Out of 400 million adult citizens of the European Union, over 150 million believe Israel is conducting a war of extermination against the Palestinians. Opinion polls conducted over the past decade back up these figures.
When mentioning this I am often asked if I have ever discussed this issue with Israeli government officials.
In response, I relate the sad experiences I’ve gone through over the past few years. Others had repeatedly told me many years earlier how difficult it was to convince government officials to fight back against the tsunami of verbal attacks which Israel endures. One example, among many, was during a 2005 interview with Johannes Gerster, a former member of the German parliament.
At the time he was the head of the Konrad Adenauer Foundation in Israel. Gerster told me: “At the beginning of the second intifada, I spoke with a number of important Israelis in the government. In all conversations, I said, ‘A war is always fought with soldiers and logistical support troops for supplies. Today the war is being conducted with a third weapon: propaganda.”
To which, Gerster said, his “Israeli counterparts told me literally: ‘We regret that the Europeans cannot see for themselves what is happening.
We cannot help them with additional material.’” “This is a very wrong and arrogant attitude,” he said.
“However one defines the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, it is today conducted not only with soldiers but with propaganda, which includes factual information. In the first one-and-a-half years since the intifada, Israeli democracy, including its civil society, failed in this. Today the situation is a bit better.”
My own first major exposure to the government’s ignorance of the nature of anti-Israelism occurred a few years ago. Two Israeli ministries were asked to present a report on anti-Semitism for the government. Three experts in the field, of whom I was one, were invited to make 10-minute presentations to these ministries’ director generals and staff.
The meeting began badly.
One director general said the ministry had not yet come to a conclusion regarding whether or not anti-Israelism was a new form of anti-Semitism.
That statement shocked me – it does not take much time or brains to prove that the two are based on similar hate motifs.
The other director general’s reactions showed even greater ignorance. The purpose of the meeting was to discuss a worldwide overview of a millennia- old phenomenon. All he could contribute was some of his personal experiences discussing anti-Semitism on Australian campuses.
Over the past two years, I have had about eight meetings with various high-ranking officials employed at three Israeli government ministries. The meetings concerned the widespread anti-Israelism manifesting itself in Europe. One such meeting was with a deputy minister, two were with director generals and another two were with assistant director generals.
I provided the polling statistics which indicate the large percentage of Europeans who believe that Israel is exterminating the Palestinians, or alternatively, that Israel behaves like the Nazis toward them. The statistics were based on seven studies undertaken by four different organizations in Europe.
None of my government counterparts knew anything about these statistics, even though the oldest one, concerning Germany, dated from 2004. At that time, 68 percent of the supposedly re-educated adult population of Germany thought Israel behaved like the Nazis. This might be called Holocaust inversion.
The worst reaction to my presentation came from a director general who refused to believe the statistics. He apparently thought he could not afford to do otherwise – it would mean he’d have to propose a detailed program to his minister to counteract the threat these figures implied.
Yet, as a trained diplomat, my counterpart did not say so directly.
Most other meetings followed a similar pattern. Reactions often included a proposal by my counterparts to invite me to a meeting with some of their colleagues. It was another way of saying “don’t call us – we’ll call you.”
Those invitations never came.
The few examples given above illustrate how deep the phenomenon of looking away from a shocking reality can run in government circles. As top Israeli officials close their eyes to the widespread demonization of Israel in Europe, our enemies continue to promote the defamation of the Jewish state.
The author’s recently published book, The War of a Million Cuts – analyzes how Israel and Jews are delegitimized, and how one can fight these attempts at delegitimization.
41. Never in human history was an Arab or any other State in the territory of Palestine, and Jerusalem was never the capital of any other state except the Jewish State.
42. Look on the map of the Middle East. Try to find the State of Israel. If you cannot, try a magnifier. Compare it with huge Arab lands. And they want the Land of tiny Israel? Is this justice?
43. Before 1967 Judea and Samaria belonged to Jordan and neither Jordan nor did Palestinian Arabs have any intention to create a Palestinian State. They dreamed only to destroy the Jewish State.
44. Legality. No other nation in the World has more right to their Land than Jews have to the Land of Israel. These are: historical rights of more than 3000 years living on this Land; Right
by Religion – G-d promised and gave this Land to the Jewish people; League of Nations and
UN with the support of most Nations confirmed the right of the Jewish people to their Land; also a big portion of this Land was bought as a formal act of ownership, they bought the Land that already belonged to them in the past; Israel defended and freed her historical Land – Judea and Samaria against homicidal enemies in defensive wars. These are only the main legal points, but there are many additional points.
