Why Do They Hate Us?

Influential antisemites - Tlaib and Taylor Greene

We live in perilous times. Not since pre-Holocaust Europe have the Jewish people been portrayed in such negative ways as they are now—even among the American public. What percentage of Americans feel this way is unclear, but one thing seems certain: what was once a broadly positive view of the Jewish people has been tainted. How severely—and Ihow permanently—remains to be seen.

This helps explain the rise in antisemitism during Israel’s war in Gaza, now accelerated by the conflict with Iran. A convergence of factors has created the impression that the Jewish state is acting contrary to the values of a just and moral people - when in fact the opposite is true.

The United States is as politically divided as ever. The so-called ‘moral majority’ has diminished, while progressive values have significantly shaped the American ethos. Many Americans have absorbed these values without fully considering their tension with traditional biblical ones. While a substantial segment still holds those traditional beliefs, they are no longer dominant - if they ever were. Most Americans fall somewhere in the middle, influenced by a largely progressive media landscape.

Progressives, broadly speaking, are not allies on this issue. Many align with the BDS movement, viewing Israel as a colonial state that displaced Palestinians and created an apartheid system. While most Americans do not fully embrace that view, many are influenced by it.

Israel’s reputation was already vulnerable before October 7^th, which briefly generated sympathy and quickly faded.

The war in Gaza further reshaped perceptions through a steady stream of images showing death, destruction, and displacement—often framed as deliberate Israeli policy. Media reliance on Palestinian sources, combined with condemnations from a hostile UN, helped fuel war crimes accusations by the ICJ against Israel’s leadership. That resulted in some European leaders and Canada saying they would arrest Prime Minister Netanyahu if he entered their countries.

Separating Israel’s prime minister from the broader public is largely a fiction. The war effort has had support not only from his coalition but also from much of the political opposition. In any case Americans don’t make distinctions between Israel’s prime minister and Israel itself.

Then came an unexpected shift: prominent conservative voices began echoing progressive rhetoric about Israel—and, by extension, the Jewish people. Terms like ‘genocide’ began appearing on both sides of the political divide...

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