Untitled

October 7, 1985.

Four terrorists hijacked the Achille Lauro. Among the passengers was Leon Klinghoffer, a 69-year-old Jewish American in a wheelchair.

They shot him.

Then they threw his body into the sea.

Why Leon? Why this defenseless elderly man?

Because he was Jewish.

That is the part people need to confront.

Long before October 7, 2023, Jews were being hunted, murdered and targeted simply for being Jews.

Haiti is back in the spotlight after President Trump moved to end Temporary Protected Status for hundreds of thousands of Haitians. His message is simple: temporary means temporary, and Haiti is their country.

Today, gangs control most of Port-au-Prince. Over a million people are displaced, millions face severe hunger, and murder, kidnapping and sexual violence are widespread. The once-grand cathedral pictured above remains a ruined shell.

It wasn’t always this way.

France turned western Hispaniola into Saint-Domingue, an incredibly wealthy sugar and coffee colony built on African slavery.

In 1791, the slaves revolted. After a brutal war, they defeated Napoleon’s forces and created independent Haiti in 1804—the first Black republic. But the economy was devastated, and France later demanded a massive indemnity in exchange for recognizing Haiti.

The following century brought coups, assassinations and instability. In 1915, after another president was killed by a mob, the U.S. occupied Haiti. Americans remained until 1934, controlling finances and building roads, bridges and other infrastructure. The top photo comes from this general era of relative stability.

Afterward came more turmoil. “Papa Doc” Duvalier seized power in 1957 and ruled through terror. His son “Baby Doc” followed. Their dynasty collapsed in 1986, but political chaos continued.

Then the 2010 earthquake devastated Port-au-Prince and killed enormous numbers of people. Billions in foreign aid produced deeply disappointing results. A UN peacekeeping mission also introduced cholera, killing thousands, while peacekeepers were implicated in sexual-abuse scandals.

Colonialism clearly harmed Haiti, but it cannot explain everything that followed. Haiti’s history also includes two centuries of coups, corruption, dictatorship and institutional failure.

Meanwhile, the Dominican Republic shares the same island yet is dramatically more prosperous and stable.

Would Haiti be better off if the U.S. had never left in 1934?

Looking at these photos, it’s hard not to wonder.