New York, NY, October 17, 2024 … ADL (the Anti-Defamation League) today welcomed the death of Hamas arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar at the hands of an Israel Defense Forces patrol in Gaza. Jonathan A. Greenblatt, ADL CEO and National Director, issued the following statement:
The reported death of arch-terrorist Yahya Sinwar at the hands of an ordinary IDF patrol truly is justice served.
As we have seen with the killing of Bin Laden, Baghdadi, Nasrallah, and other evil terrorist masterminds, this is a stark reminder that terror does not pay, and hate does not win.
Indeed, Sinwar was covered in blood. His legacy is little more than death and despair. This outcome is an accomplishment that all people of good faith objectively should embrace.
However, in the hours and days ahead, it seems predictable that anti-Israel zealots, radical anti-Zionists, and hateful antisemites will lionize him. Moreover, if the recent killing of Nasrallah was any kind of foreshadowing, many in the mainstream media will launder his homicidal history and whitewash his evil, genocidal agenda. I will leave it to others to detail his history of murder and terror.
But we cannot turn the page and certainly should not celebrate.
This does not end until all the remaining hostages are returned, including American citizens. These are people whose families and friends were butchered on 10/7. Since that day, they have endured over a year of unimaginable brutality and suffering in Hamas captivity. #BringThemHomeNow.
We also cannot celebrate because there are too many innocents to mourn, too many who have suffered in this war. This starts with the thousands of individuals who were attacked, brutalized, raped, tortured and the 1,200 who were slaughtered on 10/7. It happened to them in their homes, in their cars, at bus stops, at a music festival, in bomb shelters, or in other places. This includes all the Israelis killed in the wave of terror that followed since 10/7, such as the 12 Druze children murdered in cold blood this past summer on a soccer field in Majdal Shams. This also includes the thousands of Palestinian civilians killed in the fighting in Gaza and Lebanon, particularly those who lost their lives because they served as human shields for Hamas and Hezbollah, grotesque organizations that hid their fighters, supplies and weapons in their homes, hospitals, and schools.
We cannot celebrate because there are too many in America, Europe and around the world who seem prepared to carry on Sinwar’s legacy and to continue the campaign of confrontation and hate that has embroiled our campuses, engulfed our communities, in a tsunami of antisemitism and hate. Those who wave Hamas and Hezbollah flags, praising terror organizations with American blood on their hands. Those who intimidate and threaten Jewish people, bullying our children, boycotting our businesses, vandalizing our synagogues, and maligning our community. We need a zero-tolerance policy on intolerance whether on campuses, in politics, or anywhere. Leaders need to lead and stop this in its tracks.
Finally, we cannot celebrate and truly move forward until there is a plan implemented to push Hezbollah out of Southern Lebanon and an agreed upon plan to rebuild Gaza in a demilitarized manner with a government actually ready to serve the needs of its people and prepared to make peace with Israel. This will require effort on the part of Israel, America, Europe, the Arab countries and perhaps the whole world. But when that happens, that will be the moment when we finally will see a Free Gaza -- free from Hamas, free from hate, free from terror, free for all.
That will be a moment to celebrate.
ADL is the leading anti-hate organization in the world. Founded in 1913, its timeless mission is “to stop the defamation of the Jewish people and to secure justice and fair treatment to all.” Today, ADL continues to fight all forms of antisemitism and bias, using innovation and partnerships to drive impact. A global leader in combating antisemitism, countering extremism and battling bigotry wherever and whenever it happens, ADL works to protect democracy and ensure a just and inclusive society for all. More at www.adl.org.