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More from @MikeLivschitz

Michael Livschitz

@MikeLivschitz

Jul 4

🧵 Francesca Albanese is, in effect, calling for the destruction of Israel as a state — which inevitably leads to the conclusion that her statement constitutes de facto antisemitism through radical delegitimization and outright anti-Zionism. This is one of the clearest and most extreme expressions of antisemitism in public discourse today, and it can absolutely be interpreted as incitement to genocide.

It is important to understand that genocide does not only entail physical annihilation. It also includes the deliberate destruction of the conditions necessary for a people’s existence — such as dismantling their economy, stripping them of sovereignty, and denying their right to self-determination.

“Deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part.”

— United Nations Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide (1948), Article II(c)

Francesca Albanese has manipulated the term genocide so many times for her own purposes that she failed to notice when she began inciting it herself.

A detailed thread about the manipulation of the term genocide in service of a one-sided narrative.

Read 4 tweets

Michael Livschitz

@MikeLivschitz

Jul 1

1/🧵

The slogan “Death to the IDF” is now in fashion — yet another example of the demonization of an army without which Israel would have ceased to exist.

I wrote a novel called “Storm in the Shadow”, which lets you peek behind the scenes of the IDF, to see that at the heart of Israel’s army have always stood human values and high moral principles. And if you ever get to read it, you’ll understand that the blood libels directed against the IDF and the State of Israel have no foundation whatsoever.

Oh, right — one small detail: you can’t read it, because no one wants to publish this novel.

Over the past ten months, I’ve received more than 150 rejections from literary agencies in the U.S., and another 65 from the UK. And now the rejections are starting to come in from publishers that do accept unsolicited manuscripts.

Want to know why? Follow the thread.

2/

You may say I’m mistaken or not fully aware of what’s going on — but the facts tell a different story and paint a bleak picture of the literary world.

I looked into it and came across literary agents who make no effort to hide their preferences, and who openly compare Zionism to Nazism and terrorism.

Does this suggest bias? Just look at their profiles — and at the thread below where I lay out the details of my investigation.

3/

To make sure there’s no doubt about the scale of what’s happening, here’s a quote from The Guardian article “Sally Rooney, Rachel Kushner and Arundhati Roy call for boycott of Israeli cultural institutions”:

“We, as writers, publishers, literary festival workers, and other book workers, publish this letter as we face the most profound moral, political and cultural crisis of the 21st century,” begins the statement, which goes on to say that Israel has killed “at the very least 43,362” Palestinians in Gaza since last October, and that this follows “75 years of displacement, ethnic cleansing and apartheid”.

Let me add: this boycott affects Jewish and Israeli authors — anyone writing about Israel, Zionism, and especially the army.

This cancellation campaign has reached unprecedented proportions. Several literary festivals have denied participation to numerous Israeli authors. And we can only guess how many people in the publishing world are actively participating in this.

Read 12 tweets

Michael Livschitz

@MikeLivschitz

Jun 28

1/🧵
Lately, the manipulations around the word “genocide” have become more frequent — and they’re all used in the same context: that what’s happening in Gaza is “genocide,” and Israel is to blame. Let’s start with the fact that there never was, and is not, any genocide in Gaza.

The most telling detail is that these false accusations began spreading almost immediately after Hamas’s barbaric massacre on October 7, where 1,200 innocent Israeli civilians — men, women, and children — were brutally slaughtered. That was a real act of genocide.

But no one wants to talk about that — because antisemitic countries and individuals find it much more convenient to turn everything upside down and dehumanize the victims of October 7, who were literally executed at the Nova music festival or burned alive in their homes in border kibbutzim.

2/
And imagine this: the blood of the murdered Israelis hadn’t even dried yet, and already — on October 8 — pro-Palestinian activists and Gazans launched the term “genocide” into circulation. That was the start of a full-scale campaign to inject this word into the global narrative. It was immediately picked up by major media outlets, so-called “human rights” activists and organizations, and soon after, countries like South Africa.

Where were they all on October 7? Oh, right — they either stayed silent or issued some timid condemnation with a “but” at the end, claiming the massacre must be viewed “in context” — as the result of Israel’s “occupation” and “oppression” of the Palestinians. So, in other words, the victims had it coming.

Really? The worst slaughter of Jews since the Holocaust — and the world rushed to depersonalize it.