45. The Jewish People made a disproportional contribution in culture, science and other advancement for humanity, especially in postulating of moral principles which are the main element of human civilization. Only by this, do they deserve to be granted a place under the sun on a tiny land which is the State of Israel.
46. The IDF is one of the most moral army in the World. The present of civilian casualties are the smallest, compared to other armies. IDF has a clear policy to protect Palestinian civilians, even at the expense of compromising the safety of its own soldiers and missions, as it does when they repeatedly warns civilians about coming attacks and informing terrorists in the same time. The IDF is a moral army fighting an immoral enemy. The army often aborts the missions, to protect a human shield that was created by the terrorists.
47. The concept of minimum necessary territory. Israel occupies a very small territory essential for her existence and doesn’t have goals or intention for expansion. It is difficult to say the same about Arabs who have huge territories far beyond a minimum necessity and have potentially expansionist tendencies that are supported by Islam ideology.
48. Advantages for the Arabs from the existence of the State of Israel.
Israel, with her intellectual potential, can bring a great contribution in development of the region.
The Arabs demonstrate lacking of wisdom. They have a chance, to their advantage, to get a group of people who are one of the most advanced in science and technology in the World. Instead of accepting them with open arms, they waste their own resources to senseless and useless confrontations.
49. If not for the State of Israel and the Israeli army, the situation in these territories would looked like Syria, or even worse.
50. The Jewish People and Israel repeatedly demonstrated the will for compromise to bring a conflict to the end and in return Israel gets repeated rejection from the Arab side. Jews and Arab should declare the end of War and rebuild the swords to plowshares and stop teaching the people to kill). And live happily ever after.
31. If “Palestinians” want to have a land to live, they should allow others to live too. Otherwise they must leave peacefully (with financial compensation) or by force. They have a choice.
32. Ask yourself: if the Al-Aqsa Mosque on Temple Mount is so sacred to Muslims, why do they play soccer near it, collect stones there to attack Jews. Let them try to play soccer in Mecca and Medina holly places. We will see what will happen. From 1948 to 1967 Jordan control of so the called West Bank (Judea and Samaria) and Al-Aqsa Mosque. During this time King Hussein never visited this holiest Mosque. Because it is holiest? It looks that its holiness in reality is only a tool to deny Jewish rights. They even deny Jews from praying there. (see also #3)
33. Palestinian Arabs exploit permanent victimhood status for constantly collecting money from various organizations and Countries. An organization like the UN, instead of helping real refugees around the World, continuously gives money to terrorists and people who are dreaming to destroy another nation.
34. During World War Two, German Nazi in collaboration with animals of all nationalities in Europe committed genocide of the Jewish People and against humanity unprecedented in human history. Now, this is the obligation of the European nations (if they want to try to atone for the they committed) to support the home of their fathers victims. Instead, Europe obsessively tries to find any possibilities to harm their victims. Most of the anti-Israeli organizations are subsidized by Europe under the false pretense for supporting (promoting) ”peace” They found and financially support some individuals and organizations in Jewish society who try to destabilize Israel from inside. Already, few European’ parliaments “recognized” an illegal “Palestinian state” committed to Israel’s destruction in contradiction to all previous agreements. The European Union threatens Israel with sanctions and boycotts if Israel will not commit suicide. The General Court of the European Union shamelessly decided to remove Hamas from the list of terrorist organizations (of course for technicality, everything should be according to the law). This court is a terrorist collaborator. We should call all these judges by their names. Europe must know their “heroes”.
35. During World War Two, During the Holocaust, England closed the doors to the Jewish refugees from Europe to their Home in Palestine (in violation of League of Nation’s decision) and doomed them to death. They practically worked in unison with nazis and participated in the Holocaust.
36. The unique place of the Jewish people between the Nations is, because Jews stood in the beginning of our civilization, they were really the root of two main monotheistic religions and these religions tried to diminish and replace it, very often violently. For centuries they planted and cultivated the aggressive, hateful view of the Jewish people in the population. This deep rooted hatred is impossible to diminish and can only be stopped by deterrence, when the Jewish People can defend themselves. And they can defend themselves only by having their own State with a strong army.
37. Taking all this in consideration, the Jewish People have not only multiple rights but obli-gation to have a safe Home in their ancestral Land to prevent genocidal intentions of the murderers around the world.
38. The BDS movement is an immoral attempt to harm the State of Israel. They want to boycott the State of Israel which is in the highest moral level to preserve human rights. The BDS groups are on the wrong side by defending evil and punishing righteous. Their evil intention will never come to fruition.
