Ray Hanania: One Courageous Arab-American

Ray Hanania is one courageous dude. While other Arab-Americans and Palestinians either praise suicide bombings or temper their criticism of them as a form of resistance to Israeli occupation, Hanania speaks truth to power as represented by that Arab consensus which claims that criticizing Palestinian militants is tantamount to being a traitor to the cause.

Ray Hanania, Arab-American comedian, peace activist and Ynetnews.com commentator

In a recent Ynetnews.com column, Ray lays all his cards on the table in the bravest fashion. He denounces suicide bombing (both in London and Netanya):

There is no justification for suicide bombings regardless of the provocation…Suicide bombing, which intentionally targets civilians, is not a form of resistance but a egregious act of vengeance.

While he also denounces the Israeli occupation and IDF abuses of the Palestinian community.

He urges Mahmoud Abbas in the strongest terms possible to take on Hamas and Islamic Jihad and prevent them by all means necessary from ruining the opportunity for Mideast peace:

Rather than reach out to Hamas to invite the rogue group into a political coalition as Abbas has done, he should issue an ultimatum to immediately arrest, punish and even kill anyone who attempts to take the law into their own hands.

He urges his Israeli counterparts in turn to protest against their government’s depredations:

Israelis can also help by speaking out against the excesses of their own government and be more vocal in denouncing the military oppression in the occupied territories.

He saves his strongest criticism for those American-Arab organizations which act as “enablers” of Palestinian terrorism by remaining silent in the face of this evil:

what cannot be tolerated is the exploitation by Arab and Muslim organizations in America of Palestinian suffering. Rather than remain silent, they must denounce suicide bombings and position themselves as moral critics of wrongful Israeli policies.

Instead, many Arab and Muslim American organizations go one step further and blacklist, ostracize and publicly denounce any Palestinian, Arab or Muslim who dares to speak out against Hamas or PIJ, as a sign to others to remain silent.

If these American organizations would find the courage and strength to speak with moral courage, they would strengthen the hand of Abbas not only to crush the terrorist organization Hamas, but to empower him to stand up to Israel and make stronger demands for concessions at the negotiating table.

As long as these organizations remain silent, and Abbas fails to act forcefully, Hamas and PIJ violence will continue at the expense of Palestinian suffering.

In the Talkback comments, one reader asks Ray whether he fears that the militants might come after him. An appropriate, if alarming comment. Several Arab commenters say the vilest things about him, one of them even calling him a “zionist” [sic] because he is married to a Jew. I’d like to ask how this attack is any different from Meir Kahane’s racist warnings to Jews not to pollute their blood by mingling with Arabs?

I honor Ray’s bravery and candor. If we had more such candor on both sides and less pious pontificating and equivocation, we’d be that much closer to peace.