Why is it that if u condemn Israel in any way your called an anti-semite?

Question

Its become ridiculous
People mention one thing negative about the country and suddenly they're Jew haters!

I don't like SOME aspects of Saudi Arabia... does that make me anti-Islam!?

Answer 1

Powerful Israeli lobby in Washington, they seem to dictate US policy more than any American person. Can you believe they had the audacity to call Jimmy Carter an anti-semite.

Answer 2

Criticism of Israel is not per se antisemitic, but there is often an antisemitic motivation behind. Many people who hate Jews don't want to speak that out because it will give them a bad reputation, and so they "hide" behind criticism of Israel.

Here is something from the website of Yad Vashem about the topic:


Is all criticism of Israel antisemitic?

No. First and foremost, Israel is a republic in which a great range and variety of opinions are freely expressed in the media. It is a hallmark of democracy to criticize the policies of the government. Criticism turns into antisemitism when it repudiates the right of the Jewish people to their own state; when it uses rhetoric with anti-Jewish stereotypes or compares Jews to Nazis; when it judges Israel by a different standard than any other nation; and when it is knowingly based on distortions.

Answer 3

It's because since our birth as a people, we Jews have been persecuted left and right. That's not sour grapes, but simply historical fact. So, if we are angered by the slightest perceived anti-Semitism, well, there's a reason for it.

Now, stating one negative thing about Israel does not make one an anti-Semite. You can quite easily detect someone who really hates Jews/Israel from someone who doesn't...

Answer 4

Very few Jews I know will call someone an antisemite because they disagree with some aspect of Israeli foreign policy. The standard for determining if someone is antisemetic with respect to their views on Israel is if they would apply the same criticism to other countries with similar or worse behaviour than claimed to be for Israel.

For example, if someone criticizes Israel for treating arabs within their Israeli inhumanely, but does not criticize every other middle eastern country for their treatment of the remaining Jews within their country, or even the lack of human rights for arabs and persians within their country, they are an antisemite.

If Israel is made out to be "Nazis" in Gaza, but the arab Moslems are not more severly criticized in Darfur, that is antisemitic.

Bozo

Answer 5

I don't think people should be call anti anything because they criticize something, but what makes me suspicious is when people bash Israel because the have the gaul to defend themselves, and they want to have the right to exist, and every time they try to accommodate the Palestinians it is usually met with an increase in terrorist acts and they get blamed no matter what that would strike me as ANTI

Answer 6

It depends on the tone, extent, and truthfulness of your criticism. For example, you can say, "The wall between Israel and the Arabs is going to inflame an already volatile situation," that is perfectly legitimate criticism. But if you say, "The apartheid wall shows how Israel has little respect for international law and proves Israel is a racist nation," that is inflammatory, untrue, and borders anti-Semitism.

Another example: "Israel was overly aggressive in her pursuit of Hezbollah, causing too many Lebanese civilians to be killed," is good because it is an opinion backed by fact. "Israel started the war against Hezbollah so they could kill Arabs," is bad because it is untrue. (Israel didn't start the war nor was it simply to kill Arabs.)

The difference in the pairs is obvious. For more, click the link below.

Answer 7

And why is it that this question gets repeated ad naseum on Yahoo! Answers?

Let me ask you a very specific question:

Can you give me a very specific example of where someone critisized Israel and they were accused of anti semitism and they DIDN'T deserve that accusation?

My point being: Although one can be criitcal of Israel and not be anti semetic, it is also possible (and in fact, happens all the time) where the said hatred/critisim on Israel is actual anti semetism.

So, my question is: Can you make that distinction?

Answer 8

Like you, I can find a lot of fault with Israel, but the one fault I can't find is they are a courageous and determined people who have every right to exist and live on their own land. This is the same land they occupied 2000 years ago.

I have no desire to live among the Israeli's, I find them a strange yet honorable people! I find their religious customs strange, their eating habits outdated, their dress is anything but fashionable. Does this make me an anti-Semite? I think not!

Answer 9

I can't believe all the silly answers here. You are not allowed to criticise Israel because you are brainwashed, ignorant Americans. You have been brainwashed because there is lots of oil in the middle east and Israel has been put there to guard it so the rich people who own your country and the rest of the World can control the supply of oil. This is not Jewish peoples' fault or ordinary Israelis fault. This is partly Americas fault for sponsoring capitalism with such recklessness but then I suppose people have always been selfish and ruthless.

Answer 10

Because people don't listen to what you say. I'm half Jewish and I've been accused of being Anti-Semitic when I disagree with something Israel does. It's quite insane.

Answer 11

What's happening is that there is still a lot of guilt associated with the whole persecution of the jews thing. So sometimes without realizing it people overcompensate with their reactions to anything against that country or people. So human nature at work is all.