In the depths of the modern world of conspiracy theories, there's a strange rule: When reports flood in regarding something terrible happening to Palestinians, it's a fact that cannot be questioned. But when reports flood in regarding something terrible that happened in the West — and especially against Jews — cries of "false flag" erupt.

Last week provided an almost perfect example, when a FlyDubai flight bound for Tel Aviv plunged towards the ground as its Omani co-pilot attacked his fellow pilot with an axe in an attempt to wrest control of the plane. Thanks to the immense bravery of the wounded pilot and his passengers (most of whom were Israeli), the jihadist was quickly overpowered and restrained, after which off-duty pilots managed to land the plane safely.

But no matter how much video footage, corroborated reports from multiple governments or eye-witness testimony that was immediately available, there was still a vocal and moronic cohort who insisted that this was another "false flag" operation that had been orchestrated by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as part of some grand scheme.

We've seen this before. When an Islamic terrorist attacked a Manchester synagogue on Yom Kippur last year and murdered two Jews, some people blamed Mossad for the attack as a way of manufacturing sympathy for Israel, forgetting that in modern-day Britain, it's going to take more than a few murdered Jews to achieve that goal.

When two gunmen carried out a massacre at a Hanukkah celebration at Bondi Beach, the same machine sparked into action. The massacre was supposedly a "psyop," the attackers were supposedly Israeli soldiers, and the victims were supposedly crisis actors. Who cares that Australian police said the alleged attackers had been inspired by the Islamic State group? They're in on it, too!

Sept. 11? Mossad! Oct. 7? Israel planned it! Jews attacked? Who really benefits?

Yes, in our modern world of "instant" news, skepticism is healthy, and it's true that governments lie, and wartime propaganda exists. But skepticism that only goes in one direction isn't skepticism at all, but propaganda itself.

Take the Al-Ahli Hospital explosion in October 2023 as yet another example. Hamas blamed Israel, and much of the world's media blasted the accusation around the planet before the smoke had cleared ... despite the fact that subsequent investigations found that the rocket had almost certainly been launched from Gaza by Palestinian militants.

For these people (including many in the media itself), Hamas propaganda is information, while Israeli information is propaganda. Palestinian casualty figures are repeated without question, while one Israeli victim requires an international investigation. Accusations against Israel are labeled as "breaking news," but evidence exonerating Israel is just more "Zionist propaganda." Even when Jews are butchered, massacred or taken hostage on an airliner, that's just proof of how deep this Jewish plot goes.

None of this is critical thinking, because thinking went missing long ago.

Ian Haworth is a syndicated columnist. You can find his work on Substack and follow him on X (@ighaworth). To find out more about Ian Haworth and read features by other Creators Syndicate writers and cartoonists, visit the Creators Syndicate website at www.creators.com.

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