An Act of Sheer Evil

On Tuesday evening, US President Joe Biden spoke powerfully about the nature of the Hamas attack on Israel on Saturday 7th October, concluding with an assurance that the United States “has Israel`s back” and will make sure the Jewish and democratic State of Israel can defend itself today and tomorrow.

He started with these words:

“Good afternoon. You know there are moments in this life, and I mean this literally, when a pure, unadulterated evil is unleashed on this world. The people of Israel lived through one such moment this weekend [at] the bloody hands of the terrorist organisation Hamas – a group whose stated purpose for being is to kill Jews. This was an act of sheer evil, more than 1,000 civilians slaughtered, not just killed, slaughtered in Israel. Among them at least 14 American citizens killed.  Parents butchered using their bodies to try to protect their children.

Stomach-churning reports of babies being killed, entire families slain, young people massacred while attending a musical festival to celebrate peace, to celebrate peace. Women raped, assaulted, paraded as trophies. Families hid their fear for hours and hours, desperately trying to keep their children quiet, to avoid drawing attention. And thousands of wounded, alive but carrying with them the bullet holes and the shrapnel wounds and the memory of what they endured. You all know these traumas never go away …”