# Left wing antisemitism **URL:** \ **Category:** Great Debates\ **Created:** [May 15, 2011, 2:03pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985 "2011-05-15T14:03:35Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 20\ **Page:** 12
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 10:39pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/221 "2011-05-17T22:39:27Z")
Oops, double post ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 17, 2011, 10:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/222 "2011-05-17T22:47:47Z")
> [@ElvisL1ves](#): > > What’s irrational about hating what the Likud bloc, Netanyahu, Sharon, and by extension those who put them in power have done to destroy the possibility of a real, lasting peace in the region? Many, many Israelis hate that too. > > It’s easy, but lazy and destructive, to dismiss any thought you don’t happen to share, or which makes you feel uncomfortable about your own beliefs and actions, as “irrational”. But your responsibility as a citizen and a human lies elsewhere. Their reasons for hating Israel aren’t necessarily irrational. I can certainly see where they are coming from in that regard. What I think is irrational is that they direct so much outrage against Israel and not at other countries who are also doing brutal shit, in many cases much more brutal than anything Israel ever did. There is an anti-Israel contigent on college campuses that is not matched by a similar movement against any other country, including countries that America does business with like Saudi Arabia. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 12:30am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/223 "2011-05-18T00:30:45Z")
Can you cite an example of a brutal regime which the left wing supports? I think this “double standard” is a canard. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 12:31am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/224 "2011-05-18T00:31:23Z")
> [@Marley23](#): > > You’d be wrong, or at least your wording is so vague it can’t really be mapped onto the poiltical spectrum. Leftists put “national interest” about the individual? That’s not my experience. I’d say they might do that on some issues, but right-wingers do on other issues, and probably more of them. I agree people on the left tend to place a higher priority on “social equity,” but that’s not the same thing as “unity” (they’re not even similar). > “Militant national interest” makes a leftist dictatorship? Not at all. That’s consistent across a lot of dictatorships. If you have militant-ly enforced social equity, you may have a leftist dictatorshpi. Nationalism IS a socialist trait. Leftists do put the interest of the people above the qindividual. Example: progressive taxation. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 12:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/225 "2011-05-18T00:35:25Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > [Here](http://a2.sphotos.ak.fbcdn.net/hphotos-ak-ash4/227230_183469778368634_100001168397013_414165_2937203_n.jpg) is an anti-Israel cartoon posted on Facebook by a friend of mine who is involved in far left political activism. Israel as a genocidal nation. Nice. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/226 "2011-05-18T00:40:50Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > Can you cite an example of a brutal regime which the left wing supports? I think this “double standard” is a canard. My friend, I’m not saying they _support_ brutal regimes - my point was that _certain_ people on the left (more than on the right, it seems to me) bash Israel endlessly and _not_ do the same for other countries that they would probably view as brutal. If you would read what I wrote, nowhere did I ever use the word “support.” > [@](#): > > Their reasons for hating Israel aren’t necessarily irrational. I can certainly see where they are coming from in that regard. What I think is irrational is that they direct so much outrage against Israel and not at other countries who are also doing brutal shit, in many cases much more brutal than anything Israel ever did. There is an anti-Israel contigent on college campuses that is not matched by a similar movement against any other country, including countries that America does business with like Saudi Arabia. ---
**Author:** ![Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/e99b99/32.png) [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Diogenes_the_Cynic)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 12:50am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/227 "2011-05-18T00:50:00Z")
If you ask them what they think about other brutal regimes, I assure you they will bash them. Israel gets more attention because Israel gets a lot of our money, and because it has a much greater influence on our foreign policy. ETA, those other regimes also don’t have typically have defenders in our government, so there’s no point in wasting energy arguing about something that no one disagrees with. ---
