Israel
Israel report by former Winnipegger Bruce Brown
Introduction: Bruce Brown is a former Winnipegger now living in Rehovot, Israel. Bruce is providing periodic updates from his own unique perspective about what life is like in Israel these days:
More War Tidbits
Posted October 19:
- With all the booms in the air. Coming from far-off, mid-air missile collisions. And sometimes not so far off. Bravo Iron Dome! And the swoosh of our fighter jets overhead. Bravo IAF! Together with all those customized Red Alert missile applications buzzing away on everyone’s cell phones. Bravo Elad Nava, tech entrepreneur extraordinaire! It’s starting to sound like an orchestra out there.
- With seventy-five seconds to reach our safe room and with missile attacks being very random with no real pattern. Such stress and uncertainty prevents me from enjoying my private bathroom time. Sitting down with a newspaper or book or my smartphone and just hangin’ (pun intended). But not under current circumstances. Just want to sit, finish, wipe and get out of there.
- Same for showering. No more basking under a warm spray of fresh water. No more humming a few show tunes while lathering up. Nope. Not these days. Just a quick soaping and get out of there. Same for shaving; I’m getting use to a three-day growth cycle – saves time as well..
- And if we want to get really personal…in the bedroom with the wife. I am now suffering reverse performance anxiety. Just get it done and move on. Don’t want to get caught with my pants down when the sirens sounds.
• Bravo to McDonalds. Giving McHappy meals free of charge to our solders. Not appreciated by all franchisees world over. But here…Ronald McDonald stepped up.
• Many businesses are doing the same. From banks. To restaurants. To retailers. Stepping up to help. To relieve some of the burden weighing on the country. Wonderful to see this coming together.
• Miss my exercise routine. Was swimming a couple time a week. Now…not. The pool closed due to homeland security restriction limiting gatherings at places of leisure. Now who would categorize exercise as leisure? Anyway, I don’t think I’d hear the missile alert with my head bobbing in and out of the water while doing the breast-stroke or front-crawl. And more so, no running along the pool side so would not make the saferoom in time.
• The sweat smell of my wife’s chocolate chip cookies and brownies. Baking in the kitchen. Then having my hand slapped away as I go for a cookie. “Not for you,” the wife admonishes me. “For our solders.” It’s that spirit of coming together.
• Fell in love with Joe Biden. Again. His lightning visit to Israel this week and his ‘we’ve got your back’ speech was just T R E M E N D O U S ! He kind of reminded me of Clint Eastwood in his glory days. He had that ‘make my day’ squint in his eye. Might of just being him struggling to read the monitor…but he came across as a Dirty Harry kind of guy. Maybe even Rawhide’s Rowdy Yates.
• And again. I know the diaspora is busy raising money for Israel. At speeds and amounts never duplicated before. But don’t stop once you give. Give more. This war will cost Israel billions. Billions! If you have given. Give again. And in higher amounts. Sderot is Israel’s front line. Israel is the diaspora’s front line.
Posted October 17:
War Tidbits
• Social media was calling for Israelis to sing. Sing as loud as you can. Go out to your patios and belt it out. Hatikva. At 21:00. And we did. And it felt great! So darn cathartic. What a sense of solidarity. As it turns out, on this particular evening, Hamas warned Tel Aviv of a missile barrage at 21:00. Guess our singing acted as a type of mystical, musical Iron Dome. No barrage arrived. Which is not to say Tel Aviv hasn’t had its share of missiles…just not a this particular time.
• My daughter left the house pretty early the other morning and returned about an hour later. With a huge, orange Glad bag full of…something. “What’s that?” I inquired in a nonchalant manner. “Laundry. From a family in the South who was evacuated to some hotel. Mom volunteered”. As much as we get preoccupied with the war. With survival. Sometimes it’s the mundane that really makes a difference.
• Driving to work. Traffic slowed down considerably due to some ‘jackass’ up ahead who was driving too slow. Turned out to be a convoy of military jeeps carrying weapons and personnel to our North. As I passed them – twelve jeeps – I slowed down (in the left lane), gave a friendly honk and a thumbs up to each. Twelve times. I became a trend setter as other cars behind me did the same.
