"The talking points are explicit. They say that “there was never a state of Palestine at any time in History.” Workers on the campaign are told to “highlight that Palestinian and Iranian goals are not land-focused, but genocidal,” and to “educate Christians that Palestinians shelter terrorists, built the tunnels for Hamas, hide weapons in their schools and hospitals, and joined in on the attacks on October 7th.”
I take issue with these "talking points", as if each statement is not true. Which ones are NOT true? I'm no fan of Israels present government just as MOST Israelis are not a fan of the far right gov. either as they have protested in the streets continuously long before Oct 7th. I am not religious in any sense of the word at all but I am interested in getting the truth out when it comes to Oct 7th (before and after).
The TRUTH is what matters and everything in your "talking points" is true. I have studied Middle East history extensively for decades. Why should people in churches, colleges, or otherwise NOT be told the truth?
As an American non-Jewish, progressive ,atheist and zionist (disgusted by the pro-Palestinian propaganda flooding the streets with LIES minutes after the Oct. massacre ) I hope the effort described is successful against the preposterous propaganda we saw non stop in America.
Palestinians are not Hamas just like Jewish people are not the Israeli government. Neither should be treated as such. We don’t make any group safer when we conflate them with extremists. When we make Palestinians less safe by equating them all with Hamas, Israel is less safe. That would be like saying all Americans are MAGA because of who is President. Hamas is to blame for October 7th, building tunnels and murdering people. Not the average Palestinian. I hope for peace for Jewish People and Palestinians.
I’d further point out that Israel spending $4.1 million dollars is half the cost of a 30 second Super Bowl ad in 2025 ($8M). It seems like any time Israel spends money on lobbying or its own PR there is a negative reaction to it. Qatar has spent $6.5 billion dollars (that can be tracked) on US universities to influence our students and professors and there is no negative reaction. Why the double standard? (Rhetorical question.)
Are you also concerned that Hamas has actually broken the ceasefire terms by not releasing all the bodies of the murdered hostages? The deadline was Monday evening at 9pm and they are still holding 24 bodies.
It is very concerning. I am worried they agreed to something they couldn't give. I.e. they might not be able to return everyone. I hate having to think that and that they agreed to something they couldn't do knowing what is at stake.
It does seem like there's a fairly valid reason though, that they can no longer find or access them in the rubble of their decimated land. If the hostages died or were kept in places that have since been bombed, it may be impossible for them to be excavated for quite some time.
Is it reasonable to say they could even locate all the bodies in that time? This is a country that is completely destroyed. I would bet some bodies might be under rubble. I’m not saying they aren’t also using it as leverage, but why does the average Palestinian have to pay Hamas’ debt with their life.
You don't have to be "for" Hamas just because you are "against" how Israel has handled this war. Both Hamas and Israel are wrong in this case. Two things can be true at once. I don't understand the comments from folks trying to defend Israel's actions here. A response to a terrorist attack is one thing, but extremist Zionism and genocide are another entirely.
Also, though Hamas has agreed to give up control of Palestinian govt (though idk to whom) they have not agreed to put down weapons. Netanyahu has also clearly stated the war is not over. Trump making all these sweeping claims about peace in the middle east and war being over is a bunch of bull, just like everything else that comes out of his mouth.
It sounds like Israel was trying to up their Public Relations about the war as Charlie Kirk had recommended in the letter he sent to Bibi earlier in the year.
Hamas was putting out their propaganda videos about starving Palestinian people (most of which were absolutely debunked) on many social media platforms, but Israel had refused to show videos/photos of the atrocities that actually occurred to many of the victims of Oct 7 out of respect for the families of the deceased. The few videos that made it out were of dead bodies at the music festival with faces blurred out, a few videos of the dead in homes, and a few videos of people being kidnapped and taken by Hamas. The most egregious photos and videos weren’t shown. I think Charlie was encouraging them to show more of it so people would have a better understanding of why Israel was fighting back so hard in the WAR that Hamas had started. If it had happened here…. I can only imagine how much quicker Hamas would have been wiped out.
