Los Angeles, California, continues to face tragic and deadly fires that have claimed the lives of at least 16 people, destroyed over 12,000 buildings, and displaced more than 150,000 Californians. Additionally, there is no power for over 90,000 residents in the area.
CALIFORNIA BURNING
(ILTV)
As over 1,400 firefighters battle the ongoing blaze caused by the strong, dry Santa Ana winds, there have also been reports of arson and mass looting of evacuated homes.
One of the worst fires, the Palisades Fire, has ravaged over 5,000 buildings and homes in the area. Yet, miraculously, Kehillat Israel, a local synagogue, managed to survive the fire. Now, the synagogue is not only serving as a symbol of hope in the neighborhood but also as a refuge for evacuees. In fact, the Los Angeles Jewish community is stepping up across the city, hosting meals and welcoming evacuees from all over.
Unfortunately, not everyone is responding to the fires with the same generosity and support.
Almost immediately following the outbreak of fires in California, anti-Israel activists, organizations, and even states began comparing the LA fires to the situation in Gaza, with some even celebrating the fires. Social media posts expressing sympathy for the people in LA who have lost their homes were riddled with comments not only attempting to make the story about Gaza but, in many cases, celebrating the devastation in LA.
HTS, the Islamist group that overthrew Assad in Syria, made a post claiming the fires were “justice,” while social media influencers like Khaled Safi implied the fires were payback for Gaza.
Official regime media from the Islamic Republic of Iran also praised the fires, calling them God’s revenge for Gaza and Lebanon. Meanwhile, celebrities like Jamie Lee Curtis also made crude comparisons.
Shortly after the fires broke out, notorious anti-Israel group Code Pink posted a video lobbying in the U.S. Congress about alleged connections between the wildfires and what they called the “Gaza genocide.” Because apparently, nothing in the world can happen without it being about Palestinians.
Climate change, Black Lives Matter, women’s rights, the Olympics, COVID-19, LGBTQ+ rights, even Christmas—Palestinian activists have attempted to hijack every single one of these issues to make themselves the focus, with no regard for the suffering or needs of others.
Believe it or not, not everything is related to Palestinians. Not everything that takes place needs to be hijacked to make Palestinians the center of the world. This is not solidarity; it’s disrespect.
Showing support for tragedies around the world means nothing when it’s only used to advance an agenda. It’s time for the world to wake up and stop tolerating the anti-Israel bullies who are harassing not only Jewish communities but virtually all of society in the West today.