• We are not immune to panic buying. A few nights into the war, based on some rumor or other, I went grocery shopping. Stocked up on water, canned goods, candles, matches, toilet paper….. Turned out I wasn’t the only one. Didn’t get out of there until almost 11:00PM. The checkout line snaked all the way to the meat section. Trust me…it was long. And it was a line. No pushing or shoving. The joke being that by the time we reach the check out counter, Netanyahu will have negotiated a ‘hunda’ (truce in Arabic). Ha ha.
• I keep saying I’ll do it. Need to put more than just a half dozen bottled waters and a few inhalers in our safe room. Should stock it with canned goods, more medicines, flashlight, battery powered radio and other survival aids. Maybe tomorrow….
• And the password is…. If someone forgets their housekey and knocks at our now always locked and dead-bolted door. They need to say a password before we’ll open the door. I guess the theory being if a Hamas terrorist is holding a gun to their head, they won’t say the password. Talk about paranoid. Probably unfounded, regular, run-of-the-mill, war related stress.
• Joe Biden. His ‘Don’t’ speech was A M A Z I N G ! Talk about geopolitical alliances, commitments, pacts, and the such – I won’t. I’ll just simply say I fell in love that evening.
• Can you believe it? There are still a handful of Israelis… Okay, maybe more than a handful… Who just don’t get it. Now is not the time for divisiveness and finger pointing. There was utter failure. But the hard questions and difficult answers will come later. Now is the time for unity!
• My wife and daughter volunteered at a very high-end events and catering hall (my wife works in the industry) – to help arrange over 1,000 care meals for our solders. There will be some very satiated and satisfied solders out there enjoying gourmet meals in cardboard boxes and with disposable utensils.
• Ouch. Our currency at its weakest since 2015. Trading at a ratio of 4ns : 1$. Pretty painful when you are sending regular dollar installments to your son studying in the U.S.
• Israel requesting a $10,000,000,000 grant in military equipment from the U.S.. And I sometimes stay up late worrying that we will run out of bullets. Probably more unfounded, regular, run-of-the-mill, war related stress. But I certainly hope the US agrees.
- I know the diaspora is busy raising money for Israel. At speeds and amounts never duplicated before. But don’t stop once you give. Give more. This war will cost Israel billions. Billions. If you have given. Give again. And in higher amounts. Sderot is Israel’s front line. Israel is the diaspora’s front line.
- I know the diaspora is busy raising money for Israel. At speeds and amounts never duplicated before. But don’t stop once you give. Give more. This war will cost Israel billions. Billions. If you have given. Give again. And in higher amounts. Sderot is Israel’s front line. Israel is the diaspora’s front line. Purposely repeated.
Posted October 7th
Dad get up! Siren!”. 6:30 AM on a lazy Saturday morning. What a way to start the day. And where was my wife, as I felt around her side of the bed hoping to nudge her awake. She was already in the saferoom, which doubles as a TV room on better days. Apparently my snoring that night was too much for her. So she moved to the couch in the den. Er… saferoom.
Never in my wildest nightmares did I expect what was to unfold that day. October 7th. Israel’s 9/11. But worse. If only because the atrocities were so intimate. So up close.
That morning there was a prolonged barrage of missiles. And a long stay of idleness in our saferoom. Missiles reaching Tel Aviv. And too many rockets flying over Rehovot, some even exploding within the city causing widespread damage. And hysteria. Over 2,500 missiles fired during the initial salvo lasting about four hours. My weekend quiet time ruined, when I usually slice myself some fresh challa, spread it with Philadelphia Cream Cheese and surf the web, play internet chess, catch up on private emails and even work. But not today. The sirens. The booms. The literal shaking of the ground. Seemed to last forever.
