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Interesting post, this.
A Jewish bloke who is an acquaintance through cycling, rather than a close friend, and who I consider to be level-headed. He is clearly outraged - through what I have seen him post on socials - that there isn’t more western support for Israel (as a state). I’ll cite the Wembley arch FA decision as something he was livid about.
My inference - and some will probably tell you I’m wrong - is that he sees criticism of Israel as criticism of Jewish people. Which couldn’t be further from the truth, in any right-thinking hive mind.
Ben689908-
I know some Jewish people I'd regard as very smart and level headed. One has even referring to eating meat as basically a holocaust. They have unwavering support for Israel and their govt.
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That's a hive mind that doesnt have the perspective and experience of being Jewish, whether in Israel or the diaspora.
There's an argument for anti-zionism being antisemitic, insofar as Jewish people in Israel are beset from 3 sides by those by that, to some degree, don't recognise their right to a homeland (or to exist, in some cases).
Against that backdrop, it's not a big leap to understand that viewpoint.
It does appear, however, that this is disingenuously leveraged by the hawks of the Israeli leadership, and elsewhere, as validation for expansionist Zionism, whereby any criticism is decried as antisemitic.
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I agree with your conclusion.
My take in a nutshell. The Hamas attack was an atrocity, Israel's collective punishment of Gaza is an atrocity. However, it is very difficult to express the latter without being branded as anti-semitic when it is the actions of a state and not a religion to which I am referring
Sumo
NotThamesWater
EcuriePeril
that's fair.
most of my info comes from colleagues I speak with most days who are fairly left wing and Jewish, but not resident in Israel... feels like everything I hear is third hand at best, and hard to find evidence of in the Western press.
the consensus amongst my colleagues friends and family (so this is a small sample size) is that their relatives and friends really do not want what is happening, and do not want to be doing this, and some are doing military service and do not want to be where they are. yet at some level they do believe that what they're doing is necessary to some degree... so even my chats with my colleagues are strained, as it's hard for them to separate right and wrong from the mess of everything.
certainly for me, I have no idea what's happening there. I've never visited, I'm not resident, I'm in this comfy terrace house in London, and have no direct experience and rely (like virtually everyone here) on whatever reaches us via the bias of the multitude of intermediaries.
my take is fairly simple on it, all lives are valued equal and there is a huge amount of suffering going on, and that suffering won't begin to reduce whilst weapons are being used and support can't get in and help people.