Review: Israel: A Simple Guide To The Most Misunderstood Country On Earth by Noa Tishby

The Hand of God At The New Gate, Jerusalem 

Israel: A Simple Guide To The Most Misunderstood Country On Earth by Noa Tishby is a must-read for anyone who doesn't understand how Israel and Jews often stand as outcasts in the global context. This highlights how they represent a societal shadow—values that are essential yet often hidden or ignored.

You can see in history, “Blame the Jews, it’s their fault.” Look what’s happening right now, Israel is to be blamed for their misfortune. The world does not have empathy for Israel or the Jews.

The average person views Israel as the stronger entity compared to a terrorist group like Hamas governing Gaza or the Palestinian Authority managing the West Bank. As societal outcasts, Israel and Jews often develop greater resilience, which leads to a perception of strength. However, constantly being on guard for the next attack can have the opposite effect. 

Like Noa Tisby asks: How should Israel retaliate when Hamas fires thousands of rockets into southern Israeli towns? Why haven't the Palestinians made a final peace deal? Will the Palestinian Authority unite with Hamas, and if so, will Hamas denounce violence? 

Here are hot topics the layperson brings up such as:

Israel is a Colony: Noa Tishby states, "Israel is a refugee state, reestablished after the British left, as the Jewish homeland, after thousands of years of exile and persecution."

Israel is an Apartheid state: Apartheid came as South Africa's segregation of white and blacks. I've been to Israel twice and Jews, Christians, Muslims, and Druze live side by side. 

Ethnic Cleansing: That would mean Israel would have to wipe out all of the 22 countries in the Middle East.

Unequal Warfare: The IDF is organized and structured, where Hamas and the Palestinian Authority are not.