Let’s be honest – what do you really know about Israel? What do you know about the Israelis? Do you really think they are “baby killers”, “colonialists”, committing “genocide”, that they are “oppressors” who operate as an “apartheid” state, and all this nonsense you hear in the Pro-Palestinian propaganda? A propaganda full of lies aiming to delegitimize the only Jewish state in the world. Are you really falling for that? Stick with us for a few moments and I promise you – you will be surprised how far this narrative is from reality. The gap between the propaganda you see on your screen and the truth of the cultural landscape is absolutely staggering.

It forces a really uncomfortable question about how such a severe distortion even takes root in the global consciousness in the first place. How does a narrative that is just so radically detached from the daily lived reality become the default assumption for millions of people who have never even set foot in the region?

If you’ve never been to the Middle East, you most likely formed an opinion based on what you see and hear in the media. Your TV channels probably show you an aggressive state attacking its neighbouring countries (without really giving you the whole context), social media keeps pumping the same propaganda about a colonial state, apartheid, white supremacy, genocide, and all these repeated slogans. All these lies are, in fact, a complete opposite to reality, to history, and to what is actually happening on the ground. Forming an opinion based solely on television headlines or a curated social media feed completely strips away all the necessary context. It is like looking through a tiny keyhole and convincing yourself you understand the architecture of the entire house.

First-Hand Experience shapes True Understanding

The best way to understand Israel is to actually go there and see it for yourself. But before you buy a flight ticket to Ben-Gurion International Airport named after the first Prime Minister of Israel, just envision arriving there for the very first time. What is the physical reality? Because we hear about it like it’s this massive colonial state, but the geography tells a totally different story. The physical reality is usually the very first big shock for any visitor. As you descend, you can practically see the entire width of the country right from the window of the airplane. At its narrowest point, the country is only about 9 miles wide, 15 kilometres. That’s it! You could drive across it in the time it takes to listen to this podcast episode. It is one of the smallest countries in the world, the size of New Jersey, with a population of barely 10 million people – to put that in perspective, that is smaller than many major metropolitan cities around the world – like London, New York and Tokyo.

This tiny fragile sliver of land is completely surrounded by so many Arab and Muslim states, which many of them never accepted the existence of a non-Muslim entity among them and who historically want it literally erased from the map, completely wiped out. That geographic isolation is a fundamental piece of the puzzle here. It creates a level of existential pressure, it is a kind of geopolitical claustrophobia that is almost impossible for someone living in North America or Western Europe to truly comprehend. You do not have Canada or Mexico constantly threatening to drive the United States into the sea. In Israel, there is not much land to retreat into if things go wrong. There’s only a narrow of land sandwiched between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea. You are constantly living under existential threat.

And that leads to a crucial question. What is the core drive of these 10 million people? What is their ultimate goal? You might assume it would be conquest or militarism, but the truth is the main thing they strive for is Peace. All they ever wanted is to be accepted by their neighbours and by the world. If anything, Israelis just want to be left alone to raise their families. “Live and let live”. Shake my hand and live next to me in peace. Be my friend, be a good neighbour and do the most basic thing among peaceful societies – stop trying to erase me off the map. You will be surprised how different Israel is to what you thought and what you were told all these years. It is a profound contrast to that aggressive image projected by international critics.

Living Under Constant Threat of War, Rockets and Terror Attacks

Imagine living in a country where you can spend Friday night in a packed restaurant, walk along the beach, go to university, build a start-up company, fall in love, raise your kids – and then, without warning, a siren tells you to run for your life. That is the contradiction at the heart of modern Israel. Tel Aviv can feel as cosmopolitan as London, New York or Sydney: cafés, nightlife, technology, universities, beaches and a young, globally connected population. Yet beneath that normality is a security reality most Western societies rarely experience. Living under the constant threat of Terror Attacks from Palestinian factions or individuals – that can turn an ordinary morning into a national emergency, Rocket attacks from Gaza, Lebanon, Yemen and Iran. Families keep shelters accessible as each house or unit has a “Safe Room” especially built for emergencies. Children grow up knowing what an air-raid siren means before they learn how to ride a bike. And when war comes, ordinary citizens can be called away from their jobs, homes and families to serve. This isn’t a society that has chosen between modern life and the threat of war – it has learned to live with both at the same time. And perhaps that is one of the hardest things to understand about Israel from the outside: behind the modern life, the beach parties, the super advanced technology and the energetic nightlife is a society that has spent generations knowing that peace can never simply be taken for granted and ever so often is out of reach.

