Each week, the media and public figures push many narratives related to Israel and the Middle East. And each week, some are misleading. At HonestReporting, we know our readers are confronted by friends, family, colleagues, and classmates who trust the spin they read and see. So we will take a few of the bigger stories and present the facts in a format to help you make the case for the truth.
1. Brad Lander’s Holyland PR Stunt is Dangerous
Jewish Congressional candidate Brad Lander was in the West Bank this week. He claims he was there to secure the Palestinian olive harvest and to combat “ethnic cleansing.” Anyone paying attention knows the truth. This had nothing to do with helping anyone but Brad Lander. It was an attention-seeking and virtue-signaling PR stunt, and yet another anti-Israel action in a long line from the Zohran Mamdani-supporting politician. Click here for more.
2. The Palestinian Flag is at Every Anti-Western Protest. Globalize the Intifada Indeed.
Fires, violence, looting and destruction in cities across the Western world – welcome to the globalized intifada. Anywhere there are violent and fiery protests, you’ll find the Palestinian flag, whether or not the protest or riot in question has any relation to the Palestinians. Case in point – the recent French protests. One flag keeps showing up at every violent rally, and it isn’t the French flag. These were demonstrations ostensibly about educational funding in France. What does that have to do with Israel, Gaza or the West Bank? Absolutely nothing. However, the Palestinian flag and cause now seem to represent a broader ideological movement that casts Israel as the embodiment of evil. This increasingly normalizes antisemitism and undermines the liberal democratic values on which Western civilization was built. Click here and here for more.
3. October 7 Protests are not Pro-Palestinian and Certainly Not About Peace
The protests surrounding the third anniversary of the October 7 massacre were not what most people might have expected. They weren’t mourning the slaughter, the sexual crimes or the trauma of that day – they were celebrating it, reveling in the murder of Jews. Despite claims of an ongoing genocide, there were no calls for a peace that would end the war, but calls for more violence. Hamas wasn’t condemned; rather, it and other terrorist flags were proudly displayed in cities around the world. These protests weren’t about peace, or about helping anyone in Gaza; they were entirely about continuing the violent and genocidal struggle to eliminate Israel. Click here to read more.
4. The Israeli Silly Season and a Potential Narrative Pivot
For years now, the international media and many opponents of Israel have focused all of their attention on its longest-serving prime minister, Benjamin Netanyahu. Nobody has to look far to hear about the ills brought to the world by the Netanyahu government, or Netanyahu himself. In recent weeks, as Election Day has approached, some have made a not-too-subtle shift in framing. It goes something like this: Netanyahu is a major problem, but really no matter who wins, there won’t be any change because Israeli society as a whole is really the problem. It is clear what’s at play here. Those who oppose Israel want to be sure that they can continue to oppose Israel no matter who wins next week’s election. This is something to pay close attention to if Prime Minister Netanyahu is unsuccessful in his re-election bid.
As a reminder, HonestReporting doesn’t weigh in on who should win election campaigns in Israel or elsewhere. However, we do want to remind everyone that just like the United States has the pre-election “silly season,” so does Israel. In the 5 days between now and election day, Israeli politicians across the political spectrum will do what politicians do: make bold pronouncements, some brilliant, some entirely ill-advised, to try and rally their base, undermine their opponents, and maximize their success at the ballot box. Take all of this with the same grain of salt you would take pronouncements from any other politician anywhere else in the world. That being said, it’s worth understanding how the system works, starting with the fact that Election Day is just the first act. Click here for a simple overview of the Israeli electoral process.
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© Divuach Ne’eman R”A, 2025
