Anti-Zionism is hate [= racism, bigotry]

In January, four longtime Israel bashers were invited to the University of California, Los Angeles, to analyze the human rights conditions in Gaza, and used the stage to attack the legitimacy of Zionism and its vision of a two-state solution for Israel and the Palestinians.

They criminalized Israel's existence, distorted its motives and maligned its character, its birth, even its conception. At one point, the excited audience reportedly chanted "Zionism is Nazism" and worse.

Jewish leaders condemned this hate-fest as a dangerous invitation to anti-Semitic hysteria. The organizers, some of them Jewish, took refuge in "academic freedom" and the argument that anti-Zionism is not anti-Semitism.

I fully support this mantra, not because it exonerates anti-Zionists from charges of anti-Semitism but because the distinction helps us focus attention on the discriminatory, immoral and more dangerous character of anti-Zionism.

Anti-Zionism rejects the very notion that Jews are a nation - a collective bonded by a common history - and, accordingly, denies Jews the right to self-determination in their historical birthplace. It seeks the dismantling of the Jewish nation-state: Israel.

Anti-Zionism earns its discriminatory character by denying the Jewish people what it grants to other historically bonded collectives (e.g., French, Spanish, Palestinians): namely, the right to nationhood, self-determination and legitimate coexistence with other indigenous claimants.

Anti-Semitism rejects Jews as equal members of the human race; anti-Zionism rejects Israel as an equal member in the family of nations.

German Court: Anti-Zionism May Be Anti-Semitism - Jewish World ..."To give someone carte blanche for anti-Semitism because of Jewish origin or meritorious ancestors is racism," continued the statement. ...
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/127485

David Matas, famed human rights lawyer from Canada, in his excellent book Aftershock, written in 2002, reviewed the attacks on Jews and Israel throughout the world, and asked: How could this happen sixty years after the Holocaust? He answers:

"The root cause of the revival of antisemitism is anti-Zionism. Zionism is the expression of the right to self determination of the Jewish people. Anti-Zionism, by definition, denies and rejects this right by denying the right to a state by the Jewish people. Anti-Zionism is a form of racism. It is the specific denial to the Jewish people of the basic right to which all people of the world are entitled.

"Israel exists because of the Holocaust, because of anti-Semitism and as a place of refuge for Jews fleeing persecution, for the cultural survival of the Jewish people and their right to self-determination, because of the ties of the Jewish people to the land of Israel, and because of international acceptance and recognition. The logic of anti-Zionism requires attacking each and every one of these reasons for the existence of Israel."
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/Articles/Article.aspx/8037

Is Zionism Racism? Is Israel an Apartheid State?

Judge for yourself: Mehereta Baruch, LaVon Mercer, Ismail Khaldi, and Azzam Azzam are Israeli personalities.

Mehereta Baruch

Mehereta Baruch is a Zionist and a Jew. Meherata came to Israel with her family from Ethiopia, traveling on foot to Sudan to get to Israel and suffering many hardships on the way.

She has found a new home in Israel.

She says, "Israel was always the place of our dreams. When we finally arrived it really felt like the paradise I was promised."

Think about it - Is Zionism racism? Do you think Meherata is a racist?

Mehereta Baruch Tells Her Story

LaVon Mercer

The man at right is LaVon Mercer, formerly a star player on Israel's championship Maccabi Tel-Aviv basketball team, Israeli citizen, and former soldier in the Israel Defense Forces. LaVon is an orphan who came up the hard way.

LaVon, now a basketball coach at Atlanta's Spellman College, never misses an opportunity to speak out for his second country. His height is variously given as 6'8" or 6'11". He is "Israeli's biggest ambassador."

LaVon Mercer is a Zionist. Think about it. Is Zionism racism?

Do you think LaVon is a racist?

