Staff Reports
On the Oct. 7 anniversary this year, the world saw the same ugly mix of praise and violence that keeps the Middle East stuck on a loop. While Hamas and allied groups praised the 2023 attack as the “Al‑Aqsa Flood,” local reports show Palestinians in the West Bank attacked Israeli shepherds near Sebastia, leaving five people hurt. If anyone still thinks this is only a “local dispute,” they are choosing to look the other way.
Shepherds stoned near Sebastia — what local reports say
Local Israeli outlets reported that Palestinians from the area around Ramin threw rocks at Israelis grazing livestock near Sebastia in Samaria. Emergency teams treated and evacuated five wounded shepherds. That is not a protest. It is an attack on civilians going about their work in the fields — and it fits a pattern of rising violence against Israelis in contested grazing areas.
Hamas, PA rhetoric and schools — praise that fuels violence
Hamas called Oct. 7 the “Al‑Aqsa Flood” and marked the anniversary with statements praising the 2023 operation. Monitoring groups also flagged disturbing materials tied to Palestinian Authority schools and public figures. An adviser on religious affairs to PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas reportedly said, “Oct. 7 can repeat itself 100 times” if the occupation continues. That kind of talk is more than words — it is a call to repeat mass murder, and it plants seeds in young minds.
Why this matters: truth, security, and Western blindness
Western leaders and media often treat these anniversaries as abstract political symbols. Meanwhile, real people are being injured and terror is being celebrated in classrooms and squares. If anniversaries of mass murder become recruitment tools, we should stop using euphemisms and start calling things by their real names. Israel has a right to defend its people. Civilians who pray in pastures have a right to safety.
What should change — a clear-minded response
We need clearer pressure on those who glorify terror, and we need to stop pretending that rhetoric like “Al‑Aqsa Flood” is harmless political theater. Hold the Palestinian Authority and Hamas accountable when their spokesmen or institutions celebrate or justify mass violence. In the meantime, remember what happened in the fields near Sebastia — and don’t let a watered‑down narrative erase the facts or excuse the attackers.
