JERUSALEM — In the absence of any prospect of peace with the Palestinians, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel has started a video war.

His latest, and so far the most provocative, two-minute video in a recent series is titled “No Jews.” In the video, Mr. Netanyahu accuses the Palestinian leadership of demanding a Jew-free Palestinian state by opposing Israeli settlements in the West Bank. He adds, “There’s a phrase for that: It’s called ethnic cleansing.”

A storm of international and domestic criticism followed the release of the video on Friday, with some calling Mr. Netanyahu’s arguments divisive and delusional. The State Department described the language in the video as “inappropriate and unhelpful” and said it had taken the issue directly to the Israeli government.

But many have cheered for him, saying Mr. Netanyahu is exposing the hypocrisy of Israel’s detractors, whose concern for human rights, they feel, seems to apply only to the Palestinians.