Paper tigers will crumble

(JNS) — In the past year, we have witnessed Hezbollah become obliterated, Hamas destroyed and the Assad regime in Syria collapse. Even Iran has become significantly weakened. These entities have been exposed as the paper tigers that they are. Their economies are propped up, their people are oppressed, and there is no freedom. What makes them paper tigers is that their societies are built on lies.

Similarly, the forces in the West that protest, riot and attack in support of Hamas and Hezbollah will be exposed as the paper tiger that they are. They do not deal in truth or play by the rules of fair play. They will distort realities, exaggerate facts and make fake claims. However, beneath their carefully constructed facades lies fragility, a hollowness that collapses when exposed to the light of truth. What’s needed is a critical mass of organized effort to fight antisemitism and bigotry. Speaking truth to power is much stronger than lies and distortions, and it will cause the enemy to crumble.

The United States, Israel, Europe and the West in general are liberal democracies that have enshrined certain basic rights, including freedom of speech, expression and thought. Their economies are capitalist and allow for people to better their circumstances through hard work and originality. A society built on principles such as capitalism and freedom may seem vulnerable because it allows dissent and debate. Yet this openness is its true strength like steel forged through fire, it is resilient and enduring. Conversely, authoritarian regimes, with their rigid control over narratives, are brittle and, when tested, these regimes shatter.

Recent events have highlighted this contrast. Israel, despite being vilified by its detractors, has consistently triumphed over these regimes. Israel’s victories have revealed the inherent weakness of systems propped up by lies and coercion. These defeated regimes were built on bamboo, while Israel is built out of bricks.

The lessons learned this past year about Israel’s strength relative to its direct enemies in Iran’s Shia Crescent can be applied beyond the Middle East. In the global war of narratives, Israel faces relentless accusations: genocide, ethnic cleansing, racism and barbarity. Protesters flood prestigious universities like Columbia, Harvard and the University of California, Los Angeles. They smear blood on monuments in Washington, D.C., and shut down debates at Cambridge University. Yet these same voices are silent when true atrocities occur.

Where was their outrage when former Syrian President Bashar Assad slaughtered hundreds of thousands of his own people and displaced millions in a campaign of ethnic cleansing? Where were the protests for the 250,000 Yemenis killed in a decade of war or the 85,000 children who starved to death? Where were the protests and outrage when Russian President Vladimir Putin attacked Ukraine killing an unknown number of people and kidnapping thousands of children?

The silence is deafening. It reveals that these so-called “justice fighters” are not motivated by a genuine pursuit of justice. Their focus on Israel to the exclusion of greater atrocities exposes their agenda as rooted in antisemitism and bigotry, not morality.

Lies and hatred thrive in darkness, where they remain unchallenged. In the short term, those who spread falsehoods may seem to succeed by manipulating narratives and misleading well-meaning people. But like the regimes they support, their strength is an illusion.

History shows that truth—when wielded by those with conviction — is an unstoppable force. It is the responsibility of honest people to shine a light on the lies. Exposing the falsehoods dismantles their power, revealing the paper tigers for what they are.

Now is the time to create a wave — a movement that makes it easy for people to choose the side of what is right. By exposing the lies and empowering the truth, we can ensure that good triumphs over evil. We can accomplish this by organizing our efforts on social media, in newsrooms, at dinner tables, in courts of law, in popular culture and by countering the lies wherever or whenever they appear. As Julie Platt, chair of the Jewish Federations of North America, told me in an interview, “We must become both purposeful and accidental activists.”

Momentum is building with honest individuals who are organizing to expose the lies and are bringing the truth to light. This effort will require courage, persistence and unity; however, its success is inevitable. The paper tigers of misinformation and hate will fold, just as the oppressive regimes of Syria, Hamas and Hezbollah have fallen.