In a month, we moved from trusting our neighbors to wondering what they were thinking. Could they be a threat? Jewish students at many of our leading Universities are asking the same about their classmates. With thousands of people marching and shouting anti-semitic cheers, we have never seen this level of anti-Jewish sentiment in our country since WWII.

The marchers also lump the U.S. and Israel as “colonizers.” Not exactly evidence of support for their own country. 

This tact comes at a time when millions have illegally crossed our southern border, many on the terror watch list. We have no idea how many bad actors are in the country. Remember, only 19 Al Qaeda terrorists caused the horrors of 9/11.

Now, we may have untold numbers of zealots operating in a sea of Hamas supporters. We have never faced a sizable fifth column favorable to those who want to harm us. It’s not if something horrible will happen, but when. Worse, it could be multiple actions. Anxiety reigns.

If you don’t think we have what amounts to a fifth column here, consider how many people adhere to the Hamas views. Across Academia, Media, and within government, we hear demands for a ceasefire that only helps Hamas. Even though caught lying in the past, most of our media accept Hamas’ casualty figures, both the number and composition, without question.

The latest Hamas figures claim 11,000 Gazans have died, the majority women and children. Of course, this paints the Israelis as monsters. However, does this add up? Consider before the Israelis even entered Northern Gaza, they warned civilians to move South out of the way of the fighting. 4 to 5 hundred thousand heeded the warning. The Population of Gaza City is around 600,000. As in any evacuation, the idea of women and children first should prevail. It’s what we saw in Ukraine, with non-combatants moving West. During the Blitz, 3 million children in “Operation Pied Piper'” moved from London and other cities to the countryside.

If the usual conventions applied in Gaza, there would be far fewer women and children in the North to be victims than men, yet the Sunday New York Times has the front page headline, “Smoldering Gaza Becomes A Graveyard for Children.”

Either there are far fewer women and Children killed than reported, or something prevented them from leaving and instead being used as human shields. We know it wasn’t the Israelis, so that leaves Hamas. Putting women and children in harm’s way to your benefit is illegal. It is prohibited to seize or to use the presence of persons protected by the Geneva Conventions as human shields to render military sites immune from enemy attacks or to prevent reprisals during an offensive (GCIV Arts. 28, 49; API Art. 51.7; APII Art. We must entertain the idea Hamas is trying to run up a horrible score or is lying again.

If I can make this simple calculation, all the people decrying this loss of innocent life can do the same: that they don’t tell us all we need to know where their loyalties lay. 

The controversy about the Al-Shifa Hospital is more of the same. The pro-Hamas faction in this country points out it is against the Internation Law to attack Hospitals; as long as a hospital operates solely to give health care, this is correct. However, using it also for military purposes negates the presumptions underlying this protection.

 This exception underlay our bombing of the al-Salem hospital complex during the siege of ISIS-controlled Mosul in 2016. The Islamic State using it as a command post also caused our allied Iraqi troops to attack it. Subverting hospitals, schools, and religious buildings for military purposes is hardly new. Why are we holding Israel to a higher standard?

If it weren’t so sad, it would be humorous that the New York Times complains there isn’t enough proof Hamas was using the hospital militarily when it runs a picture of the entrance to the Hamas tunnels in the complex. Maybe they want us to believe it’s a hole made by endangered Great Gazen Gophers.

Pointing out Hamas’ breaking International Law rather than Israel raises the question of why so many are on the opposite side. Hamas is a puppet of Iran. Why aren’t we applying pressure on that terrorist state? Its surrogates are attacking our troops with only a tepid response from our government. The Federalist suggests there are some in high places in government favoring Iran. 

I’m still trying to determine what’s going on, but if we listen, we may hear the marching boots of a fifth column. I know I’m anxious, are you?