One point I kind of hit on last week is that criticism of Israel is not automatically anti-Semitic, though defenders of Israel may be quick to claim that any criticism is.
It is important to note that there is still a lot of anti-Semitism out there. Even during times when it is less prominent, it is always just under the surface, quick to rise back up.
Because of that, it is not surprising that some people are being openly anti-Semitic. Some others are getting really close. I am not going to judge anyone's motives, but some of it is pretty disturbing.
One is the rapid adoption of the chant, "From the river to the sea, Palestine will be free." Freedom for Palestinians is definitely important, and having freedom over a large unfettered area could be nice, but that phrase does sound an awful lot like the early PLO segment about driving the Jews into the sea.
Granted, it does not have to automatically mean that. There are also many Israelis calling for a total destruction of Palestine and backing it up with deadly attacks.
I get it, but it's wrong. It may be easier to reclaim that phrase than to reclaim the swastika or Confederate flag, but maybe reclaiming is not the answer. Maybe moving forward to something new and kinder is a better option.
For the people saying they don't mean it like that... maybe you don't, but it is quite possible you are marching next to people who do; are you comfortable with that? Should you be?
I also see people who criticize any attempt at diplomacy that is not a call on Israel for a complete ceasefire.
I get that too, but Hamas is openly saying that they will replicate the attacks, and do it again and again until Israel is gone as it "has no place on our land."
I know Israel has bigger weapons and they attack more effectively, what they are doing is sickening, but it doesn't justify that.
It is not helpful to take sides.
Hamas and Netanyahu both have a lot to answer for, including Netanyahu's funding of Hamas over the years. Neither of those things warrants the destruction of an entire people.
None of that provides a solution, but I mention it because it is a reminder of how easy it is to slip into hate. We are called to love.
A lot of people talking right now don't seem to be able to offer anything but spite.
There are reasons for the spite, but it won't help.
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