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Issues

Issues We Cover

Read OZJF's positions and evidence on Jewish self-rule, Palestinian governance, antisemitism, terrorism, civilian safety, and Israeli policy.

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Debates about Israel often mix several questions together. We separate them. Jewish self-rule asks whether Jews have the right to govern themselves. Palestinian governance asks who holds power in Gaza and the West Bank. It also asks if those leaders answer to the people. Antisemitism is hate or bias aimed at Jews. Start with the question you care about, then check the linked sources.

Jewish Self-Determination

The case for a Jewish state rests on four parts. Jews are a people. They have deep ties to the Land of Israel. Modern diplomacy backed a Jewish state. Jewish history also shows the risk of life without one. Israel’s Declaration of Independence sets out the state’s founding claims and duties. The United States Holocaust Memorial Museum records the worst failure of Jewish safety outside Israel.

Palestinian Governance

Palestinian politics is split. Hamas rules Gaza. The Palestinian Authority governs parts of the West Bank. Hamas has ruled Gaza since 2007 and remains on the State Department terror list. Congress passed the Taylor Force Act in response to Palestinian Authority payments tied to prisoners and people killed during attacks. A serious peace plan must account for both systems and the lack of recent national elections.

Antisemitism

Antisemitism can take the form of violence, threats, exclusion, false claims, or public speech. No single source measures all of it. The FBI hate-crime explorer reports crimes logged by police. The ADL Audit counts a wider set of events. The IHRA working definition helps people spot antisemitism, including some cases tied to Israel.

Other pages look at groups on the U.S. Foreign Terrorist Organizations list, including Hamas and Hezbollah. We explain the laws of war and link to U.S. reports on civilian harm in Gaza. We test claims of genocide against the terms of the Genocide Convention. We also examine Israeli actions. One case is the April 2024 strike that killed World Central Kitchen workers and led to an IDF investigation.

Each page separates OZJF’s position from the public record behind it. When facts or legal views remain in dispute, we say so.

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Start with the pages that carry the most weight.

01Jewish Self-DeterminationThe historical, legal, and practical case for Jewish self-determination, alongside the equal civil and national rights of Palestinians.02AntisemitismHow OZJF identifies antisemitism, distinguishes it from criticism of Israel, and evaluates evidence from civil-rights agencies and incident reports.03Terrorism and ExtremismHow OZJF uses legal terrorist designations, evaluates organizations that combine politics with armed violence, and distinguishes those groups from civilians.04War and Civilian ProtectionThe duties of distinction, proportionality, precaution, and humanitarian access apply alongside Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas.05Israeli War Policy and AccountabilityA pro-Israel review of wartime policy that distinguishes the legal genocide claim from documented failures in targeting, aid access, rhetoric, and accountability.06Palestinian GovernancePalestinian politics is divided between Hamas in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in parts of the West Bank, without recent national elections.07UN and NGO AccountabilityHow to assess UN agencies and nongovernmental organizations through their mandates, methods, oversight, corrections, and operational value.08Campus ClimateHow colleges can protect free expression while responding to harassment and preserving equal access for Jewish, Muslim, Arab, Israeli, and Palestinian students.09Peace and ReformWhat political legitimacy, security control, and institutional reform would require in any durable Israeli-Palestinian peace agreement.