A Defence of Israel: Critical Thinking about the Israel-Hamas War – NEW BOOK

I am happy to announce the publication of my new book, A Defence of Israel: Critical Thinking about the Israel-Hamas War. My book is now available at Amazon.

In view of the apparent anti-Israel bias of the Canadian Museum for Human Rights in its exhibit “Palestine Uprooted: Nakba Past and Present,” my book is timely.

Gail Asper, honourary member of the CMHR’s board of trustees and daughter of the late Izzy Asper (who originally envisioned and heavily funded the Winnipeg-based national museum): “The thing that is most concerning and upsetting [about the CMHR’s Nakba exhibit] is the wilful disinterest in context. Context matters. History matters.”

Yes, indeed. I would add that truth, careful reasoning, and conceptual analyses matter, too. All these my new book provides.

Since October 7, 2023, there has been a flurry of objections leveled against Israel during its conflict in Gaza. These objections serve as anti-Israel propaganda and, sadly, much of the world – including the CMHR – is being fooled by it. For the sake of Israel and, more generally, goodness and truth, these objections need to be answered. If not answered, goodness and truth will take a terribly serious beating. Josh Hammer, a legal scholar and senior editor-at-large at Newsweek, goes so far as to say that Western civilization hangs in the balance – and I am inclined to agree.

Some objections hark back to Israel’s inception in 1948. For example, Israel’s legitimacy as a state faces the accusation of its origin being a settler-colonial state, which for many (especially in academic circles) is the mother of all sins. Moreover, in its 1948–1949 war of independence against its Arab neighbours (a war initiated and lost by those neighbours), Israel is accused of ethnic cleansing – another sin. This sin is now often referred to as the Nakba (Arabic for “catastrophe”).

And the sins are not limited to Israel’s inception, or so the objections go. Israel is accused of having occupied Gaza in the years immediately prior to October 7, 2023, and, of course, the notion of “occupied” brings to mind the evil of Nazi occupation. With regard to Israel’s war in Gaza after October 7, Israel is accused of genocide, a Nazi-like crime against humanity, but this time Jews are the Nazis. A related charge is that Israel’s military actions in Gaza have been disproportional. Also, Israel is accused of being an apartheid state. And so, in its response to Gaza’s October 7th “resistance,” Israel is made out to be the villain.

The list of Israel’s alleged transgressions is long, but each of the objections against Israel collapses under scrutiny – as my book shows.

Again: Context matters and history matters, as do truth, careful reasoning, and conceptual analyses.

I encourage Manitobans – and all Canadians – to read A Defence of Israel. And I encourage public libraries (including high school and university libraries) to get hold of this book.

Endorsements

“In A Defence of Israel: Critical Thinking About the Israel-Hamas War, Hendrik van der Breggen dispels pervasively popular ‘progressive’ myths about the war in Gaza with a careful and disciplined appeal to reason, evidence, historical contextualization, and conceptual clarification. But he does more than this. He invites his readers to resist the strategic cynicism and virtue posturing of contemporary postmodern political discourse in favour of reasoned and charitable debate, pursued in good faith and with a genuine desire to seek and discover the truth. As such, Dr. van der Breggen’s Defence represents not just an argument, but a call to return to civil dialogue, respectful disagreement, charitable representation of the views of one’s intellectual and political opponents, and a commitment to substance over style, reasoned persuasion over sophistry, and calm deliberation and wisdom over moral panic and emotivism.”

Patrick S. Franklin, PhD, Alister E. McGrath Chair of Christian Thought & Spirituality, Tyndale University (Toronto)

“In A Defence of Israel, Hendrik van der Breggen systematically examines the central legal and moral accusations leveled against Israel since October 7, 2023. Drawing on history, just war principles, and careful reasoning, he challenges claims of genocide, apartheid, and disproportionality with arguments that demand serious engagement. At a time when rhetoric often replaces analysis, this book insists on disciplined thinking about war.”

John Spencer, MPM, Chair of Urban Warfare Studies, Modern War Institute at West Point (New York), Military Analyst (CNN, Fox, MSNBC, BBC, etc.)

“Philosopher-turned-legal-advocate Hendrik van der Breggen’s A Defence of Israel delivers on the promise of its title in distilling the finer points of Israel’s defense of its homeland, which involves moral and military compromises necessitated by terrorists who are not fighting according to the laws of war.”

Thane Rosenbaum, JD, law professor and Distinguished University Professor at Touro University (New York), Legal Analyst (CBS News)

“Hendrik van der Breggen’s A Defence of Israel is a solid, informative, and helpful text for addressing a wide range of misconceptions concerning the Israel-Hamas war in Gaza. While acknowledging the sad reality of genuine suffering and actual victimhood when it occurs, the book also debunks the swamp of misinformation keeping false Gazan victimology afloat. I was even able to use some points from Hendrik’s book during a discussion, online, to refute falsehoods about Israel and Zionism.”

John D. Ferrer, PhD, speaker-writer-researcher, CrossExamined.org

“I cannot recommend this book highly enough! In A Defence of Israel: Critical Thinking about the Israel-Hamas War, Hendrik van der Breggen offers a careful, reasoned exploration of one of the most significant conflicts of our time. With precision and the heart of a truth-seeker, he invites readers to slow down, examine popular assumptions, and engage the evidence. Hendrik systematically untangles complex false charges against Israel with intellectual rigour and humility. Whether or not one agrees with every conclusion, this book models the kind of respectful, critical dialogue our world desperately needs. An essential resource for those seeking clarity and truth over rhetoric!”

Stefan Duerksen, Lead Pastor, Southland Church (Steinbach, Manitoba)