Has Israel Lost Its Way?
Nations, like individuals, are shaped by the choices they make. Decades of occupation, conflict, fear, and violence inevitably leave their mark on a society.
Many supporters of Israel see it as a nation founded on Judeo-Christian values, democracy, and the promise of providing a safe homeland for the Jewish people. Yet a growing body of evidence raises difficult questions about whether Israel is moving closer to those ideals or drifting away from them.
What happens to a society after decades of occupation, conflict, and dehumanization? The examples below raise difficult questions about Israel’s moral direction, the values that increasingly shape public life, and what the country is becoming.
For Christians, they raise an additional question: Do these attitudes and actions reflect the teachings of Jesus, or do they point to a society being shaped more by fear and conflict than by compassion, justice, and mercy?
Troubling Survey Results
A survey of Israeli Jews conducted by Penn State University produced several notable findings:
- 47% supported killing all the inhabitants of a conquered city in a scenario modeled after the biblical story of Jericho.
- 82% supported the expulsion of Gazans.
- 56% supported expelling Palestinian citizens living inside Israel’s recognized borders.[1]
These findings suggest that support for policies associated with collective punishment, population transfer, or large-scale expulsions extends beyond a small fringe of Israeli society.
International perceptions of Israel have also shifted significantly. According to a 2026 survey conducted by Nira Data, Israel was the most negatively perceived country in the world.[2] While public opinion does not determine what is true or false, it provides insight into how Israel’s actions and policies are viewed around the globe.
Neither survey should be interpreted as representative of all Jewish people. Many Jews in Israel and around the world strongly oppose these views and have publicly criticized Israeli government policies toward Palestinians. Criticizing the policies of the Israeli government is not antisemitic. Holding Jewish people collectively responsible for those policies, or directing hostility toward Jews because of them, is antisemitic.
Sources
[1] Haaretz, “Yes to Transfer: 82% of Jewish Israelis Back Expelling Gazans” May 2025”
[2] Nira Data, “Global Country Perceptions 2026”
From Attitudes to Actions
Critics argue that surveys provide insight into what people believe, while public behavior and government actions reveal how those beliefs can manifest themselves in practice. The examples below are frequently cited by critics as evidence of broader attitudes that have become increasingly visible within segments of Israeli society. Since most Israeli Jewish citizens serve in the IDF, military examples are also included.
Leadership Dehumanizing
A number of Israeli political and military leaders have used dehumanizing language when referring to Palestinians, Arabs, or Israel’s enemies. Public statements have included references to “human animals”[1], “wild beasts,” and “two-legged beasts.”
Dehumanization has been a common feature of ethnic, religious, and national conflicts throughout history.
Flag Marching
Each year, tens of thousands of Israelis participate in the Jerusalem Day Flag March. While marching through the Palestinian Quarter of Jerusalem, some participants chant “Death to Arabs,” spit on Palestinian residents, throw stones, and make animal noises.[2]
Spitting on Clergy
Jewish extremists have repeatedly spat on Catholic, Orthodox, and Armenian clergy in Jerusalem.[3] In 2024, 111 anti-Christian incidents were reportedly documented in the city.[4]
Defending Accused Soldiers
In 2024, some Israeli citizens, including several government ministers protested the detention of nine Israeli soldiers accused of raping Palestinian prisoners.[5]
Shooting Protestors
During the Great March of Return protests, Israeli forces killed 189 Palestinians, including children, paramedics, and members of the press.[6]
Weaponizing Food
Prior to the war in Gaza, UNRWA delivered approximately 500 truckloads of food, medicine, and other humanitarian supplies into the territory each day. During the war, those shipments fell dramatically, ranging from only 10 to 200 truckloads per day. [7]
Some Jewish extremists physically blocked the already reduced number of aid trucks from entering the Gaza Strip.[8]
In 2025, the government of Israel halted all aid deliveries, including food, for approximately eleven weeks.[9][10]
Israeli soldiers also shot Palestinians attempting to obtain food on multiple occasions. On February 29, 2024, Israeli soldiers opened fire on Palestinians gathering near aid trucks inside the Gaza Strip, killing more than 100 people.[11]
Intercepting Flotillas
Several flotillas carrying humanitarian aid departed from Europe over the years in an effort to reach the Gaza Strip. In one such raid in 2010, Israeli commandos boarded a vessel and killed nine activists.[12] In 2026, some flotilla participants accused Israeli forces of attacking them with stun guns, rubber bullets, and beating them after their capture.[13]
Sources
[1] HuffPost, “Israeli Defense Minister: ‘We Are Fighting Human Animals’ “
[3] The Jerusalem Post, “Why do Jewish extremists spit on Christian clergy in Jerusalem’s Old City”
[4] Rossing Center, Attacks on Christians in Israel and East Jerusalem (2024)
[5] JTA, “Right-wing Israelis stormed army bases. What happened, and why does it matter?”
[6] BBC, “Gaza protest deaths: Israel may have committed war crimes – UN”
[7] NPR, “How much humanitarian aid is getting into Gaza?”
[8] Al Arabiya / Reuters, “Israeli protesters block aid trucks headed to Gaza”
[9] Times of Israel, “Israel halts aid into Gaza over Hamas refusal to extend first phase of truce”
[11] NPR, “Scores killed trying to get food from an aid convoy during a chaotic scene in Gaza”
[12] BBC, “Deaths as Israel storms Gaza aid ship”
[13] NBC, “Israel faces growing pressure over alleged abuse of Gaza flotilla members”