Facts about Israel, Judaism, and modern antisemitism
Gaza is not occupied
On September 22, 2005, Israel withdrew all its citizens and installations from the Gaza Strip. The Palestinian residents then had freedom to self-govern. The Palestinian Authority held elections in 2006. Hamas won and has not held elections since.
Jews are not Europeans
Jews are originally from the land of Israel and expelled and forced into exile almost 2,000 years ago in 70 CE by the Romans. They spread to different parts of the world making up different ethnic groups including those that fled to north Africa and Iberia (Sephardi Jews), northern Europe (Ashkenazi Jews) and those that stayed in the Levant and Middle East (Mizrahi Jews).
Israel has implemented more measures to prevent civilian casualties than any other military in history
“No military in modern history has faced over 30,000 urban defenders in more than seven cities using human shields and hiding in hundreds of miles of underground networks purposely built under civilian sites, while holding hundreds of hostages. Despite the unique challenges Israel faces in its war against Hamas, it has implemented more measures to prevent civilian casualties than any other military in history.” John Spenser [chair of urban warfare studies at the Modern War Institute (MWI) at West Point; served for 25 years as an infantry soldier and two tours in Iraq]
Jews are the indigenous people of the Land of Israel
Jews are indigenous to the land of Israel for thousands of years and their self-governance in the modern land of Israel dates back to approximately 1020 BCE, which was the beginning of the Iron Age, under King Saul, and subsequently under David, and Solomon, the entire land of Israel was under a unified Jewish kingdom.
~850,000 Jews were expelled from the Arab countries where they had lived for thousands of years
Jewish presence in what are now Arab lands long predates Islam and the Arab conquest of the Middle East and North Africa, and goes back to Biblical times. In 1945, there were approximately 866,000 Jews living in communities throughout the Arab world. Today, there are fewer than 10,000. In many Arab states, once thriving Jewish communities have all but disappeared. According to official statistics, 856,000 Jews, persecuted and under duress, were exiled from their homes in Arab countries between 1948 and the early 1970s leaving behind substantial property and other assets.
Jews form a plurality in only 1 country in the world
Out of the 193 member states in the UN, Jews form a plurality in only one country: Israel (0.5% of all countries). Arabs form a plurality in 19 countries (10% of all countries) and Muslims form a majority in 49 countries.
Judaism is not a ‘religion’
Judaism predates religions such as Islam and Christianity, and is, in fact, more like a land-based indigenous tribe than a “religion.” Its holidays, prayer, rituals, tradition, and values-based practices all have deep connections to the Land of Israel. The Jewish people for thousands of years were called “Am Yisrael” (Hebrew trans. ‘nation of Israel’) not “Jews.” U.S. Supreme Court decisions recognize that “being Jewish is not simply a religious characteristic; it is also a racial and ethnic characteristic, describing a people who share not only a religion, but also a common ancestry, history, language, heritage and culture.” (US Commission on Civil Rights Briefing Report on Campus Antisemitism, p. 18, July 2006). As award-winning author and scholar Dara Horn puts it, “Jews are a joinable tribal group with a common history, homeland and culture. . . . [I]n Hebrew, it is one word that is two letters long: Am. We are Am Yisrael, the people of Israel.”
Israel’s landmass is only 0.2% of the Middle East
Israel is roughly the size of New Jersey. The Arab countries have 99.8 percent of the landmass of the Middle East, while Israel has 0.2 percent. That’s right—Israel has just two-tenths of one percent of the land in the Middle East.
Israel is the only nation in the Middle East that provides full civil liberties, elections, and a free press
Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East. It ranks similar to the U.S. in the Economist’s annual Democracy Index. None of its Arab neighbors in the Middle East are democracies. And nowhere else in the Middle East, other than in Israel, do citizens enjoy full civil liberties (including those of the LGBTQ community), free and fair elections, and a free press. What’s more, these liberties extend to ALL Israeli citizens, 20% of whom are non-Jewish Arabs who live in Israel.
Christian and Muslim Arabs have served as justices on Israel’s 15 member Supreme Court
Justices Salim Joubran from Acre and George Kara from Jaffa were sworn in to the court in 2017. Justice Khaled Kabub from Jaffa was sworn in May 2022 and is currently serving as the first Muslim member of Israel’s Supreme Court.
Israeli universities admit all ethnicities and religions, Palestinian universities refuse to admit Jewish students
For example, over 40% of University of Haifa’s student population is Arab. Located in the north of Israel, in its 3rd largest city, University of Haifa enrolls approximately 18,000 students, including Christian, Muslim, and Druze Arab students. Palestinian-controlled Birzeit University near Ramallah, on the other hand, does not permit Jewish people to step foot on campus.
The Palestinian Authority has deprived Palestinians of elections for 20+ years
Mahmoud Abbas was elected president of the Palestinian Authority on January 9, 2005. Despite elections supposed to be taking place every 4 years, he has cancelled all presidential elections since his own election for the past 20 years. He is 89 years old.
Martin Luther King Jr recognized Israel’s legitimacy
“I think it is necessary to say that what is basic and what is needed in the Middle East is peace. Peace for Israel is one thing. Peace for the Arab side of that world is another thing. Peace for Israel means security, and we must stand with all of our might to protect its right to exist, its territorial integrity. I see Israel, and never mind saying it, as one of the great outposts of democracy in the world, and a marvelous example of what can be done, how desert land almost can be transformed into an oasis of brotherhood and democracy. Peace for Israel means security and that security must be a reality.” MLK Jr, March 26 1968, address to the Rabbinical Assembly