Dear American Jews, if you love Israel - criticize it

[Tripmann]

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/dear-american-jews-if-you-love-israel-criticize-it-1.323314

Today, your representatives will open your great annual convention, the General Assembly. Between New Orleans' Marriott and Sheraton hotels, you will be sated with lectures and lecturers, panels and discussion groups. Some will be about you, and some will be about us Israelis. Once again, you will hear all the cliches - and Joe Biden, Benjamin Netanyahu and Tzipi Livni, too.

snip

I read that your menu includes an Israeli breakfast, and also several discussions about the global delegitimization of Israel. Doubtless the speakers will tell you it's because of anti-Semitism. Don't believe them. There is anti-Semitism in the world, but not to the extent they will tell you. Nor is there any "delegitimization of Israel." There is only delegitimization of Israel's policy of force and occupation.

That same "anti-Semitic" world knew how to embrace Israel when the latter chose the right path - during the Oslo era, for instance. What most of the world has become fed up with is only Israel's ongoing occupation and violent policy. And the responsibility (and blame ) for their existence lies with Israel, not the world. The world is hard on Israel, but it also grants it special rights that no other country enjoys.

If Israel is dear to you - and that is true of most of you - then be honest enough to criticize it as it deserves. Think about your personal friends. What would they value more: your blind, automatic support, or criticism born of love when it is warranted?

:applause:

A great piece, well worth a read by any liberal concerned about the I/P question.

[baldguy]

1. Error: You can't recommend threads from this forum

[Cirque du So-What]

2. Wouldn't hurt to cross-post in GD

although it would likely become a honey-pot for some very immoderate responses.

[Tripmann]

3. It would just end up back here. And you cant rec in case, God forbid, any mention of this important

issue appears on the greatest page.

Its probably the only criticism of DU I have. That discussion of one of the most important political issues of our time be constantly hidden away like the paedophile uncle at thanksgiving dinner...

[LeftishBrit]

4. I disagree that it's 'hidden away'...

any more than other issues that attract flamewars, e.g. Guns.

I wish the issue could be discussed rationally on GD, but you always end up with a few people coming along and saying that Israel/ 'Zionists' control the world/the USA/ got America into Iraq/ are responsible for everything wrong with other countries/etc. And that is nasty in itself and wrecks the whole discussion.

But it's easy to find the forum if you are interested in the topic.

[Tripmann]

5. My opinion is based on the treatment of news of the flotilla incident,the biggest story in the world

for 3 days. Any related LBN was shunted to I/P after a short stay. AFAIK No other topic is treated like this. Need proof? Would a major news event about Obama thats the biggest story in the world for 3 days have every related LBN thread shunted to 'general discussion:presidential'?

And as for the 'few people' breaking the rules, why not remove the posts and reprimand them instead of exorcising the story? What happens at the moment is a handy way for the israel excusers to make sure this important subject is not debated on a major part of the forum. Keeping news articles of israels wrongdoings out of the most frequented area of DU is a happy consequence for them.

[Crunchy Frog]

6. And then you get the other ones who rant that any criticism of Israeli state policy

is anti-semitism and label half the posters as anti-semites and scream that they're being persecuted and hated for being Jews. I've watched the whole drama play out before when they allowed some of these threads on the respectable areas of DU during the war in Lebanon. It was a fucking madhouse. There were even some people who started their own site to whine about how they were victims of anti-semitism and to accuse the DU admins of being anti-semites.

This whole topic is simply unamenable to rational discussion. I myself may have to step out of this forum or risk getting TS'd.

[Violet_Crumble]

8. If yr at any risk of being tombstonede, the problems in this forum are worse than I thought...

I hope you don't give up on this forum, Crunchy. I really like yr posts.....

[Name removed]

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