By Shahar Azani
Published October 15, 2025
Israel’s current phase of its war against the savage terrorists of Hamas is over. President Donald Trump brokered his historic deal to bring the hostages home, and hopes abound for a new era in the region. But is it over? And what does it mean for us here in the United States?
A few weeks ago, as we solemnly commemorated the second anniversary of the darkest day in modern Jewish history since the Holocaust, a horrifying spectacle unfolded on the streets of New York.
While decent human beings gathered to mourn the innocent souls slaughtered and the hundreds taken hostage by Hamas on Oct. 7, 2023, other groups assembled for a very different purpose. They did not gather to advocate for peace, or to support President Trump’s ceasefire agreement. Rather, they chanted for Oct. 7 to happen again, screaming "Glory to our martyrs" (rapists and baby killers) while waving jihadist flags adorned with machine guns!
FREED AMERICAN-ISRAELI HOSTAGE DETAILS STARVATION AND ABUSE BY HAMAS AS FAMILIES PUSH TRUMP FOR DEAL
Netanyahu praised Trump as Israel's "greatest friend" in Knesset speech. (Evan Vucci/Pool via Reuters)
Oct. 7 was evil in its purest form: young children separated from their mothers, family members murdered in front of each other, and young girls raped in front of their parents. It was Israel’s greatest strategic failure in decades, one that should carry with it lessons not just for Israel, but for the United States and the entire free world.
Years prior to Oct. 7, Hamas called for the destruction of Israel. This was evident in its charter, statements and chants, and youth programs. Hamas’ charter is replete with antisemitic tropes, while it places an emphasis on indoctrinating the youth of Gaza with its poisonous ideology. This has been carried out through formal education systems and, most notably, summer camps. These camps, run by Hamas’ military wing, have provided children and teenagers with weapons, training, and ideological sessions. Their stated goal: instill the "values of jihad," as horrifically shown on Oct. 7.
Too many in Israel chose to close their eyes to this reality, telling themselves lies: "They are only speaking to their public for political reasons." "They are reasonable, like us, and desire a stable economy and a better life for their people." The truth is that Hamas is nothing like us.
Anti-Israel protesters demonstrate outside Columbia University on Tuesday, Sep. 3, in New York City. (AP/Yuki Iwamura)
CLICK HERE FOR MORE FOX NEWS OPINION
And now those very same chants are heard on our streets and in public squares — chants against Israel, Jews, the NYPD, and the United States of America. In this post–Oct. 7 world, evil is rearing its ugly head without making excuses. Before the massacre, their genocidal desires were veiled by political discussions on Jerusalem, refugees, and settlements. Now that the air was filled with the scent of Jewish blood, outright calls for genocide have become routine. The call to repeat Oct. 7 is not a political statement; it is an open-throated cry for mass murder and an endorsement of every atrocity committed by barbaric Hamas.
Accordingly, for the past two years, we have witnessed a terrifying surge of antisemitism. Jewish students have been harassed and intimidated, synagogues vandalized, and Israel supporters’ businesses boycotted. Online spaces fester with conspiracy theories that would have been familiar to propagandists of the 1930s.
Now, the public call to replicate a pogrom on American soil represents a new and dangerous precipice. It is a direct and unambiguous threat not only to the Jewish community but to the very foundation of our society. History has taught us that what starts with the Jews, never ends with the Jews, and what starts with the Jewish state often finds its way to the West.
A Columbia student prays near a wall covered in posters of hostages who remain in captivity after Hamas terrorists abducted them in a surprise attack on Israel on Oct. 7, 2023. (Michael Ruiz/Fox News Digital)
SIGN UP FOR ANTISEMITISM EXPOSED NEWSLETTER
Such calls are not a matter of free speech. The right to protest and express political dissent is a cornerstone of our democracy, but it is not a license to incite violence. Such speech represents a clear and present danger to social order. A society that tolerates such calls is one that is actively dismantling its own safeguards against barbarism. When calls to "globalize the intifada" are met with shrugged shoulders or echoed by a political candidate for mayor, the poison seeps into the mainstream.
The chants we heard on the anniversary of Oct. 7 were not just an echo of a brutal past but a threat to our collective future. We are now at a moment of decision. Will we look reality in the eye? Will we dare face this evil and take action against those who spearhead it? Or will we choose to shy away from it, hoping it will go away, knowing it never will? The choice is ours to make. Our future depends on it.
CLICK HERE TO GET THE FOX NEWS APP
Believe them when they tell you who they are — before it is too late.
https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/antisemitic-threats-escalate-nationwide-protesters-call-repeat-oct-7-massacre