Read the LaVon Mercer Story

Basketball Star LaVon Mercer -Zionist; Israel's Biggest Ambassador

Ismail Khaldi is Israel's Consul in San Francisco. Ismail is a Bedouin Arab. He says:

Two years ago, a few proud Bedouin Israeli citizens like asked: what is our position and status in the State of Israel in the midst of its current situation? After all, Bedouin are part of Israel's success story. During current times, when Israel is being attacked and accused of being a racist state, an 'aggressor and an oppressor', we decided that the smallest and probably most effective thing we could do is to spread our story as part of Israeli society.

Read about Ismail Khaldi

Azzam Azzam - Israeli Druze - I am fortunate and proud to have been born in Israel."

Read about Azzam Azzam

Is Israel an Apartheid State?

More Israeli and Zionist Biographies The Truth about the Zionist Threat

More about Zionism and Israel

History of Zionism and the Creation of Israel

Zionism and Its Impact

Zionism and Israel- FAQ - Issues and Answers

General Anti-Zionism = racism, Orthodox Anti-Zionism = piety!

Those that try to confuse
conventional hateful dirty racist anti-Zionism
with the pure Ultra Orthodox Jewish pious Talmudic anti-Zionism

Let's put it this way, there is as much "common ground" between these two separate anti-Zionism, as any "bond" a Nazi can have with a Jew.

When the famous Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. clarified that anti-Zionism is racism, he was as right on target as the rest of his famous lines on racism as a whole.

The cynical use by racist anti-Zionists of ultra-religious-Jewish anti-Zionism is one of the most misleading treacherous campaign they conduct, let's just say that ones that call for a new Holocaust, such as Iranian leader : M. Ahmadinejad (2006), would be willing to let a few orthodox Jews to survive in "exchange" for not being seeing as the Hitler he is, in his open plan to wipe off all of Israel.

Anti-Jewism's modern name is Anti-Zionism

While Zionism is nothing more than the right of a nation to come back to it's historic homeland (and providing refuge also for Jews facing persecution, to go to their only exclusive country), it has been demonized by both, Islamic militants & Nazis, to justify their war on the Jews only to wage their hateful facsist campaign under a more convenient - thus deceiving - banner of 'Anti-Zionism', since being openly anti-Jews is not popular any more, the wrapping of this evil under a "political' issue might help them disguise their hidden devious war on all Jews.

All criticism on how it handles terrorists that are bend on genocide on Israelis, have been used to bash 'Zionism', still, it can never change the original simple basic human idea.

The unique anti-Zionism by the pious

However, anti-Zionism that of Ultra Orthodox Jews, is more of a pure ideological side, these highly religious highly pacific Talmudic Jews have a problem with 'taking manners in their own hands', oppose any aggression and provocation, while the vocal orthodox against Zionism are active publicly and considered fevered anti-Zionists, most orthodox Jews in Israel are more of a form of passive non-Zionists, as they don't even serve in Israel's IDF army, one of the major reasons is, not to engage in ANY violence, they say it DOES effect you even if you are only trying to defend yourself.

For the record, the Zionists that were involved in re-establishing the 'Jewish-State' in 1948 as well as prior actions towards it, were almost all secular-Zionists, the ultra religious anti-Zionist Jews tried to appease the Arabs.

It would be more fare to say that Zionism (& it's argument) is based more on history and the Bible, whereas Jewish anti-Zionism is based on the Talmud interpretation of it.

Whichever way you see it, this dispute in ideology has nothing to do - of course - with haters' campaign masked under an 'anti-Zionism' rope.

The bigotry of anti Israel

Facts & Causes

The obvious, or the 'should be obvious'

This is not really all about the Arab Muslim world, who's anti Israel feeling and action is motivated (not by any feeling to help fellow Arab Muslims, fact is, the Arab "Palestinians" are persecuted all throughout the Arab world) by Arab racism (just as the Kurds, Maronites, Sudanese and other non Arabs suffer from the global Arabization) & Islamofascism or Islamic-Fascism, the evil ideology as Tony Blair calls it (just as non Muslims in general, dhimmi or kuffars, non-believers suffer, global wide, take it straight from the horse's mouth, the Iranian fanatical Islamic leader Ahmadinejad's call for genocide & ethnic cleansing on Israel that though has no regional or territorial disputes with Iran of course, "doesn't belong on 'Muslim land', in the all Muslim middle east", this anti-Israel facsism still infects most moderate Muslim countries that blindly refuse entry to anyone with an Israeli passport).

