The more Israel attacks, the more the West portrays it as a “victim”

Israel recently carried out airstrikes on inland regions of Iran. Many people, including civilians, scientists, and officials, were killed in targets around Tehran and Isfahan. Despite the attack, Western leaders and media defended the action as 'self-defense.' U.S. officials claimed that Israel was trying to prevent an 'imminent Iranian threat.' According to Professor Joseph Massad of Columbia University, this stance reflects the long history of the West's unconditional support for Israel. Whenever Israel attacks or occupies, it is consistently portrayed in Western public opinion as a 'small country defending itself.' 1967: The Foundation of the 'Victim Israel' Narrative For example, in 1966, the village of Samu in the West Bank was raided; 125 homes, a school, and a health clinic were destroyed. In 1967, Israel sent farmers and soldiers across the border into Syrian territory; when Syria responded, Damascus was bombed, resulting in the deaths of 100 people. In this way, Israel was laying the groundwork for its planned occupation. The Erasure of Jerusalem and Palestinian Memory Properties belonging to Islamic endowments were converted into synagogues and settlement projects. Under the pretext of archaeological excavations, many historic Muslim structures were demolished. The West either ignored this cultural destruction or labeled it as 'modernization.' Occupation Rebranded as Settlement Over 10,000 Egyptians were displaced from the Sinai Peninsula; villages and mosques were demolished. More than 100,000 Syrians were expelled from the Golan Heights. By 1968, 75,000 Palestinians had been deported from Gaza. The West legitimized this process by framing it as a 'land for peace' initiative. A Victory of Civilization? So-Called Negotiations, Actual Annexation In 1980, the Israeli government officially annexed East Jerusalem. Palestinian neighborhoods were erased through excavations, historic buildings were demolished under the name of 'archaeological sites,' and the demographic structure was altered with new settlements. The West's Silent Approval Massad summarizes his article with the following sentence: 'Even as Israel massacres its victims, it is portrayed by the West as a victim itself. This is not just hypocrisy—it is the modern face of colonialism.'