It took the TV newsroom about thirty minutes before coming online. While we were left guessing. And the military….where were they? Their absence creating great stress. While the nightmare unfolded. In real-time. On TV. With my wife, my daughter and me sheltered in our saferoom. Shocked and scared as events unfolded. Pictures of Hamas terrorists screeching into Sderot and eventually the surrounding communities. In white pickup trucks, reminiscent of ISIS. Piling out of the cargo beds. Indiscriminately firing machine guns. In all directions. Dispersing into the neighborhood. Shouting Allah Ackbar. Is this for real?
Frantic calls to the newsroom from victims holed up in their shelters. Families pleading for help. Live. As events unfolded from once pastoral agricultural villages being destroyed in an ugly orgy of barbarism. Anchormen lost for words. Reality TV at its worst. Thank goodness for Whatsapp. As we frantically texted family, friends and neighbors. For information. Anything. Just to create some semblance of clarity.
More pictures of Jihadists breaching our billion-dollar, state-of-the-art border fence. Ripped down. So effortlessly. By a yellow John Deere tracker. Like the Tonko toys of my childhood. Innocent associations no more. Then hundreds of Gazans. Most terrorists. Some just wretched souls looking for perverted retribution and revenge; misguided by years of brainwashing from living under the hammer of a terrorist regime. A pogrom no less. Destruction. Murder and mayhem. Endless atrocities. The spreading of fake news problematic. At one point rumors circulated that Hamas terrorists stole two police cars in my city. How frightening is that!? And then time to take the dog out, somethings just need to be done. Now that was scary! Peeking around corners with every step and looking over my shoulder every other minute. Doggy doo-doo be damned, it was a pretty short walk.
Then phone videos circulated. Broadcast on TV and shared over social media. Of a weekend music festival in the open fields of our once tranquil south. Gone horribly wrong. Revellers running with nowhere to go. Nowhere to hide. Being mowed down. For no reason. Other than being Jews. Other then being Israelis. And us. Sitting in our saferoom. Shocked into silence. Except for the weeping of my wife and the gasps of my daughter. Confusion and shock prevailed. How could this be happening in Israel? The villa in the jungle, as once referred to by ex-Defense Minister and Prime Minister Ehud Barak.
That October 7th morning. Confined to our saferoom. Other than that dog-walk from hell. Appalled. Aghast. Was the end nearing? At some point I texted my family. Messaging that Israel was under severe attack and to pray for us. Sending them the prayer for the State of Israel and the IDF.
We finally received the all clear to leave our saferoom. We were numb with fear. With dread. Did we just lose the south? Are there now terrorists amongst us. Feeling I must do something. I called our City Hotline. I am probably their worst customer. Calling with regular complaints about unkempt streets or uncollected garbage. This time my call was different. “It’s me. What’s going on!? What can I do? How can I help? No sense of bravado here – I hedged by declaring I was sixty years old and had asmtha- but more a feeling of helplessness. I just had the need to act. Even if it meant creating a self-perception of doing something meaningful.
Later in the day. When we were again sent to our saferooms. With sirens blaring. Another extended barrage of incoming missiles. Real life mixed with surrealism throughout the day. Unbeknownst to my wife and daughter, not wanting to create more stress to an already frightening and dreadful day, I texted my son – who is living and studying abroad. Providing him with our financial account details. “Seriously?!’, he replied. “Very”, I retorted. “Just in case.” Can the world get any blacker? As we would learn over the next couple of days…Yes.
In a retrospective of the events Amotz Asa-El wrote, “The most famous strategic surprises -Napoleon’s and Hitler’s invasions of Russia, Japan’s attack on Pearl Harbor, and the Yom Kipper War’s twin invasions of Israel– were brilliant in their planning and execution, with one caveat; they ended in decisive defeat. Napoleon’s army was decimated, Hitler died in Berlin’s ruins, Japan was nuked and conquered, and Israel’s invaders were counter-invaded.” He goes on, “The reason for {their defeats} was that the surprise attacks were so brazen that it ignited wholesale resolve -political, military and national– to hand the… attackers total defeat. This is what Hamas failed to predict, and will ultimately face.”
On October 7th we witnessed Israel’s darkest hour arguably since its independence in 1948. But with Israel’s great resolve, with its massive military and technology leadership. And, as Golda Meir said in 1973, with its secret weapon of having no place else to go. The light will shine again. Brighter. And stronger.