Nor is it about the few neo/old Nazis that hate all Jews (even those that tell you they hate "only Zionists").

But this is about the bigotry of anti-Israel infected in the mainstream.

Jumping to conclusion before knowing the facts

This happens on a regular basis, but a few examples might serve as highlights if you wish:

The rush into harsh words by UN's Secretary general Kofi Annan (before he semi-apologized for it) when some UN officials got hurt in the cross fire between Huzbullah terrorists and Israeli defense forces (Hezbullah initiated war and invasion 2006), even after realizing that the UN post was used by the Huzbullah as a tool.

The overwhelming bashing Israel in Arabs' deaths, like the very icon the "Palestinian" propaganda machine used, as in the Arab kid Muhammad al-Dura (2002), which we all know by now, was nothing more than staged by Arabs themselves, and it was Arab shooters that killed that boy.

The rushing media in "blaming Israel" for the death of an Arab family on Gaza beach (2006), again Israel promised/asked to wait until a full investigation is complete, that concluded it was the "Palestinian" Hamas' led mines that brought about that incident.

No matter how many times the media sees the transparency in the fake images produced and invented by the 'Palestinians', "PALLYWOOD" (http://seconddraft.org), it seems to "forget", each time a new case appears.

Demanding from Israel the victim of terror more than from the perpetrator

The words an anti-Israel 'activist' told me, resonates throughout this conflict: "I can't expect from the Arabs any better, but Israel/ should know better!".

In other words, it is part of demanding from the west ever more then from the Islamic world, when it comes to morality.

The only problem is that it is not presented in this open way, it is presented as Israel is the "bad" guy, period.

As opposed to endless condemnations by the UN on Israel's self defense, When was the last time the UN has condemned the very Arab "Palestinian" crimes on their own people that they try to pin on Israel, like:

Using it's kids as human shields (which Huzbullah, in 2006, picked up very quickly, copied them in their war on Israeli civilians, using Arab civilians) and as human bombs?

Legitimizing and even glorifying mass murder and genocide as a 'good holy act' in their mainstream and official media?

The Lie of "natives" is bought

How many have fallen prey to the powerful sell of "indigenous" Arabs in the land of the Judea?

The picture of an all out 'Arabs in the middle east', is one of the misconception misleading clarity of history, never forget that most today's 'Palestinians' have no more than 3 generations "history" in this ancient land of the Jews.

Absolutely no one has disputed the fact of Arab immigration that saw an upsurge with Zionists' immigration (the latter only, limited by the British) in the late 1800.

The fact that the most "Palestinian" - icon of all time: Yasser Arafat was an Egyptian born fighting for "his homeland" in Israel... is so classical.

By the same token, it is not well known the fact that over 50% Israeli Jews are of children of indigenous Jews in the middle east (http://jimena.org) .

The Global Goliath Islamo Arab power

The very fact that there was so much talk and selecting/picking on one lobby out of so many different types and different interests - lobbies that operate in Washington but the utter silence on the enormous Islamo Arab lobby that basically occupies, threatens, incorporating so many in their anti-Israel racist boycott, uses oil as a weapon and dictates the international arena, including the UN, shows you just how great of bully they are.

So is the fear of European nations for unrest by the Arab Muslim (immigrant) population, (terrorism works!) that effects or rather impairs their stand on the middle east conflict.

