In “A Hebron ‘Emirate’ or a Colonial Deception?” (7/9/25), the Wall Street Journal and its editorial author Mahmood Jabari complete the amazing feat of distorting facts through an entire editorial, from the first words to the very last.  It would seem that such an achievement would be impossible, but this op-ed accomplished it.

Let’s start from the title.  Israel cannot possibly be considered “colonial” by any stretch of the imagination.  The 3,000-year Jewish presence in Israel is documented in history books, substantiated by numerous archaeological findings, and described in the Bible.  Jews are from Judea (as the word “Judea” implies), a land currently called the West Bank.

There was no significant dispute about Jewish indigeneity in Israel until about 80 years ago, coinciding (to no one’s surprise) with the rebirth of the Jewish state — Israel.  Ironically, Arabs who accused Israelis of colonialism were themselves colonists.  In the seventh century, Arabs migrated westward from the Arabian Peninsula (as the word “Arab” implies) and forcibly colonized a vast region, including the Eastern Mediterranean and all of North Africa.  At one point, the Arab Conquest even conquered much of Europe but was eventually repelled.    

Due to the Arab colonization, the Middle East became majority-Arab.  The Jews, along with Persians, Kurds, Turks, and other ethnicities, were the groups who were colonized. In the twentieth century, after the demise of the Ottoman Empire, Israel and four neighboring Arab states emerged as sovereign products of decolonization.  The Middle East is currently 99% Arab/Muslim and 1% Jewish.

In light of the above, there is no reason to characterize Arab colonizers as the victims of colonialism.  Journalists who accuse Israel of colonialism are spreading lies to delegitimize and ultimately to destroy Israel.  Propagandists like Jabari aim to rally world opinion to take down the one Jewish state.  The Wall Street Journal shamefully went along for that ride.  

The op-ed ends with this:  

Most important, this process [a peace deal] must be led by a young generation of Palestinian leaders, most of whom have never had an opportunity to vote in a Palestinian election and have only known occupation but refuse to accept it.

With that final line, the author shows he has the unique ability — if nothing else — for packing several lies into one sentence.  Where is this “young generation of Palestinian leaders” of which the author speaks?  Is he referring to Hamas leaders?  There are no George Washingtons in the Palestinian areas.  Have we heard of any?  No.

The reason young Palestinians “have never had an opportunity to vote in a Palestinian election” is because in one territory, Palestinian Authority leader Mahmoud Abbas has refused to hold elections since 2005.  He is now in his twentieth year of a five-year term.  The other territory, Gaza, has been ruled by a ruthless terrorist organization since 2007.  The biggest lie of them all is that Israel “occupies” the territories inhabited by Palestinians.  Repeating the canard, as the mainstream media have a habit of doing, doesn’t make it true.  In Gaza, 100% of the Palestinian population is ruled by Hamas.  In Judea and Samaria (the West Bank), over 90% of the Palestinians have self-rule, and the remaining 10% live in Israeli-controlled areas by choice. 

The Wall Street Journal should apologize for this propaganda hit piece on Israel.  A correction would be longer than the op-ed itself.  How about a commitment to honesty in all future Wall Street Journal articles and op-eds regarding Israel and the Palestinians?  That would be a welcome start.

Image via Pxbarn.