Anti Israel Rhetoric is rife. Why?

[cindyhove]

As of April 5, 2025, numerous armed conflicts are ongoing worldwide, varying in scale and intensity. According to the Geneva Academy of International Humanitarian Law and Human Rights, over 110 armed conflicts are currently being monitored, encompassing both international and non-international engagements.
why is israel the only one to be demonised out of the current 110 conflicts?
The answer is blindingly obvious

Many of the wars ongoing throughout the world are raging between peoples in poor, developing countries with non-democratic values who, to be blunt, many (usually xenophobic) people in developed democracies would write off as "they don't know any better; that's just their primitive culture".

Israel is a highly-developed, wealthy, modern, democratic western (politically and culturally, if not geographically) nation - and also a nuclear state. Basically, they are held to a much higher standard because of that.

Just like the outcry of disgust when the UK and USA (and others) start or react grossly disproportionately - such as the wars in Syria and Afghanistan. Many of us despise Blair, Bush and their ilk to this day because of it.

Also, I think it's very important to point out the difference between governments and leaders and the ordinary populations. Just like, in Russia, the thinking people blame and hate Putin and his henchmen, but don't apportion any kind of blame to Anna and Dmitri who are hard-working farmers making a living in their community in Rostov-on-Don.

If some people do start to conflate the governments making highly controversial choices with all of the everyday citizens, that may well indicate a racist and prejudiced mindset.

Openly racist views such as these are somehow socially acceptable when it comes to Israel.

Are there any other countries in the world that you would describe as 'evil' or just Israel?

All I can say is that the Jewish people in my life are anti-Israel too. Anti-zionism ≠ antisemitism. It is against their moral and religious beliefs to support gen*cide, and they are not alone — a large number of Jewish people don’t want to be associated with Isreal.

Rabbi’s perspective.
Young Jewish protesters.
Holocaust survivor’s perspective.

edit: one of the links wasn’t working.

Well there you go. At least you are honest and not pretending it is about the hostages.

Glad I wasn’t the only person that saw their disgusting take on the situation.

There have been deaths on both sides but Israel is trying to obliterate Palestinians out of existence

They are doing a terrible job of it then.

They should probably stop warning Gazans about where the next bomb strikes are coming. That huge corridor of Gazans we saw returning in a safe corridor during the ceasefire, all those were people Israel forewarned so they would not be killed.

Yes lots of civilians have died and that’s inevitable in an urban warfare in a densely populated area.

The 50,000 figure ( that comes from Hamas) includes all deaths recorded since the start of the war, not just those caused by the war. So a quarter of those people would have died anyway. It also includes Hamas fighters as well as civilians. All are lumped in together. There is also evidence of Hamas counting young adults as children, as well as other manipulations of figures ( this analysis has been done by a former British army officer who now goes to conflict zones to establish what is really happening).

The anti-Semitism comes from entirely blaming Israel and not Hamas. Hamas deliberately provoked this conflict by launching a brutal terrorist attack on civilians. They have publicly gloried in the deaths of their own citizens since the start of the war by saying they need their blood to fortify their Martyrs. One assumes they mean this literally, as they have refused to shelter their citizens in their extensive tunnel system to protect them from the bombs ( in the way British did in WW2 and Ukrainians are in Ukraine). Hamas could also stop the war anytime by handing back the hostages snd laying down arms. But they choose not too.

So yes, people’s perception of the war where they entirely blame Israel but overlook Hamas’s culpability for the deaths of civilians in Gaza, is where the anti-Semitism lies.

I think it's a bit crass to start threads complaining about others objecting to this indiscriminate killing of those in Gaza. Can't people just be happy that Israel is getting what it wants? It's clearing Gaza of its citizens. So quit complaining. What the rest of the world thinks doesn't matter if you are convinced you're right. So quit complaining. Everyone else can't do anything to help the Gazans and they need to learn that their deaths are for the greater good. So quit complaining. No need to rub salt into the wounds is there? It's just unnecessary.

1000
x yes

You must think Gaza is a false state of evil then, as they deliberately killed children and raped on October 7th? Hamas is the government and Hamas fighters did this. Gazan civilians who support Hamas then joined in, looting homes and taking hostages from survivors. The Bibas family, including Mother, baby and toddler ( later strangled to death with bare hands whilst in Gaza) were taken hostage by Gazan civilians who support Hamas.

