Israeli Activist Reaches Barghouti: 'I Started Bombarding Them with Facts'
Dave Azulay, an Israeli activist, is fighting anti-Israel propaganda online by refuting false claims with historical facts and international law in video chats with people worldwide.
In the last two years since the October 7 massacre, the campaign of delegitimization against Israel in the world has risen by several levels. Antisemitism is expressed by ordinary people attacking Jews staying abroad and also at the political level when countries impose an arms embargo on Israel and even issue an arrest warrant against the Prime Minister in The Hague.
Antisemitism was not born yesterday and history is saturated with hatred of Jews, but there is no doubt that the global media is poisoning citizens against Israel with statements like genocide, apartheid, murder of a people, and an occupying state. Perhaps if the State of Israel had been stronger on the global media front, the younger generation would not have been so full of hatred just because the media constantly reports on the terrorist side as if it were the victim.
Where there are no people
This vacuum is filled by Israeli citizens who act on their own initiative. They do advocacy work where there is no government institution that handles it. One of them is Dave Azulay, a cosmetics company owner and former combat soldier. Dave confronts people all over the world in apps like Omegle – a chat that allows a random video call with people from any country. In filmed confrontations, he refutes claims against Israel using historical facts, international law, and even quotes from the Quran.
It all started during Operation True Promise against Iran. Dave, who suffers from PTSD, was forced to spend a lot of time in the protected space (MAMAD). "I was in the MAMAD for a long time and didn't leave it," he says in an interview with C14. "In my spare time, I entered conversations with people in these apps. I saw the hatred towards Israel and I just started bombarding them with facts." He does not hide his identity. He appears with a Star of David necklace. "It always starts with 'Fuck Israel' and from there it progresses," he explains.
On the right side of history
Dave does not come to these conversations empty-handed. He makes sure to learn between three to nine new facts every day about Israel, about what is called in the world "the conflict," and about Islam. "You cannot be surprised when you walk with the truth," he says. Once he uploaded a video to the web and was amazed by the reactions. "Within two months I reached 40,000 followers, and today I already have 78,000. I am recognized a lot on the street." He does everything alone: from the conversations to the editing of the short videos.
One of the constant examples in his confrontations is the subject of genocide. "Someone told me that Israel is committing genocide. I asked him who decides what genocide is. He answered that the World Court. I took him to Google and showed him that the ICJ did not determine such a thing. Usually, they are shocked and disconnect on me the moment they meet correct facts." Dave feels that he is succeeding in changing the opinions of people from Brazil, America, and France who send him messages of support.
Israeli advocacy – even inside Israel
His influence reached even the terrorists in the prisons. "I received a message from a guard who works in the prison where Marwan Barghouti is located. He told me that he used my sentences in front of the terrorists. He quoted them verses from the Quran that show that Israel is the promised land for the Jews. They had nothing to answer him." Dave understands that Israelis also need advocacy. "Israelis do not always know how to explain themselves. I translate my videos into Hebrew because the Israeli audience is no less important."
Dave has harsh criticism regarding the lack of an organized government advocacy system. "The government needs to take people like me and give a budget. There needs to be a body that will relate to us, because currently I am investing my private time alone. The fact that I don't get a salary for this shows what is happening with us. There is no advocacy." He adds that hatred of Israel stems from stupidity: "You cannot explain to a stupid person that he is stupid. You can explain to him why he is wrong without telling him he is stupid, and he will reach the conclusion by himself."
His vision is to leave the private business and focus only on advocacy. "My goal is to work in this, whether it is on behalf of the government or a news organization. If I could work only in this, the change would be 500 times greater." Until that happens, he recommends everyone to study history. "They always tell me that before Israel there were Arabs here. I ask them if there were also Jews here, and they get stuck. The name Palestine actually came from the Romans."
