Are you an 'Anti-Semite' if you ever question Israel?

Question

Are you an 'Anti-Semite' if you ever question Israel?

Answer 1

no, its good to think critically and to question things; i'm jewish and love israel, but there are a lot of things about israel that i question and that i think need to change, mainly the 2nd-class status of palestinians.

i agree w/ amy w, she said what i was trying to

Answer 2

Not necessarily.

If you question Israel's actions just like you would question any other country's actions, that is fine.

However, some people (not all) question Israel's right to exist as a Jewish country.  They have no problem with Saudi Arabia forbidding the practice of any other religion besides Islam, but they object to a Jewish country, even one where mosques and churches are protected.

Answer 3

If you question its right to exist - Yes, you are.

If you question its actions/political decisions (and sometimes find them right, and sometimes wrong) - No, you are not.

Answer 4

If you question Israel government, their policy towards Palestinians, Arabs, or their internal policy, or you criticize the behaviour of certain people form Israel you are NOT Antisemite.

But if you don;t like Jews just because they are Jews, or you deny them any of their rights for no apparent reason - then you ARE Antisemite.

Antisemitism is to refuse Jews the right to exist, to live, to cultivate their culture or religion, to have their own country. This IS antisemitism. But to criticize certain behavior of Israeli government - it is NOT.

Answer 5

Yes of course, the not "smart" jews when I tell them about all of the attrocities they do, like killing little children while sleeping, pregnant mothers, schoolgirls, ols people sitting on their chairs because they are too tired to escape.

Also the jews destroyed whole villages because they were "too good for Arabs to live there"  -A. Sharon said that 20 years ago!

Soooooooooo

I AM GLAD when a jew calls me Anti-Semete.

I feel I am with the good guys, because I am a fair person and I arrange some girlfriends of mine that have Laptops always with them to meet every evening and write the truth about the jews.

here in Y/A

Isn't this great?

maybe that way those bad jew soldiers stop killing so many people just for "kicks".

bye bye

Answer 6

of course not. israel has free speech, a concept with which the arab world is mostly unfamiliar.

Answer 7

No it just means you want an answer to be answered about Israel.

you shouldn't be considered Anti Semitic of ?ing Israel b/c It it against the Jewish law,in the Talmud, for the creation of a Jewish country w/o a messiah!

Answer 8

No, to question Israel is not anti-semitic. However, to single out Israel for for vilification and international sanction - out of proportion to any other party in the Middle East is anti-Semitic.

Answer 9

No more than if you question Arabs.

Nor saying Olmert sucks is Anti Zionist.

You know what I mean.

Answer 10

It depends,

Do you also question other countries the same way?

----

Ok, you know what? this question has been repeated over and over, here's a scientific answer for you.

Antisemitism is defined as hate/fear toward Jewish people.

Now it's true that Jews are the majority of the population in Israel, but that of course doesn't make criticizing Israel antisemitism.

What makes you an anti-semite is if you use the arguments against Israel, but you wouldn't use them to criticize other countries/populations with the same conditions.

Examples?

If you blame Israel for discriminating Arabs citizens, but don't criticize Lebanon, Syria, Saudi Arabia, Egypt etc. for not even accepting Palestinians as citizens - You're probably an anti-semite.

If you criticize Israel for building a defensive wall/fence but don't criticize Spain for building 6m high active-defense walls around Ceuta and Melilla - You're probably an anti-semite.

Answer 11

I question Israel all the time, but then again--I'M A ZIONIST! Okay--I'm an Anti-Semite Zionist!

Answer 12

A wonderful idea, before posting a question, would be to see if the same question has not already been asked.

This question, for example, gets asked about once every other week.

The test to distinguish between constructive and impartial criticism of Israel as opposed to masked anti-Semitism is very similar to what you would apply to any other country, including the United States.  "Criticism of Israel" is in fact anti-Semitism when:

1.  It denies Israel the right to exist, either explicitly or implicitly, by denying it the right to defend itself against aggression.

2.  It legitimizes the advocacy of Israel's destruction on the ground of "pluralism of opinions" or the like.

3.  It singles out the Jewish people as the only people in the world who have no right to self-determination.

4.  It subjects Israel to vastly different and higher human rights and warfare standards than other countries -- notably, its Arab neighbors.

