As Barack Obama prepares for his March trip to Israel—his first as president—he should help correct distortions about the Jewish state his own administration helped promote. For instance, many Americans view Israel as a dangerous nation, perpetually menaced by terrorism, and see concessions to Palestinian militants as the only path to security.

Actually, Israel is one of the safer nations on earth—with an overall murder rate much less than half that of the USA as a whole, and one ninth that of Obama’s hometown of Chicago. With a population of nearly 8 million, Israel has experienced less than 200 annual murders since 2004-including terrorist incidents. In fact, the only spikes in violence came after concessions to Arab and international pressure—like the ill-fated Oslo Accords and withdrawals from Gaza and Southern Lebanon.