That may be true. Decide for yourself, I've included the cartoon here. People will see it differently depending on their own presumptions, beliefs and priorities with respect to modern Israel versus the tragic history of Jews in Europe.
Perhaps Israel has done things recently that deserve recognition as being very bad and very wrong. Does Israel get a free pass from criticism and accountability forever for their own atrocities because of the Nazi horrors? Do any Arab/Palestinian atrocities make anything and everything Israel does justifiable? Tough questions. We're told "Two wrongs don't make a right" and there is a lot of truth in it. Law almost everywhere is based on that simple idea. It's why vigilantism is illegal.
The wave of criticism directed toward Israel now is primarily a consequence of Israel's actions in Gaza a few months ago. Since then, Israeli soldiers have revealed many things were done that - if true - are clearly illegal and contrary to any understanding of good moral or ethical conduct. They do resemble strongly the way Nazis behaved toward Jews and other minorities all those years ago.
Israel's response has been the usual (counter-productive) one: portraying criticism of Israel as anti-semitism. This is a long-standing tactic of Israel and its supporters. A few years ago, our own government ended up apologising to Israel for critical comments made by then-Prime Minister Helen Clarke after two of Israel's Mossad agents were convicted of illegally trying to obtain New Zealand passports in the names of two disabled people. That night, someone kicked over tombstones in a previously unmolested (for 135 years) Jewish cemetery in Wellington. The Prime Minister was all but blamed for it by David Zwartz, at the time (and perhaps still) the local voice for the Israeli government in New Zealand. The implication was very much that anyone who criticises Israel is fanning the flames of anti-semitism. I say it is counter-productive because you start with someone who isn't anti-semitic and who is asking what they think is a legitimate question and end up with someone who has been villified, shouted down and made to look like something they are not - anti-semitic. That isn't how anyone makes friends.
The wave of criticism directed toward Israel now is primarily a consequence of Israel's actions in Gaza a few months ago. Since then, Israeli soldiers have revealed many things were done that - if true - are clearly illegal and contrary to any understanding of good moral or ethical conduct. They do resemble strongly the way Nazis behaved toward Jews and other minorities all those years ago.
Israel's response has been the usual (counter-productive) one: portraying criticism of Israel as anti-semitism. This is a long-standing tactic of Israel and its supporters. A few years ago, our own government ended up apologising to Israel for critical comments made by then-Prime Minister Helen Clarke after two of Israel's Mossad agents were convicted of illegally trying to obtain New Zealand passports in the names of two disabled people. That night, someone kicked over tombstones in a previously unmolested (for 135 years) Jewish cemetery in Wellington. The Prime Minister was all but blamed for it by David Zwartz, at the time (and perhaps still) the local voice for the Israeli government in New Zealand. The implication was very much that anyone who criticises Israel is fanning the flames of anti-semitism. I say it is counter-productive because you start with someone who isn't anti-semitic and who is asking what they think is a legitimate question and end up with someone who has been villified, shouted down and made to look like something they are not - anti-semitic. That isn't how anyone makes friends.
Judging from the behaviour of Israel's most one-eyed supporters, no link can be drawn between the actions of Israel itself and any resulting anti-Jewish feeling some may feel. They want to retain the admiration and respect earned in the era of Meir and Ben Gurion without upholding the values and principles that earned that respect.
Nice if you can do it. Problem is you can't. The Israeli government is in effect holding Jews everywhere hostage to its policies and their fallout, whether they support those policies or not. Adopting policies that would reflect well on Jews everywhere and see Israel a country only to be admired doesn't appear to be an option. Yet it is the only way to go in the long run.
As for myself, I have been a long time admirer of the Israel of Golda Meir and David Ben- Gurion. I strongly admire the ethics and philosophy of the Israeli kibbutz movement and the Jewish community as I came to know it personally in places like Toronto and Montreal. Trite as it sounds, many of my best friends and work mates over the years have been Jews and I think none the less of them because of anything Israel has done. I rarely even gave it thought. I am about as far away from being anti-semitic as it is possible to be.
