Israel is doing the right thing. It is defending itself. And along the way, it is making the world a safer place and a better place – now and for generations to come. Morally, ethically, Jewishly, and according to international rules of war, Israel is operating on the right side.
While much of the world suffers from Israel derangement syndrome (akin to Trump derangement syndrome), the world still lays claim to some sane people – people who are not obsessed with the Jewish state; people who do not hate Israel; people who do not embrace the enemies of Israel and celebrate their unfathomably unjust and immoral cause.
For that, I, for one, am extremely grateful.
I trust those who have faith, who hold fast to the belief that ethical behavior, rational thought, and justice will prevail.
Sane people believe that Israel is defending itself against Hamas in Gaza, and was defending the world and was acting correctly in choosing to defend the Druze of Syria.
I just wish that their voices were louder.
For lovers of Israel, it can be excruciatingly difficult to watch and witness the spread of rash, harsh bile and unsubstantiated hatred directed at Jews and Israel and not be affected. The new media have a fervor. Israel is constantly portrayed as wrong. Israel is touted as the evil aggressor.
Pervasive hatred
How did thinking around the globe become so inverted? Granted, Israel has made mistakes, but in reality Israel is the righteous one and Hamas, Iran, and ISIS clothed in Syrian garb are the evildoers.
The hate is pervasive. It cuts across all levels of society, young and old, in the United States, in particular, and across the Western world.
I fear that the damage done to Israel by its haters will never die down, can never be repaired.
Of course, there are those staunch Israel lovers and other rational thinkers who say that it should not matter what people – especially what Jew-haters – think, say, and write.
They believe that Israel must persevere and continue to do what is ethically correct. And there is no doubt that Israel’s war against Hamas in Gaza is ethical and justified. It is, by all international standards, legal.
Even if you believe that Israel has been too harsh in its response to October 7, 2023, that does not mean that Israel is not justified. Israel was attacked on October 7. International law and the ethics of war allow for Israel to defend itself – and that includes making certain that such an attack never happens again.
Not engaged in revenge
In Jewish law, too, that is the case. Revenge is not permitted. Revenge is not justified in international law, in the ethics of law, nor is it permitted in Jewish law. And Israel is not engaged in revenge.
Yet, despite Israel being ethically and legally correct, support for the Jewish state is suffering. Haters and their messages have been amplified in new media, explicitly directed toward young people. And they are gobbling it up. Platforms like Instagram and TikTok and X/Twitter target young adults. In short snippets tailor-made for generations with short attention spans, they spew their hate and influence millions.
The proof is in the polls. According to a series of recent polling results, Israel is extremely unpopular, and the US is too supportive of Israel. These figures are worth analyzing.
In a CNN Poll, conducted in July 2025, of people between 18 and 35 years of age, only 10% said that Israel’s military actions in Gaza were fully justified. Seventy-two percent of the Democrats under 35 said the US was doing too much to help Israel. Sixty-one percent said Israel has used too much military force.
A Pew Research study conducted in April 2024 showed similarly devastating results.
Just 14% of adults under 30 sympathized mostly with the Israelis; 33% sympathized with the Palestinians. Forty-six percent said that Israel’s response was unacceptable; another 32% called it "completely unacceptable." Together, that adds up to 78% coming down against Israel. A mere 16% of respondents supported US military aid to Israel.
In a rare bright spot, a Harvard CAPS-Harris Poll conducted in July 2025 showed that 60% of Gen Z (ages 18–24) support Israel over Hamas – a jump from 52% in March.
And it is not just young people.
Disturbingly unsure
A Quinnipiac University Poll from June 2025 reported that 37% of Americans sympathize more with Israel, while 32% sympathize more with Palestinians. The disturbing factor is that 31% are unsure. This is an abysmal set of numbers. There is near numerical parity across the board. This is the lowest Israel has fared since 2001, when Quinnipiac began polling support for Israel.
People get their news and information from social media.
The big issue Israel must deal with is not about being ethically correct. The big issue is messaging.
It is countering the messages of haters of Israel who spread untruths and half-truths. It means blasting out the truth via what was once called hasbara (public diplomacy), what is now social media.
It means not just doing the right thing – it means convincing the world that Israel is doing the right thing.
The writer is a columnist and a social and political commentator. Watch his TV show Thinking Out Loud on JBS.