Stop the Anti-Semitism When Talking Gaza

[KamaAina]

http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2014/08/07/stop-the-anti-semitism-when-talking-gaza.html

Muslims, like Jews, are a minority faith in America. Consequently, we have endured our share of vicious barbs launched by hate-group leaders, elected officials and even clergy members of other faiths. This has made us keenly aware of the pain of being demonized simply for our faith. That is why Ellison and I and the Muslims I know find it so despicable to see instances of anti-Semitism arise over the conflict in Gaza.

This is especially the case in Europe. While the media have noted that in large part the rallies there opposing the Netanyahu government’s military action in Gaza have been peaceful, there has been an alarming amount of anti-Semitism on display.

“Gas the Jews” and “Death to the Jews” have been heard at some rallies. Firebombs have been thrown at synagogues in France and Germany, and Jewish-owned businesses in Paris have been vandalized. As Daniel Schwammenthal, director of the American Jewish Committee’s Transatlantic Institute explained to the International Business Times, “If you attack a synagogue, explain to me what this has to do with being concerned about Gaza. You just want to hurt the Jews.” He’s 100 percent correct.

This type of conduct is despicable. Period. There’s no “but” or “let me explain why I said or did that.” It doesn’t matter how much you are angered or heartbroken by the image of children being killed in Gaza. And being of Palestinian heritage, I’ve been very aware of the suffering of Palestinian civilians well before social media has recently made this information instantaneously accessible. So I say this as someone who is very supportive of Palestinian humanity.

[La Lioness Priyanka]

1. agreed. i think this gaza conflict has allowed a lot of antisemitism to surface

esp in Europe.

[Larkspur]

2. And we've seen fascism rise in Israel

the terms"mowing the lawn" to describe the slaughter of trapped Gazans, the Israelis of Sderot cheering on the bombing of Palestinians while having a BBQ.

[el_bryanto]

6. Two wrongs are both still wrong.

When we are assessing guilt and blame in the Gaza situation, obviously we should focus on the Israelis overreactions - but when we are talking about actions taken against American Jews or European Jews, well, they aren't the same people.

Bryant

[MrBig]

12. Very well written n/t

[HERVEPA]

51. And not focus on Hamas' actions at all??

[LeftishBrit]

11. Neither of these justifies the other.

[Behind the Aegis]

38. That seems to be lost on some.

Including those who think anti-Semitics are "blowback", "the responsibility of Netanyahu," or "not really anti-Semitism".

[eridani]

50. It's absolute bullshit to call European antisemitism "blowback"

However I think that the term can be legitimately applied to Israel funding Hamas to undermine the secular nationalism of the PLO.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

30. Euro Neo-Nazis rally over just about anything. They're seen like Bikers or Punk Rockers....

There's even overlap. Some are only into it on a cosplay basis.

[randys1]

3. why is your blockquote grayish and mine are white

[NutmegYankee]

5. use "excerpt".

[randys1]

8. oh for CRYING OUT LOUD how can I be that STUPID

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa
aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

LOL

thanks

RIGHT in front of ME

[BlueCheese]

15. Finally, something good comes out of this conflict. n/t

[randys1]

16. LOL

[awoke_in_2003]

18. I didn't know the difference either. nt

[Douglas Carpenter]

4. it is both immoral and harmful to the cause

[azurnoir]

68. yes it is very harmful to what is referred to as the Palestinian cause

and reenforces the claim that people really are not supportive of Palestinian it's just that they hate Jews

[MaggieD]

7. Huh?

Did you read this quote from the same article?

"Distressingly, but unsurprisingly, the ADL report found that the highest rates of anti-Semitism on its list are found in the West Bank and Gaza. Clearly that is due in part to the Hamas-style incitement."

Might it not be mainly due to the fact that Israel is terrorizing Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza? Good lord, that one statement puts this whole article in the dumper for me.

At this point the US mainstream media has zero credibility on the issues between Israel and Palestine as far as I am concerned. I would not believe a thing I saw printed by any of them. Too many provable lies.

[MH1]

10. Yeah, I can't imagine why there'd be anti-semitism in the West Bank and Gaza.

It's a real puzzler, for sure.

