It has been one year since Hamas terrorists stormed into Israel to commit their atrocities. 

The shock I felt that day was, sadly, eclipsed by the horror I felt when I realized that so many of my fellow citizens were happy that rapists, murderers, and hostage-takers attacked innocent Israelis. Millions of Americans and Europeans, raised in Western countries ostensibly raised to respect human rights, embraced the "decolonizers" and celebrated their "victory."

All this started on October 8th, long before Israel mobilized to take out Hamas. Some people are rewriting history, claiming that the protests have been about Israel's war in Gaza and now Lebanon, but that is false. The left was mobilized immediately and began celebrating the massacres within hours. They embraced Hamas' imagery and propaganda and made clear that they wanted Israel gone and Jews dead. 

The group calls for campus protests, following “a surprise operation against the Zionist enemy which disrupted the very foundation of Zionist settler society.”

Astonishingly, the group refers to the attack as “a historic win for the Palestinian resistance.” pic.twitter.com/KbCI7YMW3O

— John Sailer (@JohnDSailer) October 13, 2023

Suddenly, students across America were chanting in support of Hamas; professors proudly spoke of their exhilaration, and campuses were "occupied" and defaced. Jews were barred from some campuses by their fellow students, and antisemitism exploded. 

"I salute Hamas. A job well done. When I heard the news, I smiled!"

Philly crowd roars and applauds.

Are you ready for what’s coming?

pic.twitter.com/IyjgTJPnl4

— End Wokeness (@EndWokeness) October 12, 2023

There is much to say about the rise in antisemitism, but I want to focus on something else: the bizarre indifference of our government and media to the fate of American citizens who have been held hostage in Gaza for a year. 

Back in 1979, when Iranian students stormed the US embassy and took diplomats and soldiers hostage, it was a national obsession. I remember watching "America Held Hostage," which became Nightline, every night I could. The act repulsed Americans, and Carter's fecklessness in dealing with Iran likely cost him his reelection. 

When Americans were held hostage by Islamist terrorists during the Reagan administration, he took extraordinary measures to get them back. Iran, too, was at the center of that mess, and Reagan's efforts led to the greatest scandal in his administration. Seven Americans were held hostage by Hezbollah--an organization that is now celebrated by the left--and the Reagan administration worked tirelessly and perhaps recklessly to get them back. 

It wasn't the number of people who mattered. In the case of Iran, 66 people were taken. Hezbollah held 7 Americans. As American citizens, it didn't matter who they were or how many; Americans expected their government to move heaven and earth to get them back. 

So what has changed? We rarely hear about the American hostages held by Hamas. They get occasional lip service but almost no attention and minimal effort to get them back. This is such a non-issue that antisemites happily tear down posters with the faces of the hostages, Americans and Israelis. 

This gets us back to antisemitism and "decolonization." The hatred for Israel is inextricably tied to the hatred of Jews. These are not generic Americans but are somehow tainted because they are seen as Jews first. They are "other" in some fundamental way, so the media ignores them. 

I don't think Biden is ignoring them because he personally hates Jews. But I also don't think Biden cares that much about them either, just as his policies are not in general focused on the well-being of ordinary Americans. As an internationalist, he is all about placating our enemies, with the exception of Russia, for some reason. 

All his efforts have been focused on restraining Israel from clearing out the terrorists. And the media is obsessed with portraying Israel as the bad guy. The more coverage of American hostages, the harder that is. So they are ignored. Just as the continued attacks on Israelis by Hamas and Hezbollah are pretty much ignored. 

I can't say whether America has changed, but it's clear that the divide between the transnationalists in our elite and ordinary citizens is growing. If the media put more focus on the Americans in captivity, I think there would be more outrage. 

The media can't have that. 

I expect that on this anniversary, there will be some mention of the hostages. But too soon, we will be treated to more propaganda about how awful Israel is and how the terrorists are victims. 

It's dispiriting to see what our government and our media have become. They seem more often to side with those who hate us than with their fellow citizens.