This week, the U.N. Independent International Commission of Inquiry on the Occupied Palestinian Territory released a report accusing Israeli military forces of deliberately targeting children. The commission alleged that over 20,000 Palestinian children were killed and more than 44,000 wounded between October 2023—following the Simchat Torah massacre on October 7, 2023—and October 2025.
As with nearly every story of Israeli atrocities and alleged Palestinian genocide, this report lacks essential context and frequently veers into outright fabrication. Writer Jonathan Sacerdoti swiftly debunked the commission’s claims, noting the glaring absence of evidence supporting these assertions. Instead, the report relies heavily on unreliable Palestinian testimony.
“The same pattern recurs case after case,” Sacerdoti wrote. “A family account, a doctor’s guess about which weapon caused a wound, and a conclusion of premeditated murder—nothing connecting the dots.”
Missing from these accounts are Hamas terrorists hiding behind—and under—children in their attacks.
It is well-documented that Hamas uses human shields, constructing tunnels and command posts beneath schools, hospitals, and mosques to evade Israeli military operations. Hamas fighters also refuse to wear uniforms, allowing them to blend into civilian crowds at a moment’s notice. Children recruited as cover for fleeing terrorists are often groomed to become militants themselves.
Meanwhile, Israeli soldiers face severe restrictions in pursuing Hamas terrorists. They must evacuate populated areas and warn civilians before conducting operations, giving Hamas time to escape, hide, and regroup. This cat-and-mouse game explains why Israel’s campaign against Hamas has progressed so slowly. Palestinian authorities aim to exhaust Israeli forces and shift global opinion against them as civilian casualties escalate over time.
For years, most American Christians who followed the conflict supported Israel’s efforts, recognizing one side as a civilized liberal democracy adhering to international norms of warfare while the other was a failed Palestinian state ruled by radical Muslim terrorists employing lies, terror, and human shields.
Rather than building stable societies or integrating into global economies, Palestinian leaders have maintained their people in permanent refugee status for nearly 80 years. They have spent billions through foreign aid on unprovoked attacks against Israel and extensive public relations campaigns designed to justify their actions.
The fundamental situation remains unchanged, though support for Israel has fallen significantly across the political spectrum. Some of this decline stems from the complex conflict with Iran, which Israeli leaders helped initiate to weaken Hamas and Hezbollah. However, most resentment toward Israel arises from ignorance and naivety among younger Americans.
Older generations, who grew up in the 20th century, had extensive experience with corrupt foreign powers—communist regimes, Islamist governments, and dictatorships that routinely spread propaganda to maintain control. In many such societies, business owners exploited workers, law enforcement preyed on citizens, political authorities embezzled public funds, and ordinary people learned to survive by surrendering agency and blaming suffering on external forces beyond their control.
As a result, many nations never advance. They depend on Western support for survival yet face eroded trust that prevents collective action or meaningful reform. Foreign aid often exacerbates the dysfunction it aims to resolve.
This is the story of Palestinians: Their leaders consistently blame all problems on the West—particularly Jews and white Westerners—and spread falsehoods both internationally and within their communities. They are portrayed as passive victims; failure occurs to them, but they never cause it.
The relentless lies stemming from this learned helplessness must be confronted repeatedly. Accepting baseless claims of genocide in Gaza only prolongs regional violence and deceives reasonable Americans.
On weak evidence and dubious testimony, many Americans now suspect Israel—and Jews generally—while foolishly trusting extremists who use children as shields to terrorize innocent civilians.
Worse, the logic behind supporting Palestinians has spilled into American politics. Radical leftists, particularly socialist candidates who recently won New York City primaries, obsessively focus on Israel because they believe lies about Palestinians. These falsehoods help them construct their own narratives. They study the techniques of “Pallywood,” the Palestinian propaganda machine, to repurpose them in their campaigns. They express solidarity with “besieged” Palestinians to claim solidarity with “besieged” American minorities.
This entire effort amounts to a political Ponzi scheme that depends on widespread belief. By the time the truth emerges, the liars have often seized control and transformed societies into authoritarian Third World states—considering the United Kingdom’s experience as an example.
Jesus famously stated, “The truth will set you free.” The logical inverse is also true: Lies enslave people. When lies become commonplace and trust evaporates, every path to progress and flourishing closes.
Many younger conservatives want to stop discussing Israel and Palestine. Some Christians wish to abandon defending Israel’s actions. But this surrender of moral ground to leftists who dominate these discussions and understand their tactics is dangerous.
The left understands that the conflict in the Holy Land reflects a broader Western struggle between the secular left and the Christian right.
For now, supporting Israel’s fight against Hamas and Hezbollah while rejecting the lies that continue to pour out of this war remains critical.
