September 1 , 2025 How Israel is surviving five outrageous Gaza War slanders—and will emerge a hero Dear Friend of Israel, Friend of FLAME: “Countries that condemn and threaten sanctions will not influence our resolve. Gone are the days when Jews did not defend themselves.”—Israel’s Minister of Defence, Israel Katz. Israel's reputation has taken a horrible beating over the last two years, thanks to a constant drumbeat of egregious lies and false accusations by media, NGOs, Western nations and other members of the “international community.” Nevertheless, Israel's cause and conduct of the war have been righteous and exemplary from October 7, 2023 onward. The fact that Israel stands on the side of truth and continues to defeat forces of the global Islamist jihad—including, shortly, Hamas—positions the Jewish state to emerge soon as a hero despite libelous efforts to discredit and delegitimize it. However, to be clear, Israel does not perform superbly for noble reasons simply because it seeks approval from its critics. Rather, the Jewish state is fighting for its very survival in the world’s toughest neighborhood, employing assets that are even tougher than its foes—world-class armaments, unsurpassed intelligence, brilliant war strategy, indefatigable fighting spirit . . . and yes, a moral compass that makes it arguably the most ethical military on Earth. We can trust that Israel’s eventual victory over one of the world’s most evil foes will silence many, if not most of its critics. But if not, it will at least continue the 3,000-year survival of one of the world’s most successful peoples, an achievement in itself with sufficient rewards. Media, NGOs, the UN and Western nations have attacked Israel relentlessly using five vicious lies: 1) Israel is committing genocide. Fact: Israel’s war is with Hamas, not the Palestinians of Gaza. It has shown no intention or any effect of exterminating the Palestinians. 2) Israel is intentionally starving the people of Gaza. Fact: Israel has allowed two million tons of humanitarian aid since the war started—an unprecedented largesse for a country to provide an enemy population. If Gazans go hungry, it’s because Hamas steals food deliveries. 3) Israel is committing ethnic cleansing by forcibly transferring Gaza’s population. Fact: Israel issues warnings to civilians to evacuate to safer areas where they are less likely to be harmed by combat operations. 4) Israel intentionally targets civilians. Fact: Israel targets terrorists, and ONLY terrorists. Actual death toll numbers confirm Israel does not attack innocents, and has achieved an astoundingly low civilian-to-fighter ratio of 1.5-1.0, historically low for modern urban warfare. 5) Israel intentionally targets journalists. Fact: Journalism in war zones is inherently dangerous and life threatening. Israel does not target journalists, but also does not spare terrorists masquerading as journalists. Many of the journalists killed in the Gaza war were affiliated with Hamas or other terrorist groups. Slanderous lies have their cost: Israel has suffered severe damage to its reputation. Israel has been referred to the International Criminal Court (ICC), accused of genocide and war crimes. The ICC has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Yoav Gallant. Nine countries, including Canada, Germany, Italy and Spain have imposed arms embargoes on Israel. Ten more countries have recognized “Palestine,” and more countries, including France, the UK, Canada, Australia and Belgium are planning to follow suit at the UN General Assembly later this month. In addition, polls show many people believe the lies: One conducted last month showed 50% of registered voters in the U.S. believe Israel is committing genocide in Gaza. Likewise, global opinion: A Pew Research survey done in 24 countries earlier this year, showed 62% of respondents had negative views of the Jewish state. Despite fighting genocidal monsters, Israel’s military has maintained high ethical standards. Not only has Israel decapitated Hamas’s command and control, in the words of British war veteran and military expert Richard Kemp, “Israel is meticulous in following the laws of war while Hamas brazenly violates them.” Indeed, while Hamas uses human shields to maximize civilian casualties, Israel has taken unprecedented steps to protect civilians, including warnings in advance of attacks, evacuation warnings, the use of precise munitions, and delivering abundant humanitarian aid. As Israel prevails militarily against the global jihad, its morale and economy