Order Jamie Glazov’s new book, ‘United in Hate: The Left’s Romance with Tyranny, Terror, and Hamas’: HERE.
It has frequently been noted that the kibbutzniks whom Hamas attacked on October 7, 2023 were for the most part leftists, believers in “two states, one Jewish and one Palestinian, existing side by side in peace and security,” and prepared to entertain some kind of “land-for-peace” deal as believers in the essential decency of the “vast majority of the Palestinians” who “had nothing to do with Hamas or terrorism.”
Those who were hostages in Gaza have returned with a different understanding.
Almog Meir Jan was one of those who came back from his captivity in Gaza with a much less optimistic view. He saw the hatred and cruelty both of Hamas and of the civilians in Gaza, and is now determined to share what he observed with other Israelis who need to be disabused of their dangerous dreams.
More on his experience can be found here: “Former Gaza hostage Almog Meir Jan says captivity shattered his belief in coexistence,” by Dan Ezra, Jerusalem Post, January 29, 2026:
Former Gaza hostage Almog Meir Jan shared how, having spent 246 days in Gaza, his belief in coexistence crumbled, and how he sees that hatred and the focus on the destruction of Israel are why Gaza is in ruins and why Palestinian society is unable to succeed.
Jan, whose comments were published in an interview with Maariv’s Dan Ezra on Thursday, was rescued during Operation “Arnon,” which took place in June 2024. The operation was named after the late IDF soldier Arnon Zamora, the commando chief inspector of the Yamam counterterrorism unit, who was mortally wounded in the operation that led to the rescue of Noa Argamani, Almog Meir Jan, Andrey Kozlov, and Shlomi Ziv from Gaza captivity.
When you hear Arab Knesset members calling IDF soldiers “murderers” and expressing sympathy for the people of Gaza, how does that make you feel?
“It disgusts me that anyone in this country can call a soldier a murderer,” Jan said. “Before October 7, I had different thoughts about coexistence and peace. Today, my perspective has changed dramatically.”
“I saw it with my own eyes, and eyes don’t lie,” He explained. “The people there are driven by hatred, and someone driven by hatred can never reach anything good. You can’t befriend someone like that. During my captivity, my greatest fear was that the people of Gaza would discover where I was, break into the house, and lynch me in the street. That fear haunted me the entire time.”…
“As long as hatred and terror are the driving forces, it will never happen. And I say this clearly: I don’t pity them. They did this with their own hands. They brought this on themselves.”
As long as they remain Muslims, convinced that they are “the best of peoples” and Jews, like all non-Muslims, are “the most vile of created beings,” the Palestinians will not make peace with Israel. As long as they believe that any land that was once possessed by Muslims must forever belong to them, they will not make peace with Israel. As long as they believe Muhammad’s command that “Islam is to dominate, and not to be dominated,” they will not make peace with Israel. As long as they — all of them, as Jan says — are consumed with hatred for the Jews, they will not be able to build a sane society.
Almog Meir Jan wants to disabuse other Israelis of any belief that in the Palestinians they could ever have a “partner for peace.” He saw the delight his Hamas captors took in tormenting him and his fellow hostages, constantly threatening them with death, starving them, tying their hands to their legs behind their backs, forcing them “to sit like a pretzel, tight and painful.” They were initially put in cages so small they could not move, and endured much, much more, And he also saw that the so-called “innocent civilians” whom he came across were just as full of hatred as their Hamas captors, beating the hostages when they were first brought into Gaza, screaming with delight at their suffering and, if given half a chance, would likely have beaten them to death.
He is prepared to spend time warning his fellow Israelis about what he witnessed during his 246 days of captivity. He’s preparing lectures on the subject. But now he needs to breathe again, to move, to travel, to put Gaza out of his mind, if only temporarily. So Jan is going away for a few months:
“I’m flying to India, to the Nova festival in Goa, and then to Thailand. I deserve a little vacation. I’m working hard on projects and lectures, and it’s time to breathe. It’s important to me to remind the world of those who didn’t return alive, like Ran Gvili. We wake up every morning for those who aren’t here to be better people and grow from the pain. If we’re united, nothing can defeat us.”
Remember what he, Almog Meir Jan, learned as a captive for 246 days in Gaza:
There are no innocents in Gaza.
The people in Gaza are driven by hatred. “You can’t befriend someone like that.”
During his captivity, Jan’s greatest fear was that the people of Gaza would discover where he was being held, break into the house, and lynch him in the street.
The Palestinians are consumed with hatred for Jews, and with the need for “revenge.” They can think of nothing else.
A durable peace with the Palestinians is a dangerous illusion.
Listen up, any Israelis who still cling to an Edward-Hicksian dream of a peaceable kingdom, where assorted lions lie down with assorted lambs. Take heed of what Almog Meir Jan reports. The Palestinians, whether in or out of Hamas, are full of hate, and wish to murder you. As long as Islam is Islam, that hatred will remain.
