Thinking Independently About Israel

The original title for this substack was “What Should the Jews Do?” and that’s one way to read the piece below. But after Hugo, Meaghan and I finished discussing it on the podcast this morning, I realized the main takeaway is different: this is a column (or podcast) that hopefully gives readers confidence that it’s okay not to subscribe to the orthodoxy of either side. You can still be pro-Israel, defiantly pro-Israel, and think Netanyahu is terrible. You can still be pro-Israel and think that Jewish Columbia students should stop complaining about every microaggression. You can still be pro-Israel and think that there should be a ceasefire in Gaza, that maybe Israel should not invade Rafah, that letting Palestinians starve is a terrible idea. 

Now, some of the left won’t like the ideas below because they adhere to the basic notion that anti-Zionism is antisemitism, that chanting from the river to the sea is tantamount to calling for genocide of the Jewish people, that while we should be very cognizant of the suffering in Gaza, Israel also has to put its longterm security first, that what the UN thinks and what the Hague thinks just doesn’t matter. 

But that’s the point to me, of being, a free thinker, of being human, of being alive. We should never have to adopt the talking points or views or narrative of someone else just to fit in. We should never have to take positions we don’t agree with just to avoid criticism. We should never have to follow the orthodoxy of one side or another because of tribal identity or the need to pick a side/ take a stand. You’re allowed to say and do what you think is right. Period. 

To me, if I were King of the Jews, this is what I would do. 

(1). Double down on Israel’s long term security. The Jewish people’s future depends on Israel’s existence. That means Israel must be secure no matter what anyone else says. Public approbation is less problematic than not existing. That doesn’t necessarily mean invading Rafah or not agreeing to a ceasefire. But it does mean being able to distinguish between Israel’s legitimate security needs and Netanyahu’s political needs and whatever is on the first side of the ledger has to be the priority, whether the rest of the world likes it or not. 

(2). Strike a new tone with a new government. That means getting rid of Netanyahu. ASAP. Throughout my life, I’ve had trust in either the integrity or the competence of the Prime Minister. In this case, I have neither. That lack – which is very clear and apparent – is a major cause of the protests and a major cause that this younger generation views Israel as an aggressor rather than a partner and peacemaker. It has to change. 

Netanyahu’s actions are consistently and literally the opposite of the precepts of Judaism as I understand it: do well by doing good. For others. That’s what makes you happy. That’s what produces a good life. Netanyahu and his supporters are the equivalent of Trump. They live in a zero sum world where they’re only out for themselves at the exclusion of everyone else. 

It is very important for Israel’s new Prime Minister — Naftali Bennett or Yoav Gallant or Benny Gantz or whoever it is — to establish themself as someone who isn’t making every decision at every turn just to benefit themselves personally and politically no matter what it means for the country as a whole. This means killing the judicial reforms for good, it means taking humanitarian aid for Gaza seriously, and it means visibly putting the good of the country ahead of your own political well being. We need to be able to take this person’s word that their military actions and decisions represent Israel’s true long term security needs. If we have that, we can chart a path forward, even if it’s unpopular.   

(3). At the same time, recognize that the world is always going to revert to antisemitism the first chance it gets, so don’t worry too much about placating the critics. It takes virtually nothing for the world to rise up in outrage against Israel. The lesson here is that there’s been rampant antisemitism for 5700+ years and there will be rampant antisemitism until the day humanity ends. Anti-Zionism and antisemitism are the same thing. Israel’s existence is all that protects the Jewish people from the next holocaust, from complete genocide. 

If Israel doesn’t exist, we don’t exist. There’s no stopping antisemitism, which means there’s no reason to disadvantage yourself in the vain hopes of doing so. Placating bigots never works. Fix what we need to fix: the leadership on our end, act in accordance with the principles that have allowed us to exist and thrive for thousands of years, but don’t worry about the rest. 

(4). Get a deal done with the Saudis asap at virtually any cost. Israel is going to be fighting on multiple fronts, between Hezbollah, Hamas, the Houthis and whoever else Iran throws at them. They need allies. Shooting down the Iranian drones showed that. So we cannot look at Gaza as a binary choice: more security or less security. It has to be based on the country’s greater security as a whole.