[oberliner]

42. It is puzzling

Many of the strongest supporters of the Palestinian cause are Jewish.

[Bettie]

17. Hamas-style incitement

Because an occupied people never, ever have negative feelings about their occupiers unless they are 'incited' to have them.

I agree with your assessment Maggie.

[oberliner]

41. Some of the most vociferous critics of the occupation around the world are Jews

They are being occupied by Israel. Many Jews oppose this occupation.

[gcomeau]

67. And many of the harshest critics of the Iraq war were American...

...how much weight do you think that had with Iraqis? When those people were distant voices sometimes seen on a TV and the Americans you're most familiar with are the ones with the weapons occupying your country right in front of you?


The idea that it would take "Hamas style incitement" to make people in the West Bank and Gaza have stupendously negative attitudes towards Jews is ridiculous.

[m-lekktor]

36. OFFS could the ADL be any more clueless?? nt

[oberliner]

40. Makes sense that would be anti-Israel but why anti-Semitic?

Lots of Jewish people oppose Israel and stand with the Palestinians.

[hifiguy]

9. I have made scathing criticisms of Netanyahu, Likudniks,

and other right-wing Israelis and I stand by every one. They are directed at precisely those people, not at "Israel" or, even worse, "the Jews," which is inexcusable. If you're not willing to specify WHO you are talking about, rewrite your damn post or forego it entirely.

[stevenleser]

13. Poster is excerpting an article and not adding any commentary of their own. Treat it that way. nt

[hifiguy]

14. I understood that.

No beef whatsoever w/ the OP. Just added some editorializing of my own directed to those who have made posts using collective blame, which is wholly uncalled-for.

[notadmblnd]

29. Whoaaa.... am I seeing a double standard here?

Explain to me why it is OK for Israel to place collective blame (and punishment) upon the Palestinian people for actions that Hamas has taken, but collective blame placed upon Israel by others for actions the extremists in Israel have taken is wholly uncalled for?

[hifiguy]

35. I was actually thinking very much

about Israel's collective punishment of completely innocent Palestinians when I wrote that.

[notadmblnd]

56. So you were being facetious?

I'm sorry, I read it as- shaming those that criticize Israel. But while we are here. Does there seem to be an elephant in the room when it comes to Israel's defenders explaining why it is ok for them to have this double standard?

[oberliner]

43. Collective blame on Israelis or collective blame on Jews?

There is a difference, isn't there?

[notadmblnd]

55. You tell me.

Because that's what I asked. Explain to me the difference?

[oberliner]

57. I may not be understanding your question

Are you asking me to explain the difference between Israelis and Jews?

[notadmblnd]

65. Re read post #9

I was asking the question of them in regards to their statement in post #9.

[MFM008]

19. sadly

ANY criticism of the lack of proportionality in Israels military respose is considered anti-semitism.

[kelliekat44]

20. For sure. nt

[onenote]

21. I don't consider criticism of Israel's lack of proportionality anti-semitism

However, I do wonder why Israel's lack of proportionality is labeled genocide and equated to the Holocaust when, for example, the killing of 25,000 German civilians in the firebombing of Dresden or the dropping of two atomic bombs on Japan, killing hundreds of thousands, is never labelled genocide?

What is going on in Gaza is terrible and the sooner a way out of this mess can be found the better. But do not fool yourselves: what Israel is doing is, unfortunately, what armies end up doing in every military conflict. They kill thousands of civilians ostensibly pursuing military target. That doesn't make it right. It does make it anything but unique.

[MaggieD]

22. Not always, but often

I had a (Jewish) friend post a link to an article by this guy saying he would unfriend anyone that criticized Israel. No comment by my friend -- just a link to this article (a warning I suppose). This same friend shuts down any conversation criticizing Israel that occurs in his presence. My thought on reading that link on his FB was "my, how passive aggressive." I hasn't hindered my comments a bit.

This is a tactic used by some Zionists to close down any discussion, which is really, at least in my view, one of the problems around this issue. Israel cannot defend their actions, so all they have left is to shut down any criticism. It reminds me very much of how the Bushies pushed the Iraq war by shutting down critics through calling them "traitors" or "unpatriotic." Ugh.