So you step off the plane, you feel that intense Mediterranean heat in your face, and the very first thing you need to grasp is the sheer geographic reality of where you are standing. It’s a modern Western society with high rise apartment buildings, malls and packed sandy beaches, you can spend hours and days walking around feeling at home. And you can only hope that you won’t be unlucky enough to experience what most Israelis have learned to live with over the years – running for shelter time and time again whenever the air raid sirens go off, be at the wrong place at the wrong time when a terror attack takes place, seeing a Palestinian terrorist stabbing or shooting innocent civilians while shouting “Allahu Akbar” out of nowhere, and believe me you do not want to experience first-hand those Intifada days where explosive devices were detonated on public buses, restaurants and nightclubs, killing hundreds of young people for the crime of being an Israeli. Living in Israel means being on constant alert for a potential terror attack on the streets of every city, and knowing where the closest bomb shelter is, even though they are everywhere. Because in some parts of Israel something happens almost on a daily basis. And guess what, you hardly ever hear about it on Tik Tok or see it on international News outlets.

For millions of Israelis, this isn’t something they watch on a screen. It’s the sound of a siren interrupting dinner. It’s a parent checking the news before sending their child to school. It’s ordinary people being called away from ordinary lives because their country is at war. It’s watching another heart-breaking funeral of a fallen soldier or a murdered child on the evening news. This is the paradox of Israeli life: a modern Western-style society living with the security consciousness of a country that knows the next war, rocket attack or terrorist assault is never entirely out of the question. For Israelis, security isn’t an abstract political debate – it is something woven into everyday life. And that geography plays a big role – everything is so tiny, so close to each other. The distance between Jerusalem, Tel Aviv and the West Bank is minimal. The distance between the many Kibbutzim along the Gaza envelope to Hamas-controlled Gaza is a stone’s throw away. It’s right there.

Israelis and Jews – What is the Difference

When people think of Israelis, many mistakenly confuse them with the broader Jewish identity. While Israel is indeed the homeland of the Jewish people, a big part of its population is actually secular. You have people who might fast on Yom Kippur, but then they spend the rest of the year building cutting edge cyber security software or going to massive beach parties in Tel Aviv.

They have evolved into this unique cultural demographic that fuses ancient thousands of years old traditions with a fierce modern liberalism. You see it everywhere. You could have a city like Jerusalem, which is deeply rooted in history and religious tradition, located just a short drive away from Tel Aviv, which is well-known globally for its tech scene, its night life, and for being one of the most LGBTQ friendly cities in the entire world, frequently ranked as one of the most liberal and technologically advanced cities on the planet. Which you would never guess based on the propaganda. That really shatters that monolithic religious caricature.

Israelis have evolved into something unique: a vibrant, liberal, democratic society that combines ancient traditions with modern resilience. They are not defined only by religion but by a national culture forged through survival, innovation, and an enduring desire for peace.

Let’s be blunt: Israelis are not who the world often paints them to be. They are not caricatures from propaganda campaigns, they are not evil people who seek power over others or wish to “control the world”, and they’re also not simply “Jews in the Middle East”, even though following years of prosecution, Israel is the only place where Jews can live around the Middle East.

Israelis are something unique – loud, passionate, fiercely loyal people forged through history, war, and survival. They live in one of the toughest neighbourhoods on Earth, surrounded by enemies who wish to destroy them. And yet, instead of turning inward and becoming a dark militaristic Sparta, they thrive, innovate, and keep pushing forward with relentless optimism and a stubborn hope for peace.

A People Forged by History

Israel’s character was shaped by a history unlike any other. Out of the ashes of exile, persecution, pogroms, and ultimately the Holocaust, the Jewish people built a modern state in 1948. Israel was built by people who absolutely refused to stay victims. This is a profound contrast to other narratives in the region, particularly the prevailing narrative of Palestinian victimhood. The people who built the state decided that they would never again allow themselves to be passive victims of history. They took their intergenerational trauma and channelled it into building a resourceful, practical, and incredibly tough society. They refused to wait for the world to save them. They decided that “NEVER AGAIN” and that they will defend themselves no matter what.