3/
So let’s get back to the point. From October 8 onward, the term “genocide” has been tied exclusively to Gaza. Poor Hamas has nothing to do with it, apparently.

Figures like Francesca Albanese, Yousef Munayyer, Craig Mokhiber, and many others started using the word “genocide” at every opportunity.

Read 11 tweets

Michael Livschitz

@MikeLivschitz

Jun 6

Barely had my critical response to Piers Morgan’s misconceptions cooled off when the Financial Times published a strikingly similar piece — as if copied from the same template, only with even more sweeping accusations against Israel. So, what exactly went wrong with the analysis in this reputable paper?

The article opens straightaway with claims that the IDF opened fire this week on desperate civilians rushing toward food aid. But wouldn’t it be useful to clarify which incident we’re actually talking about here? Perhaps the one initially circulated by media outlets based solely on Hamas sources — and later debunked as an outright fabrication? Or maybe the second one, in which Gaza’s Hamas-run Health Ministry reported dozens of deaths — a claim that was also discredited, while the IDF’s own statement was taken out of context and misrepresented? In reality, the IDF’s report, as usual in such cases, was transparent and specific.

Here’s the IDF’s official statement:

“Earlier today, during the movement of the crowd along the designated routes toward the aid distribution site—approximately half a kilometer from the site—IDF troops identified several suspects moving toward them, deviating from the designated routes. The troops carried out warning fire, and after the suspects failed to retreat, additional shots were directed near individual suspects who advanced toward the troops.
The IDF is aware of reports regarding casualties, and the details of the incident are being looked into.”

And here’s how major media outlets like CNN, BBC, and Sky News reported the exact same event on the same day — take Sky News, for example:

“24 Palestinians have been killed by Israeli fire while waiting for aid in Rafah, according to Gaza’s Hamas-run health ministry. The IDF says shots were fired after individuals approached in a way that ‘posed a threat.’”

Why bother with investigations when Hamas can provide ready-to-publish “breaking news” within 15 minutes of any event — no verification, no editorial oversight needed? And of course, if this narrative conveniently aligns with the editorial stance of the outlet, then what could be more perfect? A gift, really — isn’t it?

Now here’s a pattern that never fails to infuriate me: these days, any article condemning Israel but pretending to be “objective” always includes a token sentence condemning Hamas and a perfunctory reference to October 7th. This formulaic gesture utterly trivializes the immense tragedy suffered by the Jewish people — much like the distorted, casual overuse of the word “genocide.” In my view, it’s revolting. A journalist who uses this technique shows not a shred of genuine compassion, and in doing so, dehumanizes the victims of the massacre — as if brushing it aside to quickly move on to the main course: Israel-blaming.

To be fair, the author of this article doesn’t even bother to feign sympathy for Israel. Instead, the entire narrative is built on emotionally loaded rhetoric with no substantiating evidence to speak of.

Here are just a few phrases from the article that paint the entire piece in a single, accusatory tone:

• “Israeli forces have this week fired on people rushing desperately to collect food aid.”
• “The horrors of Gaza have overshadowed Israel’s assault in the West Bank.”
• “suspected war crime…”
• “more occupation, possibly annexation…”

This is a textbook case of blame-shifting — the kind where the actual perpetrators hide behind civilians, sabotage humanitarian aid, and even attack their own people, yet somehow evade accountability. Not a single word about the hostages Hamas still holds, the looted aid convoys, or the relentless disinformation campaign aimed at misleading the global public.

The article repeatedly emphasizes that Gaza’s civilians shouldn’t be punished for Hamas’s crimes — while accusing Israel of collective punishment across the board.

Let me pause here for a second. Even without dissecting the entire piece — just skimming its surface — I could already feel the raw propagandistic charge it carries. You can only imagine what kind of conclusions a credulous reader might draw after consuming it in full.

The article leans heavily on emotionally charged, legally loaded terminology, tossed around without evidence or precision. Its sources are the usual vague and unverifiable suspects — “Palestinian officials,” “international aid agencies,” “hospital officials in Gaza” — the sort of references everyone seems to invoke these days when they want to shield themselves from scrutiny.

Then there’s the accusation that Israel refuses to let foreign journalists enter the combat zone — as if that, in itself, proves it has something to hide. But let’s be honest: what happens if half of those journalists get killed because Hamas doesn’t care who it shoots at? Who do you think will be blamed for those deaths? There are strict safety protocols in place, and for good reason. War zones are not amusement parks.

