Information and Misinformation: Israel, Antisemitism, and the Jewish People
Feeling overwhelmed with information? We’re here to help cut through the noise. Learn the most common questions about Israel — along with the accurate information to address them through dialogue and discussion:
Is Israel an ethnostate?
Some critics of Israel accuse it of being an ethnostate — which means a country or nation that limits citizenship or political participation to only one ethnic group, often by law. However unlike most modern ethnostates, Israel grants full legal rights to all of its citizens, regardless of their ethnicity or religion.
About 21% of Israeli citizens are Arab — including Muslims, Christians, and Druze — and they vote, serve in parliament, work in the judiciary, and participate in all areas of public life. Israel also has Circassian, Bedouin, and African minority communities, along with Jewish citizens from dozens of ethnic backgrounds. Israel’s Basic Laws provide legal protections for all residents of Israel – regardless of religion or ethnicity — and the Israeli Declaration of Independence affirms political rights for all of its citizens, a significant difference from most modern ethnostates.
In the United Arab Emirates, for example, foreign-born residents make up 89% of the population, but have limited or no pathway to citizenship, while Emirati nationals constitute approximately 11% of the population, but have full citizenship rights. In Saudi Arabia, citizenship is primarily granted to individuals of Arab descent, and the naturalization process for non-Arabs is exceedingly rare, effectively tying full political rights to ethnic background.
In 2018, the Israeli Knesset passed the Nation-State Basic Law, which emphasized the Jewish character of the State of Israel, affirmed Jerusalem as its capital, and recognized Hebrew as the nation’s official language. While this new law does not limit the rights of non-Jews enshrined in the Basic Laws, it did anger some Arab and Druze citizens who served in the Israeli military, as Arabic was downgraded from an official language to “special language” status.
Why is it antisemitic to say that “Jews own the banks”?
In medieval Europe, Jews were often barred from owning land and joining trade guilds, limiting their occupational choices. At the same time, Christian doctrines prohibited many Christians from charging interest on loans (“usury”) — but those restrictions were not applied to Jews. As a result, many Jews were involved with moneylending, one of the few professions available to them at the time. This economic necessity, born out of exclusion, laid the groundwork for harmful stereotypes associating Jews with greed and financial manipulation that continue to this day.
The Rothschilds, a prominent Jewish banking family in 18th- and 19th-century Europe, became a focal point for many of these antisemitic conspiracy theories. Their financial success sparked unfounded claims that they secretly controlled global banking systems. These narratives were amplified by falsified propaganda documents like the “Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” a notorious antisemitic book first published in 1903 that describes an imagined Jewish plan for world domination.
Today, these myths persist in various forms, including false assertions that Jewish individuals or families control institutions like the U.S. Federal Reserve. Such claims lack any factual basis and are propagated by extremist groups to promote antisemitic agendas, widely seen online. These conspiracy theories not only misrepresent Jewish people and foment animosity towards Jews, but also detract from legitimate understanding and discussion of trade and global economics.
What is the West Bank?
The West Bank is a territory located on the Western side of the Jordan River that borders Israel to the West, Jordan to the East, and the Dead Sea to the South. Home to nearly 3 million Palestinians and more than 500,000 Israelis, the West Bank has been one of the epicenters of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict for decades, and remains an extremely contentious issue today.
Palestinians seek the West Bank as the core of a future Palestinian state, even as Israeli settlements in the region — which are contested under international law — have continued to increase. Israeli settlements are a source of significant tension, both between Israelis and Palestinians, and internally among the Israeli population. A 2025 Pew survey showed that 52% of Israelis believe West Bank settlements are an obstacle to peace — even as 44% believe they increase the nation’s security.