Over decades, waves of immigrants from every corner of the world – Europe, Middle East, North Africa, America, Russia and Ethiopia – moulded Israel into a cultural melting pot that shaped the modern Israeli identity. They didn’t just create another Jewish community – this diversity gave birth to a new type of people—Israelis: Tough, resourceful, practical, outspoken, argumentative, but also warm, generous and bursting with life, fiercely loyal to their country, and above all – determined to live freely in their ancestral homeland.

Modern Israelis come from a mix of migration waves across history. The Jewish people trace their origins to the Land of Israel (biblical Israel/Judea) thousands of years ago. After the Roman destruction of the Second Temple in 70 CE and the Bar Kokhba revolt (135 CE), most Jews were dispersed across the Roman Empire and beyond – beginning the long Jewish diaspora. Yet, some Jewish communities never left and remained in places like Jerusalem, Tiberias, Tzfat and Hebron throughout the centuries, meaning there was always Jewish presence on the land of Israel.

From the late Middle Ages, groups of Jews returned over centuries from Spain, North Africa, Yemen, and Eastern Europe, often for religious reasons. From the late 19th century, large “Aliyah” immigration waves brought Jews back from the diaspora to the land of Israel, from Russia, Poland, Romania, Yemen and elsewhere, fleeing pogroms and persecution, and seeking to rebuild a homeland. In the 1930’s there was a massive wave of German, Austrian, and Central European Jews fleeing Nazism. After Israel’s independence in 1948, Jews arrived from Holocaust-survivor communities in Europe.

But you also had a massive seismic event that is almost entirely ignored by mainstream narratives today. The expulsion of nearly 850,000 Jews from Arab and Muslim countries. That is a staggering number. Nearly a million people just erased from their homes. We are talking about thriving ancient Jewish communities in Iraq, Egypt, Morocco, Syria, Yemen, and Libya. These communities predated Islam. Yet they were completely uprooted, their property confiscated, and they were driven out. Those refugees fled to the newly formed state, arriving with nothing but the clothes on their backs.

And it did not stop there. It was followed later by Jews from the Soviet Union (1970s–1990s), Ethiopia (1980s–1990s via rescue operations), and continuing immigration from the US, France, South America, South Africa and elsewhere. Effectively, modern Israelis come from nearly everywhere around the world: Ashkenazi Jews from Europe, Mizrahi and Sephardi Jews from the Middle East & North Africa, Ethiopian Jews, Yemen, Russian and Ukrainian – living today alongside Arab Muslims, Christians, Druze, and Bedouins who became part of Israel’s diverse society.

A Liberal Democracy in a Hostile Neighbourhood

If you look at a map of the Middle East, what do you see? You see dictatorships, you see absolute monarchies, you see brutal theocracies. And right in the middle of all that authoritarianism is a messy, vibrant, loud democracy. Israel stands out as the only democracy in the whole region.

It is a messy, crazy little place where everyone has a voice, and they use it. It’s fundamentally culture of argument. People there will argue passionately about absolutely everything: politics, religion, sports, traffic, even who makes the best hummus. But when push comes to shove, they put their differences aside to defend their country. That’s not optional. From its first day Israel has been attacked, boycotted and delegitimized. The Arab world slammed the door shut for decades – no trade, no flights, no diplomacy. Many in the wider world joined the boycott too. Imagine being punished simply for existing – yet still managing to thrive. That’s Israel. What makes Israel remarkable is its survival as a thriving democracy in one of the toughest regions on Earth. Israelis vote, protest, and argue loudly about everything. They don’t shy away from debate, because disagreement is built into the DNA of their society. Yet despite internal divisions, when faced with external threats -from hostile states, terrorists, and continuous calls for their destruction – Israelis unite around one simple truth: this is their only home and they will defend it. They have nowhere else to go.

Israel is widely considered the only full democracy in the Middle East. It has regular free elections, multiple political parties, an independent judiciary, a free press, and protections for minority rights under law. Arab citizens of Israel (about 20% of the population) can vote, run businesses, run for office, serve in the parliament and the High Court, and serve in the military. Israel stands out as the region’s only liberal, functioning democracy where government power changes hands peacefully through elections.