To me, it is obvious all Jews are not Israel and Israel is not all Jews just as George W Bush isn't every American and every American isn't George W Bush. For example, in the US and Canada, Jewish people have been among the front ranks of those leading many campaigns for justice (social or more general) and seeking to advance liberal, progressive values I also share and support. In 2007, I worked in the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto (CSI), a monument to the best, most admirable values anywhere and made possible by a Jewish person who owned the building and supported the creation of the Centre. At the same time, I have no time for the Israeli religious zealots, the imperialists and the one-eyed militants who think more violence and oppression will solve all their problems. Clearly they do not. After 42 years (since the 1967 war) of such an approach, things are worse than ever.
As for myself, I have been a long time admirer of the Israel of Golda Meir and David Ben- Gurion. I strongly admire the ethics and philosophy of the Israeli kibbutz movement and the Jewish community as I came to know it personally in places like Toronto and Montreal. Trite as it sounds, many of my best friends and work mates over the years have been Jews and I think none the less of them because of anything Israel has done. I rarely even gave it thought. I am about as far away from being anti-semitic as it is possible to be.
To me, it is obvious all Jews are not Israel and Israel is not all Jews just as George W Bush isn't every American and every American isn't George W Bush. For example, in the US and Canada, Jewish people have been among the front ranks of those leading many campaigns for justice (social or more general) and seeking to advance liberal, progressive values I also share and support. In 2007, I worked in the Centre for Social Innovation in Toronto (CSI), a monument to the best, most admirable values anywhere and made possible by a Jewish person who owned the building and supported the creation of the Centre. At the same time, I have no time for the Israeli religious zealots, the imperialists and the one-eyed militants who think more violence and oppression will solve all their problems. Clearly they do not. After 42 years (since the 1967 war) of such an approach, things are worse than ever.
Some of Israel's most powerful critics are jews. Israel's alleged crimes in Palestine generally and Gaza in particular aren't ethnic or religious issues. They are human rights issues. I certainly don't excuse any crimes committed by terrorists against Israel, but Israel is being dishonest in not looking at why this problem wasn't resolved - or at least reduced - many years ago. Recent revelations by Israeli soldiers make it clear that at least some parts of the Israeli military are in the grip of a sort of "manifest destiny" that ultimately allows no land whatever for Palestinians. That this is government policy is more obvious than ever as any talk of peace talks is inevitably drowned out by some emergency or other. That pattern is now very clear.
Israel needs to stop using the Holocaust as a smoke screen for its apparent war crimes in Gaza (and earlier dubious military actions) which have accumulated attention over time and attracted strong criticism now. They dishonour the memory of those who were slaughtered by the Nazis by using them over and over to justify their own summary killings, assasinations and alleged war crimes. A child in front an Israeli target is too often a dead child and this is supposed to be acceptable.
As for Pat Oliphant's cartoon, all that matters is whether or not there is truth in it. Today, after the recent revelations of Israeli soldiers linked to above, it would appear there is truth there and it is a truth that reflects badly on the government of the state of Israel, separate and distinct from the talented, intelligent and in many ways amazing group of people I know as Jews, when I give their ethnicity a thought at all.
Wow. A very thought provoking piece indeed. I often wondered how far Israel had to go before they lost their "can do no wrong" status with the West.
ReplyDeleteSean: Tks. It's a issue. Made tougher by Israel's government trying to portray people who ask hard questions into Jew haters they aren't.
ReplyDeleteThat was an amazing read. I too have wondered about this. I have some jewish friends and they just refuse to hear anything wrong about Israel. Some of the reports coming from Gaza has been really disturbing. It is hard to justify using kids as human shields and shooting pregnant ladies. Men working in defense forces were wearing T-Shirts which would make any sane person sick. Just shows the kind of mentality that some people have. Sad state of affairs.
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