Historically and spiritually, the West Bank holds deep significance for the Jewish people. Known in antiquity as Judea and Samaria, it was a central region of ancient Jewish life. After the Roman conquest of Judea in the first century CE, the territory changed hands frequently. In modern times, the region was under Turkish rule from 1517-1917 until the Ottoman Empire’s defeat by the British in World War I. Jordan occupied and annexed the West Bank in 1948, before Israel took control after the Six-Day War in 1967. The West Bank also holds significance for the Palestinian people, as home to the second-largest Palestinian population in the world.
The territory of the West Bank has been divided into three areas with different civil and security authorities — Area A, Area B, and Area C, as outlined in the Oslo Accords. Area A is under the full civil and security control of the Palestinian Authority. In Area B, the Palestinian Authority, based in the city of Ramallah, oversees civilian matters and Israel has security control. Area C, which makes up approximately 60% of the West Bank, is under full Israeli civil and security control.
What is Hamas?
Founded in 1987 as an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, a Sunni Islamist group, Hamas is a political and militant group that came to power by winning Gaza’s 2006 elections, and then seizing complete control of the enclave after a violent conflict with the Palestinian Authority’s Fatah faction the following year. Hamas has both a political wing and a military wing, and its military branch, the al-Qassam Brigades, has carried out bombings, rocket attacks, and kidnappings that targeted Israeli civilians — most notably during the Second Intifada and the October 7, 2023 attacks in which more than 1,200 people were killed, and 250 taken hostage.
Hamas’s stated goal is the elimination of the State of Israel, and it adheres to a doctrine of rejecting prospects for peace or coexistence with Israel. The United States designated Hamas as a foreign terrorist organization in 1997, and it has subsequently been designated as a terrorist organization by the European Union, Canada, the United Kingdom, Israel, and Australia, and dozens of other countries. The group receives significant support from the Islamic Republic of Iran, and has been criticized for using humanitarian aid to fund military operations, such as tunnel networks and weapons stockpiles.
While it has been significantly depleted in the most recent war against Israel, as of 2025 Hamas remains the governing military and political force in Gaza, suppressing political opposition and enforcing strict Islamist rule. The group has been condemned for embedding military infrastructure within civilian areas, which increases the risk to Palestinian civilians during conflicts. While some view Hamas as a resistance group, its tactics — including attacks on civilians — continue to be a major barrier to peace efforts in the region.
Is Jewish identity only about religion?
Judaism is a religion, and it is also a people, a culture, and a shared history. While religious practice is central for many Jews, Jewish identity is not solely defined by belief. Jews share a common ancestry, cultural traditions, and languages such as Hebrew, Ladino, and Yiddish that have existed for generations.
Throughout history, Jews have been viewed as a distinct people. Legal and cultural antisemitism targeted Jews based on ethnicity as well as religion, with discrimination persisting regardless of individual religious observance. Even before the Holocaust, many European and Middle Eastern countries enacted laws that discriminated against Jews as a group. Throughout the Ottoman Empire, as well as in Egypt, Iraq, and Iran, Jews historically lived under dhimmi status—a subordinate position in Muslim-majority societies. They faced legal and social restrictions, such as paying the jizya tax (a tax on non-Muslims) and being limited in certain public roles and privileges. In Russia, the Pale of Settlement confined Jews to specific regions and imposed severe restrictions on their movement and economic activity. These actions reflected the understanding that Jews were a separate ethnic group, not simply a religious community. This was most evident during the Holocaust, when Nazi Germany persecuted Jews as a racial group, regardless of their personal beliefs or level of religious practice.
Today, Jewish identity continues to be multifaceted. Some Jews practice Judaism as a religion, while others engage with Jewish culture through traditions, food, language, or a sense of shared peoplehood. Israel, the world’s only Jewish state, recognizes this dual identity, defining itself as both a Jewish and democratic state. Ultimately, Judaism is unique in that it functions as both a religion and a nation, shaping Jewish identity in ways that go well beyond faith.
What is the Swastika, and why is it considered to be antisemitic?
