Is criticism of Israel anti-semitic?

Question

Is criticism of the government of Israel anti-semitic?

Answer 1

No. Israel is not the perfect state and when they do something wrong they need to be criticized. Nothing anti-semitic about it.

Answer 2

it really depends on the reason you criticize.

if you do it because you are a bigot and hate jews, then yes... but you are just a bigot. Why should there be a special name for bigotry towards jews? is there one for bigotry agaisnt catholics, protestants, chinese, mexicans, blacks, russians, muslims, etc.??? If you harbor or express ill feelings against any group, you are a bigot.

If you criticize Israel because you don;t like their policies, as a country, then you are no different than if you criticize China or Egypt, or Russia, or North Korea etc... If you speak out against North Korean contributing to nuclear proliferation, is there a special name for that? or is it simply called criticism of North Korea? To me, the term anti-semitic is a term devised to give shielding to any action by anyone jewish from any criticism. If a jewish sportscaster reports the game badly and people ask that he be fired, perhaps some will say the critics are anti semitic, etc.....

I am a liberal, and a minority. I believe in fairness and justice for all. To me jews are no more special than blacks arabs or anyone else and deserve no special treatment or preference....and neither do Israel. It is their insistence for special preference which perhaps brings about some anti semitism. Jewish lobby groups clearly use influence and money to tilt USA policy towards israel. Everyone knows this. But try speaking out against that openly and see how quick the antisemitic labels will come hurtling towards you. Heck, I may be called one here for this post that essentially says...no one deserves special treatment.

Answer 3

The thing is, you have no clue about the things you are criticizing Israel for. The so-called Palestinians haven't been repatriated because they are being used as pawns by the Muslim world. No other explanation would explain why none of the other Arab states would allow them to assimilate into their country, nor will the Palestinians allow them back into their territory. As for it's settlement policy, the country is theirs, people lived there for decades, and all of a sudden they were forced to leave without compensation for their home or land. It would be like if the entire burough of Long Island were told they had a week to leave. Is there a blockade? Sort of. People can leave, but they have to come through checkpoints. If they didn't blow people up and launch rockets at the Israelis, maybe it would be different.

Answer 4

I like Jews, but not Israel. I am not anti-semitic. Israel is wrong and we should stop supporting Israel.

Answer 5

Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. addressed this question. He stated:

". . . You declare, my friend, that you do not hate the Jews, you are merely 'anti-Zionist.' And I say, let the truth ring forth from the high mountain tops, let it echo through the valleys of God's green earth: When people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews--this is God's own truth.

"Antisemitism, the hatred of the Jewish people, has been and remains a blot on the soul of mankind. In this we are in full agreement. So know also this: anti-Zionist is inherently anti-Semitism, and ever will be so.

"Why is this? You know that Zionism is nothing less than the dream and ideal of the Jewish people returning to live in their own land. The Jewish people, the Scriptures tell us, once enjoyed a flourishing Commonwealth in the Holy Land. From this they were expelled by the Roman tyrant, the same Romans who cruelly murdered Our Lord. Driven from their homeland, their nation in ashes, forced to wander the globe, the Jewish people time and again suffered the lash of whichever tyrant happened to rule over them.

"The ***** people, my friend, know what it is to suffer the torment of tyranny under rulers not of our choosing. Our brothers in Africa have begged, pleaded, requested--DEMANDED the recognition and realization of our inborn right to live in peace under our own sovereignty in our own country.

"How easy it should be, for anyone who holds dear this inalienable right of all mankind, to understand and support the right of the Jewish People to live in their ancient Land of Israel. All men of good will exult in the fulfillment of God's promise, that his People should return in joy to rebuild their plundered land.

"This is Zionism, nothing more, nothing less.

"And what is anti-Zionist? It is the denial to the Jewish people of a fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and freely accord all other nations of the Globe. It is discrimination against Jews, my friend, because they are Jews. In short, it is antisemitism."

.

Answer 6

No. Lots of Israelis criticize their government for overwhelming corruption.

Some of Israelis even became anti-Zionists:
http://www.israelshamir.net/

Answer 7

I agree with the above post 100%.

Besides Arabs are also semites!

Answer 8

No.
Just as criticism of The US Government is not un-American.

Answer 9

as long as it is justified and not because they are jewish. but they are not alone in anything and all involved should be constructively criticized when things go wrong.

Answer 10

there are some jews who do not support israel. there are many nonjews who do support israel.

benny morris, a zionist historian, states that zionist terrorists used terrorism to steal the land of the pals.