It's quite a nonsense story really because arabs are semitic and if there is an increase in semitism it against arabs and not Jews.

Get a grip Manny. I don't hate Jews or Muslims or christians or any of the other silly religions because they are all based on some imaginary friend and paranoid delusions of higher powers.

What I and the so-called left despise is the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by the Israelis, their utter refusal to set borders, the continual theft of Palestinian land and the incessant bleating about anti-semitism.

Once again we have the specious argument that as Arabs are semites then anti-semitism applies equally to anti-Arab actions. This is the usual dishonest process of changing the well known and accepted meanings of phrases in order to disarm and confuse the real issue. But these arguments are never productive because whenever anyone dares to talk about some real grievances that the Jews or israelis may have (without detracting in any way from the grievances of teh Arabs) we get the arguments that, in effect, the Jews and Israelis are not entitled to grievnaces because of teh terrible thinsg they do to Arabs.
The same people completely ignore the herd of elephants in the room - the egregious behaviour of the Arab States towards Israel since its inception, the utterly barbaric behaviour of many anti-Israel Arabs. All they can see is the Israeli behaviour in isolation. the whole problem shoulkd be seen in its complete context - not just Israeli actions.
The lack of intellectual honesty in many people arguing against Israle makes areally constructive discussion impossible.
Israel's proiblem is that while Jews were losers the left loved it - once the Jews said we are not going to be losers anymore the Left dropped them.
And I know that this posting is likely to result in one or more postings accusing me of all sorts of things but one has to wonder why it is that the Jewish State is subject to such criticism when other non-Jewish States, whose behaviour is much more egregious that that of Israel, are not subject to criticism.
Sure,Israel should be criticised but when people make such extreme and dishonest assessmenst as those I have mentioned above, their claim not to be anti-Semitic rings rather hollow.

The Western world by letting Israel go illegally militarily atomic in the late 1960s and letting her become a US outpost in the Middle East, again illegally, has made it very difficult for historians like myself to justify Israel not being penalised by a Global Court or a genuine UN if the world ever follows the Kantian philosophy of a Federation of Nations rather than dominated by one single unipolar power?

Arabs are semites. So are Jews. Get over it.

Marilyn,
“What I and the so-called left despise is the ethnic cleansing of Palestine by the Israelis, their utter refusal to set borders, the continual theft of Palestinian land and the incessant bleating about anti-semitism.”

But Marilyn that’s not the full Monty is it ?
You and your left are very light-on when it comes to criticising the misdeeds of non-Israelis.

Is this because the Israelis are the font of all oppression, or, do you & your left simply have a blind spot

Though not au fait with the situation between the Palestinians and Jews, I recall reading a biography, and a historical account of life in the 30s or 40s in Jerusalem when Jews and Arabs lived happily next door to each other.

The same source also recalled the black day for Jews, when preparing to visit the synagogue, responded to the knocks on their front doors.

That's when the Arab "visitors" on rampage, knifed the Jew, methodically going from door to door and slaying these people.

Jews have lived in Judea, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip throughout recorded history until the 1948 "War of Independence" when they were forced to flee the the Arab armies.

Perhaps we should also recall that Jews also frequently purchased land from Arabs or landowners - they did not take it and for those who believe in the scriptures, Abraham lived in that area long before the birth of Muhammed (570CE?)

Is Britain also partly responsible for the conflict when they drew a haphazard line in the sand and divided the states in a most imprudent fashion?

Posters, more conversant than I, with that period of history, may wish to enlighten me further?