“Unhinged.” “Incendiary.” “Immoral.”
That’s what my American Jewish critics call me.
Why? Because I have the gall to say out loud what every sane person should believe: that the Land of Israel belongs to the Jewish people, and that those who support the murder of Jews—yes, even if they’re so-called “civilians”—should not be allowed to live here.
Specifically, I believe that the Arabs of Judea, Samaria, and Gaza who support terrorism—and according to every serious poll, we are talking about the significant majority of the population – must be expelled from Israel. Not because they’re Arabs, but because they openly seek the destruction of the Jewish state. Because they raise their children to hate and to kill. Because they support our murderers, shelter them, glorify them—and in the case of Gaza – join them in committing atrocities.
No one who rejects the sovereignty of the Jewish people in the Land of Israel should be allowed to live here. Period. That includes the fringe Jewish fanatics in Neturei Karta who align with Iran and pray for Israel’s collapse. If you openly seek the destruction of the Jewish people and the State of Israel, you should not be here.
But if you accept Jewish sovereignty – if you’re a Muslim, Christian, or Druze who wants to live here peacefully under a Jewish state – you’re welcome. Not just tolerated. Welcome.
This is not some fringe position. It’s not racist, and it’s not immoral.
But say it out loud, and you’re called one thing above all: unhinged.
So let me ask the question plainly: Am I unhinged?
America Gets It
On June 30, the U.S. State Department revoked the visas of the English rap duo Bob Vylan after they led chants of “Death to the IDF” at the Glastonbury music festival.
They weren’t threatening Americans. They didn’t commit an act of violence. They just supported those who do.
And still, the U.S. State Department threw them out. As they should have.
Secretary of State Marco Rubio has made it clear: anyone who supports terrorism—whether directly or by cheering it on—has no place in America.
Because this American administration understands something basic: when you allow terrorist sympathizers into your society, you put your people in danger.
Terror in Aisle 5
Just last week, two Palestinian Authority police officers murdered the security guard at my local supermarket—right where my wife shops every week. The same place where our neighbor Miriam Fuld’s husband, Ari, was murdered in 2018.
The victim this time, 22-year-old Shalev Zvuluny, was ambushed outside the Rami Levy in Gush Etzion. The attackers—a pair of freshly trained PA policemen—stabbed him, stole his gun, and opened fire. A civilian and an off-duty soldier shot them dead before they could kill anyone else.
The Palestinian Authority police are supposed to be our “partners for peace.” They are armed, trained, and funded by the United States under the banner of “counter-terrorism.” Yet these so-called peace officers turn their weapons on us time and again. In the last three years, 76 members of the PA security forces have committed terror attacks against Jews.
If my American Jewish critics had to shop at this supermarket, if they had to walk their children past that bloodstained sidewalk, maybe—just maybe—they’d stop moralizing from afar and understand the price we pay for their illusions.
These Are the People I’m Supposed to Worry About?
Drive toward any Arab city in Judea or Samaria and you’ll see the same red sign: “This road leads to Area A under the Palestinian Authority. The entrance for Israeli citizens is forbidden, dangerous to your lives, and against Israeli law.”
These are the people I’m supposed to worry about? These are the people I’m supposed to make peace with?
The Arabs of Gaza didn’t just support the October 7 massacre. Thousands participated in it. These weren’t Hamas operatives in uniform. These were “civilians.” Shopkeepers. Neighbors. Mothers and teenagers. They streamed across the border to rape, torture, and murder Jews—and then bragged about it.
They dragged bodies through the streets. Live-streamed atrocities. Cheered as their sons executed families.
Do all Arabs in Judea, Samaria, and Gaza support Hamas? No. But the significant majority do. And the minority—at best—stands silently by.
Refuse to see that, and more Jews will die.
A Ray of Light in Hebron
This week, a surprising development came out of Hebron.
Sheikh Wadee’ al-Jaabari—leader of Hebron’s most influential Arab clan—joined four other senior sheikhs in signing a letter to the Israeli government. In it, they pledged peace, rejected terrorism, and recognized Israel as the Jewish state.
They want Hebron to break away from the Palestinian Authority, join the Abraham Accords, and live peacefully with Israel. The letter declares “zero tolerance” for terror and renounces the PA’s policy of paying salaries to murderers.
Is it genuine? Time will tell. But if these sheikhs—and the people they represent—are serious about accepting Jewish sovereignty and rejecting terror, then yes, they absolutely have a future here.
That’s always been my position. I say it clearly in every article I write.
But if they don’t? If they reject Jewish sovereignty and continue to glorify terror? Then we have both the right and the obligation to remove them from our land.
Unhinged?
Am I unhinged?
According to the dictionary, unhinged means “highly disturbed or distraught.” By this definition, my answer is clear and unequivocal: Oh yes, I am!
I’m highly disturbed that Jews in America—comfortable and distant – lecture Israelis on how to respond to people who would literally butcher us in our homes.
I’m highly distraught that even after October 7, many still cling to the fantasy of Oslo, of a Palestinian state, of “peace partners” who hand out candy when Jewish children are burned alive.
Am I unhinged? You better believe I am.
And I won’t be “re-hinged” until the Jews whose naive and suicidal policies have led to the murder of thousands finally wake up – and stop trying to destroy us with their good intentions.
Rabbi Elie Mischel is the Director of Education at Israel365.