While the swastika symbol has ancient roots in various cultures as a symbol of good fortune, including in Hindu and Buddhist communities, its meaning was fundamentally transformed when Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party adopted it in the 1920s as a representation of their violent ideology. As a result, the swastika is almost universally considered to be an antisemitic and racist symbol because of its direct association with Nazi Germany and the Holocaust.
Under the Nazi regime, the swastika became the defining emblem of a government responsible for the systematic murder of six million Jews, along with millions of others from minority groups, during the Holocaust. It was displayed on flags, military uniforms, and propaganda, embodying antisemitism, racism, and genocide.
Today, the swastika continues to be used by neo-Nazi and white supremacist groups as a symbol of hatred and has often been used as a tactic of intimidation, particularly on college campuses.
While the swastika’s original meaning should be acknowledged, the overwhelming historical and modern association with antisemitism makes it a deeply offensive and threatening symbol to Jewish communities. Recognizing this context is essential in understanding why the swastika is widely condemned as a representation of hate.
Do all Jews have a personal connection with Israel?
Nearly all major research studies, including the Pew Research Center’s most recent survey of Jewish Americans, indicate that a significant majority of Jews around the world – but not all — identify as having a personal connection with Israel, including to the nation of Israel, the people of Israel, and Israel as the historic and current center of Jewish religious life.
Nearly half (7.4 million) of the world’s Jewish population resides in Israel. And in the U.S., which has the world’s second-largest Jewish population, more than eight-in-ten Jewish Americans identify as having a personal connection with Israel, with 82% saying that “Caring about Israel is essential or important to what being Jewish means to me.
Do Jews control the government and media?
Video: “History of Antisemitism”
Source: Hillel International
Suggesting Jews are secretly in control of massive amounts of power is a deeply antisemitic trope rooted in conspiracy theories that have been used to justify discrimination and violence against Jewish people for centuries. This notion perpetuates harmful stereotypes that depict Jews as manipulative, greedy, and seeking to dominate society from behind the scenes.
These stereotypes not only misrepresent the diverse roles Jewish people have played in various industries but also fuel baseless fears and hostility, leading to real-world consequences such as social ostracization, hate crimes, and systemic discrimination. By attributing undue influence to Jews in these industries, such rhetoric undermines the principles of equality and diversity and perpetuates a dangerous cycle of prejudice.
Advocacy by American Jews is just as appropriate as advocacy by all citizens of the United States. It’s part of democracy, and it reflects the Jewish community’s commitment to American democratic ideals.
Video: “History of Antisemitism”
Source: Hillel International
Does opposing Israeli government policies automatically make someone anti-Zionist or antisemitic?
Opposing Israeli government policies does not automatically make someone anti-Zionist or antisemitic. Like any country, Israel’s government can be subject to criticism, and individuals can disagree with its policies for a variety of reasons—without attacking the legitimacy of the state or the Jewish people (which does veer into anti-Zionism and antisemitism).
Peaceful opposition to government policy is a core aspect of the Israeli democracy. In the spring and summer of 2023, hundreds of thousands of Israelis took to the streets in weekly peaceful protests with regard to aspects of government policy, exercising their rights to free speech. The same occurred in September of 2024, with Israelis protesting on behalf of the hostages held by Hamas, demanding that the Israeli government reach an agreement to bring them home.
However, it is important to distinguish between legitimate criticism of the Israeli government, and harmful rhetoric that promotes anti-Zionism or antisemitism.
Is “Zionism” a form of white supremacism?
Video: “Was Zionism a Form of Colonialism?”
Source: Unpacked for Educators
The term “white supremacy” has often been used to target Jews and Zionists. It portrays them as alt-right radicals with similar views to neo-Nazis — aiming to stigmatize and isolate them.
But in reality, the Jewish people as a group have never supported white supremacy. And this accusation erases Jews of color — a significant group in the state of Israel and around the world. In Israel itself, 48% of Jews identify as Sephardic or Mizrahi (of Middle Eastern or North African descent).
