During the recent rally against antisemitism outside the Victorian State Parliament, I was confronted by a man who identified as a student journalist.

The interaction continued to a nearby coffee shop where the student requested an interview, and quickly devolved into a revealing display of his ignorance regarding the Middle East conflict.

Tellingly, his TikTok posts, under the username Joeyrob0 prior to the event had shown him expressing vehemently anti-Israel sentiments, despite his claims of impartiality.

During the conversation, he struggled to articulate basic facts about the conflict. He misinterpreted the chant "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free" as a call for ending persecution and apartheid, rather than understanding its origins in Hamas rhetoric, which calls for the elimination of Israel.

I pointed out that Israeli Arabs enjoy equal rights and that the chant promotes genocide, not freedom.

The discussion further highlighted his misconceptions when he claimed that Palestinians in Israel live under apartheid.

I corrected him, explaining that Israeli Arabs, who make up a significant portion of the population, have full rights as citizens in Israel and the distinction between Israeli Arabs and Palestinians living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip, who are under different governance.

During the conversation, I was reminded of how many young Aussies don't understand the basic facts of the conflict and simply parrot anti-Israel talking points.

Israel isn't immune from legitimate criticism of its government policies, but few who attend the hate-fuelled 'pro-Palestinian' protests make these arguments.