In recent weeks, an ongoing internal investigation into the Israeli prime minister has produced reports that he and his wife received various gifts—Cuban cigars, expensive wines, and the like—from well-wishers, but, in Isi Leibler’s judgment, it has failed to uncover any actionable evidence of criminal wrongdoing. The most recent scandal comes in the form of recordings of secret negotiations with the publisher of one of Israel’s largest newspapers—who also happens to be one of his most vociferous critics—in which the prime minister seems to offer legislation favorable to the paper in exchange for better coverage. Neither comes off well. Yet, writes Leibler, all this amounts to so much smoke, but no fire:

Although there is no justification for Netanyahu’s behavior, he has been treated outrageously by the media. Since the 1990s and his first term as prime minister, Netanyahu has been confronted by a barrage of unsubstantiated [and] politically motivated allegations in unsuccessful efforts to discredit him. . . .

Former prime ministers David Ben-Gurion and Menachem Begin were never concerned with the material quality of their lives as reflected by their ascetic lifestyle. Very modest homes, no cigars, and no pink champagne. After them came the hedonists—Ehud Barak, Ariel Sharon, and Netanyahu.

But the situation is aggravated by the double standards applied to Netanyahu compared with other prime ministers. . . . Despite huge pressure from the media, it is unlikely (although still possible) that Netanyahu will be indicted for corruption or criminality. But his recorded discussions . . . played into the hands of his foes and disgusted most Israelis. On top of that, in addition to his social weaknesses, the use-by date for most politicians in the democratic world rarely extends beyond ten years, which Netanyahu has exceeded.

But, notwithstanding this, the fact remains that, according to all opinion polls, he currently remains vastly more popular than any other potential candidate for prime minister. Israelis believe that at this moment there is nobody who could remotely fill the role as adequately as Netanyahu. It will be the voters of Israel—rather than the hostile media or scheming politicians—who will ultimately determine his political fate. . . .

There is [also] currently no Israeli who has the connections, standing, and ability to communicate the case for Israel with the eloquence and effectiveness in the United States as Netanyahu. . . . Most Israelis, notwithstanding their exasperation, recognize this.

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.