39. The Arabs denied asylum to desperate Jewish escapees from Hitler’s hell, thereby doomed the refugees to death. They participated in murderous pogroms organized by nazi sympathizers in the Arab world, and they actively participated in creating Muslim military units in the nazi army. The blood of numerous Holocaust victims indelibly stains Arab hands.
40. Many of these so called original “Palestinian refugees” and their descendants never lived in Palestine but call themselves “Palestinians” to get financial help which they continue to receive almost for 70 years.
21. Judea and Samaria, the Land where Jews lived for thousands of years, to call them “west bank” is a historical deception and fraud with a goal to erase a memory about Jewish ownership by denying historic Jewish connections to the Land.
22. Without justice, there is no peace. Justice should be for all. And justice for the Jewish people too.
23. A so called “Palestinians” demonstrate again and again, that their goal is not to create their own country but to destroy the state of Israel. They declared it openly multiple times.
24. People from outside, who advocate to establish a “Palestinian state” would never do it to themselves if they were in Israel’s situation, of course if they are not crazy or suicidal. The reason why they try to do this can be explained only by their malicious intent or total stupidity.
25. Israel can’t take a chance and agree to establish a certainly hostile state practically in their midst, especially if we will consider topography, where these territories dominate above Israel’s populated areas, when water sources will be in the hand of a hostile entity and the country will have 9 miles in its narrowest part (10 minutes driving by the car). It is a total vulnerability.
26. The boarder of 1967 is an invitation for aggression. These borders can’t effectively be defended and will provoke another war. This is the opinion of many top military people.
Israel can’t transfer the historic territories of Judea and Samaria, which she returned to her control after a defensive war against aggressive, murderous enemy.
27. Latest developments in the Arab world demonstrate that they are ready to destroy and kill their own brothers, sadistically, violently and without any mercy. Anybody who believes that they will be different and more humane to Jews indulges in fantasy or are complete fools.
28. Even if we can falsely hope that Palestinian Arabs will honestly agree to live in peace with Jews, and even if we will assume that they are the most peaceful people on Earth (and they are absolutely not), the surrounding Arab countries will not agree with this and will constantly provoke hostilities. Israel already made few experiments by transferring territories to Arabs and in return received terror and rockets. So, there is no reason to compromise for ”peace”. Only an “Iron Wall” and “Iron Fist” will stop them and convince them to behave like human beings.
29. Arabs hostilities will stop when they will completely understand that Israel is forever and their criminal actions (wars and terror) will have serious consequences. Now, Arabs do not feel they can seriously lose. And because of this, they continue their aggressive behavior again and again. This practice must be stopped. It is widely acknowledged in the World community – the aggressor should pay for his action, including the loss of territories.
30. Palestinian Arabs try to present themselves as victims and freedom fighters when in reality they are terrorists, murderers and liars. They fight not to establish their own State but to destroy State of Israel. They are not freedom fighters; they are the reincarnations of nazis. Their cry about Israeli aggression and oppression is crocodile cry that is unable to eat his prey.
11. “Palestinian refugees were created by Arab countries when they proclaimed genocidal war against the Jewish State and have asked the Arabs of Palestine to leave for convenience to accomplish the genocide. (All these are documented facts).
12. Where is justice for “Palestinian” Arabs who have been kept in refugee camps for more
than 60 years, denying them citizenship by their Arabs brothers and keep them as second class citizens and incite them against Israel? Why did the State of Israel absorb all Jewish refugees from Arab countries and Arabs don’t? Arab countries should admit their deeds and grant the civil rights to their brothers and help them from what Arab countries stole from Jews.
13. Palestinian Arabs have the right to live on the Jewish land as loyal, peaceful citizens but if they choose to deny the Jewish rights and declare the goal to destroy the State of Israel, they lost the right to live on this Land.
14. Palestinians are invented people, and invented with only one goal to destroy the State of Israel and would never call themselves “Palestinians” otherwise. The Arab language even does not use a sound “P”. They start to call themselves “Palestinians” not earlier than late 1960s. Before, they vigorously rejected this name because in their mind it has belonged to Jews. They try, by adapting this name, to prove they are indigenous people for this Land. They are not. Most of “Palestinians” migrated here from multiple Arab countries in the end of 19th century and later, when Jews started to rebuild their Land. Therefore, their claims being native people are false. Everybody has rights to call themselves whatever they want but not to use this as a goal and means to terrorize and destroy others. They have the rights to live on this Land only as a peaceful and loyal citizen. Everybody who denies Jewish rights on this Land automatically lost the rights to live here.
