Why won't the jews allow criticism of their aggressive policies?

Question

Recently, two very respectable American professors wrote about the manipulative policies of the "israeli" lobby which cares less about our interests. As soon as they landed at the ben-gurion airport, they were summoned and subjected to very bad treatment. As if that was not enough, upon reaching the Hebrew University, jewish students harassed them for hours. All this happened in the fake "democratic" state of "israel". Why do the jews act this way?

Answer 1

Jews act that way because people like you write words like: "israeli", "democratic" state of "israel", and "jews" instead of Jewish people.  You disrespect us and we will disrespect you or anyone like you.

Sincerely,

Ms. Miche ; })

Answer 2

it is not the jews, its the zionist, two different things. not all jews are pro-israel, but all zionist are. a zionist can be a jew, or christian, or any thing else.

no where in the article did it say that all the students were jewish. in fact it said that the hebrew university was choosen for its diversity. so many of these students may have been zionist of various faiths.

also, you have to look at who has been praising the book, "islamic militants, holocaust deniers and even former ku klux klan leader david duke." all of these groups are anti-semitic, not anti-zionist and none of them knows the difference. and  i'm afraid that you too may not know the difference either. these groups that have been shown to have praised the book aren't exactly known for their democratic ways. so this is kind of the pot calling the kettle black.

it sickens me to know that there are people who claim to know every thing about "the jewish conspiracy" yet know nothing about judaism. there was a comment on here that said that the jews were "blinded by hate" we should all check our motives and thoughts before we make these kind of statements, because we ourselves may the ones "blinded by hate."

Answer 3

There is an old saying, me forgets how it goes.

Something like.... if you can't put up with the heat then get out of the fire.  Was that it?

It sounds like they put out a lot of hurtful things and were confronted about things they had not researched.  

By your own admission they let them continue to the University , so there was some freedom given there?  Right?

Answer 4

Like so many others, your so called question is actually a statment that is worded as if it was a question. Because of that, I will first answer it as if it was a real question.

First of all, the word should be Israelis, rather than Jews. It is a politial question, not a religious one.

Second, the fact that you refuse to capatalize the words Jew, Israel, Ben Gurion, and Jewish while capitalizing other words make it clear you are anti-Israel and anti-Jew. Your quesion/statment is obviously meant to be simply another anti-Israel and anti-Jew rant.

Third, this is posted in a travel group, not a political group. It has no place here.

Now that I have answered the fake question, I will respond to the real statment. Perhaps you are correct. Perhaps it would be better if they did respond to the negative writings like the Palistinian and other Muslims would have responsed.

That would mean that the professors would have been taken hostage, beaten, tortured and eventually brutally murdered. All this because they dared to say anything negative about Arabs and/or Muslims.

The reason that didn't happen is because the Israelis are more civilized than that. The Israelis had both the motive and the oppertunity to murder the professors. By the numberous accounts of the anti-Israel people, the Israelis are prone to murder so that isn't what stopped them.

It is simply because that is not what Israel truely stands for. The other stories are lies.

P.S. Another answer that implied that Jews in the U.S. are demanding special favors because they want their holy days off and the other religions don't do that. Christmas and Easter are official holidays JUST so the Christians can have them off. They have no secular meaning. All my Catholic friends expect a paid day off for Good Friday. They say that anything less is religious discrimination.

Sunday is treated differently than other days of the week. Again, it has no secular basis, it is ONLY because it is the day that most Christian sects treat as the sabbeth. There are many laws on the books, in many U.S. states that specify Sunday rules that are different than the other six days.

Our local schools tell the teachers that they are not allowed to give homework on Wednesday. That is because it is the church's "family night." Purely religious and for only a specific religion, as it is practiced only by Christian churches.

Our local sports officials would never schedule an athletic meet on a Christian holiday or on a Sunday. They routinely schedule them on the Jewish sabbeth though. They also scheduled a big meet on a major Jewish holiday.

