Europe often fails to judge Israel fairly, applying standards to it that are not equally enforced against more brutal regimes, less disciplined forces, or countries that abandon democratic principles amid survival threats.

However, not every challenge facing Israel stems from external prejudice.

The European Union's move this week to impose sanctions on violent West Bank settlers, paired with measures against top Hamas leaders, has drawn sharp rebuke in Jerusalem as false moral parity.

This outcry is warranted. Israeli nationals, even those charged with serious offenses, are not equivalent to Hamas militants, and the Jewish settlements in Judea and Samaria do not constitute terror groups. The deep Jewish historical and spiritual ties to that territory are not criminal, and no foreign entity can nullify them through punitive lists.

Nevertheless, Israel must recognize the issues arising within its borders.

Extremist acts escalate into a national crisis

For years, violence by Jewish extremists against Palestinians in the West Bank was dismissed as a minor nuisance, a peripheral shame, or merely a media headache.

Today, it represents a critical security threat, an ethical dilemma, and a profound Jewish concern.

The IDF admitted in January that it had not adequately curbed Jewish extremist attacks on West Bank Palestinians in 2025, documenting 867 'nationalistic' incidents that year, a rise from 682 in 2024.

Former Shin Bet head Ronen Bar reportedly warned Israeli officials that the term 'nationalistic crime' no longer suffices, insisting it be labeled Jewish terrorism.

These statements should have jolted the nation. Yet, much of the political landscape framed them as just another clash between 'Left' and 'Right'.

This mindset is precisely the danger. Outlawing Jewish terrorism is not a leftist stance. Insisting that Palestinian non-combatants avoid assault, displacement, intimidation, gunfire, or intimidation in Israel's name is not opposition to settlements - it is the fundamental duty of Jewish self-rule.

A nation unable to uphold its laws against its own radicals loses ethical credibility. A leadership that claims to battle savagery while permitting masked Jewish youths to torch fields, raid villages, bully herders, or confront troops undermines Israel's position through its own actions.

Israel has faced this peril in the past

History offers clear warnings. The 1994 Hebron massacre by Baruch Goldstein, killing Muslim worshippers, should have eradicated Kahanist idolization from Israeli society for good.

The 2015 Duma arson, which claimed Ali Dawabsheh and his parents, should have silenced all justifications about 'wayward youths'.

Each incident brought initial horror and denunciation, followed by a return to normalcy. This cycle has allowed the issue to persist.

The common refrain that these radicals 'do not represent the wider community' holds truth but falls short today. If the wider community rejects them, it must actively combat them.

Rabbis, local leaders, ministers, teachers, officers, and families must declare not just that the violence is immoral, but that it profanes Judaism and imperils Israel's safety.

Elections demand moral reckoning

This is particularly urgent with elections looming. Voters must select not only platforms but a ethical path. Leaders who downplay, fund, endorse, or tolerate Jewish extremism must face scrutiny.

National Security Minister Itamar Ben-Gvir's stance and words are inseparable from the environment hampering West Bank law enforcement, as security experts have noted.

Citizens deserve more than vague promises of 'governance.' Governance for whom? Solely Arabs? Political rivals? Or also Jews who threaten Palestinians, troops, Israel's foreign ties, and its Jewish essence?

Israel can denounce Europe's double standards while tackling its internal shortcomings. In truth, it must pursue both.

The debate is not about Jewish presence in Judea and Samaria. It concerns whether Jewish power there will adhere to law, restraint, duty, and human dignity, or fall to extremist doctrine disguised as patriotism.

Failing to confront this candidly invites others to define it for Israel - and their verdicts will be far more severe than any self-assessment.