What is the difference between an Islamic State youngster with a knife and a Palestinian youngster with a knife? The "occupation"? Nonsense. Western leaders, however, refuse to admit this, and a large segment of the media in the West denies it as well. And by doing so, they are encouraging terrorism and standing against us. The past few days in Washington, in the meantime, have actually been quite encouraging. Israel is not alone. The annual Israeli-American Council conference brought nearly 1,500 Israelis living abroad to the American capital, who for three days expressed solidarity with Israel and support for strengthening the bond between the two countries. Over these three days, it was abundantly evident that Israel has loyal soldiers not only at home, but also abroad. Among the participants in the conference were numerous non-Jewish guests who came to show their support. As was the case with the Iranian issue, now too a distinction must be made between the articles and the quotes we read from administration officials in the foreign press, and what we hear on the American street. The overwhelming majority of people we speak with stand beside us. Israel is far from being on the verge of collapse (of course there are problems; everyone has them), and the citizens of the world don't spend their days thinking of ways to condemn us. The BDS phenomenon (a central topic at the conference) is undoubtedly a concern, but the average person in the street does not necessarily despise us. The past three days have taught me yet again that there is a large chasm between the claim that everyone hates us and the reality on the ground. The friends of Israel are simply not a part of the reporting. After all, it doesn't fit the narrative and doesn't coincide with the popular trend online and on college campuses, which adheres to the "bash Israel" motif. The Wall Street Journal reported on Monday that more and more Israelis are purchasing firearms to defend themselves against the increasing number of terrorist attacks in Israel. In America, the idea of a citizen buying a weapon for the purpose of self-defense is especially legitimate. A great number of Americans are fighting for this right. In the report, an Israeli with the surname of Mizrahi buys a Glock pistol and is quoted saying, "We are afraid." Suddenly we can glean a bit of what Israelis are feeling: that insufferable reality of being scared to walk down the street for fear of being stabbed. Suddenly there are reports personalizing the Israeli victim. Public opinion today, unsurprisingly, reveals a greater understanding for the war on terror. The French people have not forgotten the wave of terror attacks in France last January. The president of India visited Israel last week and his aides told me how 1.3 billion Indians admire Israel and wish to cooperate with it. A few days earlier, at a celebration marking China's independence day, I was told that a similar number of Chinese people want to bolster ties with Israel. We're already talking about nearly 3 billion people who are not against us. Israeli is in the midst of a righteous campaign, which it will undoubtedly win because it has fought worse. And the time has come to tell the truth: We are not alone. We have many supporters all around the globe. They are in Congress in Washington, and among the American public. To understand this, however, one needs to converse with the people, not just with the media.