Freedom of Religious

Although Israel was founded as the world’s only Jewish state, it has enshrined freedom of religion as a core principle of its democracy. Within its borders, Jews, Muslims, Christians, Druze, Baha’is, and others not only practice their faith freely but also maintain their own holy sites. Arab Muslims make up around 20% of Israel’s population, and alongside Christian and Druze communities they all live in harmony as equal citizens. You can’t really say that on any other country in the Middle East, where non-Muslims are being prosecuted – from the Baha’is in the Islamic Republic of Iran, to Jews all over the Arab world, and to Christians being slaughtered to this day in some Islamic countries in Africa.

 In Jerusalem, the holiest city for three major religions, the call to prayer from mosques rises alongside church bells and Jewish prayers at the Western Wall, reflecting the coexistence that is often ignored by critics. Despite being born out of a history of persecution, Israel chose a path of pluralism – allowing diverse faiths to thrive in a region too often defined by religious conflict. This is in complete contrast to claims of Israel being an Apartheid state. Whoever claims it is welcome to visit Israel and see it for themselves.

Mandatory Service, Reluctant Warriors

Almost every young Israeli, men and women alike, is required to be drafted at the age of 18 to serve in the military. This is not out of love for war but the unfortunate necessity. There’s a reason why the military force is called the “Israeli Defence Force”. The emphasis both in name and in doctrine is entirely on the concept of “Defence”, defending the country from its many adversaries. So, it’s not a militaristic society glorifying war. Not at all. They do not serve out of love for combat. They serve out of a tragic unavoidable necessity.

Surrounded by enemies who openly declare their desire to wipe Israel off the map and kill every living Jew, Israelis have no luxury of complacency. Their military service is a rite of passage, building bonds that tie society together. Military service is mandatory for most Jewish citizens, with men typically serving about three years and women around two. Unlike in many countries, women in Israel not only serve in support roles but also in combat units, flying fighter jets, commanding tanks, and serving on the front lines. This reflects both the constant security challenges Israel faces and a national ethos that defence is a shared responsibility. While debates continue about exemptions and gender equality in service, the prominent role of women in the IDF remains a defining feature of Israeli society and a source of national pride.

There is no better example of a “Defence” doctrine than the amazing missile interception system developed by Israel. Iron Dome is Israel’s air-defence system designed primarily to intercept short-range rockets and artillery projectiles before they hit populated areas or important infrastructure. The system was developed in response to repeated rocket attacks against Israeli communities, particularly from Gaza and Lebanon. Before Iron Dome, Israel had limited ability to stop relatively short-range rockets such as those fired toward cities and towns. The result was that civilians often had little protection beyond warning sirens and shelters.

Just look at the contrast – when Iran spends billions on developing a long range ballistic missile program to attack Israel and many other nations across the gulf, when Hamas built a terror tunnel network bigger than the size of the London Metro, but doesn’t allow even a single civilian to use it as a bomb shelter, Israel had spent billions on a technology that serves as a shield to fiercely protect its people from rocket attacks launched by its enemies like Hamas, Hezbollah and the Islamic Republic of Iran.

Yet paradoxically, these reluctant warriors cherish life above all else. Ask an Israeli what they want most, and you’ll likely hear: “to raise our children in peace, to build our lives, and to be left alone”. Unlike most Western countries, Israelis don’t have the luxury of optional defence. Man and woman serve in the army because they live in a reality where Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and countless terror groups openly declare their goal: Israel’s destruction. Israelis rather be on the beach in Tel Aviv or building start-up Tech companies in Herzliya. But they know that if they don’t fight back, they don’t survive. Their ultimate goal is to deter all those enemies and achieve peace, once and for all, so their children will not have to keep fighting the same wars over and over again.

Internal Divisions among Israeli Jews

One of Israel’s deepest internal struggles lies not between Jews and Arabs, but among Jews themselves – particularly between the secular majority and the ultra-Orthodox (Haredi) community. While most Jewish Israeli men and women are required to serve in the Israel Defence Force, tens of thousands of Haredi men avoid service by remaining in religious seminaries under a decades-old arrangement. Secular Israelis often resent the fact that most Haredim are exempt from mandatory military service, a burden that falls heavily on their own children, while government funds still heavily subsidize ultra-Orthodox yeshivas (traditional Jewish institutions) and large families.

