It is fundamental that Israel should exist and boycotts of Jews and Israelis are unacceptable.

Why is it necessary for this sentence to even be spelled out?

I, and I suspect many others like me, thought that the ceasefire in Gaza would lead to a decrease in antisemitism and anti-Israel activities. Well, how mistaken we were.

The announcement of a ceasefire was followed by anti-Israel demonstrations in Italy, Australia, and other places. Sanctions on Israel are still considered by the EU. The EU and Great Britain do not seem to be particularly concerned with the rising antisemitism and boycott of Jews in their countries.

On the contrary, the British police justified why soccer fans of Maccabi Tel Aviv will not be able to attend games because British police cannot provide sufficient safety. It is shameful that Michael D. Higgins, the antisemitic president of Ireland, will be replaced by an even bigger antisemite who was just elected as the incoming president.

The pressure to impose punitive actions on Israel for accusations of war crimes and genocide are not tied to actual events. I remember seeing posters against “the Israeli genocide in Gaza” in Athens, Georgia, a few weeks after the Oct. 7, 2023, massacre and before the actual fighting in Gaza had started.

Why sanctions and boycotts should be imposed on Israel — not just on certain government members or officials, but also on trade, universities, and cultural events — is incomprehensible.

I suspect that under current conditions, the Israeli government would be targeted regardless of its composition, just like during the previous wars when the Labor Party was in power (you remember Golda Meir and Shimon Peres) and worldwide demonstrations were led against Israel. Tzipi Livni, a moderate who favored the two-state solution, could not travel to Great Britain because she was threatened by arrest as as “war criminal.” And this was in 2009, after one of the several “minor wars” with Gaza when she was foreign minister.

The United Nations, meanwhile, is only encouraging more actions against Israel. Accusing Israel of committing genocide and causing famine in Gaza when the data does not correspond to reality is a common practice, especially when the purpose is to blame solely Israel.

This is not to deny that the war resulted in many deaths, but two factors are either downplayed or not mentioned at all. First, Israel did not start and did not ask for this war. Second, Hamas made sure the death toll and the degree of destruction was as big as possible, using its own population as human shields and exaggerating data and statistics.

In recent days it became clear that there is no famine in Gaza. And yet, in a galling decision by the International Court of Justice (ICJ), the Court found that Israel is obligated to provide for all needs of Palestinians in Gaza and that UNRWA, an aid group known to be infiltrated by Hamas, must distribute the supply. Shouldn’t Hamas bear some responsibility for its own people, especially when it is in control of some of the territory?

And even now, the expectations are that Israel will stick to the terms of ceasefire even when they are violated by Hamas.

Whether the current ceasefire will lead to peace is uncertain, as Hamas refuses to give up its control over Gaza and so far has not accepted disarmament. It is very doubtful that the international force to be composed of members of armies from several Muslim countries, including Turkey and Qatar, will be willing to disarm Hamas.

And if Israel is required to disarm Hamas itself, their action will be followed by outrage from the predictable protagonists. The boycott calls will follow — and they will be just as despicable then as they are now.

Dr. Jaroslava Halper is a professor of pathology, emerita, at the University of Georgia in Athens, GA. She escaped from communist Prague because of antisemitism, and lack of freedom and free speech. The gradual increase of antisemitism and anti-Zionism in certain circles in her second homeland, and the devastating October 7 massacre by Hamas, led her to realize that more active engagement is necessary to combat antisemitism, including anti-Zionism.