The massacre, abduction, rape, and torture of Jews has not only prompted an eruption of anti-Semitism at American universities, but also in China. Tuvia Gering writes that hatred of Jews has “surged . . . like never before” in the country:

As if on cue, Chinese voices have been working en masse to dehumanize Jews and demonize Israel in the propaganda equivalent of the Three Gorges Dam collapsing, inundating the minds of China with toxic waste. Authoritative Chinese voices set the tone for what is now reverberating throughout the People’s Republic echo chamber.

On [October 10, a] viral post by the state-run China Central Television (CCTV) read, “Jews, who account for 3 percent of the U.S. population, manipulate and control 70 percent of the country’s wealth.” It went on to describe U.S. presidential candidates’ obeisance to Jewish capital in an effort to explain the Biden administration’s unwavering support for Israel.

Chinese public-opinion leaders heard the dog whistle and sprang into action. “Hamas went too soft on Israel,” opined the award-winning online influencer Su Lin soon after. “Isn’t Israel today a Jewish version of the Nazis?” she asked rhetorically.

Racist cartoons, Hitler memes, swastikas, and quotes from the Protocols of the Elders of Zion are now ubiquitous in comments sections. The anti-Semitic outburst is best illustrated by Steven Spielberg’s Schindler’s List, which Chinese users review-bombed, causing its score on the video-sharing website BiliBili to drop from over 9 points to a low of 4.1 points. One user commented, “The victims have long since become the perpetrators.”

Israel’s goals of freeing the hostages and defeating Hamas (the latter necessary to prevent further hostage taking) are to some extent contradictory, since Yahya Sinwar, the ruler of the Gaza Strip, will only turn over hostages in exchange for concessions. But Jacob Nagel remains convinced that Jerusalem should continue to pursue both goals:

Only consistent military pressure on Hamas can lead to the hostages’ release, either through negotiation or military operation. There’s little chance of reaching a deal with Hamas using current approaches, including the latest Egyptian proposal. Israeli concessions would only encourage further pressure from Hamas.

There is no incentive for Hamas to agree to a deal, especially since it believes it can achieve its full objectives without one. Unfortunately, many contribute to this belief, mainly from outside of Israel, but also from within.

Recent months saw Israel mistakenly refraining from entering Rafah for several reasons. Initially, the main [reason was to try] to negotiate a deal with Hamas. However, as it became clear that Hamas was uninterested, and its only goal was to return to its situation before October 7—where Hamas and its leadership control Gaza, Israeli forces are out, and there are no changes in the borders—the deal didn’t mature.