White supremacy has in fact been one of the most dangerous ideologies that targets Jews, most notably during the 2017 “Unite the Right” Rally in Charlottesville, VA and in the 2019 shooting at the Tree of Life Synagogue in Pittsburgh where 11 American Jews were murdered by a shooter espousing white supremacist ideology.
Learn more: What is Zionism
Video: “Was Zionism a Form of Colonialism?”
Source: Unpacked for Educators
Is Israel committing genocide in Gaza?
Some critics of Israel have accused the Israeli government of committing genocide of Palestinians. But genocide is a legal term, and Israeli policies and actions in its war against Hamas do not meet the definition of intentionally exterminating the Palestinian people, according to international law. This claim is inaccurate and misleading.
The term “genocide” has been falsely used to sensationalize the Israel-Palestinian conflict and to demonize Israel – both by anti-Israel activists, and by nations that are opposed to Israel’s actions in the current Israel-Hamas War.
In December of 2023, South Africa filed a complaint at the International Court of Justice (ICJ), charging that Israel had violated the United Nations 1948 convention on the prevention of genocide during its current military actions in Gaza. While it will take years until the ICJ hands down a final ruling, the court did not order Israel to withdraw from Gaza or ends its military operation, and South Africa is currently struggling to find evidence to support its case.
South Africa is required to submit evidence to the ICJ by October 28, but recently asked for that deadline to be postponed due to a current lack of evidence pointing to genocide in Gaza.
Is it antisemitic to compare Israel in 2024 to Nazi Germany in the 1930s and 1940s?
Instagram: “Recognizing Problematic Rhetoric”
Sources: JCRC, ADL, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Times of Israel
No comparison can be made between the complex Israeli-Palestinian conflict and the atrocities committed by the Nazis against six million Jews and millions of others.
While one can fairly criticize the actions of the Israeli government and its leaders, there’s a big contrast to the Holocaust. There’s no Israeli ideology, policy, plan, or movement to exterminate the Palestinian people as with the Nazi party’s “Final Solution”.
Comparing Israel to Nazis plays on old antisemitic stereotypes about the Jewish people as demonic and uniquely evil.
Instagram: “Recognizing Problematic Rhetoric”
Sources: JCRC, ADL, U.S. Holocaust Memorial Museum, The Times of Israel
Who are the citizens of Israel?
Video: “Who Are Israelis?”
Source: Unpacked for Educators
While Jews form the majority of the population of Israel, the country is home to a significant Arab population (20% of citizens), primarily Muslims and Christians.
Other groups include Bedouins (an indigenous people of the Negev desert in southern Israel), the Druze — a unique ethnic group with its own religious practices — as well as smaller ethnic and religious minorities.
The Jewish population itself is remarkably diverse, reflecting the global Jewish diaspora — Jews whose ancestors were displaced from the region over the course of many centuries, and who have now returned, particularly since the establishment of Israel in 1948. Major groups include Ashkenazi Jews from Europe; Sephardi and Mizrahi Jews from Spain, North Africa, and the Middle East; Ethiopian Jews; Russian-speaking Jews from the former Soviet Union; and smaller communities, such as the Bnei Menashe from India.
Beyond ethnic diversity, Israel’s Jewish population exhibits significant religious diversity. A large portion of the population identifies as secular, maintaining a cultural or national Jewish identity rather than a strictly religious one. Religious Jews range from Modern Orthodox to Haredi (ultra-Orthodox), each with varying levels of observance and influence in society. Additionally, Masorti/Conservative and Reform Jewish communities are growing, advocating for more pluralistic forms of Jewish practice.
Video: “Who Are Israelis?”
Source: Unpacked for Educators
Why do some anti-Israel critics seek to label Israel as “an apartheid state?”
Video: “Is Israel an Occupying Power?”
