Debating Us Israel Relations & Frequent Charges of Anti-Semitism

I've skimmed the articles posted so haven't had a chance to go into details about the content but my two Shekels are that we can and should criticize Israel's actions without being anti-semitic. Consider that while Israel calls itself a Jewish State it is technically secular so Israel doesn't equal Judaism. Also stating that Israel should withdraw from the occupied territories is a far cry from saying that Jews should be wiped from the Earth.

This idea that any criticism of Israel is anti-semitic is a huge disservice to the debate and would be akin to saying that any criticism of the PRC is anti-Chinese or if criticizing Cynthia McKinney is anti-Afican American. Like in any other debate reducing it totally down to a race issue removes consideration of any other factors in the debate and just gives one side rhetorical carte blanche. Many people bristle about when someone likes Jesse Jackson throws out the race card yet those same people are quick to play the anti-semitism card when it comes to criticizing Israel. If its a cheap rhetorical trick in one debate it should be considered the same in another.

 

Exactumundo!!!

I am glad that this is being brought up by some.

We need to act in our own interest FIRST before acting in Israel's interest. What is good for Israel is not necessarily good for US.

 

I stumbled on to this site a while ago and found it interesting. http://www.jewsagainstzionism.com/
This could be a fringe group, so it take with a grain of salt.
Basically they are Jews against Zionism and claim that the Torah is against Zionism.
The site claims that Zionist use anti-semitism to unite people in support of Israel.

I don't know how true any of this is, but it is interesting.

 

First, let's not make the mistake of saying that because every criticism of Israel is not necessarily anti-semitic that no criticism of Israel is anti-semitic. There is no doubt that there are forces that decry the existence of the Jewish state and that offer nothing more than the extermination of that state as the solution. The first editorial I posted goes through a specific analysis of the charges that the 'paper' is anti-semitic. Let you refute that point by point before you shrug it off as the ramblings of a pro-Israeli radical. Second, the second and third articles I posted go through not even an exhaustive analysis of the paper and punch HUGE holes in the thesis. Let you refute those point by point before declaring the validity of the Mearsheimer Walt thesis. The sad fact is that Mearsheimer and Walt's own defense hides behind the 'we're not anti-Israelis but all criticism of us is based on that' facade. The criticism is much more on point and it is up to you - the Mearsheimer advocates, to respond to the criticisms of the paper. You do yourself and the community a disservice by following the straw man that Mearshiemer and his crony Walt set up to defend themselves. They may well be guilty of anti-semitism, but that is far from the only critique of their work. As I originally indicated, even Noam Chomsky, far from someone who would label them anti-semitic, criticised their findings based on the lack of scholarly work. Chew on that before you make you proclamations.

 

Interesting read.

Thanks for the link.

 

That's what I was saying.

 

You might want to be careful with this tactic, it would probably not be impossible to find imams that are anit-Iran.

 

Not to change the topic, but the difference here would be that these Rabbis have a religious conviction that leads them to oppose Zionism, while "protesting Imams" would likely protest the government or some other political/social aspect, not the very existence of Iran.

I know what you meant, just drawing a distinction here.

 

Yes, that's true. When Israel was formed there were many Orthodox Jews who were against Zionism since they claimed that it was an affront to God to create a secular Israel and that Isreal would only be created when the Messiah came. In the book The Chosen Chiam Potok talks about the rifts this caused in the American Jewish community.

 

True there are critics of Israel who are anti-Semites just like there are critics of Jesse Jackson who are Klan members. Does that mean then that every time someone critizes Jesse Jackson that they are really racists?

Just becaue there are anti-Semites that criticize Israel doesn't mean that criticism of Israel in general is anti-Semitic.

And yes I'm stating in general since the topic of the thread is "Debating Us Israel Relations & Frequent Charges of Anti-Semitism" not "Are Mearsheimer and Walt Anti-Semites"