Walid Alami

Anti-Israel activists use the term “resistance” to refer to violence and terror perpetrated against Israeli civilians and their allies. It is used to glorify and encourage anti-Israel and anti-Semitic violence. Anti-Israel activists chant slogans such as: “Resistance by any means necessary!” and “Resistance is justified when people are occupied!” in response to terror attacks.

The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) highlights as one possible contemporary example of anti-Semitism: “Drawing comparisons of contemporary Israeli policy to that of the Nazis.” The U.S. State Department adopted the IHRA’s working definition of anti-Semitism in 2016. Over 40 countries have adopted the definition as well.

The assertion that Jews secretly control Western governments through banking and finance is traced to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion, a fabricated antisemitic text portraying wealthy Jews as conspiring to take over the world. This conspiracy theory is often accompanied by imagery like Nazi cartoons that depicted Jews as octopuses encircling the globe.

During the 1929 Hebron massacre, at least 67 Jews were murdered “by Arabs incited to violence by rumors that Jews were planning to seize control of the Temple Mount in Jerusalem.” Jewish homes were pillaged and synagogues were ransacked.

Anti-Israel activists spread antisemitism by denying Jewish history and religious rights to the Land of Israel in order to portray Jews as foreigners. They do this to delegitimize restored Jewish sovereignty and terms they use include accusing Israel of "colonialism," "occupation," and "imperialism."

Zionism is the belief that Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture. Zionism is a core part of the identity of most Jews.

On October 7, 2023, Hamas murdered approximately 1,200 Israelis, kidnapped 251 and wounded thousands. War crimes included various systematic sexual crimes like gang rape and genital mutilation. Men and women were violated, even after being murdered. Victims who survived that day, including hostages, endured forms of humiliation and torture.

Gazans working in the targeted Israeli villages provided intelligence to Hamas on which families to kill and torture, including long-time employers. Many Palestinian civilians joined in and celebrated the attacks. Hamas livestreamed their crimes on social media, including to victims’ accounts for families to see. To learn more, see the Canary Mission page on Hamas.