Catholic Author Eric Sammons Calls Israeli PM Netanyahu A 'War Criminal'

Eric Sammons, a notable Catholic author and influencer, suggested that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is a “war criminal”, on the day the leader of the Jewish state addresses a joint session of the U.S. Congress.

The editor of Crisis Magazine issued a video on X, formerly Twitter, with a reflection “from a Catholic perspective but also from an American perspective” on Israel during that nation’s  leader’s visit. “I think it’s obvious that Israel, the government of Israel, are bad guys. They are not the good guys in the world.”

By way of explanation, Sammons said, “What they have done to the Palestinians over the past number of decades: it’s basically an open-air prison, and the way they have treated them has been horrific. So, they are bad guys. I don’t live in a comic book universe where anybody opposed to them are good guys. I think there can be bad guys on different sides of some conflict. But there is no question that the government of Israel are bad guys.”

On October 7, 2023, following years of firing deadly missiles and terrorist attacks within Israel, Hamas and its allies struck defenseless communities in the southern part of the country. Video recorded by the terrorists themselves shows that they raped, beheaded, and murdered civilians. According to Human Rights Watch,  Israel reported that 1,195 people were killed during the onslaught, including the later deaths of some of the more than  1,000 hostages held by Hamas. Among the dead were at least 282 women and 36 children, some of whom were infants. Two more hostages were reported dead today.

In the weeks after the attack, the Israeli military began operations in Gaza, bombing targets throughout the enclave, prompting calls by the U.S., EU and others to protect civilians. Israeli Defense Forces continue mopping up exercises in Gaza, while repulsing attacks from Hezbollah terrorists in Lebanon, as well as aerial strikes from Houthi terrorists in Yemen and Iran itself. Hamas, Hezbollah, and Houthis are all supported by Iran. Funding for terrorist received a big boost during the Obama administration, when the U.S. government released billions of dollars of Iranian assets.

Referring to the Israeli leader, Sammons said, “Benjamin Netanyahu is a bad guy. I would claim he’s a war criminal.”

Sammons, who has written several books including one on the spiritual teachings of Opus Dei founder St. Josemaria Escriva, said “None of this I’m saying about Netanyahu and the government of Israel is some theological statement. It’s not an ethnic statement either. It’s simply a statement of politics: that America should not be as so pro, so influenced by Israel as it is.”

Sammons referred to an interview Tucker Carlson had with Congressman Thomas Massie, in which the Republican legislator said there is undue influence by the American-Israeli Political Action Committee (AIPAC) in Congress. “I think that’s wrong. It goes very much against America First. I think it’s hilarious to see all these America First accounts that are very much Israel First. I don’t think you can be both America First and Israel First.”

Sammons, a former member of the United Methodist Church who calls himself a Traditional Catholic, offered his views about how Catholics should view Israel. “We believe the Catholic Church is the true Israel. It is the New Israel that was instituted by Jesus Christ in fulfillment of the old Israel. So, when we speak of the modern state of Israel, that is not the same thing as the ancient religion of Judaism or the kingdom of Israel from before the time of Jesus Christ. The true Israel of 2024 is the Catholic Church. So we should want all Jews and all non-Catholics, for that matter, to become members of  the true Israel which is the Catholic Church.”

“So I know people are going to call me anti-Semitic for this because this is what you say when you disagree with somebody about something related to Judaism. But the fact is as Catholics, the true Israel is the Catholic Church and we are well within our rights to oppose the modern government of Israel.”

History records that Egypt governed Gaza from 1948 until 1967, when Egypt, Syria and Jordan attacked Israel during the Six Day. Israel took possession of Gaza and Judea and Samaria, also known as the West Bank, and held it until 1993. Following negotiations between Israel and the terrorist Palestine Liberation Organization (PLO), and the promulgation of the Letters of Mutual Recognition of 1993, control of Gaza was given to the PLO. This led ultimately to Israel’s unilateral disengagement plan, in which all Israeli Jewish settlements in Gaza were dismantled and all 9,000 Israeli settlers removed, some of them forcibly in 2005.

By 2005, all Israeli governmental and military assets were removed by Israel from Gaza.  Since the Israel–Palestine Liberation Organization letters of recognition of 1993, the Gaza Strip came under the jurisdiction of the Palestinian Authority.

In 2006, the Hamas terrorist organization won an election in Gaza. Hamas refused to abide by previous agreements, refused to recognize Israel’s right to exist, and refused to renounce violence despite appeals by Israel, European Union, Russia, and the United States. As a result, Israel imposed border controls to prevent the influx of arms. Hamas imposed its rule on Gaza, killing and terrorizing dissident Gazans and political parties, and gained support from the Islamist Republic of Iran. Hamas has ruled Gaza ever since.

The population of Gaza has grown steadily, from 1.6 million in 2012 to 2.1 million in 2021. Meanwhile, Hamas built approximately 36 miles of tunnels and underground chambers in the enclave in order to hide its terroristic activities, spending millions of dollars intended as aid from the U.S. and EU for its citizens. 

On October 7, 2023, following years of firing deadly missiles into Israel, Hamas and its allies struck defenseless communities in southern Israel. Video recorded by the terrorists themselves shows that they raped, beheaded, and murdered civilians. According to Human Rights Watch,  Israel reported that 1,195 people were killed during the onslaught, including the later deaths of some of the more than  1,000 hostages held by Hamas. Among the dead were at least 282 women and 36 children, some of whom were infants. Two more hostages were reported dead today.

In the weeks after the attack, the Israeli military began operations in Gaza, bombing targets throughout the enclave, prompting calls by the U.S., EU and others to protect civilians.

Leftist and pro-Palestine protesters have staged occupations of universities, held raucous rallies in various cities, and are now thronging around the U.S. Capitol as Prime Minister Netanyahu speaks. At least 20 Democrats have announced that they will not attend the speech, while Vice President and presumed Democrat presidential nominee Kamala Harris will not preside over the proceedings as is customary in her role as President of the Senate.