The wrong picture of seeing Israel as the "aggressor" and the 'Palestinian Arabs' as the "underdog"

Question # 1:

Who has more power, the cynical Arab adult shooting behind a kid's back, behind a woman's squirt, or the Israeli humane soldier facing a terrible dilemma?

Question # 2

When you see the biased media showing a tank vs. kid, A) do you ever stop and think what the message is behind it? B) Does this suggest that the Israeli soldier is really after an unarmed person? C) Did you ever stop to think that the very fact that you can see the Israeli soldier but you can NOT see the Arab terrorist makes the invisible much more of a menace?

Nothing more like the situation in Iraq (2003-2007) demonstrates that you might have the most powerful army in the world, you are weaker (in many ways) than the invisible coward terrorists hiding among civilians that has no rules of basic regards for ANY human lives.

Outrageous use of baseless drama language and hollow bombastic terms on Israel's multi-racial beautiful democracy

Take for example the admission of anti Israel Arabist: Jimmy Carter that (on December , 2006 - CNN) has admitted that Israel is a great democracy with freedom and equal rights for all, and that (in an interview to Larry King he said that) he used provocative words like "apartheid" (only) in order to provoke discussion.

All those bombastic empty words like "racism' or "apartheid" the anti-Israel Arab racist propaganda machine is selling, has of course no support in facts on the ground, there is nothing "racist" about fighting terrorists for being terrorists, there is nothing "apartheid", especially that they are the same Arab race and group, Israeli Arabs and "Palestinian" Arabs, with different identification cards that has nothing but security implications.

Since when is concern for security considered "racism"?

The same "Judenrein - Palestine" that is trying to ethnic cleanse all Jews, that does not even permit any Jew to live in their 'territories', is lecturing multi-racial, multi-religion, multi-color Israel, that has all colors and races from the darkest black to the whitest blond, that has a whopping 20-25% Arabs in it's population, with equal rights and representations in high offices (and even more rights than Jews, giving the fact that Israeli Jews are obligated to serve in the army whereas Israeli Arabs are not).

The racism behind "questioning" Israel's right to exist

Can you name one other country that is subject to even a question of being 'recognized'?

Why do you think it is?

If you want to talk about history as a supposed reason, 1) Even if you are a naiive student of 'Palestinian' propaganda in revising history, You don't see anyone denying the unmistakenly settlers like most European, or American or Australians right to exist. 2) speaking even about history, for the record: No matter on which political side you are on, you have no right to deny rights of a nation to exist, no one can ever erase Jews' history to the land of Israel, at the same breath no one can claim that there was ever a sovereign Arab-Muslim "Palestine", in fact, the same nazis or Jew-haters that used to tell the Jews in Europe: 'Go back where you came from, go to Israel-Palestine', the ones continue the evil torch of Nazism today ironically deny the Jews coming back to their original roots-origin.

The dehumanization of Israeli victims

Seeing Israel as nothing but a "tank", is another racist element coming through, in brushing off Israeli victims as a "side details" at best.

When was the last time the BBC (for example) has shown any drama pictures of injured Israeli kids at a fraction of the time, passion dedicated to any Arab kid that was killed (usually) because of an Arab adult's fault?

Can you remember reporters of the mainstream media visiting Israeli hospitals as much as you can remember them strolling down Arab ones? And Why not?

Numbers are not the reason, percentage wise you will see time and time again, Israel loses by far in media's favoritism.

WorldNetDaily: Europe blinded by anti-Semitic bigotryEurope blinded by anti-Semitic bigotry ... The academics will debate today whether to boycott three of Israel's eight universities ? Haifa, ... http://www.wnd.com/news/printer-friendly.asp?ARTICLE_ID=43891

Ford Foundation Will Pay for Parley Of Anti-Israel Scholars at Lake Como - February 7, ... terrorism or bigotry, or calls for the destruction of any state. ... http://www.nysun.com/article/27123

