Family and friends carry the coffin of Al Jazeera reporter Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed during an Israeli raid in Jenin in the occupied West Bank, as Israeli security forces stand guard, during her funeral in Jerusalem, May 13, 2022. REUTERS/Ammar Awad

For a very long time, I thought that Israel’s public relations problems were a major issue for the Jewish state. But as I get older, I realize that many in the media simply don’t care about the truth.

Let’s take Al Jazeera journalist Shireen Abu Akleh, who was killed in Jenin last week. Israel was blamed for her murder, following an exchange of fire between armed Palestinians and IDF soldiers. Israel was working to protect its citizens from a wave of terror attacks that has taken the lives of 19 people since March.

While Israel called for a joint investigation, the Palestinian Authority refused to participate, and refused to share the bullet that killed her. Given that Palestinian gunmen were seen firing in the area, it’s reasonable to assume that hiding the bullet may be a way for the PA to hide the true identity of her killer.

The media outlets that rushed to cover the story also never talk about the wave of terror against Israeli civilians, nor the financial and other incentives that Palestinian leaders give their people to kill Jews.

As Prime Minister Naftali Bennett noted, “Palestinians in Jenin were even filmed boasting ‘We hit a soldier; he’s lying on the ground.’ However, no IDF soldier was injured, which raises the possibility that Palestinian terrorists were the ones who shot the journalist.”

Against that backdrop, the funeral of Abu Akleh saw ugly conflicts between police and attendees of the funeral. Israeli police were forced to intervene after Arab rioters took the casket.

It’s very simple: Israel is right to protect herself. Israel is right to ensure that thousands of Palestinian Arabs intent on violence were stopped.

Zionist ideologue Ze’ev Jabotinsky had it right in 1911, when he wrote: “Instead of excessive apology and instead of turning our backs to the accusers — as there is nothing to apologize for, and nobody to apologize to — it is long overdue to respond to all current and future accusations, reproaches, suspicions, slanders and denunciations by simply folding our arms and loudly, clearly, coldly and calmly answer, ‘Go to Hell.'”

Israel as a nation is a modern miracle. The country survives and thrives with enemies intent on her destruction. That’s the true cause of the conflict.

Ronn Torossian is an author and entrepreneur.