That night. Before going to bed. After a day that will go down in infamy. At the behest of my daughter and wife. Who read my thoughts. I moved our large living room chair against the outside door. Just in case.
Bruce Brown. A Canadian. And an Israeli. Bruce made Aliyah…a long time ago. He works in Israel’s hi-tech sector by day and, in spurts, is a somewhat inspired writer by night. Bruce is the winner of the 2019 AJPA Simon Rockower Award for excellence in writing. And wrote the 1998 satire, An Israeli is…. Bruce’s reflects on life in Israel – political, social, economic and personal. With lots of biting, contrarian, sardonic and irreverent insight.
Israel
Israel report by former Winnipegger Bruce Brown
10 minutes
(Posted Dec. 24, 2024)
02:11 AM: Sound asleep.
2.11.01 AM: Wide awake. Awoken by a blaring missile alarm. Incoming. Took me no time to react. Ivan Pavlov would be proud. I quickly scooped up my dog. Grabbed my glasses. An inhaler. My phone and power cord. And sprinted to the safe room. Right across the hall. My wife overseas on vacation. So did this one alone. Er with my dog. We have 90 seconds to reach safety so no real panic, relatively speaking.
2.11.09 AM: In my safe room. Slid shut the heavy steel slabs across the window. You can hear this happening throughout the building. Kinda like a horror movie. Screech. Slam. Screech. Slam. Screech. Slam. Then mine. Screech. Slam. Next I jumped across the room and slammed shut the heavy, reinforced, steel door. It also makes a slamming sound, a really loud one. Then slumped down on the couch with my dog. With some level of relief. Where is this missile coming from. Can’t be from Gaza, they don’t have the capability anymore…I hope. Nor Lebanon, living too far south…I hope. Yemen? Possible. Those dang Houthis?
2. 14 AM: Oh oh. Need to pee. Like really bad. Once in the safe room, you should stay there for ten minutes. Unless there is another siren. Each siren requires a ten minute respite. Respite? Odd choice of words as you are not really resting. Way too tense. Especially as you can occasionally hear the booms of intercepted missiles up above. Kind of unnerving. Back to my need to pee. Its quite dangerous leaving the room during this period. Should your place be hit by the missile or falling debris from the sky. You don’t want to be caught with your pants down, literally, hovering over your toilet. And condos have been hit in Rehovot with some death and much destruction. Hmmm. To pee or not to pee. That is the question. Whether tis better to suffer the pangs of having to pee or the missiles of outrageous fortune. You get the point.
2.14.10 AM: Peeing in the bathroom.
2.14.40 AM: Back in the safe room. With my dog. Sitting on the couch. Fiddling with the remote control. I work in hi tech. The semiconductor world which can be pretty complex. But I simply have not mastered the remote. Really want to see what’s going on. Where is the missile from. Are there more attacks elsewhere in the country. Pushing this button and that button But the TV still off. Okay. Will check my cell. Although the connection sometimes comes and goes when shuttered in the heavily reinforced concrete and steel safe room. Works! Ya! Showing three bars. Sometimes four. Checking my feeds. But no news yet.
2.17 AM: Seriously. I need to pee again. Like really bad. Dang prostate! To pee or not to pee. That is the question…. You get the point. I chose to pee. This time I don’t actually slam shut the heavy, reinforced, steel door. And my dog follows me out. This could get complicated. But first things first.
2.17.10 AM: Peeing in the bathroom.
2.17.40 AM: Chasing after my dog around the condo. Poncho!!! There he is. In the living room. Like master. Like pet. He too is relieving himself. Probably the tension. Dogs can sense these things. “Faster Poncho!. Faster!” I encourage him.
2,18.02 AM: We’re back in the safe room. The heavy, reinforced, steel door slammed shut. And then I start worrying. What if I have to pee again. Its really dangerous out there. Idea! I’ll bring a cleaning pail in here. And if worse comes to worse. Well, I am alone. Sans my dog.
