The lie that hating Israel has nothing to do with hating Jews
When someone says that hatred of Jews and hatred of Israel are two different things, it is often not an analysis. It is an excuse. People want to hate Israel and still feel like one of the good ones. So they draw a line in the sand and declare that the one has nothing to do with the other.
It does not hold up. Hamas has been open about it: their target is Jews, not just a state. October 7 was not a military operation against a government. People were killed because they were Jews.
The same goes for those who say that supporting the Palestinians has nothing to do with Hamas. Hamas was voted in back in 2006 and has held power ever since. They are not a foreign force in Gaza. They are the government of Gaza. You cannot chant "Free Palestine" and pretend that those who rule Palestine are a footnote.
Half of Gaza's population is under 18. They grew up in schools and summer camps where hatred of Jews is part of the curriculum. That is a tragedy for them, and everyone should be able to agree on that. But it does not change what the ideology is, or what Israel is facing.
Israel is fighting an enemy that has said out loud that it wants Jews dead, and that hides behind its own civilian population. I understand why Israel defends itself.
You can criticize Israel's government. But anyone who claims that hatred of Israel is never about Jews is lying. To others, or to themselves.