Answering Tough Question About Israel (Part 2)

The war continues to rage on between Israel and Gaza, Lebanon, Iran, Yemen, and terrorists in Judea and Sumaria. Currently, there is no end in sight. The public relations war is also in full swing worldwide. In previous years, Israel has not done well in presenting the facts against the on slot of lies and historical revisionism projected by Israel’s enemies.  It is vital that Israel revise its public relations campaigns and policies. 

In the United States, colleges and universities have become infested by antisemitic propaganda.  Many naive students, who are devoid any knowledge of the history and current conflicts of the Middle East march and riot against Israel.  These brainwashed and ignorant students, and other protestors are blindingly repeating the hateful rhetoric fed to them by Pro-Palestinian groups, antisemitic professors, and antisemitic organizations. The financing of hate campaigns against Israel, as well as Jews worldwide, amounts to a staggering sum of over one hundred billion dollars provided by terrorist supporters such as Qatar, Iran, other nations, and even the Soros organization in the US.

Given the current worldwide educational dysfunction and the promotion of lies and distortions against Israel and Jews, it is vital to address and counter the hate filled propaganda promoted by these antisemites. In the following, you will find the second part to “Answering Tough Questions About Israel.” Given the proper tools to reply and confront antisemitism our position enlightens and educates the public and our public relations war changes from defense to offence. 

 Question:  Shouldn’t Israel withdraw from the West Bank? 

After Israel withdrew from Gaza in 2005, Hamas violently took over the territory. Instead of state building, they fired over 30,000 rockets and missiles at Israel. The result has been horrific rounds of violence, including the massacre of October 7th, 2023.  The “West Bank” is much closer to Israel’s largest cities and cannot be allowed to fall into the hands of terrorists. The only way to resolve this conflict is through direct Israeli – Palestinian negotiations.

Question: Don’t the wall and checkpoints violate Palestinian rights? 

From 2000 – 2005, Palestinian terrorists murdered over 1,000 Israelis in the Second Intifada with horrific waves of suicide bombings and other attacks. Israel responded with checkpoints and a security barrier in the West Bank, saving countless lives. These safety measures create hardship for Palestinians buy remain in place because Israelis still face threats from ruthless terrorist groups. 

Question: Should Israel divide Jerusalem to create a Palestinian capital? 

Israel made such offers in 2000 and 2008, but Palestinian leaders said no. From 1948 to 1967, Jordan occupied eastern Jerusalem, destroyed Jewish homes and synagogues, and barred Jews from their holy sites. Only Israel has ensured freedom of worship for all religious groups in the city 

Question: Isn’t Hamas just resisting Israeli oppression? 

Based on its charter and statements by its leaders, Hamas is a genocidal terrorist group committed to murdering Jews and destroying the Jewish state (see hamascharter.com).  On October 7, 2023, they murdered over 1200 people in Israel, torturing and raping many of them. They also took over 250 Israeli hostages. Before that, they spent decades launching murderous attacks against Israeli civilians, including suicide bombings and over 20,000 rockets. Within Gaza, Hamas brutally oppresses Palestinians and ruthlessly puts them in harm’s way. 

Question: Didn’t Israel’s illegal blockade of Gaza cause the attack on Oct. 7? 

The UN Palmer Report found that the blockade is legal because of ongoing armed conflict between Israel and Hamas, the terrorist group that took over Gaza in 2007. Hamas officials said the massacre of October 7th was aimed at stopping the Abraham Accords, preventing peace between Israel andiu-0 additional Arab states like Saudi Arabia, and paving the way to Israel’s destruction. 

Question: Isn’t Iran helping the Palestinians resist “Israeli oppression”? 

Iran’s regime fuels conflict, destruction, and suffering for Palestinians and Israelis alike. The same is true for the people of Lebanon, Yemen, Syria, and Iraq, where Iran funds, trains, and arms terrorist groups. Iran’s leaders seek to increase their own power, promote extremism, and bring down both Israel and the West. This is why they frequently call for both “death to Israel” and “death to America.” 

