Evil is not stupid.

Its latest incarnation, the Hamas terrorist group, was particularly cunning as it spent some two years planning and training for its Oct. 7 slaughter of over 1,400 Israelis, leaving many more wounded and kidnapping hostages which it still holds. Men, women, children – all indiscriminate victims of the carnage, and all of it calculated.

But the immoral machinations didn’t stop there. Hamas was undoubtedly aware of rising the rising tide of antisemitism around the globe in recent years. As the Associated Press reported in April, antisemitism rose in the U.S. last year as political radicals gain mainstream popularity, according to a report released by Tel Aviv University’s Center for the Study of Contemporary European Jewry and the U.S.-based Anti-Defamation League.

The ADL found that the number of antisemitic incidents in the U.S. increased by more than 35% in the past year, from 2,721 in 2021 to 3,697 in 2022.

Hamas may not have had the statistics, but it knew that an attack against Israel would unleash the hounds of anti-Jewish hatred. It was right. From cheering mobs celebrating the slaughter to abhorrent cries of “gas the Jews” at a Sydney pro-Palestinian protest, Hamas tapped into the repugnant vein of antisemitism that has plagued the Jewish people for centuries.

Hamas also knew that the minute Israel defended itself, it would be slammed as the villain of the piece. Joe Biden, in an Oct. 15 interview with “60 Minutes,” noted that Hamas are “hiding behind the civilians,” including by placing their “headquarters where civilians are.” That isn’t by happenstance. Palestinians also suffer at the hands of Hamas.

That’s lost on the anti-Israel crowd.

Even images of the bloody aftermath of Hamas’ barbaric invasion did not sway the dark hearts of those who thought Hamas’ slaughter somehow justified.

And now, as posters of the innocent men, women and children held hostage by Hamas in Gaza have been put up in public places around the world, there are those who are tearing them down.

The signs are simple: “Kidnapped,” followed by the names and ages of those in captivity. There’s four-year-old Ariel, taken along with his infant brother Kfir and their mother Shiri Silberman-Bibas – this poster was torn down in London this week, the act caught on camera and reported by the Daily Mail.

It happened here as well, a dentist was caught ripping down such posters in Boston, she was also caught on camera.

That’s one of the bright spots in this hellscape – for all those who tear down posters of kidnapped children, there are those who film their acts and call them out. For all the trolls taking to social media to yet again spread bizarre conspiracy theories and slander, there are armies of people speaking out in support of the Jewish people.

For every mob chanting “gas the Jews” and similar curses, there are landmarks around the world lighting up with the colors of the Israeli flag in solidarity.

“The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is that good men do nothing.”

These are dark times for the Jewish people. Unfortunately, they’ve been here before. But this time they have allies unafraid to lend their support and voice. We doubt Hamas saw that coming.

Editorial cartoon by Joe Heller (Joe Heller)