I got the inspiration to write these words while talking to a European friend of mine who  I talk to frequently about matters of the world. Our conversation led me to the following conclusion.

I am happy to announce that the competition is over (and no – I’m not talking about Eurovision).

After years of fierce international competition involving dictatorships, military juntas, terrorist organizations, religious extremists, chemical weapons users, ethnic cleansers, and governments that routinely imprison journalists, Israel has finally emerged victorious as the world’s greatest villain.

And let me tell you, It wasn’t easy.

After all, the competition was intense. There were countries that invaded their neighbors, countries that made dissidents disappear, countries that banned women from basic freedoms, countries that executed political opponents, and organizations whose stated purpose is the destruction of entire populations.

But somehow, Israel (a small country with a population of ten million people – roughly the size of New Jersey) managed to eclipse them all.

That is no small achievement. Let’s consider the extraordinary list of offenses:

1, Israel allows its Arabs to vote: Clearly a sinister and diabolical move on its part: Arab citizens sit in parliament, serve as judges, doctors, professors, journalists, diplomats, and military officers.

Israel is teaching the world a master class in oppression.

2. Israel’s Supreme Court regularly rules against its own government: Obviously the hallmark of a tyrannical regime.

3. The country’s newspapers relentlessly criticize its leaders: The horror.

4. Protests regularly shut down major highways: The dictatorship is apparently so efficient that citizens can openly demonstrate against it every week.

Then there is the matter of humanitarian aid.

5. For years, Israel has been condemned for not allowing enough aid into Gaza: When aid entered Gaza, Israel was condemned because the aid entered Gaza; When aid was stolen by Hamas, Israel was condemned; When aid was delayed due to Hamas attacking convoys, Israel was condemned; When aid was delivered, Israel was condemned for delivering it incorrectly.

This level of versatility in wrongdoing is truly impressive.

But Israel’s greatest accomplishment may be its ability to lose wars that it wins.

Military historians will study this phenomenon for generations.

In 1948, Israel survived an invasion by multiple Arab armies. Somehow this became evidence of Israeli aggression.
In 1967, Israel faced massed armies threatening its destruction and won in six days. Proof, apparently, of colonialism.
In 1973, Israel was attacked on its holiest day. Suspicious behavior indeed.

After October 7th, when Hamas (and ordinary Gazan citizens) murdered, raped, kidnapped, and burned civilians alive, the global conversation quickly returned to the truly important question: What could Israel have done differently to avoid being attacked?

This is a level of accountability no other nation has ever achieved.

Let’s look at some other global conflicts so that we gain the proper perspective:

Russia invaded Ukraine. Blame was placed on Russia.
ISIS massacred civilians. Blame ISIS.
Al-Qaeda attacked America. Blame Al-Qaeda.

By contrast, when Hamas attacked Israel.

A worldwide movement was immediately formed to determine what Israel did wrong.

Remarkable consistency. Perhaps the secret lies in expectations.

Let’s be honest for a second.  Nobody expects dictatorships to behave well. Nobody expects terrorists to behave morally. Nobody expects authoritarian governments to respect human rights.

However, let’s keep the honesty sentiment flowing:  Israel is expected to fight enemies who intentionally hide among civilians, store weapons in schools, operate command centers beneath hospitals, and embed military infrastructure in residential neighborhoods while somehow ensuring that nobody gets hurt.

Not one person. Ever.

Even the laws of physics are apparently expected to make special exceptions. And if they don’t?

Israel remains the villain.

Of course, there may be another explanation. Maybe Israel’s real crime is not what it does. Maybe its crime is what it represents. A small Jewish state that survived repeated attempts to destroy it. A state that refuses to disappear. A people who stubbornly insist on remaining part of history rather than merely its victims.

That possibility is considerably less comfortable than accusing Israel of being uniquely evil.

So perhaps it is easier to maintain the current arrangement:

Let China be China.
Let Iran be Iran.
Let Hamas be Hamas.
Let dictators dictate.
Let terrorists terrorize.

But let Israel carry the burden of being humanity’s designated villain. After all, someone has to do it. And apparently nobody does it better.

So congratulations, Israel. Against overwhelming competition, you have achieved the impossible.

You have become the world’s most condemned nation while remaining one of the few nations whose every action is scrutinized, debated, investigated, protested, litigated, and endlessly analyzed.

That takes real talent.

Or perhaps it says something far less about Israel than it does about the rest of the world and those who bestowed this dubious honor upon Israel.

Ethan Kushner is a writer, strategist and marketing executive focused on Israel–Diaspora, US-Israel relations and civil-society-led nation branding. He is founder of the Kerem Alliance, an NGO working to counter polarization by advancing a more credible, values-based global conversation about Israel. He is also Chair of American Democrats in Israel, an organization of American Israeli supporters of the US Democratic Party and Israeli identity with a mission of supporting U.S. Democratic political candidates who ally with Israel and Jewish values. His work explores democracy, identity, and the limits of government-led public diplomacy in an increasingly fractured media landscape.