Anti-semitism on campus by Anna Bolman at Over A Teacup, Campus newspapers have become a hotbed of anti-Semitic and anti-Israel ... they cannot stop certain expressions of hate and bigotry, they condemn them. ... http://www.overateacup.com/abolman1.html

Anti-Semitism and Anti-ZionismAnti-Zionism is often used to conceal hatred of Jews. Anti-Semitic views can be easily distinguished from legitimate criticism of Israel. ... http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/anti-semitism/Anti-Semitism_&_Anti-Zionism.html

Nice talk can't hide U.N.'s anti-Jewish bigotry, Nice talk can't hide U.N.'s anti-Jewish bigotry. By Joel Mowbray ... Bayefsky further attacked Annan for hypocrisy in condemning Israel for killing Hamas ... http://www.jewishworldreview.com/0704/mowbray_2004_07_01.php3

... all forms of bigotry & anti-Semitism; and support civil & human rights. ... a report documenting the anti-Israel bias evident in the Hartford Courant. ... http://www.ajc.org/site/c.ffITK0OyFoG/b.843903/k.3B68/Connecticut.htm

The new anti-Semitism which demonizes Jews and Israel alike, has fused itself with the "old" European anti Jewish bigotry which is enhanced by the growing ... http://www.israelnetdaily.com/index.php?menu_option=editorials&editorial_id=33

The Bigotry of Jihad, They stand ? admirably ? ever-prepared to expose that bigotry to the light ... the prejudice that animates anti-Israeli and anti-American sentiment http://www.frontpagemag.com/Articles/Printable.asp?ID=3538

Israel must do a better job in making its case and supporters of Israel must become more vocal. I believe that the fight against anti-Zionist and anti-Semitic bigotry is one of the most important human rights issues of the 21st century. http://info.jpost.com/C004/QandA/qa.dershowitz.html

Clarifying Anti-Semitism And Anti-Zionism, Israel?s enemies are in fact motivated, as this evidence shows, not merely by anti-Zionism, but by anti-Jewish bigotry. http://www-tech.mit.edu/V124/N21/rkraus21.21c.html

Campus Anti-Semitism: Know Your RightsAccording to the Commission, ?Anti-Semitic bigotry is no less morally deplorable when camouflaged as anti-Israelism or anti-Zionism.? ... http://www.thecollegezionist.org/20067issue/campsem.html

UN World Conference Against RacismBut the anti-Israel, anti-Zionist campaign is not uninformed bigotry, it is conscious politics. ...Further, this fact of world politics creates altogether ... http://www.adl.org/durban/adl_quotes.asp

Schooled in Hate: Anti-Semitism on CampusIn another example of the former acceptability of anti-Zionism, ... The article is a shameful example of bigotry and hatred which has no place in civilized ... http://www.adl.org/Sih/SIH-antizionism.asp

Dr. King: Anti-Zionism Is Anti-SemitismDr. King's unequivocal renunciation of anti-Zionism reflected his consistent, courageous opposition to all manifestations of bigotry. http://www.hagshama.org.il/en/resources/view.asp?id=1823

Postwar self test: Are you an anti-Semite?, One of the more fruitless debates between critics and supporters of Israel, is where to draw the line between candid criticism of Israeli policy, and anti-Semitism. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/pages/ShArt.jhtml?itemNo=%20750345&contrassID=2

__________

http://www.ujc.org/content_display.html?ArticleID=144642
Myth and Fact: Criticism of Israel & Anti-Semitism?
By Mitchell G. Bard www.JewishVirtualLibrary.org

Myth

"Advocates for Israel try to silence critics by labeling them anti-Semitic."

Fact

Criticizing Israel does not necessarily make someone anti-Semitic. The determining factor is the intent of the commentator. Legitimate critics accept Israel's right to exist, whereas anti-Semites do not. Anti-Semites use double standards when they criticize Israel, for example, denying Israelis the right to pursue their legitimate claims while encouraging the Palestinians to do so. Anti-Semites deny Israel the right to defend itself, and ignore Jewish victims, while blaming Israel for pursuing their murderers. Anti-Semites rarely, if ever, make positive statements about Israel. Anti-Semites describe Israelis using pejorative terms and hate-speech, suggesting, for example, that they are "racists" or "Nazis."

