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Sovereignty comes with a military, and the IDF provides the security that Jews in the Diaspora did not have, as well as the dignity and respect among the nations.

But Israeli sovereign equality has been under attack from the beginning…they have used the United Nations and other institutions to wage a political war against Israel, employing double standards and singling out the Jewish state for special treatment.

The use of labels such as “apartheid” to soil Israel’s image, linked to the BDS (boycott, divestment and sanctions) and lawfare campaigns, are central to this form of political warfare.

In recent years, these anti-Israel campaigns have also developed some Israeli and Jewish Diaspora allies, in the form of small non-government organizations (NGOs) with large budgets to travel the world, promoting this cause.

The latest clash with German Foreign Minister Gabriel also involves sovereignty, and the right of the Jewish people to guide our own destiny, after 2000 years in which this was denied to us.

As Israel’s Prime Minister, and therefore a main symbol of Jewish sovereignty and democracy, Netanyahu articulated the views of the broader public. The IDF is the primary embodiment of national self-determination, and the embrace by foreign (German) officials of fringe groups that “slander IDF soldiers as war criminals” and “call for the criminalization of Israeli soldiers” are red flags. Far from being voices of civil society that promote human rights, or promote peace, as they claim, for many citizens, such groups are seen as fig leaves for ongoing delegitimization campaigns.