One thing I absolutely cannot stand is the assumption that if you’re against the Israeli government, you must also be antisemitic. In many cases, nothing could be further from the truth.
The Israeli government is just as screwed up as any powerful government, and is not immune to criticism. Groundless accusations of antisemitism are often used to unfairly attack critics, distract the listener from valid criticisms, and derail the conversation.
Of course, many of those accusations are completely justified, which clouds the issue further.
It’s super tricky and problematic. Organizations like AIPAC have many American politicians in their pocket. They pump a huge amount of money into lobbying our government promoting Israeli interests. But this argument gets awfully close to “the Jews have all the money and control the world” type conspiracy thinking which is very frustrating.
Most definitely. Just as pointing out unwarranted accusations of antisemitism can sound like victim blaming, and saying that the Israeli government likes it that way can make you come off as a hateful, insensitive jerk.
Various world politicians “wrap themselves in the flag” all the time. Israeli politicians do the same thing, but they’ve done an especially good job of weaving religion and patriotism together.
One thing I absolutely cannot stand is the assumption that if you’re against the Israeli government, you must also be antisemitic. In many cases, nothing could be further from the truth.
The Israeli government is just as screwed up as any powerful government, and is not immune to criticism. Groundless accusations of antisemitism are often used to unfairly attack critics, distract the listener from valid criticisms, and derail the conversation.
Of course, many of those accusations are completely justified, which clouds the issue further.
It’s super tricky and problematic. Organizations like AIPAC have many American politicians in their pocket. They pump a huge amount of money into lobbying our government promoting Israeli interests. But this argument gets awfully close to “the Jews have all the money and control the world” type conspiracy thinking which is very frustrating.
Most definitely. Just as pointing out unwarranted accusations of antisemitism can sound like victim blaming, and saying that the Israeli government likes it that way can make you come off as a hateful, insensitive jerk.
Various world politicians “wrap themselves in the flag” all the time. Israeli politicians do the same thing, but they’ve done an especially good job of weaving religion and patriotism together.