Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth

I recorded this interview last week, before the violence broke out in Jerusalem. I want to be clear, our conversation was not about this latest conflict. But, I think it does help put it within a broader, historical context. Context matters and I’m grateful Noa took the time to speak with me. For such a tiny country (it’s the size of New Jersey), Israel evokes A LOT of emotion and, simply put, not enough facts. This is why Noa wrote “Israel: A Simple Guide to the Most Misunderstood Country on Earth” (which I strongly recommend reading) in the first place.

For those who don’t watch the full interview, there are just a few things I’d like to make clear.

📍Gaza IS under siege - by Hamas, a terrorist organization that prioritizes the annihilation of Israel over the food, health, education and livelihoods of their own people.

📍Israel is not an apartheid state, nor is it engaging in ethnic cleansing. If this were the case then it would be the worst attempt ever given that the country is 21% Arab or Palestinian and form a large and important part of the Israeli government. This kind of language is egregious and dangerous and exactly the type of behavior that history has shown can lead to actual ethnic cleansing. That being said, I also want to acknowledge that life for many Palestinian’s living in Israel is oppressive and intolerable. It needs to be rectified, but this is not something I am going to address here, nor am I in a position to do so. If you are interested in learning more about this topic in particular, I recommend reading this article.

📍There is a BIG, and I can’t emphasize this more, BIG, difference between Hamas and the PLO and PA (Palestinian Authority). We cover this distinction in the interview, but please just understand that there are many players and making blanket statements that imply a single, monolithic group does a disservice to the very real plight of the Palestinian people

📍I whole-heartedly believe in and support the Palestinian people’s right to self determination. Palestine is real, it should be recognized as an independent nation and its citizens deserve to live freely and thrive. This is not an either/or situation. You can (and should, IMO) be pro-Israel AND pro-Palestine. One people’s liberation does not come at the cost of the other, though that is what some would like you to believe.

And some final thoughts:

What we are experiencing right now is an earthquake. Earthquakes don’t happen over night. Small tremors go unnoticed by most of us on the outside for decades, sometimes hundreds of years. Tensions build up across fault lines until the strain becomes too much to bear and the faults collide, sending shockwaves far beyond their origin. You can’t minimize its destruction unless you understand what led to it.