Blood Libel #25 | “Israel assassinates scientists, journalists, or dissidents abroad.”
Anti-Zionist:
Israel kills anyone it doesn’t like — scientists, journalists, even in foreign countries.
Pro-Zionist:
Are you saying Israel is unique in conducting covert operations — or do you say that about the U.S., Russia, China, Iran, and Turkey too?
(They likely won’t.)
Pro-Zionist:
Let’s talk specifics:
Israel has allegedly targeted terrorist leaders, nuclear engineers building weapons to annihilate Israel, and operatives planning attacks.
These aren’t journalists or political dissidents — they’re often combatants in non-uniform or active terror agents.
Meanwhile:
Iran has assassinated dissidents in Europe.
Russia poisoned critics with radioactive material.
Turkey kills Kurdish opponents abroad.
Saudi Arabia murdered a journalist in a consulate.
Israel may act in its defense, but it doesn’t disappear poets or jail cartoonists.
Let’s not pretend this is about morality. It’s about delegitimizing the Jewish state for defending itself.
BEYOND THE TALKING POINTS
Targeted Killings and the Double Standard
Critics of Israel often accuse it of being uniquely ruthless in eliminating threats abroad. But this accusation only holds water if you ignore the broader reality: nearly every major power — including those who condemn Israel — has conducted extrajudicial operations beyond its borders. For example, the United States has used drone strikes and special forces to kill high-profile terror targets, including Qasem Soleimani (Iran’s Quds Force commander) and Anwar al-Awlaki, a U.S. citizen linked to Al-Qaeda.
Unlike many other regimes, Israel does not target poets, cartoonists, or peaceful opposition figures. It doesn’t throw dissidents off rooftops or shoot protesters in the street.
Iran: Assassinates dissidents across Europe, including former officials and exiles in the Netherlands, France, and Turkey.
Russia: Poisoned Alexander Litvinenko in London with polonium-210 and Alexei Navalny with a nerve agent. Its assassinations often target whistleblowers, journalists, and critics [BBC, 2020].
Saudi Arabia: Infamously murdered Jamal Khashoggi, a journalist, in its Istanbul consulate — then dismembered him. The murder was state-sanctioned.
Turkey: Has targeted Kurdish dissidents in Syria and Iraq and allegedly tracked political opponents abroad through surveillance and intimidation.
Israeli military targets are not political dissidents or journalists — but are military operatives. Consider the actions of Israel and compare these to those of the totalitarian regimes referenced above:
Preventing terrorist attacks. In the decades following waves of suicide bombings and rocket attacks against Israeli civilians, Mossad has carried out targeted assassinations of Hamas operatives abroad, particularly those involved in planning or financing terrorism. One of the most notable operations was the 2010 killing of Mahmoud al-Mabhouh, a senior Hamas weapons smuggler, in a Dubai hotel room. These missions are designed to disrupt Hamas’s global logistics and deter future attacks.
Retaliating for atrocities. After the 1972 Munich Olympics massacre, in which 11 Israeli athletes were murdered by the Palestinian group Black September, Israel launched Operation Wrath of God, a covert campaign to hunt down and eliminate those responsible. Over the following years, Mossad agents tracked and assassinated key planners and operatives across Europe and the Middle East, sending a message that acts of terror against Israelis would not go unanswered.
Responding Military Aggression In 2024, amid escalating missile and drone attacks launched by Hezbollah from Lebanon and Syria, Israel allegedly carried out a covert operation distributing tampered communication devices — including pagers and radios — to Hezbollah operatives. These devices exploded upon use, killing or injuring thousands and reportedly crippling Hezbollah’s command-and-control structure.
Neutralizing Iran’s genocidal nuclear threat. In June 2025, Israel launched a series of precise airstrikes and covert operations targeting Iran’s nuclear infrastructure and top military leadership, including senior IRGC commanders and nuclear scientists. The strikes were part of a broader strategy to halt Iran’s accelerating nuclear program and degrade its capacity to launch attacks against Israel and regional allies.
If Israel’s critics truly cared about international norms, they would call out the widespread abuses by regimes like Iran, Russia, or Turkey. Instead, they save their harshest condemnations for the one democracy in the Middle East defending itself against those regimes and their proxies. And, unlike many nations in the world, Israel goes to great lengths to minimize civilian casualties in their military campaigns.