2.18.22 AM: I dart for the cleaning cabinet in the bathroom to grab the pail. Making sure the heavy, reinforced, steel door is shut less my dog run out again. Wait! As it dawns on me at 02.18.22 AM. This is not the smartest thing to do. At least I could have combined grabbing the pail with actually having to pee again. Like maybe I could hold out for the next three minutes or so in the safe room. No urgent need for the pail. But I am already there….
2.18.25 AM: Grab the red cleaning pail
2.18.28 AM: Back in the safe room. The heavy, reinforced, steel door slammed shut again. Siting on the couch with my dog again. Red pail glaring at me from the side of the room…daring me. But my bladder is relaxed. I try the remote again. I feel like my 85 year old mother who often complains about getting her remote to work. I console myself thinking that it must be the batteries. Hmmm. Maybe a mad rush for the utility room to get some new batteries. But that would be mad. I’ll take care of it in the morning. Only a few more minutes and I can safely leave the safe room and go back to bed.
2.19.45 AM: I pour myself a glass of mineral water. This I store in the safe room per Homefront commands. Fresh batteries not, hrmph. As I down the water I realize this is probably not the best idea. Less it creates the urge to pee…. Alas no. Start surfing my feed again. The intercontinental missile was fired by those crazy, dang Houthis from Yemen. All of central Israel sent to their safe rooms. Dang Houthis! The next couple minutes go by pretty smoothly. Although seems like an eternity.
2.21 AM: Back in bed. Albeit sleep comes slowly as my adrenaline starts to reside.
As it were. Israel bombed the dang Houthis that night. For the third time since the outbreak of the war. In retaliation for them firing over 200 ballistic missiles and 170 drones at Israel, which fortunately had not resulted in much damage. We struck them with over 60 bombs in two air raid sorties. Destroying mainly military targets as well as ports and energy infrastructure. Maybe that will teach them for waking me -and a million other Israelis- in the middle of the night.
As it were. Falling debris from the dang Houthi attack landed on a school in central Israel, forcing its collapse. Fortunately and thank G-d it was the middle of the night. Sometime between 2:11 AM and 2.21 AM. So no casualties. Can’t even imagine the tragedy had this strike occurred mid-day.
As it were. I changed the batteries in the remote. It works just fine now. And I left the red cleaning pail in the safe room….just in case. But I hope the dang Houthis finally learned their lesson. Although probably not.
As it were. Two nights later. Another 2:00AM missile from the dang Houthis. . They just wont let me sleep….
As it is. Please continue donating to the Israeli war and revival efforts. You may have given earlier. But give again. The financial costs to Israel are and will be billions. Billions! Sderot and Metulla and Tel Avi and Haifa are Israel’s front lines. Israel is the diaspora’s front line.
Bruce Brown. A Canadian. And an Israeli. Bruce made Aliyah…a long time ago. He works in Israel’s hi-tech sector by day and, in spurts, is a somewhat inspired writer by night. Bruce is the winner of the 2019 American Jewish Press Association Simon Rockower Award for excellence in writing. And wrote the 1998 satire, An Israeli is…. Bruce’s reflects on life in Israel – political, social, economic and personal. With lots of biting, contrarian, sardonic and irreverent insight
Israel
Join the Masa Canadian Professionals Volunteers Program!
You are invited on a 4-week volunteer program in Israel from October 14th to November 10th. Help rebuild Israeli society post-October 7th over Canadian Thanksgiving, Sukkot, and Simchat Torah. Spend three weeks based in Tel Aviv and one week based in Eilat!
This program is exclusively for Jewish professionals aged 22-50, working at Jewish organizations or remotely in any field.
The cost of the program is $150 USD to the organizer and $50 USD to Masa. Participants will receive a Masa grant of $2650 USD that is applied to participation and to cover additional costs. The cost of the program includes housing, meals while volunteering, transportation on travel days, health insurance, leadership training, and more. Volunteers are required to commit to the volunteer schedule, with the understanding that there will be the flexibility to work remotely for 8 specific days during the program. Flights are not included but you get a 15% discount from El Al.
Sign up here: https://www.masaisrael.org/go/canada-jp/ space is limited!
