I can’t quite get my head around the charges and countercharges about anti-Semitism related to the current war in Israel. Recently a college president was forced to resign because she incorrectly (according to the right wing-there actually was no right answer that the Republicans would accept) answered a gotcha question from a Trump Republican, who herself is a member of a party that is nothing but welcoming to anti-Semites, so long as they vote Republican. (Remember, Jewish space lasers?)
There are no good guys among the combatants in the war in Israel. What Hamas did was evil and an act of terror. What Israel is doing to the residents of Gaza is also evil and involves acts of terror. It appears to have resolved to push all the residents of Gaza out of their homeland to punish them for the acts of a group over which they exert little to no control. Israel’s policy toward the residents of Gaza was such that it created the conditions that almost guaranteed that some residents of Gaza would resort to violence against it. That doesn’t excuse the actions of Hamas, but it can’t be denied that a more enlightened policy on Israel’s part may have made a difference, and, if not, would have enhanced its moral standing.
It is hardly surprising that there are some people in this country who insist that all the evil is on one side. To a certain extent, when such talk takes place at universities by students, one can write it off to the typical tendency of young people to want to see things in black and white. It’s not a black and white situation, however. It’s shades of gray all over, but the fact is that those who see the Israelis as the sole bad guy are being lumped together with those who simply condemn Israel’s tactics. All such people are being tarred as anti-Semites, while those who insist that Israel can do no wrong, while it slaughters thousands of men, women and children that have done it no wrong, get a free pass.
Israel has become, over the last several years, the type of authoritarian state that America may soon become, if a certain criminal gets back in power. That is simply a fact and stating as such is not anti-Semitic. If it is, there are apparently plenty of Jews in this country that are anti-Semitic, because there are plenty that don’t like what Israel is doing in Gaza.
UPDATE: Just a few more links to illustrate some of the points I made above, here and here. Again, it must be pointed out that if Hamas had the resources they would do as the Israelis are doing and it should be kept in mind that they don’t much care how their decision to initiate this war is harming their own people.
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