Reclaiming Truth and Justice

It’s Time to Stand Up for Israel: Reclaiming Truth and Justice

Once upon a time, there was a country where being pro-Israel was the norm. In the Netherlands of the 1970s and 80s, supporting Israel was almost taken for granted. It wasn’t just political, it was cultural, emotional, and moral. The Dutch admired Israel’s resilience, its fight for survival, its democratic values, and its progressive society in a hostile region.

Israel knew that “the Dutch” were its friends. But fast forward to today, and the atmosphere is very different. One has to ask what went wrong?

The Rise of the PPM

It crept in slowly. Maybe it coincided with demographic changes, or maybe it’s the result of something more calculated: the rise of what we now call the PPM,” The Pallywood Propaganda Machine”.

This sophisticated anti-Israel propaganda machine has spent decades portraying Israel as the villain in a drama they largely script and stage. Photoshopped images, recycled “atrocity” footage, and manipulated media have become their tools. A famous example of the recent past is the child actress dubbed “Shirley Temper,” who appears in countless staged videos accusing Israeli soldiers of aggression.

It’s so blatant, yet for a generation raised on this content, the lies have become truth. Today’s youth have been spoon-fed a narrative that paints Israel as an oppressor, while the context, history, and daily reality of Israeli civilians; Jews, Arabs, Druze, Christians, are ignored.

The Silence of the Good

For too long, Israel and many pro-Israel groups remained silent. “We don’t stoop to their level,” they said. In Israel, there was a sense that it didn’t matter what the world thought reality would speak for itself.

But that assumption was costly.

Behind-the-scenes advocacy is valuable, yes, but to the average Dutch citizen consuming only mainstream media, Israel has disappeared as the vibrant, moral democracy it is. Instead, they see the false images pumped out by the PPM. The result? A country that once loved Israel now often condemns it. Supporting Israel publicly can now be enough to get you labeled a racist.

A New Voice: Time to Stand Up for Israel

In November 2014, after the horrific terrorist attack in a Jerusalem synagogue, where four rabbis and a Druze police officer were murdered, something snapped in me. Alongside my friend Brenda, I founded the organization Time to Stand Up for Israel, which now has nearly 200.000 members.

Our message is clear: Don’t just sit behind your screen, speak out. Be present. Be loud. Be visible. Whether on social media or in the streets, we organize pro-Israel demonstrations and counter-propaganda efforts. And slowly, the silence is being broken.

We’ve seen something shift in the Netherlands. For the first time in years, the propaganda machine is being met with voices that say: “No more lies about Israel.”

Israel in 2024–2025: The Struggle Continues

The October 7th Hamas massacre in southern Israel, a slaughter of civilians unmatched in modern Israeli history, should have united the world in moral clarity. Instead, it unleashed another wave of anti-Israel vitriol. While Israel defends its citizens from rockets, kidnappings, and terrorism, the world accuses it of “genocide.”

The truth? Hamas uses civilians as human shields. Israel uses its soldiers to protect civilians, both its own and, when possible, even enemy non-combatants. No other military on Earth warns civilians before striking terror targets the way Israel does.

But again, silence from the good allows the lies to spread.

Speak Up. Now.

Some say: “Be quiet. Don’t play Don Quixote. They’re stronger, they’re louder.” But has silence helped? Decades of diplomacy and politeness have only brought us to this point where antisemitism is again normalized, and Israel is demonized for defending itself.

No. We must speak. Silence is no longer an option.

At Time to Stand Up for Israel, we fight not just for Israel’s image but for justice, truth, and morality. And we call on others, Jewish, Christian, secular, Muslim, to join us.

Israel is not perfect. No country is. But it remains the Middle East’s only liberal democracy, a beacon of innovation, tolerance, and resilience. It deserves support, not slander.

So yes, Pro-Israel? Then stand up. Now.

Because speech is gold, and silence is a mistake.