Australian blogger Neil “Niall” Cook is fed up with criticism of Israel being labelled “Anti-Semitic.”
I’m quite sick of seeing supposed Zionists, or supporters of anything and everything which eminates from the Jewish state or Jewish support groups and thinktanks labelling anything said or written opposing the Israeli position on middle-eastern politics as anti-semitic.
Here is a news flash for Neil: Criticism of Israel is not necessarily anti-Semitic, but, in many cases it is.
For instance, criticizing Israel’s right to defend her citizens smacks of anti-Semitism, especially when the same people who criticize this right fully acknowledge this right when it comes to the citizens of another country. It all depends on the context. But there is no doubt in my mind that many people are cloaking their anti-Semitic proclivities under the auspices of “anti-Zionism.”
Having said all of that, I do not believe that all critics of Israel are being labelled as “anti-Semitic” by supporters of Israel. So to state that “..supporters of anything and everything which eminates from the Jewish state or Jewish support groups and thinktanks labelling anything said or written opposing the Israeli position on middle-eastern politics as anti-semitic..” is a gross simplification.
But Niall does not stop there. He continues to make statements that are palpably wrong. For instance:
What is it with the media in this country, and others for that matter, seemingly terrified of being seen to be critical of things jewish or more to the point, being seen to NOT be critical of those who are.
I do not know which media Niall is speaking of, but the mainstream media I know and loathe is most definitely not afraid of being seen to be critical of “things Jewish”, as Niall puts it.
Niall continues as follows:
It’s not a crime to be critical or to have an opinion on matters which are opposed to what jews or the Jewish nation might prescribe, and I’m dead certain no Jewish person is going to die or be unduly persecuted because opinions are expressed which disagree with what their nation believes is right.
While Niall is dead certain that no Jewish person is “going to die or be unduly persecuted because opinions are expressed which disagree with what their nation believes is right”, a great many Jewish people are dead exactly because opinions were expressed which disagreed with what Israel believes is right. For instance, opinions that Israel’s security fence is morally wrong and unacceptable have ultimately contributed to the delays in its construction, resulting in a larger loss of life as a result of the terrorists who have infiltrated through the exposed areas. Furthermore, terror attacks against Jews and Israelis are a manifestation of these opinions. That is not to say that criticism of Israel should be censored, but rather that you cannot claim that criticism of Israel does not lead to a climate in which Jews are butchered.
After giving us a linguistics lesson on the term “anti-semitic”, Niall makes another embarassingly wrong statement.
After all, Palestine existed for millenia before Israel.
I challenge Niall to provide evidence of this blatantly false assertion. There was never an Arab country of Palestine and the PLO Arabs were never a nation.
Then Niall decides he has the answer to solving the conflict.
I believe the only way to peace for both nations, and I do believe Palestine to be a nation state deserving of the name, is for both parties to use intelligence, logic and rational thought processes to find a solution.
Gee, Niall. You think? And do you think the terrorists who blow up innocent Israelis are following your advice? Furthermore, would it be “logical and rational” for the Israeli government to allow these terrorists to maim and kill civilians at will?
Niall then concludes with a very troubling statement.
There is, however, a teminology which exists for what the Israeli nation would prefer for the Palestinian nation. It’s called genocide. Oh, the irony of it all.
The implication is clear: Israelis want to kill the PLO Arabs. After waffling about the characterization of criticism of Israel and Jews as anti-Semitic, Niall generalizes about all Israelis and makes this offensive statement. His ending words “Oh, the irony of it all.” seem to allude to the fact that Jews were the victims of genocide during the holocaust and are now perpetrating it, or at least wanting to perpetrate it.
Gee, Niall. It is statements like this that are perceived as going beyond mere criticism of Israel and entering the realm of anti-Semitic sentiment.
