You need not be a Biblical scholar to have heard of the Twelve Tribes of Israel—that is Israel, not “Palestine,” a distinction that matters both historically and politically.

With the explosion of antisemitism and its ideological offspring, anti-Zionism, social media has given rise to what might be called the self-appointed Thirteenth Tribe of Israel. Its members are the Apologistites.

They are recognized not by a coat of arms, a flag, or a banner, but by a familiar script. Their opening line is always the same: “As a Jew…” Those three words are seldom an affirmation of Jewish identity. They are a disclaimer—a preemptive apology for being Jewish before proceeding to condemn the Jewish state. It is less a statement of identity than an application for admission into the anti-Israel club.

What follows is entirely predictable. Israel is cast as the singular villain of the Middle East while Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and every........

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