The Lie about Israel that Keeps Getting Repeated

Psychologists have long documented what is known as the "illusory truth effect,” which is when people begin to accept a statement as true simply because they have heard it many times before. A claim repeated by politicians, journalists, activists, celebrities, and social media users can begin to seem self-evident, even when the underlying evidence shows the complete opposite.

History gives us countless examples. Propaganda campaigns have relied on repetition for generations because they understand a simple reality. When enough people hear the same message enough times, many will eventually accept it. Once a narrative takes hold, it becomes increasingly difficult to challenge. Those who question it are often portrayed as uninformed, dishonest, or outside the mainstream.

The Latest Lie Embraced by the West

On May 11th, the EU placed sanctions on Israeli settlers in Judea and Samaria, which includes the freezing of assets and travel bans. They also discussed plans to take further actions including banning products that originate from Judea and Samaria (which would include products sold by Blessed Buy Israel). 

In the last few weeks, many individual European nations also initiated their own new joint sanctions on Israeli pioneers and communities in Judea and Samaria. Australia, Canada, France, Norway, New Zealand and the United Kingdom, have all recognized the “State of Palestine,” and claimed that "horrific abuses against Palestinian civilians,” in the “occupied West Bank,” is what is blocking peace in the region and a two-State solution. The sanctions specifically targeted Bezalel Smotrich, Israel’s finance minister who reviews plans for building in parts of Judea and Samaria, as well as other Israeli organizations and some individuals.

The distinction between the EU moving against individuals and communities in Judea and Samaria is significant because the EU bloc has moved against settlers/groups, while individual European countries can go further or act faster against specific Israelis, including ministers, because EU-wide foreign-policy sanctions usually require unanimity and get bogged down.

"Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness." Isaiah 5:20

For years, the nations have claimed that Israel is “stealing” Palestinian land, that they have no right to the “West Bank,” and that “settler violence” is what is the obstacle to peace in the Middle East. Despite reality pointing to the complete opposite, they believe, and maybe they have convinced themselves now, that Israel is the bad guy. 

Since the miraculous creation of the Jewish State in 1948, Israel’s neighbors have continually sought their destruction and have never hidden their genocidal intentions. Israel has faced multiple major wars and attacks since its founding, including in 1948, 1967, 1973, and 2023, among others, seeking to wipe them off the map.

The Arab nations around them chant death to Israel and all Jews, commit thousands of terror attacks, and reject numerous peace deals offered by Israel. Yet the Nations still claim Israel is the obstacle to peace. It makes no sense unless you realize that this is a spiritual battle. 

"I will make Jerusalem a burdensome stone for all people" Zechariah 12:3

So, is “settler violence” the obstacle to peace? 

There is no denying that some violence by Israelis living in Judea and Samaria takes place. As is true in every country, there are always bad actors who commit acts of violence and seek to undermine the rule of law. 

According to widely cited reports, the “settler violence” skyrocketed in 2025 with 1,732 of violent attacks taking place, an increase from the number in the report before. That number seems high, yet is this true or another attempt by the world to undermine Israel. 

First of all, the Israeli government condemns all settler violence and prosecutes those who commit crimes. This is unlike the Palestinian Authority, which actively promotes violence and even pays the families of terrorists who murder Jews. Second, when reports and statistics in these reports are evaluated without bias, the narrative of settler violence as the obstacle to peace unravels quickly.

An article published by the Jerusalem Post exposed that not only are a majority of incidents reported as settler violence provided by the Palestinian Ministry for Resistance to the Settlements and other extreme anti-Israel organizations, but that an astonishing 95% of the incidents misrepresented the facts on the ground. 

Instead of reporting on true acts of violence, the report distorted the facts on the ground to frame the Jews as the aggressors by misrepresenting incidents that were actually Arabs committing violence against communities, misrepresenting incidents that didn't actually involve any violence, and reporting on violence that actually occurred outside Judea and Samaria. For example, the report characterized Israelis visiting the Temple Mount as acts of violence because they were “storming al-Aqsa,” road building and improvement framed as "invasion or confiscation of Palestinian property” and visits by Israelis to historic and religious sites were reported as “trespass.” 

In contrast to the relative low levels of violence committed by Israelis in Judea and Samaria, Palestinian terror attacks are encouraged and even sanctioned by the Palestinian Authority. Although Palestinian terror attacks dropped in 2025, 57 terror attacks in 2025, down from 504 and 847 attacks in 2023 and 2024 respectively, they still resulted in the deaths of 20 innocent Israelis. Also, unlike the occasional bad actors among the Israeli communities who engage in rock throwing, Palestinian terror attacks have one goal, to kill and injure as many innocent Jews as possible. 

So the question must be asked, why this inversion of truth and insistence by the world that there is a “settler violence” problem standing in the way of peace?

Answering the Political and Spiritual Questions

The answer to this is both a spiritual and a political one. As the Bible prophesies, all the nations will turn and rage against the Lord and against his people Israel. The nations do not want Israel to claim sovereignty over the Heartland of Israel that God promised to His people as an everlasting possession. So they come up with “reports” that accuse the Israeli pioneers of the very violence that is being committed by the Palestinians in Judea and Samaria.

Judea and Samaria is the Heartland of Israel, where most of the events of the Bible took place, and the nations want to uproot the people of God from places like Hebron, Shiloh, Itamar, and the Mount of Blessing. The Palestinian Arabs and the nations of the world do not seek peace, they seek the destruction of Israel which shines so brightly as a reminder of God’s faithfulness and His Glory. 

My salvation shall not linger. And I will place salvation in Zion; For Israel My glory. Isaiah 46:13

The enemy will never stop raging against the work of restoration that God is doing in Judea and Samaria and in the world. In the times to come, the propaganda war will continue and it is up to us to understand the spiritual battle that is happening and educate others about what God is doing in Israel. Stand with the people of Israel and with God and invest directly into Judea and Samaria to strengthen these courageous pioneers as the whole world stands against them.