Quote:
Originally Posted by blankall
I think the difference between this kind of leftist debate and the kind from the extreme left in North America, is that this is a lot more reasonable. The emphasis is not on depecting Israel as an enemy and illegitimate from the start. It actually focusses on constructive change as oppossed to attack. It also doesn't try to depict terrorists as saints.
I don't think much of if any of the anti-Israeli crowd has learnt to do that yet. Usually we just get irrational attacks or old anti-semitic propaganda with the work Israeli inserted where the word Jew used to be.
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You think so? I'm not sure I've ever encountered someone who strongly argued against Israel's right to exist (beyond purely theoretical discussion about what it means to have a "right to exist" and whether displacement of a pre-existing population should in theory affect the legitimacy of any such right).
I would also say that leftists' lack of focus on the wrongdoing of "terrorists" (or "freedom fighters" or whatever term one prefers) might be a direct result of two things: 1) a disproportional amount of contrary criticism - i.e. criticism of Israeli actions/policies - in American media; and 2) Israel's status as an ally. I suspect for many people a wrongful act on Israel's part seems worse than a corresponding act on the part of Hamas (for example) because Israel is "we" whereas Hamas is "they," and it is less palatable when "we" do something wrong and fail to address it, than when "they" do something wrong. The relative power imbalance between "we" and "they" is no doubt another factor in causing many people to focus on Israel's shortcomings rather than those of Hamas or what have you.
I would also say that the link between Israel and the Jewish people is a double-edged sword. Less reasonable defenders of Israel do argue from time to time that criticism of Israel is anti-semitic, even when that is not the case. As I'm sure you know, some go so far as to deny even criticism that comes from Jewish sources, dismissing their arguments by calling them "self hating Jews." Of course, to link Israel (the state) and Jews (the people) in this way is dangerous not only because it undermines valuable discussion/criticism about Israeli policies (the first edge of the sword), but also because it can be used to justify anti-semitism (edge two). By that I mean that an unjustifiable dislike of Jews can be supported by a justifiable dislike of Israeli policies and actions. I have no doubt that Israel's declining reputation in the world is a key source of a corresponding rise in anti-semitism.
Anyways, that was a bit of an off-topic meander. I'll leave it there.