On the art of ignoring the uproar and doing what’s right

Even the most obvious truth has a thousand times more difficulty asserting itself than the most absurd lie. That is the impression one gets when observing the global outrage over Israel’s actions. The rare, flickering statements in defense of Israel are drowned out by the shrill noise of the so-called progressive forces. It is frustrating to watch how facts are ignored and willfully reinterpreted in order to manufacture accusations against Israel.

I often wonder whether it even makes sense anymore to engage in this lopsided struggle for the world’s conscience. It is a fight against the quantitative supremacy of a global coalition composed of Islamists, fascists, and leftist ideologues, united solely by their shared commitment to anti-Zionism. With robust financial and logistical backing from actors operating in the background–Qatar, Turkey, Iran, and others–and with the willing complicity of a Western public infected by woke ideology, the fact-based arguments of the pro-Israel minority appear as little more than desperate rearguard actions.

This Western public consists largely of narcissistically inclined artists, bought-and-paid-for academics, and media professionals whose grasp of the region’s history and geopolitics is either lacking or distorted. Within this environment, the distortions of reality necessary to demonize Israel are not only tolerated, but applauded. Every action Israel takes to protect its citizens is reflexively interpreted as an expression of imperialism or settler-colonialism. The loudest condemnations come from those who seem least interested in the brutalities of Sudan, Yemen, Syria, or Iran–but who respond to any Israeli military action with a predictably choreographed moral hysteria.

In my opinion, we are unlikely to dislodge these self-declared “pro-Palestine” advocates and apologists for Islamist-fascist barbarism from their mass-psychotic delusions. Rather than trying to convince them, we should concentrate on what we can do: create facts. Israel’s military strength was recently demonstrated in a most impressive fashion, when it dismantled the so-called “Axis of Resistance” within a remarkably short time span. That success, in turn, triggered even louder media outcries. And let’s not forget the reflexive capitulation among Israel’s so-called “Western friends,” who hastened to voice their threadbare concerns about Israel’s military actions–while showing little to no interest in the far graver humanitarian and political catastrophes unfolding elsewhere across the globe.

This very outcry, I would argue, is the clearest possible proof that Israel’s actions were correct.

Whenever the anti-Zionist tide crashes upon the rock of Israeli resolve and is forced to retreat, licking its wounds, the accompanying protest noise becomes even more furious. We should take this as both confirmation and encouragement. As David Ben-Gurion said long ago–words that remain strikingly relevant: “It doesn’t matter what the nations say about us; what matters is what we do.” Accordingly, we should not focus our efforts on the unwinnable battle for world opinion, but rather on ensuring that the realities on the ground continue to develop in Israel’s favor.

Applied to Gaza, this means: divide and compartmentalize the territory, dismantle Hamas, establish wide security zones, and make it possible–or at least easier–for residents to emigrate. Of course, all of Israel’s opponents are doing everything in their power to prevent that from happening. They are determined to keep Gaza’s population in place so they can continue serving as human shields, cannon fodder, and symbolic guarantors of the territorial claims of a Palestinian pseudo-state that exists more in propaganda than in practice.

Israel must make it absolutely clear to all parties that Gaza will never again be what it was before October 7, 2023. The territory must be annexed–not as a gesture of vengeance, but as a sober strategic imperative. Only those residents who are willing to accept a peaceful, civil coexistence with their Israeli neighbors should be allowed to remain. And these residents should receive the same rights and responsibilities as those applied in Area A under the Palestinian Authority.

There is no moral high ground to be gained by giving in to global hysteria. There is no justice in maintaining the illusion that Gaza’s current state serves anyone’s long-term interest. What matters now is clarity of purpose and the political courage to withstand the howls of protest. History has shown that appeasement never satisfies those who hate Israel’s existence. What they hate is not what Israel does–but that it is. And so, the only way forward is to act–not for the sake of international approval, but for the sake of Israel’s future.