Myths and Truths: How to understand the war in Israel
We believe there is a central set of myths — false beliefs about the facts and naive moral evaluations of the parties involved — that are driving deep moral confusion about the war in Israel.
Each of the following pairings of myth and truth is further elaborated on in its own post. For those which are already published, you can find links to their full elaborations below.
Myth: Israel must respond to the Oct 7 attacks with “de-escalation”—reduce violence, address grievances.
Truth: Since Hamas’ core “grievance”, shared by many Palestinians, is Israel’s very existence, Israel must use overwhelming force to defeat Hamas and its end-Israel cause.
Myth: The Oct 7 attacks, led by Hamas, are rooted in legitimate grievances that Israel must address.
Truth: Hamas’ core grievance is the very existence of Israel and its Jewish population, which drives them to commit atrocities. [See full post]
Myth: The Oct 7 attacks in no way represent the noble and peaceful aspirations of the Palestinian people.
Truth: A large percentage of Palestinians, tragically, have been indoctrinated to the point that destroying Israel—not achieving peace or prosperity—is their primary goal. [See full post]
Myth: Israel is an illegitimate government.
Truth: Israel is the only legitimate government in the region—because unlike its dictatorial and theocratic neighbors, it genuinely protects individual freedom for people of all backgrounds. [See full post]
Myth: Hamas is open to a negotiated settlement for a peaceful resolution with Israel; no further violence is required.
Truth: Hamas will accept nothing but Israel’s destruction. For long-term peace, Israel’s only option is to completely destroy Hamas and their end-Israel cause. [Coming soon]
Myth: Israel must not inflict civilian casualties.
Truth: For effective self-defense, Israel must utterly destroy its enemies’ end-Israel cause. This requires civilian casualties—many more since Hamas uses civilians as human shields. Hamas is to blame for all innocent deaths. [Coming soon]
Myth: Israel deliberately causes civilian casualties.
Truth: Israel takes extraordinary measures to avoid civilian casualties. Meanwhile, Israel’s attackers deliberately inflict civilian casualties, both of Israeli civilians and their own people. [Coming soon]