“Finally, they should lead the way in formally recognising a Palestinian state, before there is nothing left to recognise.”

Why now?

Why not mention that since 1948, the Palestinian leadership has rejected the two-state solution eight separate times — while Israel repeatedly agreed?

Maybe the real reason is they never wanted a state in the first place. After all, sovereignty comes with inconvenient responsibilities: building an economy, investing in science and trade.

But why bother with that when you can rely on billions in international aid while preserving a unique, inherited refugee status — one that contradicts the very charter of the United Nations, which oddly makes an exception only in their case?

The author accuses Western nations of hypocrisy and double standards, yet fails to mention that Hamas is under no pressure whatsoever to abide by international law — unlike Israel, which is expected to operate under intense global scrutiny and strict legal constraints.

Israel, on the other hand, is held to the strictest of standards and expected to “play by the rules,” even under existential threat.

And here we arrive at a paradox: calls to recognize a “state” entirely controlled by a terrorist organization — one that openly rejects Israel’s existence and seeks its destruction.

To debunk every distorted claim in this piece would require a response three times its length, and I won’t waste time refuting every single line. Instead, let me highlight just a few more critical points.

The article casually states that 54,000 people have died in Gaza since the start of the war — as if that number were an uncontested fact. In reality, those figures come from Gaza’s Ministry of Health, which is controlled by Hamas. Israeli statistics, which distinguish between combatants and civilians, are conveniently ignored.

Also absent is any mention of Hamas’s long-declared strategy of maximizing civilian casualties — something its own leaders have openly admitted.

The entire piece is saturated with emotionally manipulative slogans and accusatory clichés (to the author’s credit, he did put in the effort). All of it masquerades as a pursuit of justice but is clearly designed to lead the reader to one conclusion only.

Of course, a systemic analysis of the conflict’s origins was too much to hope for — because if that had been included, the article would have crumbled under the weight of facts that contradict its central premise.

Ultimately, any rational reader will recognize that this article completely disregards the grim reality on the ground — the profound moral dilemma of confronting a terrorist organization entrenched in an urban environment, where every hospital and school is transformed into a fortified combat post, interconnected by a labyrinth of tunnels.

There is no mention of the fate of the hostages, no accounting of the countless war crimes committed by the terrorist group, no examination of Hamas’s actions or underlying motives.

Instead, the narrative is reduced to a one-dimensional demonization of Israel, presenting the Palestinian side as the sole, blameless victim in this conflict.

So when the article claims that “Israel is destroying the foundations of a Palestinian state,” I can’t help but reframe the headline. Because if you take a step back and look at the full picture — the indoctrination of children, the decades Gaza spent preparing for war, the hundreds of kilometers of tunnels dug right under the noses of international observers, the massacre of October 7th, the taking of hostages, the looting of aid convoys, the systematic rejection of peace, and the explicit promises to destroy Israel — then the truth becomes unmistakably clear:

Hamas is destroying the foundations of a Palestinian state.

https://twitter.com/mikelivschitz/status/1930666216496025858

This is the response I wrote to Piers Morgan — the one I referred to earlier in the post:

https://twitter.com/mikelivschitz/status/1930666216496025858

https://twitter.com/mikelivschitz/status/1928114173080113526

Let me add a few more points to this thread 🧵 to provide a fuller picture — so everything is in one place.

https://twitter.com/mikelivschitz/status/1928114173080113526

Read 7 tweets

Michael Livschitz

@MikeLivschitz

May 29

🧵“Ich hasse Juden!”, “Ich hasse Juden!”, “Ich hasse Juden!” (“I hate Jews! I hate Jews! I hate Jews!”) — this piercing, hate-filled scream from the street woke us up at 3:45 a.m. today. It happened in the heart of Munich, Germany — not in 1933, but in 2025. I don’t remember ever feeling such a deep sense of unease. In the next room, our daughter was asleep — a child who should never have to hear such vile shouting.

Antisemitism has reached an entirely new level, like a hydra raising countless grotesque heads in a predatory snarl. Despite Germany’s legal efforts to combat antisemitism, we see that it’s not enough. Recent studies confirm that Germany, of all places, records the highest number of antisemitic attacks — in the very country where Jews should finally feel safest outside of Israel.

