There was a time when social media promised to connect humanity. It promised dialogue, understanding, and the free exchange of ideas. It claimed to give everyone an equal voice. Today that promise feels increasingly hollow. For many supporters of Israel and for countless Jews around the world, platforms such as Facebook, X, and LinkedIn have become places where hatred is not merely tolerated but amplified on an unprecedented scale.

The most disturbing part is not simply that criticism of Israel exists. Every democracy should be open to criticism. Israel itself has one of the most outspoken and diverse public debates of any democratic nation. The real problem begins when criticism transforms into dehumanization, when Israelis are denied the same humanity granted to everyone else, and when Jews everywhere are collectively blamed for the actions of the Jewish state.

The line between anti Israel activism and antisemitism has become increasingly blurred. In many online discussions there is hardly any distinction anymore. The word Zionist has become little more than a socially acceptable substitute for Jew. People who would never openly write that they hate Jews feel perfectly comfortable writing that Zionists deserve death, that Israel should disappear from the map, or that every Israeli is a legitimate target.

Imagine replacing the word Zionist with any other ethnic or religious group. Imagine thousands of posts declaring that another nation has no right to exist, that its people deserve violence, or that they should be expelled from their homeland. Such language would rightly provoke immediate outrage. Yet........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)