Just the descriptions we heard at Church from a former local reporter, now living in Israel with his family were horrific. He could barely speak about the atrocities, but thought it important to know so that we could discern for ourselves what to believe. They were the absolute worst things you can imagine. I can only imagine the PTSD that the IDF soldiers must have after just hearing the descriptions.
I’m wondering if Israel will continue with the program now that we have a cease fire.
I am so happy to see the hostages home and pray for complete healing. Mind, body and soul.
I pray that the people of Palestine are able to rebuild and heal and hopefully get a government to represent them that aren’t terrorists so that everyone can live in peace.
If you believe that Hamas was putting out propaganda and Israel hasn't been, I would how you examine why you believe that. Because what you've shared here is 100% Israel propaganda. You've listened to someone in Israel on the ground, have you listened to any of the Gazan reporters on the ground? Have you listened to any of the reports of the atrocities the IDF soldiers have committed?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to be tried for war crimes. He is disgusting and those that think what has happened in Gaza is anything other than genocide is mistaken. Over 30,000 children killed. There is no act that can justify this. They have opened an irreversible can of worms and America is in the center of it.
As a Christian who grew up in the church, I have been told I need to support Israel as it is the "apple of God's eye". However, I think more and more Americans are realizing that maybe that doesn't mean blind support for Israel's Leadership.
If you follow Candace Owens and her investigation into the murder of Charlie Kirk, you will know that Charlie's support for Israel was actually waning. And their tactics to pressure him into continue to "say the right thing" actually pushed him further away. So here Israel goes again with a marketing campaign to pressure us all into falling in line, and I don't believe for one moment that it will work. In fact, I think the opposite of their goal will happen and they will push us further away from wanting to support their leadership.
Many are very skeptical of the attack on Oct 7 itself, and we ask questions. Like why did it take the Israeli Military 6 hours to get to the breached wall/gate (when it literally takes 20 minutes to drive)? Was there a stand-down order? Do they really want us to believe that with all their technology that this attack took them completely by surprise? We have questions.
If Gaza is turned into a luxury beach resort area...our suspicions may be confirmed. That maybe this "attack" was allowed. It will confirm that this was indeed another genocide with greed as the sick motivator.
There are lots of antisemitic tropes concisely stated in this comment of yours, Melissa. Wow. Please start asking better questions and not ones that amplify conspiracy theories with no more basis in facts and reality than the hated of Jews. Your criticism here is way more than just criticism of Israel’s current government, so please don’t give me that.
So curious why only my comment received your kind response, Netanya? Many others on this thread, including the author of the piece, shared concerns and questions (some of them much more 'anti' than my comment). I'm afraid your name-calling-pressure only makes me even more suspicious of my 'conspiracy theories'. You have inadvertently provided an excellent example to the author's question, in fact!
As Sharon often says: Many things can be true at the same time. 1) we should be able to question the decisions of a government without being accused of hatred and antisemitism; and 2) It's also true that Hamas is a terrorist organization and has done atrocities beyond imagination- to Israel and to the people of Palestine. 3) I love the people of Israel and I'm going to continue to pray for Peace in the Middle East.
I appreciate your question. Thank you. The other comments in this thread did not veer into conspiracy theories as you did. Questioning whether 10/7 happened, Candace Owens, implying that Israel may have allowed the "attack" as you say--all this is not based in any reality, unless you think Jews are evil, conniving, and greedy. As Sharon also mentions, stuff online often is put there to make you feel a certain way, verifying the thoughts and feelings you already have, ie click bait, your algorithm, etc.
I love that your listed those three items, for they are all true. I encourage you to continue to ask questions, but not with the particularly negative preconceived notions you seem to have about Jews. Again, I appreciate your response.
