Europe and the United States present themselves as the moral compass of the free world, speaking loftily about human rights, universal justice, and the rule of law. But behind this pseudo-values facade lies a far more troubling reality: selective morality, political fear, economic interests, and big money that dictates the limits of acceptable discourse.
Since Hamas’s terrorist attack on October 7, Western hypocrisy has been exposed in full force, in a way that can no longer be ignored.
When the State of Israel defends its citizens against a murderous terrorist organization, it is portrayed as an aggressive state, an oppressive power, and a global moral problem.
By contrast, Islamic terrorism, the murder of civilians, the kidnapping of children, and the rape of women are met with rationalizations and at times even justifications, often cloaked in academic language. This is not a mistake. It is a method.
The new antisemitism is no longer confined to street chants and Nazi symbols. It wears a suit, sits on international panels, lectures at universities, publishes in prestigious media outlets, and stars on human rights committees. Alongside hatred of Jews as individuals, it targets the State of Israel as a collective. The delegitimization of the Jewish state has become a “respectable” way to express an ancient hatred in modern, sophisticated language.
Influence of Qatari funding
To understand the depth of the decay, one must look at the sources of funding. For years, billions of dollars have flowed from Qatar into Western academic institutions, primarily in the United States and Europe. These are not innocent donations to science and education but a strategic investment. This money buys silence, reshapes curricula, influences public discourse, and grants legitimacy to anti-Western and anti-Israel narratives.
Prestigious universities, which should serve as beacons of critical thinking, have become arenas of indoctrination. Under the banner of “progressivism,” students are exposed to a one-sided narrative in which Israel is to blame and terrorism is “understandable.”
Professors who attempt to present a more complex view are marginalized. Jewish students are silenced and at times even threatened. This is not academic freedom. It is moral corruption financed by foreign money.
Qatar, a country that is not democratic, does not respect basic human rights, funds Islamist movements, and hosts terrorist leaderships, has managed to influence Western discourse more than any democratic state. And the West remains silent, not out of principle but because of contracts, investments, economic dependence, and fear.
The silence of the West
Europe, in particular, suffers from deep hypocrisy. Countries that lecture Israel on morality struggle to confront Islamic radicalization within their own borders. They fear the streets, immigrants, and violence. It is easier to point an accusing finger at Israel than to deal with failures at home. Israel becomes a convenient scapegoat.
In the United States as well, especially among the younger generation, a simplistic and dangerous worldview is taking root. The world is divided into “oppressors” and “oppressed.” Israel is automatically placed on the oppressor side, while Hamas is granted moral immunity as a “resistance movement.” This is the intellectualization of murder, a process generously funded by Qatari money.
Another troubling dimension has emerged. The new antisemitism has found Jewish partners. Marginal anti-Zionist groups provide the West with a convenient alibi. The most prominent among them is Neturei Karta, a tiny and unrepresentative extremist Jewish sect that opposes Zionism and the State of Israel on radical ideological grounds. Their very existence is cynically exploited: “If there are Jews who oppose Israel, then anything goes.” Thus, fringe elements become tools in the hands of Israel’s enemies.
This phenomenon has now crossed the boundaries of religious extremism and reached the political mainstream. The election of Zohran Mamdani as mayor of New York is seen by many in the Jewish community as a symbol of a broader trend: the rise of politicians identified with anti-Zionist rhetoric and support for boycotts of Israel.
When the city that is home to the largest Jewish community in the world chooses leadership associated with such positions, this is not merely a political event.
The West demands standards from Israel that it does not demand from any other country. It preaches morality while having destroyed cities in Iraq and Afghanistan. It speaks of proportionality, yet lost it long ago. And it is willing to sell its values for gas contracts, investments, and massive donations.
Ultimately, this is not only an attack on Israel. It is a profound moral failure of the West itself. A society that allows foreign money to corrupt its institutions, silence free criticism, and enable a new form of antisemitism to flourish forfeits its right to preach morality to others.
A society willing to remain silent in the face of funded terrorism and murderous ideology has no moral compass. When they finally realize they are losing their countries to radical Islamists, they may wake up, but it will likely be too late.
The author is CEO of Radios 100FM, honorary consul and deputy dean of the consular Diplomatic corps, president of the Israeli Radio Communications Association, former IDF Radio correspondent, and former NBC television reporter.