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Why Does the World Think Israel Is the Aggressor?

(Jerusalem Post) Irwin J. (Yitzhak) Mansdorf - Iran's indiscriminate missile attacks that Israelis are experiencing are different from anything experienced before. The missiles are bigger and better, and there are many, many more of them to contend with. Being out in the open when an attack happens exposes oneself to risk, making going to the supermarket a real adventure. In the long-awaited confrontation with Iran, what may determine who "wins" will be how the world perceives the battle. For Israelis and many other like-minded people, this is a clear choice between right and wrong, between good and evil. But if recent history is at all a guide, we can't take anything for granted. One only needs to look to the streets and campuses of the West to see intelligent, moral people advocating on behalf of what seems to be so obviously wrong. In psychological asymmetric warfare, any "victim" has the advantage over the opposing side and objectivity fades away. Already, terms like "de-escalation" are being used, as if de-escalating before a legitimate threat is verifiably eliminated is a morally good thing. We are told that the supermarkets and residential buildings targeted in Israel are in fact military targets. The writer is a clinical psychologist and a fellow at the Jerusalem Center for Security and Foreign Affairs specializing in political psychology.
2025-06-23 00:00:00
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