Tucked away between the headlines about Israel’s recent operation to weed out Palestinian terrorism in Jenin was a troubling phenomenon that went virtually unnoticed. Prominent media outlets and “human rights organizations” went from simply delegitimizing Israel to openly supporting terrorism and promoting blood libel.
On July 4th, former Israeli PM Naftali Bennett was interviewed by the BBC’s Anjana Gadgil. Instead of asking about the increasingly common Iran-backed Palestinian terrorism infesting Jenin and endangering civilians, Gadgil took a page right out of antizionist propaganda and claimed that "Israeli forces are happy to kill children."
To suggest such a thing is truly horrific and dishonest, especially since there were zero civilian casualties during the operation, and any minors that were killed were directly taking part in terror activities. Although the BBC “apologized,” and Gadgil shut down her Twitter account, it is unlikely that the outlet’s coverage of Israel will change any time soon.
Another British outlet, The Economist, published an article on July 7th glorifying the Lions’ Den, a new Hamas-funded terror group with members from both Hamas and Islamic Jihad. Since its establishment less than a year ago, the Lions’ Den has claimed over 100 shooting attacks targeting Israeli civilians and IDF soldiers. Yet the article fawns over the social media expertise and the brand it created as “the face of Gen Z Palestinian resistance,” raving about how Palestinian “souvenir shops sell Lions’ Den mugs, necklaces, trinkets and flags emblazoned with the group’s logo.”
In addition to the vile behavior from these media outlets, organizations dedicated to delegitimizing Israel escalated their tactics to include support for terror.
For example, once the operation in Jenin ended, the Washington, DC chapter of the BDS group Jewish Voice for Peace (JVP) shared a video of Palestinian Islamic Jihad (PIJ) terrorists with machine guns and body armor in Jenin, handing toys and candy to children “in celebration of the failure of Israeli occupation forces invasion to assassinate them.” PIJ is a designated terror group.
This isn’t the first time JVP, which claims to be for "peace," as its name suggests, has posted pro-terror content; however, it is a step up, showing that the group is becoming more radical.Jenin Battalion distributing toys and candies in celebration of the failure of Israeli occupation forces invasion to assassinate them, and to show solidarity to the residents who embraced them. pic.twitter.com/XdtASb6fyz
— Younis | يونس (@ytirawi) July 8, 2023
Supposedly for “peace,” the US-based NGO, JVP, seems to be going through a process of change. In 2020, JVP tweeted “L’chaim Intifada” (“a toast to the Intifada”) to celebrate the anniversary of a deadly Palestinian wave of attacks in 1987, during which 277 Israelis were murdered. And just a couple of months ago, JVP lauded Khader Adnan, a PIJ leader who advocated in favor of suicide bombings against Israel.
JVP's growing radicalization and support for terror can also have an impact on US-Israel relations, as they use their lobbying arm, "JVP Action," to coordinate campaigns pressuring Congress to cut US security funding to Israel and to collaborate with radical congressmen to delegitimize Israel on Capitol Hill. The recent Jenin operation did not create this radicalization but gave us another opportunity to see it more clearly.
It is time for citizens, advocacy groups, and institutions alike to increase scrutiny on antizionist delegitimization groups like JVP and to hold media outlets like the BBC accountable for their support of terror and for spreading antisemitism.
We cannot allow them to hide behind their image as media outlets and "human rights" organizations to shield themselves from condemnation and scrutiny.
Yoseph Haddad is an Israeli Arab rights activist. He is the CEO of the NGO Together - Vouch for Each Other, which aims to create a better understanding and cooperation between Israeli Arabs and Israeli Jews.
This op-ed is published in partnership with a coalition of organizations that fight antisemitism across the world. Read the previous article by Laurent Hayem