Natan Sharansky has suggested a "3-D" test for differentiating legitimate criticism of Israel from anti-Semitism. The first "D" is the test of whether Israel or its leaders are being demonized or their actions blown out of proportion. Equating Israel with Nazi Germany is one example of demonization. The second "D" is the test of double standards. An example is when Israel is singled out for condemnation at the United Nations for perceived human rights abuses while nations that violate human rights on a massive scale, such as Iran, Syria, and Saudi Arabia, are not even mentioned. The third "D" is the test of delegitimization. Questioning Israel's legitimacy, that is, its right to exist is always anti-Semitic (Natan Sharansky, "Antisemitism in 3-D", Forward, January 21, 2005).

No campaign exists to prevent people from expressing negative opinions about Israeli policy. In fact, the most vociferous critics of Israel are Israelis themselves who use their freedom of speech to express their concerns every day. A glance at any Israeli newspaper will reveal a surfeit of articles questioning particular government policies. Anti-Semites, however, do not share Israelis' interest in improving the society; their goal is to delegitimize the state in the short-run, and destroy it in the long-run. There is nothing Israel could do to satisfy these critics.

ISRAEL'S NEXT TOP MODEL (you can't get more multi racial, more multi color than that)

This year (2006) marked the second season of the reality tv competition searching for Israel’s Next Top Model (the show is a knock off of Tyra Bank’s program “America’s Next Top Model”). The three finalists are depicted in this picture. All are Israeli young women. Two are Jewish, one is Muslim. Kristine, the blond model was born in Russia. Mimi, the black model was born in Ethiopia.
Her family belongs to the group of courageous Ethiopian Jews who braved starvation, exposure to the elements, wild animals, brutal marauders and exhaustion to escape Ethiopia by WALKING to the Holy Land. Niral, the brown haired beauty on the left, was born in Israel to a Muslim-Israeli family.
Niral won the competition and is now , Israel’s Next Top Model.

_______

First Muslim Cabinet minister for Israel, (Raleb Majadele - Arab Muslim minster in Israeli democratic government)
Israel was on the verge of installing the first Muslim Cabinet minister in ... But the country has had only one Arab Cabinet minister before: Salah Tarif.
http://rss.cnn.com/~r/rss/cnn_world/~3/83409946/index.html

Salah Tarif

http://www.jewishvirtuallibrary.org/jsource/biography/Tarif.html

____

IsraTV exclusive: Major Lee Cho O in the IDF Born in Vietnam, she came to Israel with her family as a refugee. As many boatpeople, she came to Israel in 1977 by a decision by former Prime Minister Menahem Begin.

Darfur Refugee Debunks Israeli Apartheid

Despite the legal limbo, a Darfur refugee debunks apartheid comparisons. Sanka, a Sudanese Muslim told reporter Annette Young of The Scotsman:

"The Jewish people I've met here understand my plight. For the first time in my life I feel free. I know that sounds funny but I do. I feel freer here than I ever did in Sudan."

(Hat tip: Curiouser and Curiouser)

