Israel, Your Friends Deserve Better

I Love Israel. But I Wish It Would Listen More.

I love Israel. That has never been a secret. I have spent years defending the country, explaining its complexity to people who only see headlines, and challenging misinformation wherever I find it. My admiration is genuine and deep. That is exactly why I also believe I have earned the right to criticize it when I think it falls short.

Perhaps my expectations of people are simply too high. Maybe I still believe that professionalism should include humility, that intelligence should come with curiosity, and that even the most capable institutions can benefit from listening. If that makes me naïve, then so be it.

There are countless reasons why I admire Israel. It is one of the most innovative countries in the world. Its scientists, doctors, engineers, and entrepreneurs constantly push the boundaries of what is possible. Its security services are among the best anywhere. Its military has repeatedly demonstrated remarkable professionalism under impossible circumstances. Israeli humanitarian teams are often among the very first to arrive after natural disasters across the globe, saving lives regardless of nationality, religion, or politics.

Daily life also reflects those high standards. You can drink water straight from the tap without giving it a second thought. The quality of food is exceptional. The agriculture is extraordinary. The medical care is world class. The country has achieved accomplishments that many nations several times its size can only dream of.

When my husband and I lived in Israel, we used to joke that if you threw a stone, you would hit a lawyer, a doctor, a professor, or an inventor. The concentration of talent is astonishing. In Israel, the sky truly seems to be the only limit.

Yet there is one characteristic that continues to frustrate me more than anything else.

Arrogance.

Or perhaps it is not arrogance. Perhaps it is simply a culture that communicates differently. But whatever the explanation, the result often feels exactly the same.

My nickname has long been Inspector Gadget because I am endlessly curious. I read. I research. I connect dots. I spend hours digging through information that most people simply scroll past. Sometimes that curiosity uncovers things that are genuinely important.

Over the past twelve years, I have worked almost nonstop in Israel advocacy. I have learned to recognize patterns, identify coordinated campaigns, and notice developments long before they become mainstream news. On October 6, 2023, I already felt that something was terribly wrong. The signs were there for anyone willing to look closely enough.

When I discover information that could potentially harm Israel or expose coordinated online campaigns against it, I do not keep it to myself. I send it to the relevant people or organizations in Israel because I genuinely believe they should know.

Then comes the silence.

I understand perfectly well that intelligence agencies cannot discuss operational matters. Intelligence is, by definition, the cloak and dagger business. They cannot tell private citizens what they know, what they are investigating, or what actions they may be taking. I do not expect classified briefings.

But surely acknowledging receipt of information is not classified.

A simple message saying, “Thank you. We received your information and will review it,” would make an enormous difference. It tells people their effort was not wasted. It tells them someone is paying attention. It encourages citizens and supporters to remain engaged.

Instead, too often there is nothing.

Or even worse, someone casually dismisses the concern by saying, “Don’t worry. It’s just noise.”

Just noise?

The online battlefield is not noise.

It is one of the defining battlefields of the 21st century.

Wars are no longer fought only with tanks, aircraft, and missiles. They are fought with algorithms, hashtags, manipulated videos, coordinated propaganda, fake accounts, influencers, artificial intelligence, and psychological operations. Public opinion shapes political decisions. Political decisions shape military freedom of action.

Lose the information war and you weaken yourself long before a single soldier enters combat.

Israel has some of the brightest minds in cybersecurity, intelligence, and technology. That is precisely why I struggle to understand why it often seems to underestimate the importance of engaging with people who voluntarily provide useful information.

There are thousands of supporters around the world who spend countless unpaid hours defending Israel online. They expose misinformation. They identify extremist networks. They report incitement. They translate material. They gather evidence. They do this because they care.

These people are not enemies. They are not nuisances.

They are force multipliers.

Imagine what could be achieved if there were an official channel dedicated to receiving, evaluating, and responding to credible public tips about online antisemitism, coordinated disinformation, and digital incitement against Israel and Jews worldwide. Not every report would be valuable, of course. Many would lead nowhere. But some might uncover significant threats before they grow into something much larger.

A properly staffed unit with technological expertise could separate useful intelligence from background noise while also maintaining contact with the people who genuinely want to help.

That would not be weakness.

That would be smart.

Israel has repeatedly demonstrated that it can outthink its enemies on the battlefield. I believe it can do exactly the same in cyberspace and on social media if it chooses to fully embrace that challenge.

My criticism comes from respect, not resentment.

I will continue defending Israel because I believe it deserves defending. I will continue speaking against antisemitism because it remains one of the oldest and most persistent forms of hatred in history. I will continue searching for information that might help because that is simply who I am.

But I also hope that one day Israel learns that listening is not a sign of weakness.

Sometimes the smartest country in the room becomes even smarter by listening to the person nobody expected to have something valuable to say.