There are many nations that face territorial disputes, internal unrest, or military conflicts. Yet few confront enemies like Iran and Hamas who openly and repeatedly proclaim their intention to eliminate them altogether. Israel, by contrast, is engaged in a struggle against organizations and regimes that explicitly call for the destruction of the Jewish state and the murder of its citizens. Its wars are not fought for conquest or empire, but for survival.

Yet Israel alone is routinely singled out for boycotts, sanctions campaigns, and international condemnation. Israeli citizens are denied service in restaurants, harassed at sporting events, ostracized on university campuses, and depicted in public discourse as uniquely malevolent. Israel, the only liberal democracy and open society in the Middle East, is increasingly treated as a pariah by segments of Western society that profess devotion to human rights, pluralism, and tolerance.

This hostility does not arise in a vacuum.........

© The Times of Israel (Blogs)