Growing trend to delegitimize Israel worries Jewish leaders

[bemildred]

The trend toward delegitimizing Israel's existence as a Jewish state is growing not only in Europe, but also in the United States, according to Jewish-American academics and community leaders.

Anti-Israel attacks are even beginning to affect Jewish supporters of Israel, who have been accused of trying to silence public debate, they said.

This trend toward delegitimization will be one of the topics discussed at a conference on the future of the Jewish people that opens in Jerusalem this morning. The conference, which will be attended by researchers, heads of Jewish organizations and senior Israeli politicians, was organized by the Jewish People Policy Planning Institute.

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"I received letters from professors who claimed that when I accuse someone of anti-Semitism, I am trying to silence public debate," he said. "When the president of Harvard University said that the delegitimization of Israel helps anti-Semites, he was accused of silencing public debate. No one would have dared accuse him of this had he been talking about racism or xenophobia."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/880081.html

[leveymg]

1. There are unsavory people who have worked hard to delegitimize Israel. Here are a few:

So, do something about the problem, already. The extreme Right-wing has done more damage to Israel's reputation than all the anti-semites in G-d's creation.

[shenmue]

2. It worries me too

It's one thing to hope Israel can make some kind of peace with the Palestinians. It's quite another to harbor the lingering resentment some people seem to have for the fact that Israel even exists. They've already given away huge chunks of what they won during wartime. They shouldn't have to apologize for the fact that they exist.

[bemildred]

4. What do you think should be done about it?

I don't know that I have any answer, and I don't expect it to get better any time soon.

[HeraldSquare212]

3. "as a Jewish state"

I don't understand the qualifier - it sounds like they're setting up an argument to deny Arabs the vote.

[LeftishBrit]

5. No - Israeli Arabs have the vote, and it won't be taken away

The meaning here is quite different: it refers to implications that Israel should not exist *or* that it should cease to exist in its present form: i.e. that Arabs or other non-Jewish groups should take it over. The qualifier "as a Jewish state" is probably there because some people, who are against the legitimacy of Israel, claim that they do not necessarily want the country not to exist, but to cease to be run by 'Zionists' - which in this context basically means Jews.