Beyond the Narrative of Blame: The Urgent Need for an Honest Reckoning on Israel and October 7

• Following the massacre of October 7, Israel remains in the throes of a collective trauma, leading to intense self-recrimination. Yet the obsessive focus on our failures risks diverting attention from the true threat – the ideology that drove the October 7 attack in the first place.
• The October 7 massacre was the culmination of an ideological war driven by Hamas and its backers, who have cultivated a relentless culture of hatred, jihad, and the eradication of Israel. However, instead of facing this reality, much of the world chooses to exploit Israel’s moment of vulnerability, portraying us as aggressors committing so-called “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza. This twisted narrative does not just distort the truth, it strengthens the wave of anti-Israel sentiment sweeping the world.
• Radical Islam is not merely waging war against Israel, it is waging war against any system, any people, any ideology that does not conform to its absolutist vision. Israel stands on the front lines of this battle. Yet, instead of acknowledging this, much of the world chooses to focus exclusively on Israel’s internal failings, thus emboldening our enemies.
• If there is any hope for peace, it must begin with an honest reckoning, not within Israel alone but within Palestinian society itself. There must be a total rejection of Hamas’s ideology – embedded so deeply within Palestinian society, an abandonment of the so-called “right of return,” and, most importantly, a fundamental shift in the education of Palestinian children away from indoctrination and towards coexistence.
• Given the existential threat Israel faces, this is not the time to fixate on Israel’s failures while treating Hamas’s monstrous atrocities – enthusiastically supported by large segments of the Gazan population and radicalized Muslims worldwide – as a mere side note.
• A true reckoning must confront the entire reality, including the radical forces that orchestrated October 7 and the global enablers who continue to justify their actions.

Recently, a prominent European production house approached Oded Ailam, a researcher at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs (JCFA) and a former senior officer in the Mossad. They sought his participation as an expert speaker in a documentary commemorating the second anniversary of Hamas’s October 7, 2023, attack.

The production’s stated focus was the story of the female IDF lookouts of Nahal Oz, a unique unit of young women, aged 18 to 20, stationed along the Gaza border. These lookouts, performing their military service, had witnessed and analyzed crucial intelligence leading up to the attack. They saw the warning signs; they raised the alarm. But no one in the chain of command listened. Tragically, many of them became the first victims of the Hamas assault.

The surviving lookouts and the families of those lost have since embarked on a mission – one of truth, accountability, and justice. The documentary, as described by its producers, sought to capture this painful reality, offering what they believed to be a revealing portrait of Israeli society.

On the surface, the subject matter is compelling. The voices of these young women deserve to be heard. The institutional failures that led to their deaths demand scrutiny. However, the glaring issue is not what this documentary includes, but what it omits.

A Pattern of One-Sided Storytelling

The pattern is predictable and has repeated itself across countless articles, films, and reports on Israel:

• A hyper-focus on Israeli failures while virtually ignoring the enemy’s atrocities.
• A portrayal of Israeli society as dysfunctional, divided, and self-destructive – feeding the global narrative of an unworthy state.
• A deliberate downplaying of the ideological and geopolitical forces driving Hamas and its allies, as if the October 7, 2023, attack happened in a vacuum rather than being the result of decades of radicalization and jihadist indoctrination.

It is a selective, agenda-driven retelling of events that serves only to reinforce a biased perspective.

For this reason, Ailam declined to participate in the documentary. Below is his full response, a statement that reflects not just his personal stance but the broader frustration with how Israel is portrayed in global media.

Oded Ailam’s Response to the Documentary Invitation

Following the massacre of October 7, we have witnessed an unprecedented surge of antisemitism worldwide, much of it masquerading as harsh anti-Israeli rhetoric – one that not only condemns Israeli policies but goes so far as to deny Israel’s very right to exist. This wave of hostility has been fueled by radicalized Muslim communities in the West and the influence of Qatari money, injecting venomous propaganda into global discourse.

Meanwhile, Israel itself remains in the throes of a collective trauma. The shattering collapse of the IDF and intelligence services on that fateful day has led, as is typical in Jewish history, to intense self-recrimination. The failure to heed the warnings of the 414 brave female soldiers who foresaw this catastrophe is nothing short of outrageous. The fact that our government has yet to fully assume responsibility only compounds the pain. This disaster will remain a national wound, one that will take generations to heal. And yet, while this topic has been endlessly analyzed, debated, and dissected in Israeli society and media, the obsessive focus on our failures risks diverting attention from the true threat – the ideology that drove the October 7 attack in the first place.

Voltaire once remarked, “Those who can make you believe absurdities, can make you commit atrocities.” Indeed, the October 7 massacre was not merely an operational failure but the culmination of an ideological war – a war driven by Hamas and its backers, who have cultivated a relentless culture of hatred, jihad, and the eradication of Israel. However, instead of facing this reality, much of the world chooses to exploit Israel’s moment of vulnerability, portraying us not only as aggressors committing so-called “ethnic cleansing” in Gaza but as an incompetent nation that even sacrificed its own brave young female soldiers on the altar of political interests. This twisted narrative, amplified by global media and political opportunists, does not just distort the truth – it strengthens the wave of anti-Israel sentiment sweeping across the world.

The French Revolution offers a poignant parallel. The Jacobins, in their relentless pursuit of ideological purity, turned even on their own, feeding the guillotine with both enemies and former allies alike. Likewise, radical Islam is not merely waging war against Israel – it is waging war against any system, any people, any ideology that does not conform to its absolutist vision. Israel stands on the front lines of this battle, and yet, instead of acknowledging this, much of the world chooses to focus exclusively on our internal failings, thus emboldening our enemies.

If there is any hope for peace, it must begin with an honest reckoning – not within Israel alone, but within Palestinian society itself. There must be a total rejection of Hamas’s ideology, embedded so deeply within Palestinian society, an abandonment of the so-called “right of return,” and, most importantly, a fundamental shift in the education of Palestinian children away from indoctrination and towards coexistence. Peace cannot be forged in the flames of denial and jihadist aspirations; it must be built upon recognition, reform, and a new vision for the future.

I understand that this may not align with the central narrative of your documentary, and I fully respect your perspective. However, I find it difficult to take part in a project that once again fixates on Israel’s failures while treating Hamas’s monstrous atrocities – enthusiastically supported by large segments of the Gazan population and radicalized Muslims worldwide – as a mere side note. There is a time for national introspection, but given the existential threat we face, there is also a necessity to show the world the truth of what we are up against rather than merely inflicting more pain upon our already battered society.

Apologies for the length of this response, but I felt compelled to express my feelings candidly. Wishing you all the best in your endeavors.

Sincerely,

Oded Ailam

Breaking the Cycle of Bias

The world does not need another film that portrays Israel as a failed state while ignoring the ideology that seeks its destruction. Israel’s intelligence failures must be examined – but not in isolation. The international community must also scrutinize:

1. The deep-rooted culture of hate and jihad in Hamas-controlled territories.
2. The global funding networks that sustain Hamas and other terror groups.
3. The media complicity in spreading misinformation and fueling antisemitic narratives.

A true reckoning does not begin and end with Israel’s mistakes. It must confront the entire reality, including the radical forces that orchestrated October 7 and the global enablers who continue to justify their actions.

Israel will continue to examine its own failures, as it always has. But if the world refuses to examine its own complicity in feeding these flames, then peace will remain an illusion, and history will continue its tragic repetition.

The time has come for the world to stop fixating solely on Israel’s internal struggles and start addressing the real issue: the ideology that made October 7 possible.