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Source: https://www.jns.org/opinion/column/jonathan-s-tobin/the-israel-they-hate-is-imaginary
The Israel They Hate Is Imaginary
(JNS) Jonathan S. Tobin - Israel is nothing like the place described in the U.S. and international media. The drumbeat of incitement against Israel and its supporters has now become an ever-present topic not merely of debate but of political allegiance. Candidates throughout the U.S. have embraced the cause of what some called "Palestinianism" and others more accurately label as antisemitism. Much of the rhetoric from both the left and the right hinges on their unfounded assumption that the defensive war being waged by Israelis against Hamas and Hizbullah terrorists is "genocide." That is a blood libel with no foundation in truth. Both Hamas in Gaza and Hizbullah in Lebanon go out of their way to use civilians as human shields. In stark contrast to the practice in Israel, bomb shelters are for the bombs and the terrorists, not civilians. Yet, at this point, it's become painfully clear that pointing out the facts to those who routinely fling the "genocide" accusation against Israel is an utter waste of time. The lie has been repeated so many times that it has become an article of faith for those who oppose Israel. The main reason for the popularity of anti-Zionist and anti-Jewish canards is that they offer the dissatisfied a scapegoat that can be blamed for their troubles. It gives people a permission slip to engage in the oldest of hatreds while still being able to pretend that they are decent persons. If those young people who not only haven't been to Israel but who get their world news dictated by the algorithms of their TikTok feeds were to walk Israel's streets and talk to its people, they would come to understand that life in the one Jewish state on the planet is lively and democratic - and anything but fascistic, let alone dedicated to the indiscriminate killing of Arab children. They would learn that decent people are fighting to defend their homes and families against forces actively trying to achieve the genocide of the Jewish people. And if they took a deep dive into the culture of the Palestinians, they'd realize that they don't wish for two separate states or the chance to live in peace with their Jewish neighbors. Instead, they would discover that the national identity of these darlings of the international press is inextricably tied to their goal of eradicating the Jewish presence in the ancient homeland of the Jews.