[B Calm]

39. +1 Couldn't agree more! From now on when I am personally attacked as being antisemitism

Last edited Sat Aug 9, 2014, 08:06 AM - Edit history (1)

for talking about the country of Israel, I will report it!

My family comes from a long line of Jewish ancestors and my first cousin is a Rabbi on the east coast. Just because I don't support what Israel is doing to Gaza doesn't make me antisemitic!

[oberliner]

44. Not true at all

This is a canard.

[JI7]

23. the thing is these people don't care about Gaza, they are just using it

to try to cover for their own bigotry.

now they can feel more free and hide behind their fake concern for palestinians while doing it.

i see it with wingnuts who were attacking the immigrants and would suddenly bring up their concern for black americans .

[nilesobek]

66. Its a wingnut wet dream to unite conservative blacks with the GOP.

I do agree with your post. There is a definitive smokescreen to hide behind while continuing the usual, to hate Jews. That doesn't excuse any "crime," that might have been committed in Gaza. Anonymous haters will still hate, only now they feel they are legitimized.

One of the main problems I foresee arising is a paradigm shift towards open anti-semitism, which can sway the weak minded.

[Lithos]

24. very good article

people use all sorts of excuses to justify hatred.

L-

[Galraedia]

25. Israel is a country. They represent all Jews like Westboro represents all Christians

People also need to stop calling anyone who criticizes Israel 'anti-Semitic'. Just because Bibi "The Bush of Israel" Netanyahu and the members of his party are a group of sadistic child killing war mongers hellbent on genocide, doesn't mean all Israelis or Jewish people are.

[KamaAina]

32. True, but the anti-Semitism isn't even thinly veiled anymore

Chants of "Kill all Jews!" in Europe are hardly just anti-Israel.

And Netanyahoo is the Cheney of Israel.

[oberliner]

45. People also need to stop calling anyone who criticizes Israel 'anti-Semitic'

Nobody does this.

[Laelth]

26. k&r for exposure. n/t

-Laelth

[Hekate]

27. Mahalo, KamaAina. Dean Obeidallah and Rep. Ellison have it exactly right.

Anti-Semitism is morally wrong. It’s just like racism, Islamaphobia, homophobia, or any other type of hate. It can’t be tolerated, defended, or contextualized regardless of the form it manifests.

and

Hate is hate regardless of the target. Let’s not lose our own humanity while trying to fight for the humanity of others.

[Spitfire of ATJ]

28. Then there are the people who claim ANY criticism of current Israeli policy is Anti-Semitism.

[oberliner]

46. There are no such people

This is a canard.

[mr blur]

59. There certainly are. Don't read DU much? (nt)

[oberliner]

60. Can you point to one DU post that says any criticism of Israel is anti-semitic?

A single one?

[Spitfire of ATJ]

62. I got a message from someone who left over it claiming this place is no different than Stormfront.

[Spider Jerusalem]

64. Sure there are:

‘But surely you don’t believe,” they always ask you, “that all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic?” It is a noticeably patronizing question, of course, in that it is obviously an admonition that all civilized, thinking people must answer “no” or “of course not.” It is an important question, however, because of its real answer, which is unequivocally and unquestionably “yes.”

The idea that all criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic horrifies some, offends and mortifies others, and terrifies still more. The usual reaction to it is something along the lines of “how can you say that?!” Nonetheless, it is exactly what I am saying in regard to Israel and its critics.

I do not speak, however, of intentional or conscious anti-Semitism (though it is a major factor), nor of inadvertent or ignorant anti-Semitism (though this also plays a mighty role). All criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic because of hate, or prejudice, or malice, or stupidity, or indeed any of those very human vices so often regarded as the devil’s work by upper-middle-class liberals.

