Gaza’s cities in order to hit Israel from behind 2.2 million human
shields and to sacrifice them as needed for their cause of “from the river to the
sea,” all the while falsely painting Israel as the ruthless aggressor.
Shockingly to many people, the terrorists not only succeeded in their physical
invasion of Southern Israel but in infiltrating their seeds of hate into our “woke”
dominated education system and DEIA progressive politics that wrongfully
classify people as either oppressed or oppressors and are themselves racist in
both intent and function.
While there was certainly plenty of antisemitic sentiment before the attack, it
was also generally frowned upon, and people feared the consequences of being
labeled as racist or carrying out “hate crimes.” However, now we are seeing an
alarming increase in verbal as well as physical attacks against Jews, including

4. 1/14/24, 5:42 AM Victimhood for the cameras | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/victimhood-for-the-cameras/ 4/8
blaring calls for their genocide. All the while, educators, health professionals,
law enforcement, and public officials either justify the anti-Semitism as
“contextual” or simply turn a blind eye altogether.
As a result of failure to accurately perceive Hamas’s intentions, Israel must not
only carry out a successful military and hostage rescue mission in Gaza, but
Jews worldwide must actively dispel the hateful lies and cries of “occupation,”
“Apartheid,” and “resistance by any means necessary.”
All the while, the Iranian terrorist sponsors gleefully celebrate the gullibility of
brainwashed Westerners while they pursue their goals of a radical Islamic
caliphate with nuclear weapons to threaten not only Israel but the entire world.
That Was Then; This Is Now.
Before October 7, despite the discord over judicial reform, Israel was growing
economically, culturally, and militarily, and it ranked as the 4th happiest
country in the entire world. Especially after the Abraham Accords in 2020, hope
had blossomed in the country for a normalization of relations between Israel
and the larger Muslim world. With peace accords with Egypt, Jordan, the United
Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Morocco, and Sudan, as well as those on the horizon
with Saudi Arabia, the possibilities for durable peace and prosperity in the
Middle East seemed boundless.
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5. 1/14/24, 5:42 AM Victimhood for the cameras | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/victimhood-for-the-cameras/ 5/8
After the attack, Israel’s troubles have metastasized not only to a hostage crisis,
250,000 internally displaced people in Israel, 360,000 reservists called in for
military action, and an economic hit of over $51 billion. Further, the threat of a
wider regional war is growing as terrorists from surrounding Arab countries,
including Lebanon, Syria, and Yemen, not only attack Israel but also disrupt
trade in the Red Sea, including Israel’s vital port in Eilat. On top of this, Israel
and Jews worldwide are battling an onslaught of hateful propaganda to vilify
them.
The United Nations issues one-sided resolution after another against
Israel, demanding that she cease-fire while blatantly ignoring Hamas’ evil
rampage. Meanwhile, the International Court of Justice is hearing charges
by South Africa, formerly an apartheid state—and now the site of many
attacks against citizens purely for being white—ridiculously trying to turn
the tables and accuse Israel of “genocide” in defending herself.
Other organizations, such as UN Women, have been astonishingly silent
about the extensive weaponization of sexual violence, torture, and rape
against Israeli women and children. Alongside them, the corrupt United
Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), in addition to “educating” the
Palestinians on a diet of anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism, has been a
partner to them in their terrorism by sheltering Hamas terrorists, weapons,
and tunnels. The Red Cross has shockingly refused visits to the Israeli
hostages or even try to bring them vital medication for their basic care.
There have been a continuous series of hate-filled protests by thousands of
Hamas sympathizers around the world who have advanced a global anti-
Zionist and anti-Semitic movement that includes routinely burning the
Israeli flag and tearing down posters of child hostages, chants for genocide
against Israel, calls for boycotts, divestment, and sanctions against Israel as
well as local Jewish-owned establishments, threats and violence against

6. 1/14/24, 5:42 AM Victimhood for the cameras | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/victimhood-for-the-cameras/ 6/8
Jews, and demands for a ceasefire by Israel, so they are defenseless to
Hamas’s ceaseless terrorism.
In summary, with the October 7 invasion, Hamas was after something much
bigger and more important to them than the one-day massacre of Israelis; they
wanted a massive blood libel against Israel to turn the world against them.
Just like Hamas used a barrage of missiles on the day of their attack to divert
from their invasion, so too was the invasion and massacre itself a manipulative
provocation, for any forceful response whatsoever automatically turns the
perception of Israel into the “genocidal” aggressors.
To our great detriment, Hamas’s strategy was largely successful. They inflicted
significant damage on Israel and the Jewish people not only through sheer
terrorism but also through the insidious setup for Israel to be perceived as the
perpetrator rather than the victim. However, now it is Israel’s turn not only to
destroy Hamas and rescue the hostages but also to set the record straight.

7. 1/14/24, 5:42 AM Victimhood for the cameras | Andy Blumenthal | The Blogs
https://blogs.timesofisrael.com/victimhood-for-the-cameras/ 7/8
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Andy Blumenthal is a dynamic, award-winning leader who writes frequently about Jewish life,
culture, and security. All opinions are his own.
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