Source: Unpacked for Educators
Like every country, Israel faces societal challenges — including issues such as bias, discrimination, inequity, and racism. But the “apartheid” label doesn’t hold up.
Safeguards in the state of Israel are aimed at ensuring the equal treatment of all citizens, Jewish and Arab. Israeli Arab citizens, who make up about 20% of the population, serve as judges, legislators, ambassadors, journalists, professors, and artists, and in other prominent roles.
The situation for Palestinians living in the West Bank, which was captured by Israel after the Six-Day War in 1967, continues to be a source of conflict. There are ongoing disputes about land, settlements, and sovereignty.
It’s important to acknowledge that the situation is complex, with a complex history.
You should also know that this accusation is often used to argue that the world’s only Jewish state doesn’t have the right to exist, now or in the future, a view that many hold to be antisemitic.
Video: “Is Israel an Occupying Power?”
Source: Unpacked for Educators
What does the phrase “settler colonialism” actually mean?
Instagram: “Is Zionism Colonialism?”
Source: Jewish Unpacked and @that_semite
Many anti-Israel activists use the term “settler colonialism” to refer to the changes in the state of Israel, the West Bank, and the Gaza Strip over the past 150 years.
This accusation compares Israelis to Europeans who colonized the Middle East, North Africa, Australia, and North and South America. But those European colonists were not native or indigenous to those lands.
Jews are native and indigenous to the land. And the land of Israel is central to Jewish religion and culture dating back thousands of years. If you traveled back in time to Jerusalem 2,000 years ago, you would find Hebrew to be the predominant language spoken, Judaism the predominant religion practiced, and the indigenous Jewish population living under Roman colonial rule.
Learn more: Israel and Colonialism
Instagram: “Is Zionism Colonialism?”
Source: Jewish Unpacked and @that_semite
What is Zionism?
Instagram: “What is Zionism”
Source: Hillel International
Zionism is the Jewish people’s desire for self determination in their ancestral homeland, the Land of Israel — the word “Zion” refers to one of two hills where King David established the ancient city of Jerusalem. After the founding of the modern state of Israel in 1948, Zionism became the national movement of the Israeli people, and a movement to support Israel. Zionism is a core component of Jewish identity for the majority of Jews around the world.
Modern Zionism emerged in Europe in the 19th century in response to antisemitism, anti-Jewish violence, and persecution. It was rooted in the idea that the Jewish people needed a physical place to be safe, and that Jews would be safest by repatriating their spiritual, cultural, and ancestral homeland in Israel.
Zionism is not a white supremacist movement, nor inherently anti-Arab or anti-Palestinian. The Declaration of Israel’s Independence (1948) calls for peace and cooperation among its neighbors: “We offer peace and unity to all the neighboring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all.” While early Zionists envisioned peaceful coexistence, the rise of competing Jewish and Palestinian nationalism has led to significant tensions and conflicts in the region.
Today, many Zionists advocate for a two-state solution, believing that Israel and the Palestinian people can coexist peacefully, while others emphasize the need for Israel to remain a secure Jewish state with careful consideration of demographic and security concerns. Contemporary Zionism often stresses the importance of peace and coexistence, though achieving this remains complex and challenging.
On college campuses, in recent years the word “Zionist” has sometimes been used by anti-Israel and antisemitic activists as a pejorative for anyone with a connection to Israel, or for anyone who is Jewish. As a result, many colleges and universities are clarifying or updating their codes of conduct to explicitly note that using the word “Zionist” as an insult could be a violation of the school’s non-discrimination and anti-harassment policies.
Instagram: “What is Zionism”
Source: Hillel International
Did Israel exist on land that was completely empty before its founding in 1948?
Website: Pre-State Israel: Under Ottoman Rule – 1517-1917
Source: Jewish Virtual Library
The area that is now the State of Israel, the West Bank, the Gaza Strip, and the Kingdom of Jordan has been inhabited for thousands of years by a variety of populations, including Jews, Arabs, Christians, and others. Jews have lived in the land now known as Israel for over 3,000 years, with a continuous presence dating back to ancient times.
