When difficult situations present themselves, do Israel's supporters head for the hills or hide away sheepishly on the sidelines, or do they work hard to comprehend Israel's predicaments and double down in articulating perspectives that lead to a better understanding of Israel?
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Hopefully, people who identify with the grand goals of the modern State of Israel; who know in their bones that Israelis are sincere in their desire for peace and democracy; and who recognize that Israeli leaders have the toughest job in the world in often-unprecedented situations of moral dilemma – will give Israel the benefit of the doubt.
And thus, when Israel is under attack, they become more determined to speak up for Israel. An old adage is appropriate: When the going gets tough, the tough get going.
In a world increasingly dominated by fake news, distortive and inflammatory social media woke prisms, and extreme anti-Western and anti-Israeli discourse – standing up and standing out for Israel is more necessary than ever before.
It is worth keeping in mind that Israel finds itself, once again, in a unique situation; a strategic and political situation of great promise but also of some peril.
On the one hand, Israel's strategic situation never has been better. It stands at the helm of a new regional strategic alliance for peace and against radical Islamic actors; an unprecedented coalition that includes key Sunni states like Egypt, the UAE, and (tacitly) the Saudis.
But because of Israel's successes, and because the US seems to be backing away from its traditional allies in the Mideast, bad actors are in rearguard revolt more than ever before.
The Islamic Republic of Iran is on a hegemonic march to dominate the Middle East. The recalcitrant, rejectionist Palestinian Authority defiantly has decided not to board the "Abraham Accords" peace train and instead is allowing itself to fade further into the armed-enemy-of-Israel camp. The PA and Hamas celebrate every terrorist murder of Israelis and openly call for more such mayhem.
This also has spurred a wave of terrorist violence against Israel from among Israeli Arabs; violence that ranges from extreme vandalism and cutthroat protection rackets to murderous riots with shooting and stabbing attacks.
So yes, Israeli troops and police aggressively have escalated their counter-terrorist operations. Sometimes video footage of these operations doesn't go over politely on TV screens in comfortable North American or European salons. And sometimes the security forces go overboard with cringe-worthy violence against Arab non-combatants.
When it comes to choosing between the terrorist threat and the "hasbara" threat (i.e., suffering Western criticism and losing the support of some observers from afar, because Israeli force is unpalatable to these observers), Israeli leaders have no choice but to give priority to dealing with the terrorist threat.
Obviously, it would be great to fashion a policy that manages both challenges most effectively, but that is easier said than done. And so, I say that when Israeli security forces occasionally mismanage the delicate balancing task, they ought to be cut a little slack.
I am not burying my head in the sand or belittling the discomfort that good pro-Israel activists abroad sometimes feel when watching Israel in action. But it is important that they know this: Few Israelis will apologize for so-called "heavy-handed" Israeli troop and police tactics.
Not when Israelis are under attack and when dozens of other horrendous terrorist attacks narrowly have been thwarted by Israeli police and IDF troops over the past month; and not when the world automatically defaults to blaming Israel no matter what.
Shereen Abu Aqleh is the classic case in point. Her death amid a firefight between Palestinian terrorists and Israeli counter-terror operatives was labeled "cold-blooded assassination by Israel" before you could blink. As if Israel was a priori the criminal party, facts and situational assessment be dammed.
Against such twisted, iniquitous, ugly degradation of Israel, we must fight – with conviction in the essential justice of the Zionist cause and the resplendence of Israel.
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