You may have noted my apology on Twitter, regarding something I said last Saturday. I'm reiterating that here.
https://twitter.com/joelpollak/status/1713230201537376497
I am taking down the first tweet I posted on X when I learned about the terror attack by Hamas against Israeli civilians last Saturday. And I'm apologizing for it, because it's hurtful, and it's dangerous if it's left up and serves as any kind of justification for evil. (cont ->)
My first reaction when I heard the shocking news from Israel was to do whatever I could to defend the people -- my people -- from attack. I raced home from my synagogue, interrupting the Sabbath and the Jewish holiday. I felt I had to do something, anything.
I sent a tweet urging Israel to "wipe out" Gaza after evacuating civilians aside from military-age men. My exact words:
"I have broken the Sabbath and Jewish holiday to deliver this message: Israel should wipe out Gaza. Allow 48 hours to evacuate women, children and the elderly. Destroy everything that remains, plow it under, and annex it to Israel. This is the end for Hamas and Palestinian terror."
We have all said things we regret in moments of anger and fear and sadness, even to people we love. Generally, I avoid social media when I am angry, or upset, for precisely this reason.
I don't want to see Palestinians killed. I just want Israelis to live.
If I had to write the same tweet today, it would be something like this:
“I have broken the Sabbath and Jewish holiday to deliver this message: Israel should do whatever is necessary to defend its people. Hamas must be destroyed, and Palestinians must reject violence. This is the end for Hamas and Palestinian terror.”
So I'm taking down my tweet. I could leave it up, defiantly, but that's not who I am. I do believe in clarifying, and I also believe in making amends.
I want Israelis and Palestinians to live together in peace. I also want Palestinians to stop murdering Israelis. That's a precondition for any kind of peace.
I'm greatly encouraged by the fact that Arab and Muslim Israelis have stood together with Jewish Israelis, and I'm deeply grateful to the friends, including Arab and Muslim friends, who have reached out to me.
I want people who say they care about Palestinians to start criticizing terrorism and stop defending -- even celebrating -- terror.
The fact that they are still justifying terror does not excuse my own tweet last Saturday; we are all individually morally responsible for our own actions and words. And I don't believe what I said was correct.
So -- I'm sorry. My words were wrong. I overreacted. I'll try to do better.
I should have noted in my message about the weekly Torah portion that this week is Shabbat Chazon, the Sabbath of Vision. We are about to mourn -- but see through that pain to something better that lies beyond, on the other side.
Wishing you the best vision -- and an incredible reality to follow. It happens!
We begin the final speech of Moses to the people of Israel before they enter the Promised Land. He relates the ups and downs of the years of wandering in the desert, before, finally, the people have the merit to enter the land itself.
This Sabbath always precedes Tisha B'Av, the Ninth of Av, the saddest day on the Jewish calendar. It is the anniversary of the destruction of both of the Holy Temples, and a catch-all for many calamities that befell the Jewish people.
A word on Tisha B'Av. This year I am leaving for an overseas trip during the afternoon of the holiday -- in the middle of a fast day. Not idea, but there was no other choice. But my flight is in the afternoon, which is significant.
We relax some of the harsh, mournful customs of the day in the afternoon. We start to pray normally; we sit on regular chairs; we start to have hope again in the redemption that will, one day, lead us all back from exile to our home.
I'll be taking a trip to a land where an important part of ...
President Trump is in Scotland, playing golf and making big trade deals -- a major deal with the EU, in fact. Meanwhile, there is a global outcry about humanitarian aid to Palestinians (not about the Israeli hostages, mind you).
On top of that, Democrats are at their lowest polling numbers ever -- so they are trying to win control of the House by redistricting in the middle of a 10-year Census cycle. Oh, economic optimism is up, so they have a tough road.
And Tulsi Gabbard's revelations about the Russia collusion investigation make it clear that Obama's lieutenants lied to Congress. How deeply was he himself involved? The media continue to ignore the evidence, but we certainly won't.
Special guests:
Nick Gilbertson - Breitbart News White House correspondent, on EU deal
Frances Martel - Breitbart News foreign editor, on Trump abroad and Russia
John Spencer - urban warfare expert, on humanitarian aid and war in Gaza
Bradley Jaye - Breitbart News congressional correspondent, on the ...