As horrific as it sounds, we might still be able to “accept” isolated cases of antisemitism — we’ve sadly grown used to this disgusting phenomenon — but this is no longer about isolated cases.
“Ich hasse Juden!” — this revolting cry, dripping with venom, echoed in the street for a long time and bounced off the windows of buildings that once bore witness to brutal pogroms.

There has never been a difference between antisemitism and anti-Zionism, because denying the Jewish people their right to a state is antisemitism, plain and simple. Those who believe they have the right to express their hatred toward Jews in “respectable” or “legal” ways are hypocrites. They hide behind talk of “context,” pretending their hatred is justified and carry no responsibility for it. Wake up — this must end.

Our ancestors went through this nightmare before, and six million of them were murdered during the Holocaust. This is why Jews have the right to a country of their own — we should not be eternal outcasts, wandering from land to land and enduring persecution.

The blame lies not only with the leaders of powerful nations who, often unwittingly, amplify false “Palestinian” narratives, but also with major media outlets that willingly spread pro-Hamas propaganda under the guise of truth. People tend to believe whatever they hear first — that’s what shapes their worldview. And even though lies are eventually debunked, it doesn’t matter: the damage is already done, and the truth is no longer of interest. If you repeat a lie every day and blame Jews for every sin, sooner or later, people will believe it.

We are witnessing open antisemitism all over the world — from Harvard to the recent brutal murder of two young staff members from the Israeli embassy in Washington. Across Europe, violence erupts under a “lawful” pretext — “Free Palestine.” That was the very slogan the killer shouted as he executed Yaron Lischinsky and Sarah Milgrim at point-blank range.

When those insane screams of “Ich hasse Juden!” finally died out in the pre-dawn darkness, we still couldn’t fall asleep — knowing a long and painful fight against prejudice and blind hatred lies ahead. It’s hard to fathom how any rational society could take up the call for a Global Intifada and carry it out as if it were a sentence. What guides the world when it chooses to embrace a terrorist ideology that tramples on every human value? I can’t believe this is the world we live in — but I know we will never give in, and we will never surrender our lives to those who believe they have the right to decide our fate.

"So many antisemitic incidents as never before"… … the Research and Information Center RIAS Bavaria had already recorded a year ago. In 2024, this number has almost tripled, from 304 to 846 antisemitic attacks.

Süddeutsche Zeitung

cc: @StopAntisemites @HilzFuld @marklevinshow @beholdisrael @JuedischeOnline @StandWithUs @michaeldickson @JewishChron @israel_advocacy @AJCGlobal @Israel @IsraelinMunich @ZvikaKlein @imshin @HausdorffMedia @BenTelAviv @AmichaiChikli @noatishby

Read 4 tweets

Michael Livschitz

@MikeLivschitz

May 7

🚨 1/15 🧵

I hadn’t planned to share this project publicly just yet. I’d hoped to one day surprise everyone with the news that a novel I’d been carrying in my mind for the past ten years — based on real events and set in the Israeli army of the late 1990s — was finally finished. I completed it last fall, after two years of intensive work.

Over the past eight months, I’ve queried more than 100 literary agents in the US and over 50 in the UK. Not one expressed interest.

Then I came across this:

“I am NOT a good fit for:
• anything having to do with Nazis, Zionists, or terrorists.”

This is taken directly from a literary agent’s official profile.

After that, things started to fall into place.

Follow the thread. 🧵

2/15

My novel is upmarket military historical fiction. It offers a detailed, realistic look at the training of new recruits in one of the most capable IDF units — the challenges they face and how 18-year-old boys deal with them. The main character goes through every stage of becoming a soldier, transforming along the way and reevaluating everything he thought he knew.

Although military life is central to the novel, at its core this is a story about duty, honor, brotherhood, love, patriotism, and a deep emotional connection to Israel, shaped by memory, sacrifice, and identity.

As far as I know, there’s no other novel that explores the inner world of the IDF with this level of depth.

In the photo below — that’s me during my military service. The Israeli border. Southern Lebanon.

3/15

I didn’t rely only on friends and family. My beta readers are people from different countries, professions, and backgrounds. They praised the early chapters and are convinced the rejections I’ve received aren’t about quality — but most likely about the book’s theme and content. They’re eagerly waiting for the novel, whose fate is still uncertain.

Read 16 tweets

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