**Author:** ![An\_Gadai](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/d6d6ee/32.png) [@An\_Gadai](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/An_Gadai)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/228 "2011-05-18T01:14:36Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > My friend, I’m not saying they _support_ brutal regimes - my point was that _certain_ people on the left (more than on the right, it seems to me) bash Israel endlessly and _not_ do the same for other countries that they would probably view as brutal. > > If you would read what I wrote, nowhere did I ever use the word “support.” I think this comes down partially at least to Israel, as a developed western democracy, getting more coverage in the media than other countries where questionable actions are taken by the government. Couple that with the fact that the Israel/Palestine problem has been ongoing throughout the lifetimes of probably at this stage most people on earth, I can see how it would get more criticism and negative attention than other trouble spots. ---
**Author:** ![Argent\_Towers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e8c25b/32.png) [@Argent\_Towers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Argent_Towers)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 1:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/229 "2011-05-18T01:35:01Z")
Left wingers also sometimes seem to oppose Israel even when it’s against their own interests. There’s a group called Queers for Palestine. _Queers for Palestine!_ A group opposed to the _only_ country with gay rights in the Middle East. Do they have any idea how they would be treated if they lived their lifestyle openly in the Gaza Strip? _This_ is what I mean by irrational, people. Is there “Queers for Kurdistan”? No. ---
**Author:** ![Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f04885/32.png) [@Qin\_Shi\_Huangdi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Qin_Shi_Huangdi)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 3:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/230 "2011-05-18T03:13:15Z")
Indeed a Palestinian activist from Italy was murdered by Al-Qaeda style extremenists in Palestine. ---
**Author:** ![Ibn\_Warraq](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/i/e19b73/32.png) [@Ibn\_Warraq](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ibn_Warraq)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 3:17am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/231 "2011-05-18T03:17:45Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Left wingers also sometimes seem to oppose Israel even when it’s against their own interests. There’s a group called Queers for Palestine. _Queers for Palestine!_ A group opposed to the _only_ country with gay rights in the Middle East. Do they have any idea how they would be treated if they lived their lifestyle openly in the Gaza Strip? _This_ is what I mean by irrational, people. > > Is there “Queers for Kurdistan”? No. So then you think it was disgusting that some Jews and some gays supported having Saddam Hussein overthrown and a democratic government set up considering how homophobic and anti-Semitic Iraq is. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 3:29am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/232 "2011-05-18T03:29:56Z")
[Here’s another example of shady](http://www.thejewishweek.com/news/short_takes/dc_dueling_israel_ads) What about the billions that Arafat and Abbas had kept for themselves? How much infrastructure could the Palestinians have at this point? The UN and Europe have done a great job propping up that failed leadership for years. Where’s the outcry? Exactly. This is the double standard BS that people talk about. There’s a difference between **criticizing** Israel and _demonizing_ Israel. Oh yeah, let’s clap our hands at Hamas & Abbas signing a unity agreement while the former still wants Israel off the map. Great. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 3:35am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/233 "2011-05-18T03:35:08Z")
> [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > So then you think it was disgusting that some Jews and some gays supported having Saddam Hussein overthrown and a democratic government set up considering how homophobic and anti-Semitic Iraq is. they weren’t Jews for Iraq. ---
**Author:** ![cmkeller](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cmkeller/32/118_2.png) [@cmkeller](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/cmkeller)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 3:55am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/234 "2011-05-18T03:55:20Z")
Ibn Warraq: > [@](#): > > You’re acting as if what you’re suggesting is something that’s never been attempted. Perish the thought. It’s what happened to Egypt vis a vis Israel in the 1970s. It’s what happened to Japan and Germany at the end of World War II. The Palestinians are just a bunch who hasn’t quite gotten that message yet. spark240: > [@](#): > > So both sides are still working on the convincing part? > > There seem to be some who still imagine that Israel can get what it wants through violence. And what exactly do you see Israel as wanting by way of violence? ElvisL1ves: > [@](#): > > And they believe you and trust your good intentions … why, exactly? Because Palestinians had Israeli-sponsored prosperity before the Intifada. Because Egypt and Jordan demonstrated that approaching Israel peacefully will lead to peaceful results. Most of all, because they don’t have the ability to destroy Israel militarily, so even if they don’t trust Israel’s good intentions, they might as well try a new tactic rather than continue lobbing the odd rocket and inviting retaliatory strikes. > [@](#): > > Haven’t you demonstrated clearly to them that force is the only language you understand? Shouldn’t the example of the few Arab leaders who laid down their arms and sought peaceful negotiations with Israel and were rewarded with peace treaties demonstrate that Israel only responds by force for force, and will negotiate peacefully when approached in peace? ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 5:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/235 "2011-05-18T05:43:03Z")