So you confirm that you also think Gaza is a false state of Evil? Because if you can’t, then you are anti-Semitic.

Does there have to be a side? I’d be fine if it were just hamas being brutally bombed and murdered. It’s innocent civilians, (men, women, children) in obscene numbers. Is that ok because their government killed people? An eye for an eye right?

Where are you getting "no churches in Gaza" from?

https://www.nytimes.com/2023/10/20/world/middleeast/israel-airstrike-gaza-city.html

You do realise this is EXACTLY what Hamas did on October 7th? Where is your outrage against the government of Gaza?

No it’s because it’s how wars work. Armies no longer line up to battle in fields, and have not for some centuries. We killed German civilians in WW2 in great numbers. Was that unjustified? Should we have not fought the Nazis as it was unfair on German civilians? What would have been the outcome if the allies took that stance, do you think?

Well, not quite exactly @Ontheproverbialball - I gather Hamas raped and beheaded small children ... probably after their snipers aimed their guns.

We killed German civilians in WW2 in great numbers.

Probably why we thought the 4th Geneva Convention (1949) was necessary.

It's interesting isn't it....I often wonder if there was camera phones and social media in ww2, would the allies be demonsied for the deaths of innocent German civilians?

War is unpleasant and ugly... doesn't mean it's a genocide.

Well currently I'm wondering how one couldn't be outraged by the murder of medics, still with their gloves on, being murdered while attending, and buried in a shallow grave? How the FUCK does anything justify that?

Iam pretty balanced in thinking fault lies very much with both sides, who both seem to be behaving in horrible and inhumane ways, with what's going on in Israel/Palestine, but I think YABVU OP.

For one thing, yes, there are many other conflicts, but most are not that controversial in terms of who is "at fault". Usually there is broad agreement on one or both sides being the cause.

With the situation in Israel, there has always been controversy about the idea of establishing a state like that, in that particular situation, for all kinds of reasons, and many people have had strong feelings on both sides.

Recently however, some new elements are in play:

CRT and DEI type theories, and anti-colonialism have taught a lot of younger people that anyone who is "brown" must always be the oppressed, and also righteous, in any conflict. Many of them seem to have little idea about the realities of the situation and will simply defend anything the Palestinians or Hamas does, no matter how awful.

Political tribalism has increased to the point that many people don't even seem to think it is ok to see issues as complex, or that there may be issues on both sides. It's just a "My side good" way of thinking. ANyone who disagrees is demonized as evil.

Performative virtue is hugely big on the left now.

I think no matter how you slice it, there is some horrible stuff going on from the Israeli side on this, and they are seen as the stronger, more technologically advanced, able side, which is a fair assessment as far as it goes. (And there are a lot of Israeli citizens who feel this keenly as well, it's not a far-out opinion.)

Also, many in the west have no experience of war or living in a war zone and don't understand what it involves.

ALl this means is a lot of people are seeing this in a very black and white way, and feel their political tribe requires them to be very performative and vocal in condemning Israel.

The fact that many on the right won't acknowledge any wrong on the part of Israel is also a problem - the two sides drive each other to take on more extreme positions.

I guess people just don't like seeing a country being supported in breaking International law. Israel and all the countries supporting them are making the world less safe for us all by openly disregarding the laws that make us all safer. Now you can withold aid to innocent people, you can kill aid workers, you can rape and sexually assault women and girls and you will be supported in doing so. It used to be normal to be 'anti' these things, now people try and you shame you for it.

Do you think people should be demonised for shooting 15 aid workers in cold blood, destroying life saving equipment and then lying about it?

This debate is so tired now, but why does being horrified by Israel's actions mean that someone is "aligning themselves" with Hamas? Why does thinking one is awful = the other one must be great? That seems to be the argument that Israel's supporters use to prove anti-semitism, it must be a Jewish thing because you love Gazans and they're not Jewish.

I think Hamas and Israelis making decisions to or actively killing civilians are awful, Israel are doing more of it.

Supporters of Israel in this war seem to label anyone pro-Palestine as either uneducated or anti-semitic which is a very lazy way of blocking out any opposing view.