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The Forum > Article Comments > Criticising the Israeli government or anti-Semitism? > Comments

Criticising the Israeli government or anti-Semitism? : Comments

By Dave Smith, published 14/5/2009

It has become politically fashionable to equate any criticism of the government of Israel with anti-Semitism.

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One of my favourite articles on the subject is this from Barry Cohen: http://www.onlineopinion.com.au/view.asp?article=7413.

I particularly like the Thomas Friedman quote: "Criticising Israel is not anti-Semitic and saying so is vile. But singling out Israel for opprobrium and international sanction, out of all proportion to any other party in the Middle East, is anti-Semitic and not saying so is dishonest."

This is basically the problem. Yes Israel carries out certain policies that are thoroughly worthy of criticism, and which cannot be excused solely because other countries in the region behave far worse, but Israel's critics need to consider the whole story before judging. Specifically:
1) Since its birth, Israel has suffered several existential threats. Its neighbours invaded or threatened invasion numerous times and only stopped when they realised they weren't winning easily. Organisations like Hamas still officially desire to destroy Israel.
2) Even those Arab countries that are now ostensibly at peace with Israel are rife with anti-semitism, including through official media channels and often stoked by those very governments who are supposed to be its friends.
3) Almost every country in the region forced its Jewish population to leave using far more unpleasant 'apartheid techniques' than those currently employed by Israel. The number of Jewish refugees from these countries that subsequently settled within Israel is roughly equal to the number of Palestinian refugees displaced in the 1948 war.
4) If the Arab neighbours really cared about the Palestinian refugees, why are they still living in camps after 60 years? Perhaps because if they were comfortably settled in their new countries they couldn't be used so successfully as a propaganda tool.
5) The only country in the region that didn't expel its Jews was, interestingly enough, Iran.

Given the fact that Israel is constantly under attack from all sides it is pretty amazing how much freedom it does grant to its Arab population.

Those people who constantly criticise Israel's behaviour without making any attempt to understand the context are, no doubt unwittingly, being antisemitic.
Posted by Cazza, Thursday, 14 May 2009 1:21:53 PM
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Sorry Cazza I don't accept that I am being anti-semitic, wittingly or unwittingly, for opposing the racist ideology that is Zionism. I will not be silenced by this anti-free speech slur.

I don't support the dictators in the Middle East, most of whom stay in power only with 'our' rulers support.

I don't single out Israel. I side with the oppressed against the oppressors. I side with those fighting against the dictatorships in Egypt, Syria, Jordan and so on.

And so I side with the Palestinians in their struggle against their oppressors, just as I sided with the South African liberation forces in their struggle for a truly democratic nation (not an exclusivist one) in South Africa.

You talk of context. The very creation of Israel was an act of genocide against the Palestinians.

Israel today continues that genocide.

It is not a question of taking ides but understanding the real context and opposing genocide and its particular expression in the form of Israel. Zionism is a racist ideology justifying and continuing this genocide.

Only a democratic and secular Palestine for all who want to live there can resolve the issue.
Posted by Passy, Thursday, 14 May 2009 1:38:20 PM
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How dare you?
I have a right to be a proud zionist. I believe in a jewish state. The UN repealed its resolution that declared zionism is racism. You probably knew that but conveniently left out.
FYI, Israel is the only place in the middle east where gay people can not only vote, but serve their country in the military. It is the best place to be a woman in the middle east. Arabs in Israel are discrminiated against, but no more than minorities are in any other country, but that's not to say that it is OK. But arab israelis enjoy political freedom. arabs have served on the israeli supreme court and have their own political parties, have represented israel in sports, eurovision, the miss world contest. your denial of this and your claims of aparthei show your ignorance.
there is also no law prohibiting people from buying land if they are not jews. where is your source? let me guess . . . your "jewish friends".

Martin Luther King JR once said;
"And what is anti-Zionist? It is the denial to the Jewish people of a fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and freely accord all other nations of the Globe. It is discrimination against Jews, my friend, because they are Jews. In short, it is anti-Semitism."
Posted by Liberal, Thursday, 14 May 2009 3:11:22 PM
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Hi, Father Dave here.

I had a feeling that somebody would accuse me of being anti-Semitic for writing the article. I don't think there's any need to respond to that. When I next share a beer with some of my Jewish mates I guess we'll have a laugh about it.

As to abuses committed by the church historically, that's entirely true of course. I'm horrified by things that have been done by the church and continue to be a very critical of the church's activities in many areas (though I don't think that makes me 'anti-Christian').

As to why I don't like Admadinejad, he seems to me to be a deliberately divisive figure who has exploited anti-Israel and anti-Western sentiment in Iranian society to gain popularity.

I am a fan though of his predecessor (Mr Khatami) who continues to campaign on a platform of building bridges of dialogue between Muslims, Christians and Jews. I had the privilege of interviewing him recently about this (http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=flaeTm2xKnw).

Dave
Posted by Father Dave, Thursday, 14 May 2009 4:42:04 PM
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Dear Passy

You are absolutely right not to be silenced. However, a few points regarding your response to my post.

It is easy to sit back in the peace and security of a country like Australia and advise that "only a democratic and secular Palestine for all who want to live there can resolve the issue". I'm sure the vast majority of Jews who live in Israel would love to feel secure enough to allow this to happen. But you can't ignore either history or the current reality.

If you have the time and the inclination, check out some of the appalling stuff that is found regularly in the Arab media (e.g. go to this website for an idea http://www.adl.org/main_Arab_World/default.htm). Now imagine that you belong to a people that for centuries has suffered as a minority in Christian and Moslem lands, occasionally being allowed to live in peace and prosperity; but more often than not suffering discrimination, persecution, pogroms, expulsion and, ultimately, the Holocaust.

Now at last you have a home of your own, where you are no longer the persecuted minority but instead belong to the majority with control over your own destiny. Nevertheless you are constantly invaded, bombed, attacked and vilified by your neighbours.

Would you really give this up and trust that those vilifying neighbours (who eventually will become the majority population) will treat you as an equal?

By the way, the dictionary definition of genocide is "the deliberate and systematic extermination of a national, racial, political, or cultural group." If that is really Israel's policy, they must be totally incompetent.
Posted by Cazza, Thursday, 14 May 2009 4:49:01 PM
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Cazza,

2000 years of anti-semitism is perhaps an explanation of Israel's oppression of the Palestinians it is definitely not a justification,do Jews suffer persecution and discrimination in Western countries now? Would you rather be a Jew in Australia or a Palestinian in Israel?

Of course pure anti-semitism animates some criticism of Israel and I'll concede that the country's Islamic neighbours are ruled by backward, brutal regimes. Israel is also a very bad neighbour, the country has a tendency to expand into Palestinian land, that just might be the reason for the "vilification" you mentioned, the increase in the Palestinian population is a diversion.Don't the Palestinians have the same human sentiments as Jews?
Posted by mac, Thursday, 14 May 2009 5:52:23 PM
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