All criticism of Israel is anti-Semitic because of the specific historical circumstances under which we currently live. That is to say, the historical circumstances under which Israel and the Jews exist in the world today render any non-anti-Semitic criticism of Israel impossible. And, ironically, these are circumstances that Israel’s opponents have themselves created.


http://www.jpost.com/Opinion/Op-Ed-Contributors/Yes-all-criticism-of-Israel-is-anti-Semitic

Addressing the Israeli Knesset this week, Stephen Harper contended that Israeli policies should not be criticized, especially in public. It’s a familiar case that takes the form of an axiom. As Mr. Harper put it, criticism of Israeli policies is “the new anti-Semitism… It targets the Jewish people by targeting Israel.” Like any axiom, this was presented as needing no further proof, and the Prime Minister offered none.

http://www.theglobeandmail.com/news/politics/it-is-in-fact-possible-to-criticize-israel-without-being-anti-semitic/article16501029/

[regnaD kciN]

31. Stop the Accusations of Anti-Semitism When Talking Gaza

[KamaAina]

34. Not all criticism of Israel's actions in Gaza is anti-Semitic

but enough of it is to create a serious problem.

[oberliner]

48. No matter what?

Nothing anyone can say when talking about Israel is ever anti-semitic?

[The Second Stone]

33. The fascist genocide being comitted by Israel against the Gazans is no excuse for

anti-Semitism, but of the evils going on, it is by far less than the murders of the children of Gaza.

The fascist Israeli government is murdering Palestinians and an outraged world condemns it. Those of Jewish heritage, like yours truly, have an obligation to condemn Israel for genocidal policies. Every cabinet member of the government and military personnel carrying out these orders and the propagandists are subject to being charged with murder and crimes against humanity.

[oberliner]

47. Genocide is not being committed

That's a fatuous claim.

[The Second Stone]

61. Genocide denial is despicable, stop being a propagandist

for genocide and start speaking out against it. Gaza is a concentration camp, a ghetto and has been for 40 years. Israelis are committing the same crimes against the people of Gaza that the Nazis committed against the Jews.

[Uncle Joe]

37. Kicked and recommended.

Thanks for the thread, KamaAina.

[randome]

49. Stop the 'accusations' of Israel defending itself by bombing schools and shelters.

[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]

[TheKentuckian]

52. What does this have to do with antisemitism? Are you saying it is alright as long as someone is

defending an Israeli government action because that would be wrongheaded at best.

A condemnation of such actions isn't in and of its self antisemitism, there is plenty of room for righteous anger there but it doesn't grant license to hate Jewish people, or withhold medical care from Jewish folks, or to harass and assault Jewish children or anything else but to voice your opposition to the actions you find unacceptable.

[randome]

53. I may not have expressed myself clearly.

I'm saying that being against Israel is sometimes taken to be anti-Semitism. And since Israel wants to conflate its borders with the essence of being Jewish, it's easy to see why that happens.

No one innocent, Jewish or otherwise, deserves to suffer.
[hr][font color="blue"][center]There is nothing you can't do if you put your mind to it.
Nothing.[/center][/font][hr]

[politicman]

54. anti-semitism is on the rise because the media wont showcase the Jews that are against Israeli crime

The reason anti-Semitism is on the rise is not because people want to hold every Jew in every part of the world accountable for what Israel does, it is IMO on the rise because people constantly see how Jewish groups on the Western world have such influence over western governments.

Its because in the media they only ever see Jewish people in the media who argue in favour of and excuse Israeli crimes.


So (even though it should not be happening because there are many Jews that are wholeheartedly against Israeli crimes) people around the world start to think that all Jews support Israeli crimes because all they ever see in the media is the Jews that do support Israeli crime and all they ever hear about is the Jewish groups that have such influence of American government and other western countries.


To sum up, if people around the world are only ever exposed or hear about the Jewish voices that support and excuse Israeli crimes, then these people will naturally start to believe that all Jews are in favour of Israeli crimes against the Palestinians and thus they end up hating all Jews.


It should not be that way, but unfortunately the Jews that have morals (of which there are many but they are not given the platform to show those morals), don't have any influence over western governments and the Jews that have morals never get a chance to show those morals in the media because the media only cares to show the Jews that bend over backwards to defend and excuse Israeli crimes that result in deaths of children.

[TriplD]

58. If criticism of the Westboro Baptist Church was shouted down

and WBC's critics consistently called "anti-Christian" in the media there would certainly be a rise in the belief Christians are bigoted assholes, and increase anti-Christian sentiment.

Luckily for most Christians the our media doesn't allow the WBC to play that card when they are criticized.

[anti partisan]

63. I think you're preaching to the choir here (nt)