15. Jews have all rights to keep the Land which they possessed in defensive wars (these wars prevent genocide of Jews by Arabs). Arab countries should pay for consequences of their actions.
16. Is this justice when a territory of Palestine which was according to The league of Nations declared and provided as a national home for Jewish people, was illegally made Jews free zone (in Jordan, which occupies more than ¾ of original Palestine)? The remaining quarter of this territory they still try to divide and make another Jews free zone. Is this justice? Their goal is to make The Land of Israel completely free of Jewish People. This is racism and a crime.
17. “Palestinians” twisted the truth so much that most people cannot differentiate reality from their lie. Their false propaganda indoctrinates and effectively camouflages their murderess intentions. They’re fabricating tons of lie, twisted truth, slander and false claims. Goebbels could be very proud of them.
18. Arabs’ obsession to steal the Jewish Land is a crime against humanity. The help to accomplish this is a crime too.
19. The Arabs vision of a future “coexistence” and “peace” can be seen in what they teach their children. Arabs teach their children to hate Jews from the young age, they distribute anti-Semitic, nazi propaganda and name the streets after murderers of Jews. This is a crime.
20. Arab propaganda does everything to indoctrinate young people in college campuses with anti- Israeli propaganda using lies and twisted facts.
my CASE FOR ISRAEL: JEWS HAVE MULTIPLE RIGHTS TO THE LAND OF ISRAEL.
For People who are uninformed, or misinformed by Arab propaganda.
1. This land was given by G-d to the Jewish people, forever. This is acknowledged by all three monotheistic religions. The people, who deny this, deny their own holy books by interpreting them the way it is politically convenient for them.
2. It is the Land where the Jewish Nation was born and where Jews lived continuously for more than 3000years.
3. The Land of Israel and specially Jerusalem is the core and heart of the Jewish Nation. (Heart of Arabs is in Arabia). Torah mentioned Jerusalem 647 times. Jerusalem is not mentioned in the Koran even once and the story that Mohamed “traveled” there (to Jerusalem) in his “sleep” was invented later by other people and was politically motivated. Mohamed has talked about a furthest (uttermost) Mosque and did not mention Jerusalem. There was no and could not be a Mosque in Jerusalem in that time because no Muslims were there, Jerusalem was [then] a Christian-occupied city.
4. The Koran clearly says that this Land belongs to the Jewish People. Anybody who goes against it, is against Koran and Islam. The Children of Israel: “Dwell securely in the Promised Land…..” (The Koran, The Night Journey 17:104). Koran clearly states (Sura 5:21) that God granted the Land of Israel to the Children of Israel and ordered them to settle there.
5. Israel respects all religions, historical and cultural heritage (Arabs do not respect any religions and cultures and try to destroy them or claim it is theirs).
6. Israel developed this land as a real owner (Arabs not only did it not develop it in the past but also on many occasions try to destroy it, like destructive excavations on Temple Mount, like arsons of forests, which were planted by Jews instead of desserts and swamps. Arabs behave this way because subconsciously they know – this Land is not theirs. It was waste Land before Jews started to rebuild it. The real indication of true ownership of the Land is the one who turned it from waste land to today’s modern Israel.
7. The Land of Israel is very small and possession of it by Arabs will not change or improve one-bit the situation of Arabs, but for Jews it is only the place. (Jews have only one small country and the Arabs have 22 countries with vast territory and resources).
8. Arabs have same religion, culture and language in all of these 22 Arab countries. Arab countries can easily absorb Arab refugees that were the result of Arab aggression.
9. Is this justice: to deny the Jews of their tiny homeland, and to give it to Arabs who already have tremendous territory? Supporters of this in Europe and other places – where is your decency, moral and common sense?
10. Arabs expelled more than 800,000 Jews from Arab countries, who lived there long before Arabs captured these lands from indigenous people, and brutally destroyed their religions and cultures. All Jewish properties in Arab Countries were confiscated. Give these properties to Palestinian refugees (hundreds billions of dollars) and their problems will be solved.
I believe that most people shape their opinion without
knowing real facts. It is very difficult for an ordinary person to extract real information from the stream of thousands of articles, books and news, which often are deliberately misconstrued. And I believe that the distribution of real facts in compressed, clear from can tilt the scale of the world opinion in Israel’s favor.
Who is spiritually sicker? ISIS which chops off heads or Jewish officials who willingly and ignorantly place their and their country’s heads on the chopping block?