http://backspin.typepad.com/backspin/2007/07/darfur-refugee-.html

Anti-Zionism as a form of racism Last update - 09:38 18/02/2008 By Bradley Burston, Haaretz Correspondent It has been a staple of public discourse for decades, that those who criticize Israel specifically because they love the country and believe in the more lofty and challenging and just of its ideals, are routinely pilloried for it, berated by rightists as self-haters and anti-Semites and destroyers of Zionism. Now meet a refreshing new phenomenon - bashing and negation of those same critics of Israel, but this time, the attacks are coming from Palestinians, other Arabs and Muslims, and their allies on the European ultra-left. The message is: We don't care what you think, we don't care what causes you care about and advance, we don't even care if you think just like we do - You're Israelis, and that's good enough for us - in fact, bad enough for us - reason enough, in short, to boycott you. We've seen it in the serial boycott obsession of elements of the British intelligentsia, who essentially seek to penalize and punish Israeli colleagues for little more than the original sin of being Israeli. It matters not at all to the boycott-bent if many of their targets are on-site leaders in the struggle for Israeli-Palestinian peace and reconciliation. Yes, we've come a long way from UN resolution 3379, adopted in late 1975, the declaration which determined that "Zionism is a form of racism and racial discrimination." Now we have Anti-Zionism as a form of racism. Actually, the clue to understanding the phenomenon may lie in the wording of the resolution itself, which included an explicit endorsement of the "elimination" of Zionism alongside "recognition of the dignity of peoples and their right to self-determination." The bottom line, of course, is that the very idea of a movement to found and foster a Jewish state is illegitimate, and, by very short extension, such a state in the Holy Land - or anywhere, for that matter - has by definition no right to exist. Though the resolution died a formal death when it was revoked in 1991, some of its spirit lives on. The most obvious and most widespread form is the rise of Islamist ideology, which in its most radical forms explicitly views the Jewish people in the Holy Land - and even in places like Buenos Aires - as a cancerous presence and a preferred target. In its more subtle forms, the resolution lives on in such phenomena as the recent response to a decision by the organizers of the Turin International Book Fair to declare Israel as its guest of honor. In an initial salvo, The New York Times reported, a local pro-Palestinian group "stormed the book fair offices in Turin, demanding that the invitation to Israel be rescinded." They distributed leaflets reading "We are appalled to see the world of culture take the side of those who methodically operate to annihilate Palestine and the Palestinians." It mattered not at all that among the authors to be most prominently featured at the fair are David Grossman, Amos Oz, and A. B. Yehoshua, writers closely identified with the search for peace with the Palestinians and for an Israel more closely committed to equality, democracy and human rights. In a further move to underscore the idea that the only good Israeli is an absent Israeli, Swiss Muslim academic and activist Tariq Ramadan and British-Pakistani author Tariq Ali, along with Italian ultra-leftists are calling for a boycott of the entire event, slated to coincide with May commemorations of the 60th anniversary of the founding of Israel. Perhaps most remarkable in the Book Fair controversy - and the most direct recognition of the inherent racism on the part of the boycott proponents - has been the response of a group of more than 30 Italian intellectuals and artists. In an open letter, they called on Italian President Giorgio Napolitano to preside over the opening of the fair, and to speak out "against any discrimination and blind intolerance towards the citizens and culture of Israel." Where does the line fall between legitimate criticism of Israeli policies on the one hand, and a racist anti-Zionism on the other? There is, in fact, such a line. It is racist to suggest that all peoples have a right to self-determination in the land of their ancestors, with the exception of the Jews. It is racist to maintain that Muslim historic and religious claims to Jerusalem and the Holy Land are absolute and date to antiquity, and at the same time to negate and dismiss Jewish historic and religious claims, to call Jews interlopers and usurpers and carpetbaggers in the land of their Bible, which is a sacred reference for Muslims as well. It is racist to declare Zionism as an evil before which all other evils in the world pale, and to argue that any act of violence against non-combatants is justified in the service of defeating Zionism. It is racist to take Israel and only Israel to task for its shortcomings in the areas of civil equality, sharing of resources, and the search for peace, while keeping silent or even taking pains to legitimize the same failures on the part of the countries and peoples one happens, as blindly as a pre-pubescent football fan, to support. To seek to silence and boycott Israelis as Israelis is to violate human rights and acts, in the process, to undermine the cause of the Palestinians. Fighting fire with fire is a tactic which, despite its dangers, often succeeds. Fighting racism with racism is a tactic which, despite its allure to the hothead, never does. http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/955402.html

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.