Thank you for your response. I do feel the need to ask: are you saying that if I suggest that the Leadership of a country possibly did something horrible, that it automatically assumes I hate all the people in that country, and they are all evil, conniving and greedy? Surely no one thinks Bibi is perfect, or that any leader is. Are you saying if I criticize Putin, I am automatically assuming all Russians are evil? If I wonder why in the world Trump has decided NOT to release the Epstein files, and he may not have pure intentions/motivations in that...does that mean I have preconceived notions about all Americans, that they are evil? Just need a little clarification, because it seems you made a bit of leap between my concerns and questions about the Leader of Israel and all Jews.
I agree with you wholeheartedly, however, about how important it is to be intentionally listening to and reading sources from different sides of the aisle; different worldviews; different perspectives! The algorithm can be dangerous. It's why I follow Sharon for sure!
You are doubling down on the idea that criticizing the Israeli leadership is not necessarily antisemitic, and I agree, yet in a nuanced way because it can easily slide there. Your initial reply to the article had a lot more than showing disagreement with Israeli leadership. I'll just address your first paragraph.
1st paragraph: Israel is the "apple of G-d's eye" is what you were taught in church, but maybe that doesn't mean blind support for Israel's leadership. I did not grow up in a church, so when the church you grew up in taught you that, what did it mean? (You say it did not mean blind support for Israeli leadership.) Did your pastor/priest/minister say that the leadership of Israel is the apple? Or did they say that the people of Israel are the apple? Or did they say that the Jews are the apple? And when you answer that, is that now wrong by you? Is whatever it meant no longer meaningful to you because of the Israeli leadership? If so, why?
You can then put in Americans and their leadership, Russians and their leadership, etc into this concept and see how it feels for you.
After this paragraph, you wade into the conspiracy theories I already pointed out. So please continue to ask better questions. All my best to you, Melissa.
I apologize: I shouldn't have assumed that everyone would know the phrase: "apple of God's eye". It is a phrase used by King David in the Bible to describe the Old Testament nation of Israel. We were told in church that because Israel is historically and biblically God's chosen nation that, to again quote the Bible: if you bless Israel, you will be blessed, and if you curse them, you will be cursed. We took that to mean we must support the nation of Israel no matter what.
Today I would say that it is possible to support the people of Israel and Jews in general AND critique its Leadership. It is important to know that the Bible actually has many examples of Kings (leaders) of Israel who "did not do what was right in the eyes of God". Israel can still be God's biblically chosen nation, AND its leaders can possibly make horrific decisions.
Regarding my 'conspiracy theories', I still find it so interesting that you responded to my post alone. Did you even read the one above my comment: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to be tried for war crimes. He is disgusting and those that think what has happened in Gaza is anything other than genocide is mistaken. Over 30,000 children killed. There is no act that can justify this. They have opened an irreversible can of worms and America is in the center of it."
Your lack of response to that person makes me absolutely double down on the events I questioned; the theories I veered into. Like that person's comment is a vague opinion, but mine had more concrete examples that maybe hit a nerve?
“Netanyahu’s government seems to believe that if it can just get the messaging right, American support will return. But the shift in opinion wasn’t driven by propaganda — it was driven by the reality of the war, broadcast in real time. You can’t market your way out of a crisis that people watched happen for two years.”
For lack of better terminology, this is the dynamic I’m most “interested” in watching play out. Especially considering that younger folks in the US tend to be more isolationist, I don’t understand if Netanyahu actually believes this will work or if he is just trying to buy political time for himself (minute by minute). For people, like me, who grew up with unquestioned support of Israel in an evangelical community, watching footage of Gaza and of Israeli leader responses has been psychologically brutal. At the same time, we might be entering an age where it’s ok to commit horrors and atrocities against a group of people because they “arguably” aren’t people, and somehow the will of God is in this mix. This is the cultural twist I’m most concerned about.
"The talking points are explicit. They say that “there was never a state of Palestine at any time in History.” Workers on the campaign are told to “highlight that Palestinian and Iranian goals are not land-focused, but genocidal,” and to “educate Christians that Palestinians shelter terrorists, built the tunnels for Hamas, hide weapons in their schools and hospitals, and joined in on the attacks on October 7th.”
