Israel is expected to answer for its worst extremists, Palestinians are often excused from theirs, and violence elsewhere is purely ignored. Welcome to the double standard of being a Jew.
Excellent piece. And one more question: why do we Jews ourselves decry these Jewish acts of violence? Must we denounce every Jewish thief and hoodlum to establish our virtue? Is Israel avoiding any punishment of the miscreants and, if so, must we in the Diaspora hasten to chastise them?
We Jews are held to a higher standard. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The problem with the settler violence is that the Police and soldiers approve it, and don't protect the Palestinians whose homes or land the settlers are taking. That, to me and the rest of the world, is a crime and should be stopped, as it's wrong and hurts Israel's reputation immensely. It sends the message that we are amoral people.
Stopping settler violence will go a long way to repairing Israel's reputation.
The double standard is absolutely real to anyone who looks at it without keffiyeh-colored glasses on. And you're also entirely correct that "The double standard begins when those two words are treated as an explanation for the essence of Israel " This all arises from a toxic combination of antisemitism, the oppressor-oppressed worldview, Islamism and anti-Westernism. BUT (and it's a big but) the bigger problem is not that these violent extremists exist in Israeli society. Rather, it's that they are not brought to justice --as a deliberate policy of the Israeli government. And that is done for what looks like the basest of political considerations-- keeping the government coalition intact. This is what hurts us with those who are genuinely our friends.
Yes — but the same standards need to be expected of the Palestinians. They don’t seem to lose support for any behaviour, even October 7. There’s more to it than Israelis needing to move from 99% to 100% perfect.
The West Bank is, according to international law, quite clearly a part of the Palestinian territories. It matters not one jot what any Israeli considers it to be or if they wish to use outdated language such as Judea. Canaan no longer exists much like Judea. Get over it. 'Settlers' is probably not the best description of such people agreed. We should be calling them thieves and terrorists because that is what they are doing. The ICJ reminded Israel in 2024 that all settlements need removing from the West Bank and it was very clear about this.
Now the connection to the settlers (terrorists) and Israelis is an easy one to make. Pew Research in the 2025 survey found that 53% of Israeli Jews said continued settlement construction in the West Bank helps Israel's security, compared with 26% who said it hurts. In a recent survey, 35% of Israelis overall preferred annexation which goes even further than developing settlements.
When you say that 'Jews' need to respond you appear to be conflating breaking international law with Jewishness inherently. I'm sure you don't mean to be doing that but that's what you're doing. No Jews don't share any inherent guilt to settler violence. but many Israelis do and it's one reason they are becoming hated all around the world.
Excellent piece. And one more question: why do we Jews ourselves decry these Jewish acts of violence? Must we denounce every Jewish thief and hoodlum to establish our virtue? Is Israel avoiding any punishment of the miscreants and, if so, must we in the Diaspora hasten to chastise them?
Hi Joshua,
We Jews are held to a higher standard. That's not necessarily a bad thing. The problem with the settler violence is that the Police and soldiers approve it, and don't protect the Palestinians whose homes or land the settlers are taking. That, to me and the rest of the world, is a crime and should be stopped, as it's wrong and hurts Israel's reputation immensely. It sends the message that we are amoral people.
Stopping settler violence will go a long way to repairing Israel's reputation.
The double standard is absolutely real to anyone who looks at it without keffiyeh-colored glasses on. And you're also entirely correct that "The double standard begins when those two words are treated as an explanation for the essence of Israel " This all arises from a toxic combination of antisemitism, the oppressor-oppressed worldview, Islamism and anti-Westernism. BUT (and it's a big but) the bigger problem is not that these violent extremists exist in Israeli society. Rather, it's that they are not brought to justice --as a deliberate policy of the Israeli government. And that is done for what looks like the basest of political considerations-- keeping the government coalition intact. This is what hurts us with those who are genuinely our friends.
Yes — but the same standards need to be expected of the Palestinians. They don’t seem to lose support for any behaviour, even October 7. There’s more to it than Israelis needing to move from 99% to 100% perfect.
Excellent. Nothing infuriates Jew haters more than an armed Jew.
The West Bank is, according to international law, quite clearly a part of the Palestinian territories. It matters not one jot what any Israeli considers it to be or if they wish to use outdated language such as Judea. Canaan no longer exists much like Judea. Get over it. 'Settlers' is probably not the best description of such people agreed. We should be calling them thieves and terrorists because that is what they are doing. The ICJ reminded Israel in 2024 that all settlements need removing from the West Bank and it was very clear about this.
Now the connection to the settlers (terrorists) and Israelis is an easy one to make. Pew Research in the 2025 survey found that 53% of Israeli Jews said continued settlement construction in the West Bank helps Israel's security, compared with 26% who said it hurts. In a recent survey, 35% of Israelis overall preferred annexation which goes even further than developing settlements.
When you say that 'Jews' need to respond you appear to be conflating breaking international law with Jewishness inherently. I'm sure you don't mean to be doing that but that's what you're doing. No Jews don't share any inherent guilt to settler violence. but many Israelis do and it's one reason they are becoming hated all around the world.