Narrative battle strategy: A clear way to talk about Iran

Cut the jargon, and just get to the point: If you try to kill Jews, you won’t get away with it. Those days are over.

It’s the day after the U.S. and Israel attack on Iran, and the vilification of Israel has already started. Expect it to get worse, and to be aimed not only at Israel, but at the Jewish people. This happens every time.

But it doesn’t need to get worse. Mounting a strong narrative campaign in this latest war with Iran should be simple and straightforward. We have a great story:

Iran has been trying to destroy Israel and kill Israelis for years. We Jews are done allowing people to attack us and kill us.

It’s that simple. Israel - and the Jewish people - have an unflinching resolve to fight back against enemies who want to destroy us.

Let’s not get hung up with jargon. Let’s not get trapped trying to explain Trump’s motives, or Bibi’s political pressures, or any complex geo-political dynamics. No bullet points. No charts. No complex arguments. Let’s keep the messages clear and straightforward, so these messages are easily understood:

Iran has been attacking Israel for years - With Iran’s direction and funding, Hamas, Hezbollah and other proxies have fired more than 35,000 rockets at Israeli civilians over the past two decades. Iran overtly says it wants to destroy Israel, and it has continuously tried.

No more. If any neighbor wants to live peacefully with us, we’re up for it. But any group - like Iran or its proxies - tries to destroy us, we will defend ourselves, valiantly. And we will win.

That’s it. The days of Jews being unable to defend themselves are over.

In his book, Constantine’s Sword: The Church and the Jews, A History, Catholic priest and historian James Carroll estimates that if it were not for the relentless killing of Jews over the past few thousand years there would be 100 million Jews alive today, not just 15 million.

We are done putting up with people attacking us with impunity. Those days are over.

You want to attack the Jews? You will be met with a fierce defense. And you won’t win.

At this moment, Israel is the only country in the world who has enemies who not only threaten, but try, to annihilate it. Israelis are constantly threatened with genocide. And, as we know, this hate is not just directed at Israel, but at the Jewish people as a whole. We’re all in this together, and our enemies would kill all of us if they could.

But it’s not going to happen. And this weekend’s action in Iran is proof.

This war won’t go perfectly. Israelis have already died. Israel will make mistakes. But Israel will win, because it has no other choice when faced with enemies bent on its destruction.

Just don’t mess with the Jews. We are committed to our valiant defense and our survival.

Let’s cut the jargon, and just get to the point: If you try to kill Jews, you won’t get away with it.

.