I take issue with these "talking points", as if each statement is not true. Which ones are NOT true? I'm no fan of Israels present government just as MOST Israelis are not a fan of the far right gov. either as they have protested in the streets continuously long before Oct 7th. I am not religious in any sense of the word at all but I am interested in getting the truth out when it comes to Oct 7th (before and after).
The TRUTH is what matters and everything in your "talking points" is true. I have studied Middle East history extensively for decades. Why should people in churches, colleges, or otherwise NOT be told the truth?
As an American non-Jewish, progressive ,atheist and zionist (disgusted by the pro-Palestinian propaganda flooding the streets with LIES minutes after the Oct. massacre ) I hope the effort described is successful against the preposterous propaganda we saw non stop in America.
Palestinians are not Hamas just like Jewish people are not the Israeli government. Neither should be treated as such. We don’t make any group safer when we conflate them with extremists. When we make Palestinians less safe by equating them all with Hamas, Israel is less safe. That would be like saying all Americans are MAGA because of who is President. Hamas is to blame for October 7th, building tunnels and murdering people. Not the average Palestinian. I hope for peace for Jewish People and Palestinians.
I totally agree with your points here.
I’d further point out that Israel spending $4.1 million dollars is half the cost of a 30 second Super Bowl ad in 2025 ($8M). It seems like any time Israel spends money on lobbying or its own PR there is a negative reaction to it. Qatar has spent $6.5 billion dollars (that can be tracked) on US universities to influence our students and professors and there is no negative reaction. Why the double standard? (Rhetorical question.)
Their desire to change public opinion makes me concerned that they don’t plan to hold to the cease fire.
Are you also concerned that Hamas has actually broken the ceasefire terms by not releasing all the bodies of the murdered hostages? The deadline was Monday evening at 9pm and they are still holding 24 bodies.
It is very concerning. I am worried they agreed to something they couldn't give. I.e. they might not be able to return everyone. I hate having to think that and that they agreed to something they couldn't do knowing what is at stake.
It does seem like there's a fairly valid reason though, that they can no longer find or access them in the rubble of their decimated land. If the hostages died or were kept in places that have since been bombed, it may be impossible for them to be excavated for quite some time.
Is it reasonable to say they could even locate all the bodies in that time? This is a country that is completely destroyed. I would bet some bodies might be under rubble. I’m not saying they aren’t also using it as leverage, but why does the average Palestinian have to pay Hamas’ debt with their life.
You don't have to be "for" Hamas just because you are "against" how Israel has handled this war. Both Hamas and Israel are wrong in this case. Two things can be true at once. I don't understand the comments from folks trying to defend Israel's actions here. A response to a terrorist attack is one thing, but extremist Zionism and genocide are another entirely.
Also, though Hamas has agreed to give up control of Palestinian govt (though idk to whom) they have not agreed to put down weapons. Netanyahu has also clearly stated the war is not over. Trump making all these sweeping claims about peace in the middle east and war being over is a bunch of bull, just like everything else that comes out of his mouth.
https://www.cnn.com/2025/10/14/middleeast/gaza-israel-war-over-unanswered-questions-intl
Why does Israel want public opinion to improve if the war is over. Won’t that naturally happen?
Great common sense question! I believe it would, and that pressuring everyone to support them is going to backfire.
It sounds like Israel was trying to up their Public Relations about the war as Charlie Kirk had recommended in the letter he sent to Bibi earlier in the year.
Hamas was putting out their propaganda videos about starving Palestinian people (most of which were absolutely debunked) on many social media platforms, but Israel had refused to show videos/photos of the atrocities that actually occurred to many of the victims of Oct 7 out of respect for the families of the deceased. The few videos that made it out were of dead bodies at the music festival with faces blurred out, a few videos of the dead in homes, and a few videos of people being kidnapped and taken by Hamas. The most egregious photos and videos weren’t shown. I think Charlie was encouraging them to show more of it so people would have a better understanding of why Israel was fighting back so hard in the WAR that Hamas had started. If it had happened here…. I can only imagine how much quicker Hamas would have been wiped out.
