Israeli Ambassador to the United States Yechiel Leiter pushed back on accusations against Israel in remarks circulated by the Israeli Embassy in Washington on Monday, saying claims of “genocide,” “starvation” and “ethnic cleansing” have been misused.
In a video shared on social media, Leiter said critics on both the political right and left have “discredit[ed], delegitimize[d] and demonize[d]” Israel, arguing that terms like genocide have “lost their meaning.” He added, “My son would be alive today if what we’re being accused of, we actually did.”
"My son would be alive today if what we're accused of, we actually did" - Ambassador @yechielleiter
— Embassy of Israel to the USA (@IsraelinUSA) June 15, 2026
Fact by fact. Claim by claim. Our team has laid out the truth in clear, accessible language - dismantling the narratives that have taken root in newsrooms, on campuses, and… pic.twitter.com/4kmrf1guZR
Maj. (res.) Moshe Yedidyah Leiter, 39, was killed in action in the northern Gaza Strip on Nov. 10, 2023. “My own son was killed because we do not kill innocent civilians. He went in on foot into Gaza and led the troops at the beginning of the war, and was killed when he went into a Hamas booby trap,” Leiter told Jake Tapper on CNN August of last year.
The embassy post said it had released materials “fact by fact” to counter what it described as false narratives about Israel circulating in media, academia and online.