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to make a difference and connect with fellow professionals. For more information, contact Mahla Finkleman, National Manager of Partnerships and Outreach, Masa Canada, atmfinkleman@ujafed.org and/or Sam Goodman, Senior Manager of Israel Engagement, sgoodman@ujafed.org.
Save the Dates for Info Sessions:
- Thursday, September 5th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
- Wednesday, September 11th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
Join us in Israel for a meaningful and impactful experience with Masa!
weeks based in Tel Aviv and one week based in Eilat!
This program is exclusively for Jewish professionals aged 22-50, working at Jewish organizations or remotely in any field.
The cost of the program is $150 USD to the organizer and $50 USD to Masa. Participants will receive a Masa grant of $2650 USD that is applied to participation and to cover additional costs. The cost of the program includes housing, meals while volunteering, transportation on travel days, health insurance, leadership training, and more. Volunteers are required to commit to the volunteer schedule, with the understanding that there will be the flexibility to work remotely for 8 specific days during the program. Flights are not included but you get a 15% discount from El Al.
Sign up here: https://www.masaisrael.org/go/canada-jp/ space is limited!
Don’t miss this unique opportunity to make a difference and connect with fellow professionals. For more information, contact Mahla Finkleman, National Manager of Partnerships and Outreach, Masa Canada, atmfinkleman@ujafed.org and/or Sam Goodman, Senior Manager of Israel Engagement, sgoodman@ujafed.org.
Save the Dates for Info Sessions:
- Thursday, September 5th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
- Wednesday, September 11th, 12:00 – 12:30 EST
Join us in Israel for a meaningful and impactful experience with Masa!
Israel
Top 7 Dumbest Things Said About Israel Lately
US Sen. Bernie Sanders (I-VT) speaks to the media following a meeting with US President Joe Biden at the White House in Washington, US, July 17, 2023. Photo: REUTERS/Evelyn Hockstein
The team at HonestReporting has scoured the Internet to bring you some of the dumbest things people have said about Israel in the last two months. From sheer malice to total ignorance, it’s incredible just how far some people are prepared to go when it comes to criticizing Israel. Here’s just seven examples:
1. HAMAS WANTS A PEACEFUL ONE-STATE SOLUTION, AND IT WILL BE LIKE THE UNITED STATES
Briahna Joy Gray, podcaster, host, and former Bernie Sanders National Press Secretary, confidently made this statement recently: that when Hamas talks about eliminating Israel, “it’s not talking about killing all of the Jews.”
According to her, Hamas really means eliminating the idea of a “Jewish state” and replacing it with something more akin to the United States of America.
Here’s @briebriejoy claiming Hamas does not want to genocide Jews (despite it being their charter,) claiming they want a “peaceful” one state solution and that Muslims were not involved in October 7th.
This is a delusional fantasy multiplex. pic.twitter.com/03w32Gja1V
— Brianna Wu (@BriannaWu) June 1, 2024
Guess we misinterpreted Article 7 of the official Hamas charter — “The Day of Judgment will not come about until Muslims fight Jews and kill them” — and Article 13, “Palestine is an Islamic land… Since this is the case, the Liberation of Palestine is an individual duty for every Muslim.”
Briahna, if Hamas was nearly as wholesome as you say, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict would have been resolved decades ago. This naïveté is painful to watch.
2. ISRAEL IS AN ISLAMIC COUNTRY
We commend the below ex-study abroad student for being open to listening. However, it is important to highlight the average Western young adult’s knowledge and understanding of the Middle East. This is the situation that countries like the United States have found themselves in, with various social justice movements ultimately backing values that oppose their own.
It may be lost on some that Islamic-run Palestinian territories like the Gaza Strip are generally unfriendly towards the LGBTQ community. What is surprising here, is that this woman apparently visited and spent time in Israel. It would be assumed that she would know that Israel is a Jewish state.