While there’s protest across the Western world about Israel’s actions in Gaza, the divide that already exists in the Middle East needs to be formalized. The West on one side – the U.S., the UK, France, Saudi, UAE, the Gulf States, Israel, Egypt, and others. Iran, China, Russia and North Korea on the other. 

This is the coalition that matters. The UN is performative. The Hague is performative. The Saudis are key to this entire puzzle, inside the Middle East and globally. And, while he’s highly imperfect, MBS does not seem afraid to do what he thinks is necessary for the country’s future. Obviously, this is all much easier said than done but it’s a turning point for everything else but it almost certainly means regime change in Israel and a wildly different approach to both the humanitarian crisis in Gaza and to internal Israeli politics. 

If there is a 42 day ceasefire and if there’s any chance to reach and announce a deal in that period (one that would ideally include a change in Israeli leadership although it will take the current Netanyahu coalition falling apart for that to happen, which is definitely possible depending on what happens with Rafah and with the ceasefire), that has to be the top priority. 

(5). Ban TikTok. Much of the hatred and antisemitism we’re seeing among young people today is caused directly by propaganda on TikTok created by the Chinese government to sow chaos in the West. The U.S. countdown towards a ban will go into effect as soon as President Biden signs the legislation passed by Congress. But the battle is far from over. TikTok will challenge the ban in the courts and try to hope that if the power base in DC changes this November, maybe they can be rescued. 

While the Department of Justice will be tasked with defending the law, we should support their efforts in every way possible, both in and out of court. Young people do not clearly see that they are the victims of Chinese propaganda, of misinformation. Yes, passing the legislation is the most important step and defending the legislation in court is the second key step but a full campaign needs to be run to explain the truth of TikTok to its users or they will never have confidence in the decision.

(6). Try to make Mark Zuckerberg put his people first and crack down on antisemitism on his platforms. Yes, it seems obvious that Mark Zuckerberg puts his wallet and his personal needs ahead of what’s best for the Jewish people. But when the next holocaust starts – and that’s where we’re heading – the fact that he’s very, very rich isn’t going to save him (maybe his cage fighting skills will). Once TikTok is offline, much of the antisemitism will shift to Instagram and Facebook (and enough of it is there already). Zuckerberg can choose to prevent that by moderating content more aggressively. It will mean fewer clicks, which means less ad revenue, which means lower profits. It will mean virulent protests by the left. But it may also save his people. At the very least, it will help save his legacy. 

Zuckerberg seems to think that being the richest person on the planet as opposed to the third richest or having the most stock growth as opposed to being in the top ten actually matters. It’s irrelevant. He could never spend a fraction of the money he already has. And if he did – to what end? How many planes, mansions and islands can one person use?

If Zuckerberg were hit by a bus today, he would go down as one of the worst people to ever grace the planet. It doesn’t have to be that way. He’s still only 39. There’s plenty of time to recognize that his value both to the world broadly, and, if he’s being intellectually and emotionally honest, to himself is to do some good for other people. It’s great that his foundation funds hospitals but that’s a nano fraction of the damage his platforms cause to teenagers, to adults, to democracy, to media, to society at large. If there’s ever a case where effective altruism is wrong, it’s here – Zuckerberg’s greatest value to society is not making money and giving it away; it’s ensuring his platforms stop causing so much harm. He can start by protecting his own people. 

(7). Make sure President Biden is rewarded for supporting Israel as are pro-Israel leaders in Congress on both sides of the aisle. All in all, Biden has been incredibly supportive of Israel since October 7th. He has taken political risk in doing so, potentially losing younger voters who are pro-Hamas and votes in the key state of Michigan, which has the nation’s largest Arab American population. Politicians do what’s best for their political interests. They do not consistently take political risks if there’s no reward on the other side. Everyone who has been vocally pro-Israel on both sides of the aisle should receive significant political support. If the elected officials who took risk to support Israel are punished in their next election, that sends a very clear signal to every politician to stay away. We can’t let that happen.

(8). Stop obsessing about Ivy League protests. To the people in my bubble — typically highly educated, highly engaged, political, wealthy New Yorkers and Jews who consider ourselves intellectuals and liberal thinkers — what happens on the campus of Ivy League universities feels all important. But is it? 