It wasn't their fault, they didn't know the holiday was that day. Even though it is maked on the calendar, they didn't know. Even though they did the exact same thing three years in a row and were criticized for it, they had no way of knowing. Besides, they couldn't ask anyone if it was okay, could they. Right!

The Christians don't look at doing things on their schedule as anything special. It is just the way it "should" be done, they say. If a Jew asks for it, it then becomes a big deal because "The Jews" are asking for special favors since they are so spoiled. Get real.

Laws that even specify Sunday as being different are really asking for special favors for your religion. Your premise is totally incorrect.

Answer 5

Michele S said it very well.  If you write a critical book you should expect a response.  If you can't take the heat then get out of the kitchen.  The mere fact that two people who wrote a book critical of Israel were allowed to speak there proves that Israel is a democracy.  Do you think that would have been allowed in **any** of the Arab countries????

Answer 6

Respectable?  By who's standards?  These men pander to anti-semites, islamic and n**i radicals and by doing so inflame tensions when real human lives are at stake. Tell them to look at their hands and see if there is blood on them.

And why do you say they can speak freely yet "Jews won't allow criticism."  Are you trying to shush critics of these people that is acceptable to you but their words have merit to roam the globe and especially on Israel soil.

If those people were guest in my house I would have had my husband escort them to the door and then to the curb and I live in America.  Tell them to write a book about Islam and then go into muslim country and see if their head doesn't get chopped off with Al Jazeera coverage at 10. Then the men would have a healthy dose of respect for western criticism in a democracy.

Talking like that on Israel land, what nerve, and to feign stupidity and claim discrimination when they get responses not to their liking, stupidity.

Some people may be scholars but they have very little common sense.  And just because they are scholars doesn't mean they are accurate, even the earth was deemed flat at one time in history and another scholar came along and proved it wrong.

Anyone that thinks a Jew is not entitled to criticize back is clear sign of  anti-semitsm. People are free to criticize these men wrote a book. Expect to be criticized back, don't you think.

Answer 7

ummm I think its because Israel cannot take it....and plus i have come to relies that many Israeli people on this yahoo answer seem to see the truth the other way round....so maybe like the rest the Israelis they cannot come to terms with it... i mean i don't blame them if my government was like that i would be soo ashamed !!! so they only way they can covert it is to pretend that its not happening...and attack any one that  Condemns such behavior

Answer 8

Coze the ones criticizing are making most of the stuff up.

Answer 9

The only fan the jews ever had in recent history is George Bush. Son, you've seen what they did to that Fikenstein dude.

Yes my boy, his folks were both holocost survivors. he's more jewish than their beloved prez himself is. the olmert person I am talking about here.

But hey, other than that them jews go on SCREAMIN' : "Hey we is the most democratic place in middle east" maybe the Greeks need to visit some little jews and teach them the true meaning of the word : DEMOCRACY, because that word is greek methinks. Anyways you're doing a good job there son. keep on advisin' them jews because they sure need all the help they can get from us peace lovin folks.

Take care now.

Answer 10

if you write a book criticising people then you can expect some reaction

i think you are not being honest in your assessment of the situation .....did they go to the university to talk to the students? if so there would have been some student reaction

it happens whenever speakers/visitors talk to students - they answer and share their opinions

why do people post provocative questions that are biased to say the least?

i think you will find israel to me more democratic than the majority of muslim states - why don't muslims recognise democracy? this could be your next question.

Answer 11

Yes it is often said that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East Region.  But let us look carefully at teh definition of democracy.  Democracy means rule by a majority.  Only what the majority wants.  Democracy in this way is like two wolves and a rabbit standing around deciding what's for dinner.  You get the meaning (Good bye Rabbit!!!!).

Even the United States is not a democracy but is a Constitutional Republic with laws to protect ALL CITIZENS, even the minority populations.  We have inalienable rights endowed by God our Creator and all citizens living in the United States have the opportunity to pursue Life liberty and the pusuit of happiness.  

