More than several quarters after prominent rights-focused groups determined that the Israeli military was committing systematic destruction in Gaza, the U.S. political leadership remains in rigid denial. Virtually all Republicans and most Democratic representatives still support massive U.S. arms shipments to Israel, making it impossible to admit that these weapons are enabling continuing atrocities.
Central to Rationales for Supporting Israel
One frequent claim is that Israel represents the nation of “the Jewish people.” During U.S. leaders speak in forums, they often declare that hatred of Israel is equivalent with hatred toward Jewish people globally. Such rhetoric conflates Israel with worldwide Jewry, effectively sanctifying the state from scrutiny by wielding accusations of bigotry.
Fusing Israel with “Jews Everywhere”
Such propaganda technique is both ridiculous and harmful. In the words of Voltaire once observed, “As long as people believe in absurdities, they will continue to commit atrocities.” And atrocities persist in Gaza with little sign in sight.
Israel has persisted with methodical – and intentional – slaughter of Palestinian civilians, not only through airstrikes, missiles, and bullets, but also by using hunger as a tactic. Relief supplies has been blocked or severely constrained, disregarding international warnings that nutrition levels in Gaza had fallen below survival levels. The situation have been described as worse than “a living nightmare.”
Paradox of Antisemitism
Ironically, the state often described as the ultimate target of antisemitism has emerged as one of the world’s most powerful sources of it. By claiming that it represents Jews everywhere, the state of Israel attempts to link Jewish people everywhere with its systematic atrocities, destruction, and forced displacement of Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and the occupied territories.
Misleading Comparisons
Israel’s government, backed by a dwindling number of Americans, conflates itself with Judaism and “world Jewry” in a familiar marketing strategy. The core message promotes misleading equations: Israel = Jews, support for Israel = support for Jews, and criticism of Israel = antisemitism. A underlying implication of these claims is that the Israeli government = exemption from accountability.
In the 1980s, campaigners targeted apartheid South Africa with non-violent sanctions and were not charged of being racist against whites. In this century, the nonviolent Boycott, Divestment, and Sanctions (BDS) movement targeting Israel – condemned as an segregationist state by numerous human rights organizations – often encounters accusations of antisemitism, even from progressive Democrats and major Jewish groups.
Personal Reflection
As a young student in Hebrew school, I never would have imagined that the Jewish faith and reverence for Israel would become so manipulated. I was unaware that charitable efforts in Israel would eventually be overshadowed by policies of killing and oppression perpetrated in the name of defending Jewish people. Spirituality of Judaism has been distorted and violated by destructive policies.
Legal and Political Framing
Among Israel’s Basic Laws, passed in 2018, declares that the state is the “homeland” of the Jewish people and that the right to practice sovereignty is “unique” to Jews. This formalizes the official attempt to hijack Judaism and assert to speak for all Jew, regardless of their opinions.
More and more, though, Jewish people do not endorse these policies. Polling indicate significant opposition to core Israeli policies among Jewish communities in the U.S.
Myth of Safety
U.S. officials often amplify the notion that Israel is the guarantor of safety for Jews around the world. Ex- president Joe Biden once stated that absent Israel, Jewish people would be safe – a sentiment repeated by other politicians. This assertion is not only untrue but also dangerous, as it links Jewish safety with the policies of a government engaged in violence.
Final Thoughts
The biggest Jewish organizations in the U.S. often automatically extol the Israeli government, no matter its actions. As one commentator noted, U.S. Jewish leaders assert on Israel’s right to exist as a ethno-religious nation, despite the contradiction between privilege for one group and democratic equality.
Even more insidious is the unspoken belief that Jewish lives are intrinsically more important than Palestinian lives, and that Israel’s existence is transcendent. This attitude replaces Judaism’s inclusive values with a exclusionary ideology that prioritizes one group over another.
Such worship to Israel feeds the pernicious idea that “Jews” are identical with Israel. Every such claim is destructive, particularly as Israel persists in ethnic cleansing, killings, and destruction. Distinguishing Jewish identity from the policies of the Israeli state is crucial for ethical clarity and truth.
