It is difficult to read the details of the horrific Oct. 7 massacre perpetrated on Israel by Hamas without wondering if you had accidentally stumbled upon one of the more gruesome episodes from “Game of Thrones.” I’ll spare you but it’s illuminating how the American left is responding to these atrocities.

What I’ve been reading on the web pages of Democracy Now!, Jewish Voices for Peace and such goes like this; “Gee, what Hamas did was terrible, but … however … nevertheless,” followed by paragraphs denouncing Israel as the worst genocidal nation that ever existed. That particular word is the new dog whistle, misused and overused by those who obviously don’t know its meaning. It means to wipe out completely. If Hamas had the technology to kill tens of thousands of Israelis, they wouldn’t hesitate for a second.

I find that those condemning the terrible tragedy of Palestinian children killed by Israel’s retaliation are strangely silent about the Israeli young people and babies killed, mutilated or kidnapped by Hamas. I also think it curious that after these slaughters occurred plus the subsequent call by Hamas to attack and kill Israelis and Jews worldwide during their “Day of Rage” (Oct. 13,) not one Muslim marched in the streets with a sign proclaiming “Not in My Name.” And not one individual of those demonstrating on the Greenfield Common for Palestine stood in protest against these acts and calls for murder. Not one.

So, yes, I am calling out the activists of the left both locally and nationally for their double-standard hypocrisy in how they are addressing the never-ending fratricide between Israel and Palestine. And despite those Jews supporting the Palestinians, there is the unmistakable whiff of antisemitism in the air that cannot be ignored.

It is impossible to separate Israel from the fact that it is essentially a Jewish state. I honestly believe that if Israel was a nation composed of people other than Jews, nobody would give a damn about what they and the Palestinians did to each other. They would merely be two far-off dysfunctional Middle Eastern tribes clobbering each other just like in Syria, Lebanon and Yemen. And who in the peace movement cares about the 300,000 dead Syrians, the 150,000 dead Lebanese or the 375,000 killed in Yemen by Saudi Arabia, which also receives billions in American military aid? Not one.

If you go on Instagram and check out the numerous videos showing global demonstrations in support of Palestine, you will find that many of the comments include calls for Israel to be destroyed, followed by numerous responses of those expressing their approval for this sentiment.

Despite claims to the contrary, the chant “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free,” overheard repeatedly on American campuses and on the Greenfield Common is an unmistakable call for the genocidal destruction of Israel, the only Middle Eastern nation located between a river (Jordan) and a sea (Mediterranean.)

And what happens to the 7 million Jews living in Israel after it is “freed?” Do they join the 6 million who were exterminated before them? And if so, how many would care?

The Israelis are keenly aware of this because one of their observations is that the world always has a higher opinion of Jews when they allow themselves to be murdered than when they defend themselves from extinction. Israel is the only nation that lives with the primal terror of being wiped off the face of the earth, a genuine threat voiced by both Palestinian and Arab leaders since 1947 when the nation was created, not by European colonial powers as a current big lie implies but by U.N. Resolution 181.

This latest madness has caused some strange bedfellows and stranger comments. U.S. Rep.e Rashida Tlaib recently wore a T-shirt connecting Free Palestine with Gay and Women’s Rights, apparently unaware that any gay feminist marching openly in Gaza would be summarily executed by Hamas which, like the Taliban and ISIS, are religious extremists.

There is even a group called “Queers for Palestine” that has unleashed an army of comedians suggesting alternate groups such as “Chickens for KFC” and “Jews for Hitler.” Amy Goodman posted on her site about how nice Hamas had been to one of the hostages, ignoring that this poor elderly woman was dragged from her home after seeing her friends and neighbors slaughtered.

In the end, the war will conclude, Gaza will be rebuilt, the dead buried and the Palestinian people conveniently forgotten as they always are. And so it goes.

Daniel A. Brown lived in Franklin County for 44 years and is a frequent contributor to the Recorder. He lives outside of Santa Fe, New Mexico with his wife, Lisa and dog, Cody.