Despite periods of exile, particularly after the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the Bar Kokhba Revolt in 135 CE, Jewish communities have persisted in the area throughout history. The modern Zionist movement in the late 19th and early 20th centuries led to increased Jewish immigration, culminating in the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
For centuries from the Ottoman conquest in the 1500s until their defeat in World War I, the area was controlled by the Ottoman Empire, which allowed Jews to live in relative peace in the area as second-class citizens known as dhimmi (a term for non-Muslims living in an Islamic state), with restricted rights and individual freedoms. From 1917 to 1948, the region was part of the British Mandate of Palestine, which had a mixed population of Jews, Arabs, and other groups. The land was sparsely populated in certain areas, but had established communities in others.
Website: Pre-State Israel: Under Ottoman Rule – 1517-1917
Source: Jewish Virtual Library
Why is Israel sometimes accused of “pinkwashing”?
Anti-Israel activists sometimes accuse Israel of “pinkwashing,” which alleges that Israel highlights its progressive stance on LGBTQ+ rights in order to distract from its treatment of Palestinians. Critics argue — without evidence — that Israel uses its strong LGBTQ+ rights record as a way to improve its image internationally and deflect criticism of its policies toward Palestinians.
LGBTQ+ rights in Israel are considered to be among the most progressive in the Middle East. Homosexuality was decriminalized in Israel in 1988, and since then, the country has taken significant steps to protect the rights of LGBTQ+ individuals. Same-sex couples in Israel have been able to adopt children since 2006. And Tel Aviv is well-known for hosting one of the largest annual Pride parades in the world. However, while Israel is the only country in the Middle East that recognizes same-sex marriages performed in other countries, same-sex couples cannot yet legally marry in Israel.
Israel’s LGBTQ+ rights records stand in stark contrast to that of many other countries and territories in the Middle East, where homosexuality is considered a criminal offense — in some cases even punishable by death. In some Middle Eastern countries like Turkey, Jordan, and Lebanon, LGBTQ+ citizens exist in a legal gray area, with homosexuality neither explicitly criminalized nor protected by law. In 2023, in a televised speech in Lebanon, Hezbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah told viewers that “sodomy” should be punishable by death, urged followers to boycott businesses with Pride flags, and alleged that the United States that the United States was spearheading a campaign to change curriculums around the world to “promote a culture of homosexuality in schools and universities.”
What is Holocaust denial?
Video: Holocaust Denial, Explained
The false claim that the Holocaust was exaggerated or did not happen is rooted in Holocaust denial, a form of historical inaccuracy and revisionism that seeks to distort the facts of the Holocaust, minimize its severity, or deny its occurrence altogether. Holocaust denial is widely regarded as a form of antisemitism because it seeks to undermine the truth of Jewish suffering, deny the reality of Nazi crimes, and erase the memory of the six million Jews murdered during World War II. Holocaust denial has been universally condemned by historians, scholars, and governments alike.
Those who deny or distort the Holocaust commonly argue that the number of Jewish victims has been inflated, or that gas chambers and the systematic extermination of Jews were fabrications. These arguments are not based on credible historical evidence, and are often deliberate attempts to ignore overwhelming documentation, and/or to promote an antisemitic agenda.
Holocaust denial is often linked to broader antisemitic conspiracy theories, such as the idea that Jews exaggerate their victimhood for political gain or to manipulate global opinion. These claims play into deeply ingrained antisemitic stereotypes that have fueled hatred and violence against Jews for centuries. By suggesting that the Holocaust was exaggerated or did not happen, deniers attempt to delegitimize Jewish historical suffering, discredit the Jewish people and Israel, and/or create space for ideologies like Nazism and white supremacy to resurface.
Video: Holocaust Denial, Explained