Not so in a Democracy.  IN Israel the Askenazi Jews are the majority and therefore the will of the majority is to be carried out.  

So yes Israel is a democracy which consist of two wolves and a rabbit.  The rabbit has no chance to survive in a situation like that.  

Democracy means rule by a mob (majority rules) so what ever the majority decide then that is what happens.  

Could you imagine in the United States the Jewish population is about almost two percent of the population.  If the authorities fired Jews from their Jobs for demanding to have the Sabbath off even though when everyone gets hired for the job they are told that they will be asked to work a an around the clock schedule and anyday of the week.  Fro example jobs in govt transportation have schedules based on senority and tiem worked to have certain days off yet this small but overly influential minority gets to have off on the Sabbath and to automatically get any Jewish Holiday off.  No  other etnic or religious group in America gets that type of preferential treatment.  How many times did many a goyim government worker have to work on Easter or Christmas because the operation was a 24/7 operation.  

I don't think that would happen with the falashmuras or the other non-Jews in Israel.  So even the Jewish minority in United States has its rights protected because wein America are a Constitutional Republican form of government, not a Democracy

Answer 12

According to the article you cite, these men who are known to hold very anti-Israel views, were allowed into Israel and were allowed to answer a multitude of questions by students, in mostly cordial manner.  These men suffer from "shoddy scholarship, faulty logic, and anti-Semitism" according to their critics, but they are admired by Islamist militants, Holocaust deniers, and racists.

The men actually went to Israel hoping to "draw a lively academic debate," and this is exactly what happened, so they were not displeased.

If they had been locked up incommunicado or murdered, well, then I would say Israel was wrong.  But they were allowed their say even though hardly anybody there agreed with them.

So what is your complaint?

Answer 13

First, let me say I doubt all the students took part in the harrassment. Most Jews are good people, in spite of Israel's war crimes.

As for your answer: it's considered anti-Semitism to dare criticize Israel. Next stop, have Mugabe convince the world that insulting him is racism.

Answer 14

Unfortunately, despite their credentials, these professors are not in the business of a serious consideration about the impact of the lobby. Instead, the title of the event is deceptive because, it leaves the impression of an objective analysis of the issue. In fact, Mearsheimer and Walt are as far as one could be from objective analysis. They are about a complete distortion of Israel's history and role in the Middle East. And, most disturbing, they are about propagating, in sophisticated grab, old and destructive myths about Jewish power, loyalty and conspiracies.

Since they are in Israel, and since surely they will put on their best face to appear more respectable than their writings, it is useful to make several points.

In their book, the authors are careful to avoid the most direct stereotypes, generalizations, motives attributed to the Israel lobby in the original paper. They repeat that they are not questioning the right of the lobby to be active, like other lobbies. They claim they are not anti-Israel or questioning its right to exist. They are not saying that those who work on behalf of Israel in the US are deliberately betraying their country. They are not saying that the war in Iraq was caused by the Israel lobby. And so on.

The problem is that these denials and clarifications, clearly inserted as a preemptive response to criticisms of their original paper, do not change the thrust of the presentation.  The old saying "if it walks like a duck, quacks like a duck and looks like a duck, it must be a duck" applies here.

Let's deal with some of their claims which they make to soften the criticisms of their work:

Israel has a right to exist -- As William Grimes pointed out in his New York Times book review "the effect of their book is to leave it dangling by a moral and strategic thread."

Not anti-Israel -- Every event in the Israel-Arab conflict over six decades is interpreted in a fashion to put all or the preponderance of blame on Israel. One does not have to be a Zionist to recognize the complexity of the problems such as the roots of the refugee problem in 1948 or the collapse of Camp David in 2000. The demonizing of Israel is transparent.