> [@Diogenes\_the\_Cynic](#): > > If you ask them what they think about other brutal regimes, I assure you they will bash them. Israel gets more attention because Israel gets a lot of our money, and because it has a much greater influence on our foreign policy. > > ETA, those other regimes also don’t have typically have defenders in our government, so there’s no point in wasting energy arguing about something that no one disagrees with. So why don’t they bash the Palestinian authorities? Why aren’t they decrying the stealing of humanitarian aid by Hamas? 😕 ---
**Author:** ![Peremensoe](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/ce7236/32.png) [@Peremensoe](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Peremensoe)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 7:13am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/236 "2011-05-18T07:13:21Z")
> [@Argent\_Towers](#): > > Left wingers also sometimes seem to oppose Israel even when it’s against their own interests. There’s a group called Queers for Palestine. _Queers for Palestine!_ A group opposed to the _only_ country with gay rights in the Middle East. Being _for_ Palestine does not have to mean being _opposed_ to Israel. > [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > > [@spark240](#): > > > > There seem to be some who still imagine that Israel can get what _it_ wants through violence. > > Er, yes, people familiar with the history of the region. > > Were it not for the use of violence they’d never have been formed or they’d have been obliterated a long time ago. What does Israeli violence against Palestinians achieve in the present and for the future? Does it make Israelis safer and happier people? I believe it is the reverse. > [@Ibn\_Warraq](#): > > As for the Palestinians, what could talking possibly get them? > > An independent West Bank and Gaza Strip far smaller and less able to survive then any of South Africa’s Bantustans? An end to the violence would help everybody’s prospects. I’d expect an independent Palestine to have close economic ties with Israel and Egypt. Their population would be larger than that of dozens of perfectly viable independent states. By land area they’d rank lower, but still bigger than, say, Luxembourg, or many of the island countries. If they had peace with their neighbors, I don’t see why their survival should be in particular doubt. > [@cmkeller](#): > > spark240: > > And what exactly do you see Israel as wanting by way of violence? You said, > [@cmkeller](#): > > You convince them, through (non-genocidal) force if necesssary, that they will never be able to get what they want through violence. I take it that you meant convincing the Palestinians that _they_ will never get what they want through violence. And indeed they won’t; I think that has been made pretty clear. But the reverse is also true. Israelis can’t get what they want, ultimately, through violence either. A militarized land, surrounded by more-or-less unfriendly peoples, fear, isolation and castigation in many international circles, a military edge against hostile neighbors partly dependent on the cooperation and largesse of a distant and fading power… is _that_ what Israelis want? How long can that last anyway? I think average Israelis want to live, themselves and their communities and their nation. Also, to have peace, within their nation and with all their neighbors; personal and political freedoms; a measure of prosperity, and reasonable assurances for their children’s future. And somehow I suspect average Palestinians want much the same. ---
**Author:** ![Farmer\_Jane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/bbe5ce/32.png) [@Farmer\_Jane](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Farmer_Jane)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 7:47am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/237 "2011-05-18T07:47:01Z")
> [@spark240](#): > > Being _for_ Palestine does not have to mean being _opposed_ to Israel. Of course. I’m _all_ for a Palestinian state. I’d love to see infrastructure, schools, hospitals, and a…I donno…grocery stores. > [@](#): > > What does Israeli violence against Palestinians achieve in the present and for the future? Does it make Israelis safer and happier people? I believe it is the reverse. You’re equating military with violence. That’s kind of a blurry line, no? The suicide bombers and militants don’t have ‘army’ uniforms, per se. But it’s a military escalation. It’s not an attack on Palestinians. > [@](#): > > An end to the violence would help everybody’s prospects. definitely. > [@](#): > > I’d expect an independent Palestine to have close economic ties with Israel and Egypt. IF they had the proper leadership. Not with the leadership they have now. > [@](#): > > I take it that you meant convincing the Palestinians that _they_ will never get what they want through violence. And indeed they won’t; I think that has been made pretty clear. No one wants to send the message that violence is going to win you anything. People mistakenly see Israel and Palestine as the same entity. It is not. This is not a case of citizen uprising here. > [@](#): > > But the reverse is also true. Israelis can’t get what they want, ultimately, through violence either. Again, you’re equating military to violence. I am not saying that warfare is _not_ violent, but there is a huge difference between lobbying rockets into Israel v. Israel trying to take out military targets or blocking arms smuggling to Hamas. > [@](#): > > A militarized land, surrounded by more-or-less unfriendly peoples, fear, isolation and