Watchwords: Tuesday, February 17

This week’s pressure is about re-labeling coercion as “rights” — and re-labeling enforcement as “atrocity.”

The enemy doesn't need to win battles. It needs to win vocabulary — and this week the move is to relabel coercion as "rights" and enforcement as "atrocity." A 60-day disarmament demand becomes "collective punishment," security screening at Rafah becomes "ethnic cleansing," and a Madrid museum removes the Jewish visitors instead of the people harassing them. Watchwords gives serious advocates the lines that keep every exchange pinned to authority, incentives, and outcomes — and the traps that hand the room away. Members get the full brief.

The enemy doesn't need to win battles. It needs to win vocabulary.

The Israel Brief is the Mitzpe Institute's read on Israel and the region — most mornings, Sunday through Thursday. More at mitzpe.org.