It’s been said many times before—but it bears repeating—that those who blame Israel alone for the lack of peace in the Middle East often rely on accusations that collapse under scrutiny. Yet far too many people accept these claims without taking the time to examine them. These accusations can be seductive. They’re repeated endlessly and delivered with apparent conviction, creating the illusion that they might be true.

Two of the most striking tactics behind these falsehoods are inversion—turning reality on its head—and projection—accusing others of the very wrongs you commit yourself. Together, they fuel much of today’s anti-Israel narrative.

Take the especially vile accusation that Israel is perpetrating genocide in Gaza. I hesitate even to repeat it because it is such an obscene falsehood.  The Jewish people actually experienced genocide in living memory. During the Holocaust, Adolf Hitler and the Nazi regime murdered six million Jews—half the world’s Jewish population at the time. This was not an unintended consequence of war; it was the explicit goal. If not for the extraordinary efforts and sacrifices of the Allies, the Nazis might have succeeded entirely. As the daughter of Holocaust survivors, I carry this history personally. My family was decimated: eighty of my relatives were murdered simply because they were Jewish.

To use the term “genocide” to describe Israel’s war with Hamas is not only factually false—it is deeply insulting to the memory of those who endured real genocide. The suffering in Gaza is real, and every innocent life lost is a tragedy. But context matters. This war began when Hamas launched a savage attack on October 7th, murdering approximately 1,200 people—babies, children, the elderly, entire families—and kidnapping 251 others into Gaza, where dozens remain in savage captivity. Israel’s military campaign is aimed at dismantling Hamas’ vast terrorist infrastructure, which is deliberately embedded within civilian areas. The number of casualties in Gaza, while tragic, does not meet the criteria for genocide under any credible legal or historical definition. Genocide requires an intent to destroy a people as a people. Israel’s objective is to end Hamas’ capacity to wage terror—not to destroy the Palestinian people.

Another frequent accusation is that Israel is an apartheid state. Under South African apartheid, the Black majority was denied the right to vote, excluded from political life, and subjected to a legally codified system of segregation. By contrast, Arab citizens of Israel—about 20% of the population—vote in national elections, serve in the Knesset, sit on the Supreme Court, and have full legal rights under Israeli law. Is there inequality in Israel? As in any society, yes. Is there conflict? Certainly. But a system of racial apartheid, as defined by international law, does not exist. Ironically, Hamas’ charter explicitly calls for a state with no Jews. Jews are forbidden from living in Gaza. That is exclusion based on ethnicity and religion—something far closer to apartheid than anything in Israel.

Projection is another favorite tactic. Hamas and its supporters often brand Israel as the “real terrorist.” Yet Hamas fighters filmed themselves on October 7th gleefully murdering civilians, burning homes, raping women, and kidnapping children. Their entire strategy is built on terror: launching rockets from civilian areas, storing weapons in hospitals, hiding among schools, and daring Israel to respond. When Israel defends itself, Hamas cries “terrorism,” projecting its own atrocities onto its enemy.

Words like “genocide,” “apartheid,” and “terrorism” have real meaning. They are not casual insults to be thrown around in a propaganda war. Misusing them not only slanders Israel but also insults the memory of the actual victims of genocide, those who suffered under real apartheid, and the countless lives shattered by genuine terrorism.

And so we return to the core truth: these are not random misunderstandings—they are deliberate, calculated lies. Hamas is not just guilty of the crimes it accuses Israel of; it is defined by them. Hamas is the terrorist, the oppressor, the advocate of apartheid, the racist that dreams of a land cleansed of Jews. In calling Israel what Hamas itself is, Hamas turns morality inside out, hoping the world will lose sight of the obvious. We cannot allow that inversion to stand. Seeing clearly—and saying so without fear—is the first step toward defending truth, justice, and any possible hope for peace.

Roz Rothstein is co-founder and CEO of StandWithUs, a 24 year-old international nonpartisan education organization that supports Israel and fights antisemitism 

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