The personal belongings of festival-goers are seen at the site of an attack on the Nova Festival by Hamas gunmen from Gaza, near Israel’s border with the Gaza Strip, in southern Israel. Photo: Reuters/Ronen Zvulun

The Simchat Torah terror attack by Hamas resulted in the murder of approximately 1,400 Israelis, mostly civilians. Thousands were injured, and a reported 200 were taken hostage.

As I read and watched the news, I searched for reassuring words from world leaders. President Biden did not shy away from using blunt language, pointing out that Hamas’ committed war crimes. He said Hamas does not support the dignity and self-determination of the Palestinians, but rather the destruction of the State of Israel and the murder of Jews.

French President Emmanuel Macron offered the compassion of the government of France to the people of Israel in the face of barbarity, while the British prime minister stressed that Hamas operatives are terrorists, not freedom fighters. The Japanese foreign minister said that no reason justifies the terror attacks by Hamas.

A report published by the Washington Institute for Near East Policy notes that at least 44 nations have condemned Hamas and its terrorist tactics. The same report noted that few words of compassion for Israelis, or condemnation of Hamas, have emanated from the Arab world. Statements from countries like Qatar, Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Syria, and Iraq have pinned the blame on Israel. Those from Bahrain and the UAE, two of Israel’s Abraham Accords partners, offer mild criticism of Hamas.

The initial response by Mahmoud Abbas, the President of the Palestinian Authority, was that the Palestinians have a right to defend themselves. After intense US pressure, he condemned the murder of civilians — but then deleted it from his statement. 

What about Arab public opinion? Well, the enormous pro-Hamas demonstrations that broke out in cities such as Amman and Baghdad this past Friday speak for themselves.

What was I looking for? I suppose I was thinking back to a tragic event that took place after the conclusion of the 1994 peace treaty between Israel and Jordan. The treaty included the creation of a peace park, accessible to Israelis, on land ceded to Jordan in the upper Jordan Valley. Three years later, a Jordanian soldier opened fire on a group of visiting Israeli schoolchildren, killing seven and wounding six. In a courageous and heartfelt act, King Hussein, the late king of Jordan, visited with each of the children’s families, as they sat shiva, to express his remorse.

Are there no Arab leaders in the Middle East that have a sense of remorse for the crimes committed by Hamas?

Well, I know of at least one. Bassam Eid is a Palestinian human rights activist who founded a group that monitors human rights abuses by Palestinians. Eid has written extensively about human rights abuses, including torture, by the Palestinian Authority and Hamas.

On October 9, Newsweek published an opinion piece by Eid, titled “Gaza Could have Been Singapore. Hamas Turned it into ISIS.” Four days later, Eid was featured in a TikTok video in which he accused Hamas of genocide.

Who can disagree?

Jacob Sivak, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Canada, is a retired professor, who taught at the University of Waterloo.