5.  It, despite all the disclaimers, uses the words Israel, Jews, and Zionists interchangeably.  All those who say that Muslim extremists hate only Israel and not Jews, I have two words for you: Daniel Pearl.

6.  It is bundled up with claims of worldwide Jewish conspiracy and calls for restricting the access by Jews to education and jobs.  

7.  It presents the Holocaust and the history of persecution against the Jews as their own justification -- i.e., if the Jews were treated so badly, they must have deserved it.  Almost two million children died in the Holocaust -- what did they ever do to you? Perhaps the religious fundamentalists spewing this idea should ask themselves why THEY are hated so much.  

.

Answer 13

"No, to question Israel is not anti-Semitic. However, to single out Israel for for vilification and international sanction - out of proportion to any other party in the Middle East is anti-Semitic."

Israel is occupying other people land  that is why"single out Israel " So what the world must do to end the Israeli occupation?

Israel is instigating anti-Semitic reactions to Zionist who use Israel as an issue and defend the Israeli occupation polices.

Answer 14

No, you are not. You are Anti-semite if you make racist comments about Arabs or Jews. Peace!

Answer 15

never, some people question Israel state, not Israel  as home of Jewish,why?we respect  Jewish as human and respect JUDAISM as their religion.

Israel builds illegal settlement over Palestine lands.

Israel use extremely force against Palestine and displace them.

Israel  preempt Arab lands and refused  to withdraw.

we respect Israel citizens and dislike their doing.

so we are not ANTI-SEMITE.

WE ARE ANTI-ISRAEL tyrant.

be blessed.

Answer 16

What a silly question, of course you are not !

An anti-Semite is someone who hates and would persecute Jews, and as everybody knows Muslims and Cristiens live in Israel too.

Answer 17

YES

ive been in contact with many israelis

and whenever i say something they dont like

cursing begins using their favourite "you n**i and of course being your an anti-semite"

please i stoped feeling guilty for what mr.Hitler did

ages ago .

get a life and stop killing people in the name of israel

or god

Answer 18

no, you aren't

To be anti-semetic, you need to have offensive views toward the Jewish people, not their state. Hating Jews because they are Jewish is anti semetic, questioning them is far from it

Answer 19

Being anti-Israel is the new, socially acceptable way of being an antisemite.

If you deny the Jewish people their right to live in their homeland then you are indeed an antisemite.

Answer 20

supposedly. a good way to try and shut people up i suppose.

Answer 21

of course not!

i criticise my country all the time,lol

u're entitled to question whatever u like as long as u use the same arguments to question every other nation.

Answer 22

ABSOLUTELY!

Unless you question every other county in the world, there is no reason why you should ever question Israel.  It would not be fair to only question Israel.

Sincerely,

Ms. Miche ; })

Answer 23

The question is interesting - mainly if, supposed I am jewish, I ever question Israel - In that case how can I be antisemitic,if in other words  I shoot bullets into my feet ?

Answer 24

Anti-Semitism has existed for centuries, well before the rise of the modern State of Israel. Rather than Israel being the cause of anti-Semitism, it is more likely that the distorted media coverage of Israeli policies is reinforcing latent anti-Semitic views.

As writer Leon Wieseltier observed, “the notion that all Jews are responsible for whatever any Jews do is not a Zionist notion. It is an anti-Semitic notion.” Wieseltier adds that attacks on Jews in Europe have nothing whatsoever to do with Israel. To blame Jews for anti-Semitism is similar to saying blacks are responsible for racism.

Many Jews may disagree with policies of a particular Israeli government, but this does not mean that Israel is bad for the Jews. As Wieseltier noted, “Israel is not bad for the Jews of Russia, who may need a haven; or for the Jews of Argentina, who may need a haven; or for any Jews who may need a haven.

As noted in the fact about criticism of Israel, taking issue with Israeli policies is acceptable if you do so because you believe that a) Israel has the right to exist, and b) that changes will make Israel a better place. In fact, such criticism, by Israelis, can be found in the Israeli media every day. Criticism crosses the line, however, when it delegitimizes Israel and is intended to weaken rather than strengthen its institutions.

“Israel is the only state in the world today, and the Jews the only people in the world today, that are the object of a standing set of threats from governmental, religious, and terrorist bodies seeking their destruction. And what is most disturbing is the silence, the indifference, and sometimes even the indulgence, in the face of such genocidal anti-Semitism.”

— Canadian Minister of Justice and Attorney General Irwin Cotler