Erika Dreifus

“These false charges of genocide against Israel are smears long used by critics who apply classical anti-Semitic tropes to the Jewish state. And they have consequences. These forms of blood libel fan the flames of hatred towards Jews as surely as the medieval claims once did that we murdered Jesus or were killing Christian infants. To utilize my father’s name in such vile accusations is so far beyond the pale that I am staggered by the silence in response.”

Source: Elisha Wiesel, “Tlaib’s Shameful Weaponization of the Elie Wiesel Genocide Act Against Israel” (The Hill)

“How do we ‘tally’ or assess what is retaliatory or ‘proportional’, as the international community is always quick to remind Israel. Western media is quick to denounce Israel reflexively, no matter how many hundreds of rockets are aimed at the country’s civilians. Israel is ‘blamed’ and faulted for suffering fewer civilian casualties than Palestinians in the Gaza Strip. And the media seems oblivious to the reasons for this asymmetry; that Israel invests in defense capabilities – like the Iron Dome. Civilian shelters are also a priority. PIJ and Hamas, on the other hand, embed weapons caches in civilian areas quite intentionally, counting on the Israeli avoidance of collateral damage.”

Source: Vivian Bercovici, The State of Tel Aviv (the link will take you to the latest newsletter issue, from which I’ve excerpted the quote above; Bercovici also offers an accompanying podcast)

“We do not condone efforts to undermine the pillars of a robust and longstanding democracy in Israel. Americans and Israelis have each seen firsthand how political extremism can divide a nation. Regrettably, Rep. Bowman’s anti-Israel views continue this extremist trend and only stoke further tension and conflict. We need to bridge divides to help achieve peace, not inflame tensions with baseless attacks and one-sided policy prescriptions.”

Source: open letter from 13 rabbis published by the Forward