Tipsheet

Watch a NYT Columnist Obliterate the Left's Main Obsession in Less Than Six Minutes

Matt Vespa
Matt Vespa  |  July 21, 2026 7:00 AM

One of the main drivers of the socialist, antisemitic shifts within the Democratic Party is the Gaza War. You already know this—the flawed narrative that Israel is committing genocide is deeply ingrained in the minds of Democrats, especially young ones. Even some Republicans, who shall remain unnamed, fed into the lie that the only functioning democracy in the Middle East was committing genocide against the Palestinians in Gaza.

 He’s a New York Times conservative, but on this, Bret Stephens is right on target. On the ‘The Fifth Column’ podcast, Stephens skillfully shot down the ‘Gaza is genocide’ war cry that’s been playing nonstop among leftist circles. 

At first glance, the argument faces a major challenge: Israel is a nuclear power, and if it wanted to completely wipe out the Palestinians, it could—they have had that ability for 50 years. In Rwanda, which isn’t a nuclear power, the Hutus killed 800,000 Tutsis in 90 days using paramilitary militias and ham radios. It’s possible, and they’re not doing it. They are allowing food aid to enter the areas, distributing polio vaccines, and dropping leaflets into regions telling civilians to leave before attacking. 

The Left would complain about indiscriminate bombing as proof, which only shows how they’re historically illiterate. Stephens wondered how the indiscriminate bombing in Gaza is unforgivable, but the Allies’ firebombing of Hamburg and Dresden—both indiscriminate—were acceptable. Has FDR ever been credibly accused of genocide? No. 
Death toll? Yes, it’s terrible, but 10 to 40,000 Iranians were killed in three days by their own government before Operation Epic Fury was launched. Where were the protests over that? The Palestinians suffered about half of that in a two-and-a-half-year period at the hands of Israeli forces, and that was a hot war. It shows Israel isn’t targeting civilians. It’s not indiscriminate. War is hell, and civilians will die; that’s just how it goes, but the term genocide has been so bastardized here that it’s lost its meaning. And let’s not forget, it was Hamas that started this war with their October 7 invasion into Southern Israel.

Stephens noted that the antisemitic angle comes in because this is all the Left and Democrats care about—Israel. The selective nature of their reaction, the intensity of it. It’s undeniable. 

Their main argument is that we provide aid to Israel, which funds oppression and an illegal occupation. Meanwhile, we give money to Turkey, as Stephens pointed out, which has illegally occupied nearly half of Cyprus since their 1974 invasion. They are also killing Kurds in parts of Northern Iraq, Syria, and in other areas of Turkey. And like Israel, we consider Turkey to be a crucial NATO member and ally, for which we have nuclear weapons stationed inside Incirlik air base. 

Where’s that part of the discussion? 

“The selectiveness of the fury is incredibly disturbing,” said Stephens. “It’s this ally, and this war that concerns you,” he added. 

It is not a genocide, though the Left has bought into that lie, but it’s now their obsession, where even staunch anti-Trump Democrats are losing reelection over their stance toward Israel. 

Stephens mentions JD Vance’s remarks, which you can read here. Look, maybe not the best, but they’re nowhere near the vitriol hurled by the Left on this issue. There’s no comparison. 

So, there you have it, folks. The clip to shut down your leftist family member obsessed with the fake Gaza genocide, promoted by the liberal media, especially the BBC, and years of unsubstantiated claims condensed into less than six minutes because there is no genocide, no evidence—just a huge pile of historically illiterate drivel from people who hate Jews. 

Is there a legitimate discussion about the use of force and tactics? Sure, but that's never been a real part of this debate.