You don't have to be a cheerleader for islamic jihad (or a nazi for that matter!) to think that what the israeli state does in the occupied territories is wrong. shouting NAZI! at anyone who dares to criticise the israeli goverment, and equating criticism of that goverment with attacking all jewish people is just a simple minded way of trying to stifle debate.

This article and response typify the discourse on the israel / palestine issue. On the left and in anarchist circles in this country, israel has been hailed as part of the axis of evil and zionism and the state of israel is considered synonymous with colonialism and even fascism. There seems to be no attempt to understand the jewish israeli mindset. No appreciation that many israelis fled brutal oppression to the relative safety of what they consider to be their spiritual home. So, the left and palestinian groups here go on the offensive, often refuse to work with jews and perpetuate the idea, felt by many jews, that the everybody hates them, so they may as well just dig in their heels. This fuels support for the right-wing in israel and within jewish communities the world over and alienates left-wing jews, weakening their potentially influential role in deciding the future of israel and palestine and blocking prospects of co-operative attempts at finding solutions.

Black and white politics is easy and convenient, but dangerous. The palestinians are not one homogenous group of goodies. The jewish israelis, zionists and other jews around the world are not one homogenous group of baddies. The politics are complex, but those who involve themselves in the politics of israel and palestine, (and here I mean especially lefties and anarchists who are neither muslim nor jewish, palestinian nor israeli and who are most likely to be reading this) should attempt to fully understand the situation before launching provocative attacks from the bandwagon.

I despise what the state of israel is doing to the palestinian people, but I’m frightened by the dramatic rise in anti-israeli and even anti-semitic rhetoric on the left. It’s too easy to divide the world into a battle between israel/us/capitalist/wto/imf/wb vs socialist/anarchist/oppressed people of the world.

Can we have some input from some left-wing / anarchist jews (I’m not jewish)? We only ever seem to get fear/hate fuelled responses like the one above, which only perpetuates the myth.

... lets keep an eye out for when a new piece critising israel in anyway shape or form appears, who will be the first to post the sad '=bnp/nazi/terrorist/anti-semite' reaction.

We can choose from jamie/dan/joel etc.

Extra points for spoting cut n'paste jobs or endless self referencial spin.

It is an apartheid!!!
I was shocked when I heard it for the first time, but the something happend, and I realised what was wrong all this years...
It is a country that in order to make itself and its people safe from the abolition of other countries they act in the same manner to the closest nation in the world.
Not only by distance, but also culture and blood relations.
Instead of taking care of "security" its about time to do something for the benefits of the people of the TWO states (or ONE in an utopian time of the United Israel and Palestine state).

I'm glad someone opend my eyes.

So anyone supporting the Palestinians is an anti-Semite? They are living under military occupation which appears to be solely aimed at making their lives so miserable they should leave their homes. Is that something to be turned a blind eye to because Israel is a "democracy" with equal rights for all, including the Palestinian vilages which don't appear on official maps and get woeful services?
Take a deep breath and admit that what the Israeli government is doing is morally wrong.

Then come out on Saturday and point out that the companies supporting the Israeli economy are supporting oppression.

Am I missing something?

What motivated the three postings below, which seem to have been triggered by someonw saying that to be critical of Israel is to be both a Nazi and an anti-semite?


1.Who's a bigot?
Shouting NAZI! at anyone who dares to criticise the israeli goverment, and equating criticism of that goverment with attacking all jewish people is just a simple minded way of trying to stifle debate.
bob

2. A new game ...
... lets keep an eye out for when a new piece critising israel in anyway shape or form appears, who will be the first to post the sad '=bnp/nazi/terrorist/anti-semite' reaction.
 jackslucid@hotmail.com

3. So anyone supporting the Palestinians is an anti-Semite?
Take a deep breath and admit that what the Israeli government is doing is morally wrong.
vick

I see no posting on this entry that says "anyone supporting the Palestinians is an anti-Semite."

So what are all these people talking (screeching) about?

Talk about wearing the cloak of victimhood. These people seem to be lashing out at a conspiracy of desenting opinion that isn't even there. My advice kids is to take a deep breath...and save it for the revolution.

Thou doth protest too much.

so it was hidden (see  https://publish.indymedia.org.uk/en/static/editorial.html for the guidelines). My advice is don't feed the trolls, they just post on here in a pathetic attempt to cause trouble. In the meantime don't let them distract from the main article.

And queries, or if you disagree this editorial decision, e-mail the imc-uk features list at  imc-uk-features@lists.indymedia.org

Thank you.

This has all got very confusing. My posting "who's a bigot" was a reply to a rabidly pro-israeli state comment about the oxford street action, which was then removed without clear explanation by IMC, making the rest of the exchanges pretty meaningless. If this kind of editing is going to be done, can a clear explanation be posted in place of the offending article instead of just making it disappear without trace?

One response to the original post talks of the failure to understand the "jewish israeli mindset".

But most IMC readers are plenty wise to the fact that not all Jewish Israeli's think like Ariel Sharon or the armed fanatic settlers - you could try these -

 http://www.jewsagainsttheoccupation.org/
 http://www.btselem.org/
 http://www.tikkun.org/
 http://www.gush-shalom.org/english/index.html


....... just for starters.