From the River to the Lie to Xenophobia

This piece is not about defending one side or condemning another. It is about facts, not vibes; truth, not slogans. My thanks to my student, Hedi Epstein, whose academic work on U.S. campuses after October 7 helped me understand the extent of the problem. And how many good people, including friends of mine, end up on the wrong side of history simply because they mistake opinions for facts. I invite readers to engage, share, and respond—but with arguments grounded in evidence, not insults. This is meant to be a clear mirror of reality, not a broken one.

When opinions replace facts, morality turns into complicity

I consider myself impartial and objective. Which is why it shocks me to hear, far too often these days, sentences like: “You’re brainwashed and biased.” From friends, from family, and, of course, from talkbacks.
But putting the insult aside, as a behavioral scientist, I treat these insults as data points. They reveal not only how people think, but how they deceive themselves.

We all like to believe we don’t take sides. We tell ourselves we’re moral individuals, simply choosing what’s right. It sounds noble, almost enlightened. But here’s the uncomfortable truth: most of us take the side that fits our personal feelings of morality—regardless of whether it fits the facts. And when we refuse to take a clear stand against aggressors—or worse, chant empty slogans of “freedom” on their behalf—we’ve already taken a side. The wrong one.

Let me be crystal clear: criticizing Israel is not antisemitic (believe me, I have plenty of criticism myself). Mourning innocent Palestinian civilians, including children, is not antisemitic. Wishing for a better future for Palestinians is not antisemitic. These are all legitimate, humane, even necessary positions.
But when we use opinions as a moral compass, they warp good intentions into silence in the face of evil—or even outright support for it. That’s not compassion. That’s complicity.

The Absurdity on Campus

Universities are supposed to be temples of knowledge. Instead, they’ve turned into theatres of moral confusion. Students chant “From the river to the sea” as if it’s some catchy TikTok sound. Most couldn’t identify which river and which sea on a map, let alone explain what the phrase means. Spoiler: It doesn’t mean coexistence or peaceful resolution. It’s a call for the elimination of the State of Israel—and by extension, the elimination of the Jewish people who live there. Just for being Jews, regardless of age, moral values, or political orientation.

And this isn’t just something Hamas wrote in its bylaws or openly declares on each occasion. This isn’t some Israeli over-interpretation. Hamas leaders themselves say openly that this is the end goal: no Israel, and no Jews in it. The “river to the sea” crowd had already received a vivid demonstration that these “freedom fighters” (aka Palestinian terror organizations) are not just talking on October 7. If Israel had not been strong enough to stop this unprovoked attack against civilians, that day would have ended not with headlines of progressive scholars’ opinions, but with real reports of genocide. The difference between “liberation” and mass murder isn’t a philosophical moral question. It is what determines intent and accountability.

Yet somehow, these same slogans are cheered by people who don’t even realize that they’re actually cheering against their own elimination, too. Just to illustrate, on top of chanting and “Free Gaza support Hamas” signs, rainbow flags are a common view in these rallies. The irony is breathtaking: these are the same people who would be the first to be thrown off rooftops. In Gaza, the only parade with rainbow flags is the funeral. Calling Hamas “freedom fighters” in the name of progressivism is like vegans cheering for the slaughterhouse because the cows in the Chick-fil-A ads looked cute. Doesn’t sound quite as righteous once you put it that way.

When Morality Becomes a Costume Parade

The behavioral mechanism here is simple. We’ve replaced truth with vibes. Morality isn’t about facts anymore; it’s about aesthetics. It looks nicer to support whoever is painted as “oppressed,” even if that side burns Jews and gays alive, censors women, terrorizes civilians, and murders children in their beds. It feels righteous to boo Israel because Israel looks like the strong kid on the playground.

And yes, Israel’s loudest politicians sometimes make it too easy with reckless statements aimed at their base. But let’s be serious: judging morality by optics rather than substance is like judging medicine by its packaging. It might look good on Instagram, but it kills in reality.

Morality has become another TikTok filter. You pick the one that flatters you most, no matter how distorted it makes reality look. Here’s the danger: when morality becomes a costume parade, those who dress up as victims get applause, while the real victims bleed backstage. To borrow from Brecht: if we refuse to know the truth, we are fools. If we know it, and call it a lie, we are criminals.

A Mirror to Ourselves

And this is not an antisemitic issue or targeted attack against pro-Palestinians. This hypocrisy happens everywhere. In Israel, we’ve mastered the same trick. Ultra-Orthodox parties like Shas and Agudat Yisrael fight over whether Mizrahi girls can study in Ashkenazi schools. Some communities protest against Arab or Ethiopian kids in their kindergartens. Everyone claims to hold the moral high ground while practicing the same exclusion they denounce in others.

If we demand moral clarity from the world, we should be brave enough to demand it from ourselves, too. This isn’t about Left or Right, Jew or Arab, progressive or conservative. It’s about a universal human flaw: we all prefer opinions that flatter our identity, instead of truths that challenge it.

Back to Basics: Facts Over Feelings

The world doesn’t need more people shouting slogans. It needs more people checking whether those slogans align with reality. Neutrality in the face of hate is not a virtue; it is a crime. Taking sides based on “who looks weaker” is not justice; it’s intellectual laziness dressed up as empathy.

The facts are simple: killing civilians is evil, whether in Gaza or in Israel. Excluding Jews from “inclusion” programs is hypocrisy. Pretending that “from the river to the sea” is about peace is a lie.

If we want to salvage morality from the swamp of hashtags and vibes, we need to return to something very old-fashioned yet simple: examining facts.

Because when opinions outweigh facts, reality doesn’t bend to our feelings—it breaks. And in the cracks, evil thrives.

This post is part of an ongoing attempt to separate facts from vibes. In my previous piece, “I’m Not a Genocide Scholar and I Still Know This Isn’t One”, I tackled the misuse of the term “genocide.” Together, both pieces aim to show how replacing facts with slogans distorts