Is deligitimisation of the State of Israel anti-Semitic? That is a question that has been put to me over the past day or so.
Some of our opponents are indeed anti Semites and when you read some of their rhetoric, it leaves you in no doubt. That is not to say that all people who talk about the deligitimisation of the State of Israel anti Semites, they are not. Many are misguided and believe that they are just seeing that the Israelis are treating the Palestinians inhumanely, indeed they believe that the Israelis are letting themselves down and are going down a slippery slope towards bestiality because they believe what they are being told by the anti Semites; and any other view comes under the heading ‘Well they would say that, wouldn’t they’. It is as one of the speakers at the Big Tent for Israel said, ‘If an NGO has a good reputation, like War on Want or the Red Cross, well intentioned people believe them.’
We have spent so many years trying to change the case for Israel and we all know that our words and even the pictures are twisted around so that well meaning people no longer believe the truth and indeed believe lies. So I guess we have come to a place where maybe whilst we should be careful about calling individuals anti-Semites, I believe it is time we called their actions anti-Semitic – particularly if they are indeed anti-Semitic.
No comments:
Post a Comment