The education system is another battleground: secular Israelis push for maths, science and English to prepare children for the modern economy, while many Orthodox schools focus almost exclusively on religious studies, leaving graduates underprepared for the workforce and heavily reliant on state funding. Politically, Haredi parties wield disproportionate influence in coalition governments, securing budgets and exemptions that secular Israelis see as unfair. This ongoing rift reflects a larger question at the heart of Israeli society: should Israel be first and foremost a modern democratic state for all Jews, or a religious state guided by traditional Torah values?

Critics argue this creates an unfair burden on the broader population, as secular and traditional Israelis carry the weight of national defence while also paying higher taxes to subsidize Orthodox communities. Supporters of the exemption insist that Torah study is itself a form of national service, preserving Jewish identity and values. This divide fuels deep resentment, shapes political coalitions, and regularly sparks street protests, making the draft debate a flashpoint in Israel’s struggle between religion and state.

A Culture of Life, Peace and Helping Others

Israelis want peace more than anything else, but not at the price of their own safety and security. You would expect any human being to do the same. They dream of having good neighbours, trading with the countries around them, and creating a better future together. Beneath the toughness, Israelis are warm people. They volunteer in droves, and not only for their own. When earthquakes, floods, or fires strike anywhere in the world, Israelis are often among the first to send rescue teams and medical aid. Israel has built a global reputation for its rapid and skilled rescue operations following natural disasters abroad. From dispatching search-and-rescue teams to earthquake zones, to setting up field hospitals after tsunamis and hurricanes, Israeli aid units are often among the first to arrive on the ground.

These missions showcase Israel’s advanced medical expertise, innovative technology, and commitment to humanitarianism, offering life-saving assistance to countries regardless of politics or religion. Despite being targeted, boycotted, and demonized, Israelis consistently show the world who they really are. When disaster strikes, Israelis are there. After the 2010 Haiti earthquake, Israeli doctors set up one of the fastest and most advanced field hospitals, saving lives while other nations were still organizing. In Nepal (2015), in Turkey (2023), in countless African nations, Israelis have flown in with search-and-rescue teams, medical aid and expertise. They help strangers thousands of miles away – while many of their own neighbours refuse to even recognize their existence.

No-Nonsense, In-Your-Face Authenticity

Part of what defines Israeli culture is their raw honesty. Israelis can seem blunt and rude to outsiders. They’ll cut through small talk and get straight to the point, often with a directness that may feel shocking to others. But behind that is a culture that values authenticity and human connection over politeness for its own sake – “what you see is what you get”. Israelis are honest, though it can come off as rude or blunt. They’ll cut through the politeness and say exactly what they think – sometimes with shocking honesty. They call it “Dugri” which is a modern Hebrew slang term for “direct speech”. But that’s part of the charm. They value truth over politeness, authenticity over pretension. It’s a no-bullshit culture in a no-bullshit region.

Another way to describe the Israeli character is by the term “Sabra” (often spelled Tzabar in Hebrew). It refers to Jews born in Israel, symbolized by the prickly pear cactus that is tough and thorny on the outside but soft and sweet inside. The image captures how native-born Israelis are often perceived – direct, resilient and in-your-face, yet warm, generous and loyal at heart. Emerging as a cultural identity during the early 20th century, the Sabra represented the “new Jew,” rooted in the land, physically strong, and unafraid to defend themselves. Today, the Sabra remains a powerful national symbol, embodying both pride in Israel’s independence and the complex personality of its people.

Values Life more than Anything

Israelis place a profound value on life, shaped by Jewish tradition, the trauma of the Holocaust, and the reality of living under constant threat. This belief is reflected in the national ethos of “Pikuakh Nefesh” – the principle that preserving human life overrides almost every other religious commandment. This is the complete opposite to Palestinian and radical Islamist ideology of Jihad and becoming a martyr (shahid) where a person who dies while fulfilling a sacred duty, like murdering a non-Muslim infidel, is promised immediate entry into Paradise.

