Answering tough questions on Israel; a practical Advocacy guide

If you have ever discussed Israel with either Pro-Palestinian protestors, or general individuals wanting to know more, there is a high chance you have been asked some difficult questions on Israel. 

For those of us with Israel deeply woven into our lives, or regularly subsumed inside Israel-related culture, it can be disconcerting when we are stumped on how to reply to some of these difficult questions. You must understand, however, that you’re not expected to be an expert in all things Israel just because you’re Jewish. It would be nearly impossible to be well-versed in every micro-decision made in Israel, or all the historical events that give context to the current situation. Even Eylon Levy has been stumped before.

To that end, I have created a short guide for the regular person on some common questions that may have already arisen or may do in the future. In each case I will provide a short practical example of how to answer and then insert some context to give you a better picture. If you are aware of the following common questions, you will less likely be less flustered when challenged. 

I will keep it as short as possible so that this guide will be useful for the advocate on the ground to refer to or learn. Although each topic merits an essay in and of itself, that will be left for another time – for now, we want to ensure that you are aware of the most common tough questions on Israel, so that you can feel confident to represent the only Jewish state in the world.

Please note: Remember to always engage respectfully and to avoid saying things you will regret. Rarely you will be approached by individuals playing dirty and using argument tricks to make you look foolish or angry. Falling for it will not “win the argument”, nor will it persuade the individual or any onlookers. Staying calm and not reacting angrily are key to any successful dialogue. 

                  Zionists stole Palestinian land

The Claim:

Probably the most common claim amongst Pro-Palestinian protestors. The myth here rests on the basis that there was a Palestinian entity before 1948, when Israel was created. This Palestinian entity was supposedly independent enough to accommodate Jews after the Holocaust, who then turned back on their gracious hosts and stole their land.

How to respond:

Firstly, be aware that since the destruction of the Jewish temple in 70CE, and until the birth of the modern State of Israel in 1948, there never, ever, existed an independent Palestinian entity. It is entirely in your right to state that historical fact and debunk the claim at its source. 

Questions like “who was the first Palestinian leader and when did they rule?”, “what currency did this Palestinian entity use?”, and “when did they come into the land?” are especially effective – but you can make up your own! 

For instance, I use the example of the “Leeds Palestine Bazaar” held in 1936 to demonstrate that Jews were also considered Palestinian. (For context, the Bazaar was run by ardent Zionist and prominent Jew, Montague Burton, to raise funds for the building of villages in the area known as ‘Palestine’.)

Secondly, it is crucial to clarify that this absolutely does not mean that current Muslims and Christians identifying as Palestinian don’t have a right to live in a democratic country free of political persecution. They absolutely do and it is important to make this point clear in any discussion you have.

All this means it that to say that “Jews stole the land” is factually wrong.

Thirdly, if necessary, question the individual on whether they think that Jews ever lived in Israel before the holocaust, and depending on their answer see the final question of this guide.

Context:

In World War One (1914-1918), British forces captured the territory from the Ottomans. In turn, the Turks had conquered the territory from the Egyptian Mamluks in the 16^th Century, who had conquered it from the Crusaders in the 13^th Century, who conquered it from a succession of Muslim dynasties (the Rashiduns, Umayyads, Abbasids and more) in the 11^th Century. The area of Israel came under Muslim control in the 7^thCentury after the defeat of the Byzantine Empire. The Byzantines were the continuation of the Eastern half of the Roman Empire, who famously crushed multiple Jewish revolts, one of which resulted in the destruction of the second Jewish temple, and another that led the Romans to rename the area from Judea to the province of ‘Syria Palaestina’.

Throughout this long process of conquests there was never an independent entity called “Palestine” from which the Jews could have stolen their historic land in 1948. In fact, until the late 1950s the term “Palestine” was nothing more than a geographical region without specific inhabitants, like Anatolia, the Levant, or ‘the North of England’, and incorporated Jews, Christians, and Muslims when used as a term to refer to those that lived there.

                  Why does Israel target Gazans?

The claim:

Israel is purposefully targeting innocent civilians in Gaza and the West Bank. A variant of this is accusing Israel of “indiscriminate bombing”, “war crimes” or genocide. Be prepared for specific questions like “why were this innocent family, individual, tent, house etc. targeted?”

How to respond:

Firstly, we sympathise for any loss of innocent life in this war and the overall conflict. It is important to make this clear.

Secondly, the individual asking this question is not a military expert well-versed in the laws or tactics of war. Nor do they know the intricate decisions behind every strike or mission. Neither do you, and it is absurd for someone to expect you to have access to all the information required to answer specific questions.

Luckily, however, many war experts who researched the war have mostly agreed that the IDF’s war against Hamas (who have embedded themselves amongst Gazan civilians) has been fought remarkably morally and within agreed-upon international law boundaries. Especially considering the complex urban environment in the streets of Gaza, innocent deaths have been relatively low compared to any other conflict around the world.

Whether these laws, standards or morals should change is an entirely different argument, and unlikely the one they are trying to make. As above, it is crucial to clarify that every civilian death is a tragedy. We do not want this horrible war, but we also realise that we cannot allow Hamas to commit any more horrific attacks on Israel.  

The context:

Since the start of the war the IDF has engaged with helping civilians out of harm’s way.

The IDF is fighting Hamas in one of of the most complex urban warfare environments in modern warfare. Hamas has been accused of using human shields since 2008. Hamas regularly fights in civilian clothing per their own admission. There is also the famous matter of tunnels and Hamas command posts in incredibly close proximity to hospitals and civilian infrastructure. Despite these incredible challenges, the IDF is performing remarkably in almost all accounts. According to some reports the combatant-civilian death count is very close to one-to-one. Considering the huge amounts of munitions dropped on Gaza, and the months of fighting, that is a remarkable ratio. 

It also shows without doubt that the IDF does not target civilians. 

                  I am not antisemitic, I am only anti-Zionist

The tired myth:

I do not hate Jews, I am just against the occupation/extremist government etc. “Judaism yes, Zionism no”.

How to respond:

This should be an easy exercise:

Ask the individual: 1) do you agree that the Jews have the right for self-determination (i.e. they have the right to govern themselves, as is accorded to all people) at all? And if so, 2) do you agree that they have a historic, cultural, religious and ethnic connection to the ‘Land of Israel’? If so, 3) do you believe they have the right to govern themselves in their land?

If the individual answers ‘yes’ to all the above, you can safely engage in genuine criticism of Israeli actions, Israeli policies etc. without the fears of antisemitism. I encourage you to explain to them that this is essentially what Zionism is. A movement to return the Jews to where they rightfully belong. Again, this is also a good opportunity to explain that we all want the inhabitants of the land to live peacefully side by side. You can also make reference to anti-Jewish edicts across Europe and the Middle East in the centuries before the creation of Israel – if the Romanians did not see the local Jews as Romanians, and the Moroccans did not see the local Jews as Moroccans, does that not point at least a little at the Jews considering that there was somewhere else that they belonged?

However, if they answer ‘no’ to any of the above they are holding antisemitic views and there is not much to debate here. Perhaps offer them a bagel with cream cheese, smoked salmon and a Shalom for the road. 

If you have any more questions you’d like me or any other writer to discuss let us know in the comments below! I will be coming up with a part 2 soon so make sure to subscribe, and get your comments in before then!