castigation in many international circles, a military edge against hostile neighbors partly dependent on the cooperation and largesse of a distant and fading power… is _that_ what Israelis want? How long can that last anyway? At least 50 years…no, seriously, this is not what Israelis have ever wanted. But when they take steps back (look at history - I’m not spouting rhetoric) - then the Palestinian leadership says oh hey victory! let’s push the buttons. > [@](#): > > I think average Israelis want to live, themselves and their communities and their nation. Also, to have peace, within their nation and with all their neighbors; personal and political freedoms; a measure of prosperity, and reasonable assurances for their children’s future. Yes. > [@](#): > > And somehow I suspect average Palestinians want much the same. I hope. In their own country. The Arab leadership has rejected statehood since before WWII. It’s not…it’s not how **Dio** claims. Jewish and Arab immigrants settled and their population numbers grew considerably in the early 20thC. The Zionist movement helped build infrastructure, schools, farming communities…but there was no Palestinian nationalism at the time. There wasn’t even a Jordan, or Syria, or Lebanon. So this idea that in 1948, Jews just wiped off hundreds of thousands o Palestinians of their centuries-owned land is false. Unfortunately, Palestinians believe this. I sincerely believe those kids who blow themselves up really do believe the trash they are fed. And that, my friend, is why peace isn’t possible. It has to be _forced_ somehow. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 8:02pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/238 "2011-05-18T20:02:56Z")
> [@John\_Mace](#): > > Bad example, unless you want to claim that much of Europe operates under an apartheid system. > > Claims about Israel being an apartheid state usually focus on its actions in the Occupied Territories, not within Israel proper. But comparing the actions of an occupying power to those of state towards its own citizens is misplaced. So Europe will deny citizenship to babies born within their borders based solely on their race? Which country does that? Better yet, which country will deny citizenship to babies born within their borders who have one citizen as a parent because of the race or nationality of the other parent? ---
**Author:** ![Malthus](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/m/85f322/32.png) [@Malthus](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Malthus)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 8:24pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/239 "2011-05-18T20:24:06Z")
> [@Damuri\_Ajashi](#): > > So Europe will deny citizenship to babies born within their borders based solely on their race? Which country does that? > > Better yet, which country will deny citizenship to babies born within their borders who have one citizen as a parent because of the race or nationality of the other parent? Um, what? Israel grants citizenship to all born within its borders. As for citizenship based on ethnicity rather than location of birth, see the following list: > **[Jus sanguinis](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jus_sanguinis)** > > Jus sanguinis (.mw-parser-output .IPA-label-small{font-size:85%}.mw-parser-output .references .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .infobox .IPA-label-small,.mw-parser-output .navbox .IPA-label-small{font-size:100%}English: /dʒʌs ˈsæŋɡwɪnɪs/ juss SANG-gwin-iss or /juːs -/ yooss -⁠, Latin: \[juːs ˈsaŋɡwɪnɪs\]), meaning 'right of blood', is a principle of nationality law by which nationality is determined or acquired by the nationality of one or both parents. Children at birth may be nation In the 21st... Note that a person born of Arab or Turkish parents could not gain German citizenship by virtue of birth in Germany until the year 2000, when some reforms were introduced (though a person born of Arab, or Turkish, parents _is_ entitled to automatic Israeli citizenship by virtue of birth in Israel!) > **[Turks in Germany | Citizenship](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Turks_in_Germany#Citizenship)** > > For decades Turkish citizens in Germany were unable to become German citizens because of the traditional German construct of "nationhood". The legal notion of citizenship was based on "blood ties" of a German parent (jus sanguinis) – as opposed to citizenship based on country of birth and residence (jus soli). This adhered to the political notion that Germany was not a country of immigration. For this reason, only those who were of partial Turkish origin (and had one parent who was ethnicall In 1... > **[Israeli citizenship law](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Israeli_nationality_law#Birth)** > > Israel has two primary pieces of legislation governing the requirements for citizenship, the 1950 Law of Return and 1952 Citizenship Law. Germany is far more an “aparthied” state than Israel, if this is the grounds of complaint. ---