remain world-class. In less than two years, Israel has laid waste to Iran’s network of jihad proxies—Hamas, Hezbollah, the Houthis. It has also laid waste to Iran itself, destroying much of their missile and nuclear infrastructure. Israel has done all this with the steadfast support of the U.S government, and recent polling shows 74% of Americans backing the Jewish state against Hamas. Likewise, Israel’s morale remains strong, with a survey by Institute for National Security Studies (INSS) showing 75% of the Israeli public continues to express high trust in the Israel Defense Force (IDF), and 66% of Israelis believe that the IDF will win the war in Gaza. Israel’s economy has also shown tremendous strength. For example, the Tel Aviv Stock Exchange has soared, emerging as the top-performing stock market in the Middle East, climbing an impressive ~80% in dollar terms since October 2023. Furthermore, the OECD forecasts 3.4% GDP growth in 2025, accelerating to 5.5% in 2026, noting Israel’s economic resilience and strong fundamentals. All signs are, Israel will emerge a hero: The Jewish state has been vindicated (and later cheered) in the past after unpopular actions and global censure. For instance, after Israel bombed Iraq’s Osirak nuclear reactor in 1981—to prevent Iraq from obtaining nuclear weapons—it was almost universally denounced by the “international community.” The UN Security Council, including the U.S., condemned the move, and President Reagan even suspended the delivery of F16 jets to Israel. Later, however, especially after the 1991 Gulf War revealed Iraq’s nuclear ambitions, many reinterpreted the strike as a strategic success that prevented additional threats from Saddam Hussein. Similarly, the same “international community” that now scolds Israel for its actions against Islamist forces in Iran, Gaza, Lebanon, Syria and Yemen will likely later praise the Jewish state for almost single-handedly vanquishing the global jihadists. Please make the point when speaking with family, friends, colleagues—or in letters to the editor—that while tarnished reputations and demoralization can be difficult to repair, Israel’s global fortunes will be driven by decisive geopolitical victory over evil, its superior military prowess, its righteous war conduct . . . and the power of truth over unconscionable slander. If you agree we need to spread this truth, please use your email browser to forward this Hotline issue to fellow lovers of Israel—and encourage them to join us by subscribing to the Hotline at no charge. Best regards,
James Sinkinson, President
Facts and Logic About the Middle East (FLAME P.S. I’m sure you’d agree: If your enemy says they want to kill you and take your land, you’d be smart to believe them. If you try to make peace, but they refuse all your offers and continue to make murderous threats, it’s time to eliminate this enemy. Israel has faced exactly this danger with the Palestinians—yet continued to hope for peace . . . until Hamas’s October 7 massacre and kidnappings. Finally, Israel and many lovers of Israel are facing reality. They’ve concluded their futile dreams of peace must end. They must finally defeat their Palestinian enemies—starting with Hamas and other jihadi terrorists. I hope you’ll agree that we supporters of the Israel-U.S. relationship need to speak out. FLAME’s new hasbarah—explanatory message—“End of the Palestinian Lie”—describes how Israel and the West have for 77 years bought the myth that the Palestinians want peace. It details the many offers of land for peace Israel, the U.N. and the U.S. have made to give Palestinians their own state—all refused. Finally, it explains why Israel must adopt a bold new strategy—disarming, disabling and defeating Hamas and all other terror groups that attack Israeli civilians. Please review this convincing, fact-based editorial, which FLAME intends to publish to millions—in leading social media, as well as in the Washington Post, Wall Street Journal, New York Post, Chicago Tribune, Tampa Bay Times, Denver Post and Los Angeles Times. This piece will also be sent to all members of Congress, the President and Vice President. If you agree that this kind of public relations effort on Israel’s behalf is critical, I urge you to support us with a donation. As of today, more than 28,000 Israel supporters receive the FLAME Hotline at no charge every week. If you’re not yet a subscriber, won’t you join us in receiving these timely updates, so you can more effectively tell the truth about Israel? Just go to free subscription. | 
