Everyone knows that to get noticed in this world, one must develop a brand that is instantly identifiable. The logo or word can mean only one thing; all other competitors get pushed aside. A new American president was catapulted into office largely on the strength of his brand name. Whoever is running PR for the Palestinians knows this better than most. How else to explain why the word “occupation” applies to them alone? There are far more worthy and sympathetic victims of occupying powers that most people have never heard of or properly considered.

Welcome to Israel’s world of ethereal expectations — the standard of moral perfection to which it is routinely held, and the dizzying array of double standards to which it is casually subjected. This is all the more tragically absurd when compared with the zero standards by which the world judges the Palestinians. When it comes to holding Palestinians accountable for their misdeeds or noncompliance, the international community merely shrugs and offers them the proverbial “Palestinian pass.”