A Lesson From A Dear Israeli Friend

I never used to see myself as an optimist. On the contrary, I have always respected and admired Israelis for their tireless optimism. As for me? I am impatient whenever I have a plan or an idea. It has to be done right now, or preferably finished yesterday. When it comes to the conflict, if you look into my heart, I feel so much aggression because honest words seem to accomplish nothing, and I am a person who demands immediate results. One night, I received a private message on LinkedIn from a Dutch person. He wrote that he was messaging me privately because he truly could not understand how on earth I could support the vicious IDF, and he genuinely wanted to know why. My first question to him was whether he had ever been to Israel. He did not answer, but in fact, I already knew the answer. Of course he hadn’t. If he had been there, he would never ask me such a question. It would be impossible. So, I sent him my answer.

My Response Regarding Israel and the IDF
I have not just visited Israel 23 times since 2015, staying for several weeks each time. I also lived in Damascus, Syria, and spent time in Israel as a teenager.

I have seen everything up close. I know the Arab mentality because I have lived it. They can be friendly to your face, but they will stab you in the back the moment you turn around. They are obsessed with martyrdom, oppressive, and cruel. They struggle to accomplish much, and their primary skill is inventing lies and false narratives to generate sympathy and rake in dollars.

Israelis are the complete opposite. They can be blunt, rude, and distrustful to your face, but the moment they realize you are genuinely trying to understand them, you have made friends for life. Israelis consider life sacred. They will do everything they can to help people, even going to great lengths for their enemies. For example, they treated the terrorist Sinwar for his brain tumor free of charge. Sinwar later became the mastermind behind the October 7 massacre.

Israel was also the only country in the region that, with the help of the IDF, treated Syrian children and civilian casualties from the ISIS era in Israeli hospitals, completely free of charge. Numerous Israeli organizations also helped children from Gaza receive free medical treatment in Israeli hospitals.

Before the war, Israel sent around 800 to 1,200 aid trucks into Gaza every day. I have personally stood at a border crossing to verify that. Israel unilaterally withdrew from Gaza only to receive thousands of rockets every year aimed at its civilian population. Thank God they had the Iron Dome, otherwise they might not even exist anymore.

Something broke on October 7, when hundreds of Hamas terrorists and thousands of civilians crossed the border. Enough was enough.

Why I Support the IDF
There are several key reasons:

Shared Values: The IDF is Israel. Everyone is required to serve, and because of the high moral values that Judaism has instilled in Israeli society, you naturally end up with an army that holds very high ethical standards.

Preservation of Life: They value life. They do everything they can to avoid civilian casualties. They call residents before strikes, drop leaflets, use roof-knocking, and even abort attacks if a pilot sees innocent people nearby. They also designate safe zones.

Unfortunately, those efforts often fail because Hamas violently prevents evacuations. There was a tunnel network stretching for dozens of kilometers beneath Gaza where the entire population could have taken shelter. However, Hamas wants as many civilian deaths as possible because their highest goal is to die as a martyr. They do not care about those deaths. To them, it is all part of a massive show designed to harvest sympathy and donations.

On October 8, the IDF could have wiped Gaza off the map in one devastating strike, and I personally wish they had. Instead, it became a ground war in an urban environment, which cost the lives of more than a thousand additional Israeli soldiers. Of course, they are not all angels. They are young people, often traumatized, who grew up under the constant threat of Arab terrorism. So yes, there are individuals in the IDF who go too far, though not many. Those individuals are arrested and prosecuted because Israel is a highly developed rule of law state, unlike the authorities in Gaza.

Furthermore, I know two very senior IDF officers: an Air Force brigadier general and a well-known officer from an elite unit who later became a Director at Shin Bet. What these powerful men have in common is that same love of life, both for Israelis and for Arabs. When I sometimes say, “Just kill them all,” they always correct me by saying, “We defend Israel, but we do not kill for the sake of killing.” They are also both great animal lovers and vegans.

If the top leadership is like that, then many others must be as well. They do not tolerate psychopaths in the military, and I would stake my life on that.

I understand that if you have never been to Israel, you will have a completely different impression. However, many adversaries attach great importance to taqiyya, which involves deceiving others when they are in a losing position, and they are very good at it.

You will probably think I am just spreading propaganda too, but that is not true. I challenge anyone to go to Israel with an open mind. Talk to Arabs, talk to Jews, and observe society. I guarantee you will come home pro-Israel. Just like I did with my son, who used to be very anti-Israel. Within 24 hours of being in Israel, he told me that the Palestinians are liars, using his own explicit words.

As for the rest, the NOS and the mainstream media are anti-Israel. They simply repeat propaganda without questioning it. Go there yourself and see it with your own eyes.

The Reality of the Situation
The LinkedIn user was grateful for the detailed answer. He admitted that he had too little knowledge and valued my perspective.

Of course, I was happy. I know most people who oppose Israel will not check and verify the reasons why someone else holds a different opinion. For me, that interaction was special because it is vital that people hear the true story.

Feeling very content, I told my Israeli friend about the exchange. He did not respond with joy. Instead, he was angry and frustrated. He told me that this guy could shove his questions and answers where the sun doesn’t shine.

He explained to me that Israelis are completely done with explaining themselves. The entire internet is loaded with the horrific footage of October 7, filmed by the monstrous terrorists themselves. The images and the reality are just one click away. Yet, no matter how much evidence can be found on the internet, people still do not believe the warmth of the Israeli account. They accuse them of faking the images and delegitimize the genuine pain and trauma of the Israeli people.

Listening to him, I realized he was entirely right. I saw just how complex the situation in the Middle East truly is. Israelis have to deal with trauma, denial, pain, sadness, and anger, yet they are still able to smile. For that alone, they deserve all the admiration there is. I learned something important: even though I know a lot, I can never truly feel what Israelis feel every day because I am far away.

Ultimately, the world must trust in the judgment of the Israeli people.