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THE QUESTION
Criticism of Israel
Can you be critical of Israel and not be anti-Semitic? Can you be critical of Israel and be a faithful Jew?
Posted by
Sally Quinn and Jon Meacham on February 21, 2007 6:26 AM
FROM THE PANEL
Criticism of Israeli Policy v. Anti-Semitism
Ultimately, it is Israelis who will live or die by virtue of the decisions they make, but we can help by lending our wisdom to their debates of these urgent matters.
Posted by David Saperstein, on February 26, 2007 10:24 AM
Criticism and Anti-Semitism
Religious leaders have historically been the most vehement critics of the leaders of their own states and others, whether these leaders have been Christian, Muslim, Jewish, Buddhist, Hindu, Confucian, Taoist, or whatever.
Posted by William A. Graham, on February 26, 2007 8:15 AM
Pointing Fingers, or Pointing Forward
My faith – in Islam, in history, in humanity – teaches me that there is a different script, guided by the question, “How do we speak and act in a way that promotes the freedom, safety and dignity of all people?”
Posted by Eboo Patel, on February 25, 2007 12:42 PM
The rest of us should be very wary
Since my faith community has been a great offender in the Holocaust, one reason I embrace Israel is to contribute to a kind of repentance.
Posted by William Tully, on February 24, 2007 10:00 AM
Fine Line: Criticizing Israel Without Anti-Semitism
There is a widespread belief in Jewish “superiority” even in morality, which results in holding the Jewish state to standards not expected of any other nation
Posted by Adin Steinsaltz, on February 24, 2007 8:18 AM
Murky Waters
Tactics that the Israeli government has used in their conflict with the Palestinians have nothing to do with being Jewish or with the fact that Israel is a Jewish nation.
Posted by Pamela K. Taylor, on February 24, 2007 7:25 AM
Support for Israel Does Not Forbid Criticism
The highest form of patriotism is to be able to call your own government to account when it is clearly in error.
Posted by Charles "Chuck" Colson, on February 24, 2007 7:05 AM
Criticism and judgment
The State and the Church, human life and all human institutions must stand under the judgment of the God of Life, Love and Being.
Posted by John Shelby Spong, on February 23, 2007 2:19 PM
Anti-Semitism is About Prejudice, Not Politics
Leaders and the led have a right to criticize any government if their policies are believed to be anti-human and destructive.
Posted by Sulayman Nyang, on February 23, 2007 12:08 PM
Speaking Critically but Carefully
Those of us who criticize Israeli policies have to be careful not to encourage anti-Semitic attitudes, especially those of us who worship the God who forged a special -- and eternal -- bond with the Jewish people.
Posted by Richard Mouw, on February 23, 2007 8:39 AM
The Jewish State vs. the Catholic State
Would abandonment of status as “Jewish” represent a “good thing” for Israel?
Posted by Anthony M. Stevens-Arroyo, on February 22, 2007 11:00 AM
Base Criticism on Facts, Not Prejudice
To say that some people are prejudiced, so nobody can say a country or its leaders are going the wrong way, is to collapse all moral discourse into a stinking postmodern heap.
Posted by Nicholas T. Wright, on February 22, 2007 10:00 AM
Love and Criticism
It is certainly possible to be critical of Israel and not be anti-Semitic. But it may not be possible to be critical of Israel and not be accused of anti-Semitism.
Posted by John Dominic Crossan, on February 22, 2007 9:09 AM
American Jews Too Quick To Cry 'Anti-Semitism'
As a UK observer, and a Jew I often feel American Jews are too quick to cry 'anti-Semitism.'
Posted by Julia Neuberger, on February 22, 2007 8:50 AM
The Critic's Responsibility
The words of responsible critics may be hard to hear but they deserve our respect.
Posted by James Anderson, on February 21, 2007 5:48 PM
Motivation of Critics is Key
If critics believe Israel is an illegitimate occupier of someone else’s land, then that criticism is anything but constructive and is often based in a hatred of Jews.
Posted by Cal Thomas, on February 21, 2007 9:12 AM
Disagree With Me And You're a Bad Jew
Right-wing Jews promulgate the idea that liberal Jews, Jews who raise any questions about Israeli policies, are bad Jews.
Posted by Susan Jacoby, on February 21, 2007 8:00 AM
As A Nation-State Israel Can Be Criticized
I do not refrain from critique of Israel the nation-state when I disagree with its policies, but I try not to engage in such critique in an historical vacuum.
Posted by Susan Brooks Thistlethwaite, on February 21, 2007 7:22 AM
Unloving Critics and Uncritical Lovers
Israel deserves loving criticism and those who deliver it are by no means anti-Semitic if there is substance in the critique and civility in the style.
Posted by William J. Byron, on February 20, 2007 5:05 PM
To Be A True Friend of the Jewish People
True friends of Israel will not support her in policies that sow hatred and reap retribution. Real allies of the Jewish people will listen to and amplify the voices of all those who cry out for justice.
Posted by Starhawk, on February 20, 2007 2:18 AM
FEATURED COMMENTS
Stan: Why the term "anti-semitic"? Surely, there is/was a reason that this term is used to support the state of Israel. If the people of the wor...
Julia W. Kay: I was born during W.W.II to emphatic supporters of the war effort in the cause of saving the Jews. My strongest visceral experience of "part...
A Handle: One of my friends often says that any point of view expressed in America as opposing Israeli government policy is viewed as, and subject to ...