**Author:** ![Damuri\_Ajashi](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/898d66/32.png) [@Damuri\_Ajashi](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Damuri_Ajashi)\ **Post date:** [May 18, 2011, 8:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985/240 "2011-05-18T20:26:41Z")
> [@Sam\_Stone](#): > > The plight of Palestinians became a major issue on the left, while much larger human rights abuses were ignored in other countries that did not have the same political impact. Noone is defending the larger human rights abuses in other countries, theyd efend the human rights abuses in Israel tho. Also human rights abuses in Myanmar don’t result in the deployment of hundreds of thousands of troops and the expenditure of trillions of dollars. > [@](#): > > While the far left has universally condemned Israel for the plight of the Palestinians, other Arab countries persecuted or ethnically cleansed Palestinians from their own countries without a peep. I condemn Israel regularly. I don’t bother condemning Syria regularly because noone ever takes the other side of that argument. > [@](#): > > The fact is, Israel is surrounded by racist countries that actually do want to destroy the Israeli state and kill a lot of Jewish people and put the rest back ‘in their place’. Israel is one of the only countries I can think of where they got to choose their neighbors. All of teh anti-israeli sentiment in the iddle east necessarily didn’t exist until people started agitating for the creation of the state of Israel. I think its been established that anti-semitism was no higher (and many would argue it was lower) in the middle east prior to Zionism than it was anywhere else in the world. Don’t you think that perhaps the creation of the state of israel is teh cause of all this hatred? > [@](#): > > Israel, on the other hand, is a modern democracy with human rights standards that has been pushed into its current situation by the hostility of its neighbors. It’s an island of modernity in a sea of ancient hatred and irrationality. So if I set up camp in your living room and I am very polite, only responding with force to your attempts to remove me and only trying to eliminate any threat you might pose to me, that makes you the bad guy and me the good guy? You can only reach the position you are espousing by ignoring the circumstances of the creation of the state of Israel. > [@](#): > > There’s a good analogy with the U.S.'s war on terror. Americans are good people who respect human rights, but terrorism has put them in a position where it is very hard to walk the line between morality and security. America has Guantanamo Bay, is firing missiles from drones into civilian areas, and just recently sent an assassination squad into a sovereign nation to kill an enemy leader. Had Israel done any of these things, the world community, including most of the people here, would be screaming for them to be stopped. Yet Israel faces threats much greater than what America has, and lives with the reality of rockets being launched into its towns and cities on a regular basis. It has been attacked by its neighbors multiple times since its founding. A better analogy would be if America was doing these things to Native American terrorists because we denied American Indians the right to become American citizens. I suspect that the left would be criticizing American policy on that front as well. > [@](#): > > I can’t imagine what America would do to Mexico if Mexicans were launching rockets into Texas, sneaking suicide bombers across the border to blow up American shopping malls and restaurants, and occasionally mustering armies to invade while maintaining an official policy of the destruction of the United States. My guess is that the U.S. would simply flatten it. As would most other sovereign countries facing that much external aggression from a neighbor. But Israel is supposed to be different somehow. And in fact, its responses to constant attacks and provocation have been far more muted than I would expect from most countries, but that hasn’t stopped its enemies from constantly criticizing every measure of self-defense it takes. Israel does not consider Gaza and the West Bank foreign countries? I had not realized that the two state solution had already been implemented. > [@](#): > > Israel is not expansionist. It has no designs on its neighbors. It does not export terror. It foments terror. It is a central issue for terrorists in then middle east. > [@](#): > > If every country in the Middle East became like Israel overnight, it would be an area of peace and prosperity. So for Israel to be constantly painted as the bad boy of the Middle East is bizarre and inexplicable unless there are other motivations. So how would Israel react if a bunch of Druze or Mormons decided that they wanted to create their own nation within the state of Israel, got UN sanction for doing so despite Israel’s objection, moved in, and held most of Israel by force of arms and shoved most of the Jews into a walled off tel aviv? But otherwise this new Druze or Mormon state was democratically and economically enlightened. > [@](#): > > Racism is an insidious thing, and racists justify their beliefs in many ways. And some people are just playing the race card because they cannot respond to their critics. > [@](#): > > If you spend a lot of time feeling angry about Israel or you feel like marching to support the Palestinians, but you can’t give the time of day to the plight of the current victims in the Congo or muster similar outrage against what Syria is currently doing to its own people or what Iran and North Korea have been doing to their citizens for decades, then maybe you need to stop and do a little soul-searching about who the real enemies are in the world. Once again the difference is that noone jumps to the defense of the North Korea regime. Ask anyone who criticizes Israel if they think the North Korean regime is better than Likud. Commisar might agree with that statement but he is the exception that proves the rule. [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985.md?page=11) [Next page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/left-wing-antisemitism/581985.md?page=13)