The principle of “human life above all” shows in the streets of Israel when tens of thousands of Israelis protest and demand government action to bring hostages back home, prioritizing every individual as if they were their own family. Soldiers risk their lives in daring rescue missions, often putting enormous effort into minimizing civilian casualties, even when fighting ruthless enemies.

Unfortunately, Israel’s adversaries in the form of barbaric terrorist organizations like Hamas, Islamic Jihad and many others, have learned to exploit this moral code: terrorist groups deliberately hide behind their own civilians, use them as human shields, and kidnap innocent Israelis – soldiers and civilians alike – knowing that Israel’s deep commitment to protecting life creates painful dilemmas and pressures that they can manipulate on the battlefield and in global public opinion.

When Islamic terrorist organizations prioritize taking Israeli hostages, it creates a devastating chain of consequences. On a national level, it plunges Israeli society into anguish, as each captive becomes a symbol of the country’s vulnerability and the collective responsibility to protect its people. Hostage-taking also gives these groups powerful leverage, allowing them to pressure Israel into difficult concessions – such as prisoner swaps like releasing a thousand Palestinian terrorists with blood on their hands from Israeli jails in return for a single Israeli soldier, ceasefires, or political gains – that they could not achieve militarily. At the same time, it fuels internal debate within Israel about how far the state should go to save lives without endangering its long-term security. The October 7 war, where more than 250 innocent people – including the elderly, men, women, children and a baby – were kidnapped from their homes and from a music festival, is the biggest hostage crisis any civilized country had ever experienced. Internationally, hostage crises often shift the narrative, casting Israel as both victim and villain under impossible moral constraints. Ultimately, by exploiting Israel’s deep commitment to human life, terrorist groups weaponize compassion itself, turning hostages into bargaining chips that sustain cycles of violence and instability in the region.

What Do Israelis Really Want?

At the core, Israelis are like anyone else in the civilized world – they love their children more than anything else, their culture and their country – seeking a better future. The difference is, they had to fight harder than most countries just to secure the basic right to exist, yet still fight for their legitimacy in the wake of ongoing global hatred and vicious propaganda. They dream about peace, safety, security and the freedom to live without constant threats. They want their kids to grow up with hope, not fear. They want to be left alone to thrive. And the proof is in the way they live: in their tech start-ups, their music, their art, their beaches, and their stubborn optimism. Always putting family first, always putting Life above all, always teaching their kids that Peace is the only way forward.

Even the Israeli National Anthem is all about Hope. As long as deep within the heart, the words touch your soul: (Quote) “Our hope is not yet lost, The hope of two thousand years, To be a free people in our land, The land of Zion and Jerusalem“. These words mean a lot, they shaped the character of the nation, and when Jews and Israelis sing it together, many shed a tear.

Strip away the propaganda, the boycotts, the hatred, the politics, the headlines and the noise, and you see a simple truth: Israelis want to simply live their lives. They want to build families, raise children, build their careers, travel the world like anyone else without having to hide their passport or conceal their identities, they want to enjoy the beach, argue about soccer and politics, innovate in technology, help others and thrive as a free people in their own land, just like anybody else around the world. They constantly seek peace, stability and mutual respect from their neighbours.

But decades of outright rejection, relentless Palestinian terrorism, rocket attacks from Gaza, South Lebanon and Iran, and global campaigns of delegitimization have forced them into a posture of continuous vigilant defence. Underneath the armour they are forced to wear, their ultimate enduring dream is simply to be left alone to create a safer, better future for the next generation.

Yet, the critics never seem to get one major point: Israelis don’t wake up in the morning wanting conflict. It’s the complete opposite. Think about it. What would your country do if it was constantly attacked by neighbouring countries and Islamic terror organisations? What would you do if your neighbours repeatedly declare they wish to annihilate you and your people? What would you do if your enemies repeatedly reject any peace offer, make no compromises and take no responsibility for the future of their own children? Israelis want peace and were always willing to give up land or make compensations in return for real and honest peace and security. The problem is, decades of rejection, terrorism and delegitimization mean they’ve been forced to defend themselves continuously. If there’s one thing history shows, is that Israelis never give up – not on their country, not on a chance for peace and not on commemorating life above everything else. Hopefully, one day the world will finally get it and instead of blaming Israel for all the atrocities happening around the world, the international community will stand up against terrorism and give peace a real chance.