Do queers for Palestine understand what they’re supporting? pic.twitter.com/j4vglLfOCO
— Lady Maga USA (@LadyMagaUSA) June 3, 2024
3. ISRAELIS, PALESTINIANS MUST HAVE HARMONIC ONE-STATE TO LIVE IN “HAPPILY TOGETHER,” BUT “IT’S NOT FOR ME TO DECIDE HOW”
Jackson Hinkle has been on our radar, and his recent appearance on TalkTV proved that he lacks knowledge of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, especially regarding diplomacy.
In an ideal world, everyone should live ‘”happily together.” Unfortunately, the world is filled with strife, and there are difficult conflicts across continents that have not been solved. The Israeli-Palestinian conflict is incredibly complex, and both sides have been in on-and-off negotiations with each other for decades to no avail.
Why bend over backward to attempt to become a respected public figure if you have no will to study the history of conflicts you speak so staunchly about?
4. “ALMOST ALL ISRAELIS HAVE TWO PASSPORTS: THEIR HOMELAND AND ISRAEL”
This is a particularly common trope we have seen rise in popularity — but it is not true. Research by author Yossi Harpaz estimates only about 10 percent of Israel’s population holds dual citizenship.
As writer Simone Somekh noted in a thread on X, Israeli Jews of North African and Middle Eastern descent, for example, are not welcome back to live in those countries and do not hold citizenship.
“Almost every Israeli has 2 passports.” This is what happens when you attend TikTok University: your opinions are based on lies.
Let’s debunk this claim https://t.co/2Ne0Ltaj1C pic.twitter.com/vZsuZjlb1f
— Simone Somekh (@simonesomekh) June 5, 2024
In conclusion, there are many who desire another passport, but to Avon Lady’s dismay, 10 percent is not almost every Israeli.
5. IDF SOLDIERS RAPED PALESTINIAN WOMEN DURING AL-SHIFA HOSPITAL OPERATION
This despicable comment was made live on Al Jazeera by a Gazan woman during her interview with head news presenter Elsy Abi Assi back in April. She claimed that during the IDF operation in Al-Shifa Hospital, soldiers raped Palestinian women and violently slaughtered other Palestinians who were taking shelter in the hospital at the time.
But, according to a tweet on X by Al Jazeera columnist and former director Yasser Abuhilalah, Hamas even disproved this claim.
The woman later admitted she inflated these claims in order to “arouse the nation’s fervor.”
6. ISRAEL ETHNICALLY CLEANSES PALESTINIANS BY ROUNDING THEM UP INTO ENCLAVES
Unfortunately, this isn’t the only shocking accusation about Israel that TikToker Guy Christensen has made.
His main point: Israel uses these tools to move Palestinians into enclaves so that they are easier to target and control. There is major context missing here. Guy also makes false claims about apartheid.
One outrageous claim he makes is that roads in the West Bank are made separate for Israelis and Palestinians. This is simply not true.
Guy also fails to give context to IDF checkpoints across the West Bank, which exist for security purposes. Checkpoints are meant to prevent terror attacks on Israeli civilians. Previous terror attacks and intifadas indicated the necessity, and have proven effective. The same goes for the contentious security barrier.
His accusations that Gazan restriction of movement is so that Israel can keep them oppressed is also false. Gaza is ruled by a terror organization, in case you haven’t heard.
7. ISRAEL IGNORED DANGERS TO DISPLACED CIVILIANS IN RAFAH BEFORE STRIKE MISHAP
Israel is quite right, how was it supposed to know there would be civilians crowded in a refugee camp https://t.co/Ta5XUt9Qnq
— Owen Jones (@OwenJones84) June 4, 2024
Perhaps the most unfortunate thing about this statement is that the IDF itself said it was aware of where the displacement camp was, and that it did not strike it. The Hamas terror target was roughly 650 feet away. Further, targets were pinpointed with smaller munitions to reduce surrounding damage. A devastating secondary explosion due to the strike, believed to be a Hamas weapons truck, resulted in the deaths of dozens of civilians.
The author is a contributor to HonestReporting, a Jerusalem-based media watchdog with a focus on antisemitism and anti-Israel bias — where a version of this article first appeared.
The post Top 7 Dumbest Things Said About Israel Lately first appeared on Algemeiner.com.