Just the descriptions we heard at Church from a former local reporter, now living in Israel with his family were horrific. He could barely speak about the atrocities, but thought it important to know so that we could discern for ourselves what to believe. They were the absolute worst things you can imagine. I can only imagine the PTSD that the IDF soldiers must have after just hearing the descriptions.
I’m wondering if Israel will continue with the program now that we have a cease fire.
I am so happy to see the hostages home and pray for complete healing. Mind, body and soul.
I pray that the people of Palestine are able to rebuild and heal and hopefully get a government to represent them that aren’t terrorists so that everyone can live in peace.
If you believe that Hamas was putting out propaganda and Israel hasn't been, I would how you examine why you believe that. Because what you've shared here is 100% Israel propaganda. You've listened to someone in Israel on the ground, have you listened to any of the Gazan reporters on the ground? Have you listened to any of the reports of the atrocities the IDF soldiers have committed?
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to be tried for war crimes. He is disgusting and those that think what has happened in Gaza is anything other than genocide is mistaken. Over 30,000 children killed. There is no act that can justify this. They have opened an irreversible can of worms and America is in the center of it.
As a Christian who grew up in the church, I have been told I need to support Israel as it is the "apple of God's eye". However, I think more and more Americans are realizing that maybe that doesn't mean blind support for Israel's Leadership.
If you follow Candace Owens and her investigation into the murder of Charlie Kirk, you will know that Charlie's support for Israel was actually waning. And their tactics to pressure him into continue to "say the right thing" actually pushed him further away. So here Israel goes again with a marketing campaign to pressure us all into falling in line, and I don't believe for one moment that it will work. In fact, I think the opposite of their goal will happen and they will push us further away from wanting to support their leadership.
Many are very skeptical of the attack on Oct 7 itself, and we ask questions. Like why did it take the Israeli Military 6 hours to get to the breached wall/gate (when it literally takes 20 minutes to drive)? Was there a stand-down order? Do they really want us to believe that with all their technology that this attack took them completely by surprise? We have questions.
If Gaza is turned into a luxury beach resort area...our suspicions may be confirmed. That maybe this "attack" was allowed. It will confirm that this was indeed another genocide with greed as the sick motivator.
There are lots of antisemitic tropes concisely stated in this comment of yours, Melissa. Wow. Please start asking better questions and not ones that amplify conspiracy theories with no more basis in facts and reality than the hated of Jews. Your criticism here is way more than just criticism of Israel’s current government, so please don’t give me that.
So curious why only my comment received your kind response, Netanya? Many others on this thread, including the author of the piece, shared concerns and questions (some of them much more 'anti' than my comment). I'm afraid your name-calling-pressure only makes me even more suspicious of my 'conspiracy theories'. You have inadvertently provided an excellent example to the author's question, in fact!
As Sharon often says: Many things can be true at the same time. 1) we should be able to question the decisions of a government without being accused of hatred and antisemitism; and 2) It's also true that Hamas is a terrorist organization and has done atrocities beyond imagination- to Israel and to the people of Palestine. 3) I love the people of Israel and I'm going to continue to pray for Peace in the Middle East.
I appreciate your question. Thank you. The other comments in this thread did not veer into conspiracy theories as you did. Questioning whether 10/7 happened, Candace Owens, implying that Israel may have allowed the "attack" as you say--all this is not based in any reality, unless you think Jews are evil, conniving, and greedy. As Sharon also mentions, stuff online often is put there to make you feel a certain way, verifying the thoughts and feelings you already have, ie click bait, your algorithm, etc.
I love that your listed those three items, for they are all true. I encourage you to continue to ask questions, but not with the particularly negative preconceived notions you seem to have about Jews. Again, I appreciate your response.