Question: Doesn’t Israel use disproportionate force? 

In international law, “disproportionate force” refers to how much civilians are harmed in relations to the expected military gain from striking a target. According to John Spencer, a leading scholar of urban warfare, the IDF does more than any other army to prevent harm to civilians while it fights terrorists. The October 7th War and other conflicts have been devastating for civilians mainly because Hamas ruthlessly uses them as human shields, not because Israel uses disproportionate force. 

Question: Is Israel guilty of genocide in Gaza? 

This is lie designed to demonize Israelis. The October 7th War has been horrific for Palestinians and Israeli civilians alike. However, the goal of Israeli military operations in Gaza is to dismantle Hamas and free the hostages, not to destroy Palestinians as a whole. The IDF has sent millions of evacuation warnings to people in Gaza, transferred over one million tons of humanitarian aid, and helped set up field hospitals for civilians. In contrast, Hamas openly calls for genocide of the Jewish people and has promised to repeat the atrocities of October 7th many times over. 

Question: Didn’t Israel prevent ceasefire in Gaza? 

Israel accepted multiple ceasefire offers, but Hamas rejected all of them except one in November 2023. Israel would have extended that ceasefire if Hamas did not start attacking Israel again. Israeli leaders repeatedly said that the war would end immediately if Hamas freed all the hostages and laid down its arms. 

Question: Shouldn’t all military aid to Israel be cut off? 

Israel is a tiny democracy that faces existential threats from genocidal regimes and terrorists across the region. Cutting off military aid would tell the Iranian government, Hamas, and Hezbollah that terrorism works, because Israel is losing international support. This would lead to more conflict and suffering for both Palestinians and Israelis, not less. Israel also provides vital support to the U.S. and other allies, including innovative technologies that solve big challenges, international businesses that create countless jobs, and life-saving intelligence to stop terrorist attacks. 

Question: Shouldn’t the U.S. stop protecting Israel from UN condemnations? 

The U.S. has supported Israel at the UN because Israel faces systematic discrimination there. Undemocratic governments the UN bodies to relentlessly target Israel while distracting from their own human rights violations. 

Question: Isn’t antizionism different from antisemitism? 

The goal of antizionism is to dismantle Israel and strip away Jewish rights of self-determination. Studies show that most Jews consider Israel an important part of their identity and see denying it’s right to exist is a form of antisemitism. Almost half of all Jews live in Israel, and most of those outside of the country have friends or family there. While some antizionists may not intend to harm anyone, the impact of eliminating Israel would be horrific for the Jewish people.  

Question: Doesn’t the IHRA definition of antisemitism silence criticism of Israel? 

No. The IHRA definition is an educational tool that covers different forms of antisemitism the Jews experience around the world. It explicitly states that regular criticism of Israel is not antisemitic but does recognize that rhetoric about Israel can sometimes descend into hate. Anti-Israel extremists have targeted the definition with a smear campaign to shield themselves from criticism. 

Question: Won’t Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) against Israel promote peace justice and human rights in the region? 

No. BDS is a campaign of hate that has ties to Hamas and called their atrocities on October 7th a “powerful armed reaction.” It seeks to shut down Israel-Palestinian cooperation, eliminate Israel, and strip away Jewish right to self-determination in their ancestral home. BDS fuels endless conflict and suffering, and not justice and peace. 

Winning the public relations war, dispelling the myths, and blatant historical revisionism lies are vital elements in the conflict that both Israel and the West must win. In previous years Israel did not do well disseminating the truth and historic relevance. Recently however, there has been some improvement. This war is not only about Israel, land, and the Jews. It is a conflict of a backward and violent culture which is not compatible with Western societies. It is a war which places the values of the West, democracy, and the civilized world in jeopardy. We, as a free society, must become steadfast in our purpose. The West must unite and defend against the tyranny and violence of our enemies.