I’m not sure these protests matter substantively as much as we think they do. Look at 1968. What did those protests mean? Maybe not much. They had nothing to do with the passage of meaningful legislation from that decade like the Civil Rights Act and the Voting Rights Act. Those came from protests around civil rights specifically, not Vietnam campus protests. And the Vietnam War lasted till 1973, and arguably ended because Nixon, who, for all his flaws, was a keen foreign policy thinker, decided it was time to cut his losses, not because of protests in Morningside Heights five years earlier. We overrate student protests, especially at elite schools, especially the one on the same island that serves as the home of the global media. 

These protests are getting a lot of attention because we’re giving them a lot of attention. It’s tautological. They feel like they matter because we want ourselves to matter and this is our world. But if we stopped obsessing about them, would they still matter? Would they keep spreading? 

The schools should be neutral — keep the peace and let any group express itself. Don’t pick sides or play favorites. Don’t treat a student who calls for death to Zionists differently from a student who calls for death to gay or transgender students. 

If there’s physical risk, the cops should be there, no matter who the perpetrator is. If the risk is being upset because you walk by someone yelling and protesting? Our kids have to be able to live in a world with microaggressions. Israeli kids are literally at war. Of course it’s highly unpleasant to walk on campus and hear people say things you find offensive or threatening. And if you are at legitimate risk of physical harm, that’s one thing. But just because you’re upset? Come on. 

That also means not rewarding faculty who tote one ideological line with tenure and opportunities and punish others who have different views. Telling people how to think is not the point of higher education. It’s to teach them how to think for themselves.

In short:

(1). Universities should be content neutral. Punish a kid who calls for death to transgender students the way you would a kid who calls for death to zionists. It’s not up to them to decide what’s allowed and what isn’t. Just protect free speech. 

(2). Universities have an obligation to protect public safety. Call in the cops if there’s violence or a real risk of it. But that does not apply to hurt feelings and microaggressions.

(3). Universities need to stop rewarding faculty and administrators who have one ideology and punishing those with another. That’s not academic freedom. It’s facism.

(4). Understand why students are protesting. This isn’t a solution but it leads to the next point, which is one. Here’s my sense of what is causing the protests: 

• Widespread and historical antisemitism/ jealousy (jealousy in this case meaning that for .02% of the global population, Jews have experienced so much disproportionate success in so many high profile industries like finance, politics, media, entertainment, technology, medicine, academia, visual arts, literature, etc… that it often breeds significant resentment among some non-Jews)

• TikTok propaganda

• An image is worth 1,000 words

• There are truly awful things happening in Gaza and Netanyahu has no credibility

• Young people like to protest and feel part of something

• We have become a much more empathetic society and can feel compassion for suffering far away from us. And some argue that students are feeling oppressed by the restrictions of covid and challenges of life so they automatically identify with others who are considered oppressed.

• Young people are prone to binary thinking and miss the complexities of most situations

(5). So — give American students something tangible to work on. A full, happy life requires living with purpose. It means serving others, being part of something larger. We see today’s college students who support Hamas and support terrorism desperately seeking to find a purpose, desperately seeking to be part of something bigger than themselves. Rather than leaving them to their own devices to join in with discrimination and racism against Jews that has existed for thousands of years, let’s give American kids something to do. 

Service should be a requirement to graduate from any college that receives any form of public funding (because of research grants, this includes basically every university in the country) and make it a condition of student loans. And the service has to be something tangible – teaching, working in homeless shelters or soup kitchens, cleaning parks – not joining some group promoting social justice and spending their day on the couch tweeting (there are entire organizations dedicated to mandatory service so their ideas on how students should spend their time productively are a lot more valid than mine). 

In the most recent World Happiness Report, Israel ranked fifth globally. The U.S. was 23rd and, if we just take people under 30, we’d be 68th. Every young Israeli (with the exception of the extreme Orthodox, which I disagree with) has to serve in the military. When I invest in an Israeli startup, everyone I work with at the company has already done military service. They have more perspective. They are calmer. They are less prone to tantrums. Why? Because they are part of something much bigger than themselves. They have purpose. Their lives have meaning. 

This country feels desperate because there is a fundamental lack of purpose. The protests we’re seeing now are a clear sign of that. It doesn’t have to be this way. 

I’m not the King of the Jews (which we can all agree is for the best). But I am an independent thinker. For better or worse, I don’t let others tell me what or how to think. In general, I think that’s the approach everyone should take. And in this case specifically, I think it’s the only way we ever even come close to solving this problem.