Story ends with a devastating kicker quote from SEJ board member Rocky Kistner: “What’s going on in Israel, you know, in Gaza, whatnot, that’s a separate issue.” No. It’s not!

I looked through old emails and realized I was also sent an invitation for this trip in 2023. I ignored it. The framing of Israel as a “start up nation that made the deserts bloom” is, of course, historically inaccurate and morally offensive.