Just presenting an honest view of America policymaking in the Middle East which goes unheard -- As has been noted by several critics, Mearsheimer and Walt did not interview any current or recent Administration or State Department figures. Had they done so, they would have heard the kinds of comments from people like Ambassador Ned Walker, Former Secretary of State George Shultz, and others when learning of Mearsheimer and Walt's description of US policy making.

Walker, an old State Department Middle East hand said after the original paper appeared that he could not recognize the way policy was actually made from the description by Mearsheimer and Walt. It bore no resemblance to the messy, multi-sourced influences in the real world.

George Shultz said, "So, at every level, those who blame Israel and its Jewish supporters for US policies they do not support are wrong. They are wrong because, to begin with, support for Israel is in our best interests. They are also wrong because Israel and its supporters have the right to try to influence US policy. And they are wrong because the US government is responsible for the policies it adopts, not any other state or any of the myriad lobbies and groups that battle daily --- sometimes with lies – to win America's support."

The truth is US policy results from a complicated series of influences both inside and outside government. Supporters of Israel are significant voices and we are proud of that but any suggestion that we are the dominant influence belies the real complexity.

US policy is completely one-sided toward Israel -- Fortunately, and for good strategic and moral reasons, the US is a strong supporter of Israel. But Mearsheimer and Walt fall into that anti-Israel assumption so prevalent in parts of the Arab world and elsewhere which holds that if the US is pro-Israel it must be anti-Arab.  

In fact, US policy has always supported moderate forces in the region, whether they be Israeli or Arab. During the Cold War, the US goal was to strengthen anti-Soviet Arab forces in the region and saw a strong Israel as part of that effort.  There was nothing anti-Arab about that. Today, the US supports moderate forces against radical Islamists in the region. Israel receives support but so do moderate Arab such as Egypt, Jordan, Saudi Arabia and moderate Palestinians. There is nothing anti-Arab about that. Even President Bush's June 2002 speech, cited as possibly the most pro-Israel address by an American president, was not anti-Palestinian. It laid out a vision of a Palestinian state living side-by-side of Israel and called on the Palestinians to find moderate leaders to lead them there with US help. There is nothing anti-Arab about that.  

US policy, unlike Mearsheimer and Walt's accusations, is not a zero-sum gain at all.

American Jewish leadership is right-wing and monolithic -- In fact, the vast majority of American Jewish organizations and surely the most significant ones, whether ADL, AIPAC, AJC, Hadassah, the Union of Reform Judaism et.al. all support a two-state solution for the region.  Here, too, the fact that all these groups reject Palestinian terrorism and support Israel is demanding moderate Palestinian positions is taken as being right-wing and uncompromising.

The media and campuses don't allow true open discussion and debate on the conflict because of Israel lobby pressure -- Absurd on its face. Turn on the TV any night, read compare newspapers all over the country and one will hear a wide-range of views about the conflict, some even over the-top is its criticism and bias toward Israel. This charge of the Israel lobby stifling discussion is one of the most insidious and fake ones in their paper and book. It is of course strategically brilliant because it tries to put the Jewish community on the defensive: criticizing them proves their point.

Not saying that Israel lobby is intending to serve Israeli interest against American -- By setting up the straw man that everything Israel does is evidently wrong, that US support for Israel is over-the-top and hurts America strategically and morally, and that that policy is simply a product of the influence of the Israel lobby, their protest that they are not accusing the lobby of deliberately working against America leaves one cold. If things are so obvious, then the lobby must know full well that they are hurting America and they pursue their approach in any case for one simple reason: they are loyal to Israel against their own country.

Ultimately, the critique of Mearsheimer and Walt must not be limited to the distortions of events and cause and effect, but also to their questioning of the motives of those who support Israel in this country. The qualifying words, the softer tone do not relieve us of the belief that Mearsheimer and Walt continue to foster an image of American Jews that fits the classic conspiracy theories of Jewish power, disloyalty, and betrayal.

http://cgis.jpost.com/Blogs/foxman/entry...

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