During the Great Jewish Revolt against Roman rule of 66-70 CE, which culminated in the destruction of the Second Temple, the insurgents waged a guerrilla campaign, often retreating to caves for safety. Archaeologists have just found some of these caves in the Galilee, confirming the descriptions of the contemporary Jewish historian Josephus. Philippe Bohstrom writes:

The sanctuaries in which Jewish rebels hid from the Roman forces 2000 years ago were natural caves in the chalky cliffs, [from which the rebels carved elaborate living spaces] over quite extended periods of time. . . .

Based on Josephus’ writings, the archaeologist Yinon Shivtiel became convinced that the Jews hid in natural caves in the cliff side when fleeing from Roman forces approaching their villages. That may have been a precarious endeavor since, from the bottom at least, the caves can be reached only by rappelling down or by climbing up using ropes or high ladders. . . .

At least some of the caves were huge, as much as four stories in height, and tunnels were carved out of the rock allowing access to other caves. Even balconies were discovered, enabling the cave dwellers to watch out for hostiles.

Another remarkable discovery was six ritual baths . . . that received at least some of their water from still-dripping stalactites. Channels were carved out to the external rock wall, so rainwater runoff could accumulate, and stairs leading to the baths were cut into the rock.

Two extraordinary events demonstrate something important about Israel’s most fervent adversaries. One was a speech given at something called The People’s Forum (funded generously by Goldman Sachs), which stated, “When the state of Israel is finally destroyed and erased from history, that will be the single most important blow we can give to destroying capitalism and imperialism.”

The suggestion that this tiny state is the linchpin of a global, centuries-old phenomenon like capitalism goes well beyond anything resembling rational criticism. Even if Israel were guilty of genocide, apartheid, and oppression—which of course it is not—it would not follow that its destruction would help end capitalism or imperialism.

The other was an anti-Israel protest that took place in front of New York City’s Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center, deemed “complicit” in Israel’s evils. At organizers’ urging, participants shouted their slogans at kids in the cancer ward, who were watching from the windows. Given Hamas’s indifference toward the lives of Gazan children, such callousness toward non-Palestinian children from Hamas’s Western allies shouldn’t be surprising. The protest—like the abovementioned speech—deliberately conveyed the message that Israel is the ultimate evil and its destruction the ultimate good, cancer patients be damned.

The fact that Israel’s adversaries are almost comically perverse does not mean that they can be dismissed. If its allies fail to understand the obsessive and irrational hatred that it faces, they cannot effectively help it defend itself.