“There have been 17 ceasefire opportunities for Hamas to release hostages and withdraw, but they rejected all, showing they don’t care about their people.”
In Idaho, Sam Fried, a staunch Zionist Jew, delivered a powerful address to a large interfaith crowd. The event took a dramatic turn when an anti-Israel attendee challenged Fried with claims about Palestinian casualties. Fried’s response was clear and passionate, highlighting often omitted complexities in discussions about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
The challenger stated, “40,000 Palestinians have been killed, actually. So, they named and identified 24,000 people currently named as students.”
Fried responded emphatically, noting that there have been 17 ceasefire opportunities for Hamas to accept since October 17. He emphasized the two primary conditions for peace: releasing hostages and withdrawing from conflict zones. Fried argued that if Hamas truly cared about their people, they would have accepted these ceasefires to prevent further loss of life.
“Don’t give me that,” Fried said. “If you’re going to criticize Israel for defending itself in a war they did not start, where were you when Bashar al-Assad killed 500,000 Muslims in Syria? Where were you during the Yemen Civil War when 50,000 Muslims were killed? And as we speak, there are 1.2 million Muslims in Chinese internment camps. Why single out Israel, the only Jewish state, defending itself against radical terrorism?”
Fried later posted the exchange on his Instagram, questioning why critics focus specifically on Israel while ignoring other conflicts with significant civilian casualties. He emphasized that the ongoing conflict, which began on October 7th, wasn’t initiated by Israel and noted that every Palestinian casualty since then is a direct result of Hamas’ actions, including their rejection of multiple ceasefire opportunities.
Fried’s Instagram post read: “When people claim that Israel is killing ‘people,’ they conveniently leave out context. How many of these people are terrorists? Why did the war start? Who is responsible for the lack of a ceasefire after 8 long months? And why are they specifically interested in this conflict? No Jews, no news. Such is war. A war we did not ask for, nor want.”
After the event, Fried revealed a troubling incident that occurred afterward. “While we had protestors, the bigger story was the development that I had been stalked, followed back to my hotel, and a group of a few Palestinian-supporting anarchists in keffiyehs came looking for me with instruments to do damage. They ended up vandalizing the hotel because they hosted me. They will literally do anything besides come to the table and speak to me,” he said.
Despite this, Fried expressed gratitude for the overwhelming support from the interfaith community in Idaho. “My time in Idaho was extremely meaningful,” Fried wrote. “I was fortunate to have an interfaith crowd of 400-500 people who were by and large pro-Israel. While we had protestors, the bigger story was the development that I had been stalked, followed back to my hotel, and a group of a few Palestinian-supporting anarchists in keffiyehs came looking for me with instruments to do damage. They ended up vandalizing the hotel because they hosted me.”
Despite the threats and vandalism, Fried remains committed to his mission of advocating for Israel and seeking partners in peace. He thanked the Israel-Idaho Alliance, Chabad of Boise, RCC, Boise PD, and Lani Finer for supporting the event.
“As always – Am Yisrael Chai,” Fried concluded, reaffirming his unwavering support for Israel.
News Link: https://rairfoundation.com/idf-reservist-sam-frieds-powerful-defense-israel-leads/