One difference between the war in Iran and the one in Gaza is that while the war in Iran is heinous for many reasons, Netanyahu is committing a genocide in Gaza. https://t.co/Mx1TcvzIeH
— Adam Jentleson (@AJentleson) August 13, 2026
Senior Policy Analyst Peyton Lofton of No Labels wrote last September
According to the Palestine Central Bureau of Statistics, which is based in Palestine’s West Bank and not controlled by Hamas, there were 2.19 million Gazans at the end of 2022. By May 2025, PCBS says, Gaza’s population was 2.11 million – a decrease of about 80,000 people or 3.6% of the pre-war population.
While they haven’t released figures for 2025 yet, the CIA is a little more optimistic than the PCBS. By the CIA’s estimates, there were 1.99 million Gazans at the end of 2022 compared to 2.14 million in mid-2024, an increase of about 145,000 people or 7% of the pre-war total.
So, Gaza has either shrunk by 80,000 people or grown by 145,000. Which of these figures is more accurate? We’ll probably never know.
My guess is that the Gazan population has declined marginally. However, Lofton notes
During the Rwandan Genocide, for example, an estimated
three-quarters of the Tutsi ethnic group were murdered over the course of 100
days. And in the Holocaust, some 60% of Europe’s Jews were killed or forced out
by the time the war ended – and the population never recovered.
We've all heard of the Holocaust. Yet, the genocide in Rwanda occurred fairly recently, and we have heard as much about that from Jentleson as we have the extermination of Iranian dissidents this past January. Similarly, Beijing's crusade in Xinjian province against the Uygurs, including mass detention, ethnic cleansing, widespread murder, and sterilization of the women seem not to have piqued Jentleson's curiosity.
Anger at Israel over its war against Hamas in Gaza is widespread among American youth, as Jentleson suggests. However, some individuals have more interest in the Mideast and more luxury to be engrossed in the subject. Those would be the affluent and, especially, the college educated, especially whites. Jentleson is too embarrassed or dishonest to admit that, but the truth does not vanish because it is uncomfortable.
Moreover, Tanden's observation that there have been few protests against the war against Iran conducted by the USA compared to anti-Israel protests is obviously accurate. Israel may be committing war crimes, which is a matter of interpretation, and is acting badly. That does not mean it is committing genocide- it is not- and Operation Epic Fury is a U.S. action ordered in our name by an individual we elected President.
And that is the problem- it is being conducted by Donald J. Trump. The vast majority of congressional Republicans are blindly following President Trump and most of them are intimidated by him. In many cases, Trump controls their political future, in which one kind word can lift them from obscurity and one complaint can send them into political obscurity.
Yet, we assume that Democratic activists are immune from such pressure. Protests against Israel are held almost routinely now while protests against Trump's war are uncommon. There may be many reasons for that, but one of them is intimidation, treading lightly to condemn the man who calls his enemies "communists" and far worse, and who once called for the execution of his own Vice President.
And his sway over a large portion of the electorate is unprecedented in American history. The betting here is that Jentleson and others realize this and know that they are far safer attacking Benjamin Netanyahu and the nation he unfortunately leads.
.... which brings us to the bigger potential problem for Israel and American Jews and it's not from the left.
Trump: Chuck Schumer, who's a Palestinian. He's a full-fledged Palestine . In fact, I'm looking for Palestinian garb. I'm going to send it to him for his birthday. I know him very well. pic.twitter.com/qaKsb5lt2y
— Acyn (@Acyn) August 14, 2026
This is bigoted remark toward Palestinians, whom it is assumed are bad simply because they are Palestinian.
But history teaches us that bias against one group is usually accompanied by bias against one or more other groups. And Donald Trump has accused Chuck Schumer of being "a full-fledged Palestine" (sic), sparing Hillary Clinton, Hakeem the Dream Jeffries, and Nancy Pelosi his ethnic slurs.
Today, Donald Trump is pro-Israel because its head of state is conservative; secular; in power on the basis of support from religious extremists;bent on consolidating power in the executive brandh; being investigated for criminal violations. Sound familiar?
However, Bibi Netanyahu will not be in charge forever, and possibly not beyond this year. Barring death, Donald Trump will remain. It is not unlikely that at some point, he will turn against Israel, and he will not do so by citing serious and significant ideological differences. His base will follow him because his base always does. And if this happens, the likes of Ilhan Omar, Abdul el-Sayed, Adam Jentleson and others will be inconsequential in comparison.
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