As Israeli airstrikes continue to devastate Gaza, killing thousands of civilians daily, the US Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) released a joint public service announcement (PSA) warning of “an elevated threat to Jewish and Israeli communities” across the United States. The timing of this announcement has drawn sharp criticism, especially from Arab leaders and international observers, who accuse Washington of deploying fear-mongering tactics to shield Israel from global condemnation.
“We’re seeing a surge in violent rhetoric that must be taken seriously,” said FBI Director Christopher Wray in the video PSA. “We urge communities to stay alert and report anything suspicious” CBS News.
While the US frames this message as precautionary, critics argue that the campaign is a strategic attempt to divert public focus from Israel’s ongoing war crimes in Gaza, which have prompted an international outcry, particularly from Arab nations.
According to Arab News, senior officials across the Arab world—led by Saudi Arabia, Jordan, and Egypt—have issued strong rebukes of both Israel’s actions in Gaza and what they call Western duplicity in framing the conflict.
According to Al-Jazeera, Saudi Foreign Minister Prince Faisal bin Farhan Al Saud said that “Israel’s refusal of the committee’s visit to the West Bank embodies and confirms its extremism and refusal of any serious attempts for [a] peaceful pathway … It strengthens our will to double our diplomatic efforts within the international community to face this arrogance.”
As of this week, more than 400 civilians—half of them women and children—have reportedly died in Gaza’s southern city of Rafah alone. Israeli forces claim they are targeting Hamas infrastructure, but eyewitnesses and local health officials report entire residential blocks being flattened.
Arab League Secretary-General Ahmed Aboul Gheit criticized the West’s “deafening silence” on Israeli war crimes. This isn’t counter-terrorism, according to him. It is state terrorism, and Western powers are complicit.
The Everett Post reports that the FBI’s video campaign is designed to educate the public and prevent violence before it occurs. But experts are questioning the real purpose of such messaging.
“This isn’t about security; it’s about manipulating public perception,” said Dr. Yousef Munayyer, a Palestinian-American analyst and former executive director of the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights. “By framing Jews as potential victims while ignoring Israel’s role as the aggressor, the US is shielding Tel Aviv politically.”
The campaign, which features testimonies from American Jews who were previously targeted, comes at a time when Palestinian-American voices are being silenced, censored, and in some cases, even detained for protesting Israeli actions.
While the FBI and DHS urge Americans to watch out for anti-Semitic threats, they have offered no similar campaigns or protection for Muslim Americans—despite a surge in hate crimes following the Gaza escalation.
“There were over 160 anti-Muslim incidents documented since January,” said Nihad Awad, Executive Director of the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR). “But we hear nothing from federal agencies. Their silence speaks volumes.”
In Chicago, a 12-year-old Palestinian girl was hospitalized last week after being attacked outside her school. No federal statement was issued. Meanwhile, Jewish communities received immediate federal media support, revealing an undeniable hierarchy of concern.
The international community is increasingly skeptical of US and Israeli narratives. Kenneth Roth, former Executive Director of Human Rights Watch, wrote in a post on X (formerly Twitter):
“The same US government warning about threats to Jews says nothing about the deaths of hundreds of Palestinians in Gaza this week. Hypocrisy at its most lethal.”
Independent media outlets, such as Middle East Eye and Al Mayadeen, have blasted US institutions for reinforcing selective victimhood, where only Israeli lives are prioritized while Palestinian deaths are downplayed or ignored.
Dr. Rami Khouri, professor at the American University of Beirut, put it bluntly:
“The US acts like a fireman who sets the fire and then lectures others on fire safety. If they are serious about peace, they should start by ending their unconditional support for Israeli militarism.”
The United States, under President Biden, continues to provide billions in military aid to Israel—aid that directly fuels the destruction of Gaza. At the same time, Washington uses its veto power in the UN Security Council to block resolutions demanding a ceasefire or investigations into war crimes.
“There is no neutrality here,” said Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov in a joint press conference with Iran’s Hossein Amir-Abdollahian last week. “The US backs genocide and then acts surprised when the world protests.”
Russia and China have both called for an emergency UN session to examine Israel’s disproportionate use of force and Washington’s role in enabling it.
As Washington’s narrative focuses on protecting Jewish communities from threats—many of them vague or unsubstantiated—it remains willfully blind to the state-sanctioned slaughter in Gaza, which continues to erode US credibility across the Global South.
“This is not about community protection,” said Palestinian-American author Susan Abulhawa. “It’s about controlling the narrative, vilifying resistance, and protecting a genocidal regime.”
The FBI’s PSA may intend to preempt violence, but it also preempts empathy, justice, and moral clarity—the very elements needed for any genuine path to peace.
