Idaho’s pro-Palestinian activists must stop making gross generalizations about Israel | Opinion

In a recent opinion piece by a group of fringe Idahoan activists, several outlandish claims were made about the situation in Israel and the Jewish people. These claims are similar to the libel the Jewish people have faced for millennia.

Though the authors are Jewish, their sentiments are not shared by most Jewish people in Idaho. Most of the people who make up Idaho’s small Jewish community are Zionists who are exceptionally supportive of Israel as the Jewish homeland and its right to defend itself.

Their lies have no boundaries. Let us dismantle each of their deceptions:

• Anti-Zionism is not antisemitism. Anti-Zionism denies the Jewish people’s right to self-determination, which makes it intrinsically anti-Jewish, and thus, antisemitic.
• Israel is committing genocide. The definition of genocide requires intent. Israel is acting in self-defense, fighting an existential war it did not start. Moreover, it does everything in its power to minimize non-combatant casualties. The only genocide here took place on Oct. 7, 2023.
• Israel is a colonial state. Israel’s story is a beautiful story of dismantling colonial powers – from the Romans to the Ottomans to the British – that invaded it. That aside, you can’t colonize your ancestral homeland.
• American Jews are complicit in the war. American Jews support Israel’s right to defend itself. In fact, according to a recent study by the Jewish Federations of North America, 72% of Jews say Israel makes them proud and 90% believe Israel has a right to exist as a Jewish state. But American Jews do not have a say in Israeli government decisions, and targeting the community as if they do is antisemitic.
• The conflict dates to the displacement of Palestinians in 1948. While Palestine has existed as a geographic region for millennia and Palestinian identity has included anyone, including Jews, living in the region, the modern Palestinian identity emerged in the 20th century when the local Arab population began identifying as a distinct nation. Tracing the root of the conflict back to the displacement of one side holds no water when the displacement of the other at the same time is ignored.
• The banning of weapon sales to Israel would help the situation. It would make it even worse because Israel won’t be able to fight the radical Islamic terrorism that threatens all of Western civilization. It would send a message to America’s allies and foes alike that we are an unreliable partner, thus harming American interests around the world.

Judeo-Christian values are the basis for all modern democracies, but they are on the decline. That is a consequence of the rhetoric of radical activists, like the two authors who exploit their Jewish identity to spread animus against Israel. These activists are diverting the conversation in ways that foster antisemitism, misguiding their neighbors and sowing division, which only distracts from the real issues and wrongfully places blame on Israel.