Israel Isn’t the Problem. Your Ignorance Is.

The More You ‘Stand with Palestine,’ the Less You Know What That Means.

Let’s be honest: if the Middle East conflict were a jigsaw puzzle, it’d be missing a third of the pieces, soaked in petrol, and actively on fire.

Still, Western pundits treat it like a Sudoku—just needs the right numbers and a steady hand. “Two states!” they chant, as if it’s a magic spell. But it’s not a strategy; it’s a slogan. And growing up in communist Poland, I learned early that slogans usually mean someone’s stopped thinking and started obeying.

A Problem with No Clean Ending

The brutal reality is that there is no neat resolution—no perfect handshake on a White House lawn, no John Williams soundtrack swelling in the background. Israel isn’t chasing utopia; it’s trying to ensure that tomorrow’s children aren’t dodging rockets at breakfast.

That’s not a failure. That’s strategy.

The Palestinian Identity: Weapon or Narrative?

Now, let’s talk about identity—the word that gets liberals hot under the collar. The modern Palestinian identity, as we know it, didn’t exist before the 20th century. Prior to that, people in the region called themselves Arabs, Jordanians, Syrians—take your pick. The Palestinian identity, like many political identities, was forged in opposition, not in continuity.

Which is fine—people are entitled to forge identities. But let’s not pretend this is all about 1967 borders. The rejection of Israel predates any occupation. In fact, it predates Israel.

From the 1937 Peel Plan to the 1947 UN Partition, to Ehud Barak’s generous 2000 offer, the answer from Palestinian leadership has been remarkably consistent: “No.” Not “No, thank you.” Just “No.”

Why? Because this isn’t about land. It’s about the refusal to accept a Jewish state. Any Jewish state.

The Other Side of the Fence

Meanwhile, Israel—mocked, bombed, sanctioned, and slandered—somehow keeps doing this weird thing: succeeding.

Yes, they’re imperfect (name me a perfect democracy, I dare you), but while Hamas is investing in terror tunnels and firing squads, Israel is exporting microchips, water tech, and Nobel laureates. One side builds hospitals; the other hides in them.

If it’s a contest of priorities, we have a winner—and it’s not the side that names streets after suicide bombers.

Reality Check from the Arab World

Then there’s the inconvenient fact that the Arab world is… moving on. The Abraham Accords weren’t a fluke. From the Gulf to Morocco, countries are starting to see Israel not as the enemy, but as a very useful friend—especially when Iran keeps threatening to turn the region into one big radioactive crater.

Even Saudi Arabia, that bastion of conservative theocracy, is flirting with Tel Aviv like a shy teenager at prom. That’s not nothing.

International Hypocrisy and the UN Pantomime

Of course, the UN continues its performance art—condemning Israel more than all the world’s tyrannies combined. North Korea can starve its population to death, and you’ll hear nary a peep. But if Israel dares to defend itself? Cue the emergency sessions.

And yes, the BBC still treats every IDF operation like it’s a Bond villain’s origin story, complete with “revenge strikes” and a refusal to call Hamas what it is: a genocidal death cult with a press office.

So, What Now?

Here’s the uncomfortable truth: Israel’s “endgame” isn’t about unicorn peace deals. It’s about managing a dangerous neighbourhood with as much decency as possible, while refusing to die politely.

It means protecting its people without becoming what it’s fighting. It means surviving—thriving, even—in a world that’s increasingly allergic to nuance and addicted to hashtags.

And yes, when the stars align and real peace becomes possible, Israel will be there. Open-handed. But it won’t hold its breath while Hamas is stockpiling Iranian rockets and the West is busy cancelling itself.

Final Thought

This isn’t a fairy tale. It’s not even a tragedy. It’s a complex, messy, maddening reality that doesn’t fit neatly into activist Instagram reels.

But if you’re looking for inspiration, look to Israel itself—a country that, despite everything, still manages to turn deserts into orchards, war zones into start-ups, and terror into resilience.

Not perfect. But persistent. And in this region, that’s more than enough to earn respect.