HOT: Contested Issues
Some of the questions people ask most about Israel are bitterly contested. This section sets out each one the same way: what is claimed, what the record shows, where the real disagreement lies, what Israel and its defenders answer, and where to read more on every side. Dates and sources are shown so you can check them.
HistoryWhy did about 700,000 Palestinians leave in 1948, and may they return?Roughly 700,000 Arabs left or were driven from the territory that became Israel during the war of 1947 to 1949, and Israel did not let them return.HistoryIs Israel a settler-colonial state?This is mainly a dispute among scholars about which framework fits best.RecentAre Israel's West Bank settlements legal?Most governments and the International Court of Justice say the settlements violate international law.RecentIs Israel an apartheid state?Several major human rights groups say yes, and Israel and its defenders strongly deny it.RecentIs Israel committing genocide in Gaza?A UN commission, Amnesty International and a number of scholars say yes.RecentHas Israel committed war crimes in Gaza?The International Criminal Court has issued arrest warrants for Prime Minister Netanyahu and former Defense Minister Gallant, and Israel rejects the court's jurisdiction.RecentWas there famine in Gaza, and who is responsible?The UN-backed food security monitor declared famine in part of Gaza in August 2025, and said in December 2025 that no area remained in famine after the October ceasefire.RecentIs the Gaza blockade legal, and is Gaza still occupied?Israel and Egypt have restricted goods and movement into Gaza since Hamas took power in 2007.HistoryWhat happened in Jenin in April 2002?Early reports spoke of a massacre of hundreds.RecentWhere is the line between criticizing Israel and antisemitism?Almost everyone agrees that criticizing Israeli policy is not antisemitic and that hatred of Jews is.
How we handle contested issues
- Every topic is titled as the question people really ask.
- We state the best case of Israel’s adversaries in their own terms, as they would want it put, before we answer it.
- We then give the best answers, with evidence, and we say plainly where the evidence is thin.
- We separate what the record shows from what is argued. Every date and figure names its source.
- We link to sources that address the question directly and forthrightly, including the adversaries’ own work, so readers can judge for themselves.
- Pages show when they were last reviewed and are corrected in public.
Know a topic we should cover, or a source we missed? Tell us.