Thank you for your response. I do feel the need to ask: are you saying that if I suggest that the Leadership of a country possibly did something horrible, that it automatically assumes I hate all the people in that country, and they are all evil, conniving and greedy? Surely no one thinks Bibi is perfect, or that any leader is. Are you saying if I criticize Putin, I am automatically assuming all Russians are evil? If I wonder why in the world Trump has decided NOT to release the Epstein files, and he may not have pure intentions/motivations in that...does that mean I have preconceived notions about all Americans, that they are evil? Just need a little clarification, because it seems you made a bit of leap between my concerns and questions about the Leader of Israel and all Jews.
I agree with you wholeheartedly, however, about how important it is to be intentionally listening to and reading sources from different sides of the aisle; different worldviews; different perspectives! The algorithm can be dangerous. It's why I follow Sharon for sure!
You are doubling down on the idea that criticizing the Israeli leadership is not necessarily antisemitic, and I agree, yet in a nuanced way because it can easily slide there. Your initial reply to the article had a lot more than showing disagreement with Israeli leadership. I'll just address your first paragraph.
1st paragraph: Israel is the "apple of G-d's eye" is what you were taught in church, but maybe that doesn't mean blind support for Israel's leadership. I did not grow up in a church, so when the church you grew up in taught you that, what did it mean? (You say it did not mean blind support for Israeli leadership.) Did your pastor/priest/minister say that the leadership of Israel is the apple? Or did they say that the people of Israel are the apple? Or did they say that the Jews are the apple? And when you answer that, is that now wrong by you? Is whatever it meant no longer meaningful to you because of the Israeli leadership? If so, why?
You can then put in Americans and their leadership, Russians and their leadership, etc into this concept and see how it feels for you.
After this paragraph, you wade into the conspiracy theories I already pointed out. So please continue to ask better questions. All my best to you, Melissa.
I apologize: I shouldn't have assumed that everyone would know the phrase: "apple of God's eye". It is a phrase used by King David in the Bible to describe the Old Testament nation of Israel. We were told in church that because Israel is historically and biblically God's chosen nation that, to again quote the Bible: if you bless Israel, you will be blessed, and if you curse them, you will be cursed. We took that to mean we must support the nation of Israel no matter what.
Today I would say that it is possible to support the people of Israel and Jews in general AND critique its Leadership. It is important to know that the Bible actually has many examples of Kings (leaders) of Israel who "did not do what was right in the eyes of God". Israel can still be God's biblically chosen nation, AND its leaders can possibly make horrific decisions.
Regarding my 'conspiracy theories', I still find it so interesting that you responded to my post alone. Did you even read the one above my comment: "Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu needs to be tried for war crimes. He is disgusting and those that think what has happened in Gaza is anything other than genocide is mistaken. Over 30,000 children killed. There is no act that can justify this. They have opened an irreversible can of worms and America is in the center of it."
Your lack of response to that person makes me absolutely double down on the events I questioned; the theories I veered into. Like that person's comment is a vague opinion, but mine had more concrete examples that maybe hit a nerve?
I will continue to ask great questions! Blessings
“Netanyahu’s government seems to believe that if it can just get the messaging right, American support will return. But the shift in opinion wasn’t driven by propaganda — it was driven by the reality of the war, broadcast in real time. You can’t market your way out of a crisis that people watched happen for two years.”
For lack of better terminology, this is the dynamic I’m most “interested” in watching play out. Especially considering that younger folks in the US tend to be more isolationist, I don’t understand if Netanyahu actually believes this will work or if he is just trying to buy political time for himself (minute by minute). For people, like me, who grew up with unquestioned support of Israel in an evangelical community, watching footage of Gaza and of Israeli leader responses has been psychologically brutal. At the same time, we might be entering an age where it’s ok to commit horrors and atrocities against a group of people because they “arguably” aren’t people, and somehow the will of God is in this mix. This is the cultural twist I’m most concerned about.