With all the attention focused on Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has “quietly” become… With all the attention focused on Iraq, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has “quietly” become as hot as ever. Alongside the heightening of the tensions, the war in the media has intensified as well.

As the conflict has escalated to new highs, the war of words has hit a new low. It has now become virtually impossible to criticize Israel and its policies without being forced to defend oneself from shameless accusations of anti-Semitism.

Not unlike the view that opposition to American foreign policy is anti-American, broad accusations of anti-Semitism are an attempt to discredit any author of anti-Israeli-policy thought.

Anti-Semitism continues to be a serious issue in today’s world, denoted by its recent rise in Europe and elsewhere. Exactly for that reason, absurd assertions of anti-Semitism that stem from justifiable opposition to Israeli policies, such as the building of the wall and the occupation of the West Bank, detract from the gravity of actual cases of racism.

Anti-Semitism is hostility and prejudice towards Jews.

Therefore, it is certainly anti-Semitic, for example, to say that a conspiracy of Jews runs America’s media and politics. It is not anti-Semitic, however, to assert that the American media covers the conflict with greater sympathy towards the Israeli perspective, much like it is fair to say that European media gives greater coverage to Palestinian views.

Nor is it anti-Semitic to argue that the American Israel Public Affairs Committee is, right alongside the NRA, one of the most powerful lobbying groups in Washington, D.C. The latter simply reflects the success of representation of pro-Israeli interests, and it is one of the unfortunate general failures of the Palestinians and Arabs to create a similar lobby ensuring the protection of theirs.

Those who make broad and irresponsible charges of anti-Semitism would like to have you think of the Jewish people and the state of Israel as one and the same. Then, any criticism of Israel would be rendered anti-Semitic.

Of course, such is not the case.

Firstly, Israel was created not in a religious, but a humanitarian context, built as a safe haven from persecution. Still, that withstanding, Israel does not — and cannot — act on the behalf of all Jewish people. Many Jews, and in fact, entire Jewish organizations, such as Not in My Name, oppose policies regarding the Palestinian conflict for the explicit purpose of detaching themselves from the claim that they are being carried out on the behalf of all Jews.

Here in particular, the broad viciousness of these accusations reveals itself. Jews who oppose Israel’s policies find themselves stigmatized by supporters of Israel as “self-hating,” and it is this audacity of portraying Jews in disagreement as “less Jewish” for their opposition that reveals these brazen allegations to be nothing more than reflexive responses to criticism of Israel — not Jewish people themselves.

The vast majority of these accusations then, do not really deal with the prevalence of anti-Jewish sentiments among critics, but rather with any views — even those held by Jews — that are sympathetic to the Palestinians.

Simply put, criticism of a state is not a criticism of its people, its existence, and certainly not of its religion. Is criticism of India or Nepal anti-Hindu? Sure, Israel has a unique history — but so does Palestine. Does that render criticism of Palestinian tactics anti-Muslim?

What is currently taking place is deplorable. Three million refugees live in virtual islands of occupation without economic viability. Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch and the State Department of our own fine country — which gives 11 billion dollars in aid to Israel annually — have criticized Israel for its “poor” record of human rights. Are these otherwise credible and admirable establishments, anti-Semitic?

This ridiculous theory would make anti-Semites out of Nelson Mandela and Archbishop Desmond Tutu, two of the world’s great humanitarians, Nobel Peace Prize winners and noted critics of Israeli policies.

Issues of anti-Semitism and the entire Middle East conflict certainly require great sensitivity but they do not render anyone, including Israel, immune from criticism.

Those who continue to make irresponsible and unmerited accusations of anti-Semitism at every voice of disagreement with policies pursued are themselves so blinded by their own fervent support for Israel that they have become unable to identify fair criticism or even distinguish it from racism.

Until Israeli policies come to respect the boundaries of international law and human rights standards and cease the oppression of Palestinians and occupation of their territories, criticism of Israel is deserved or at least understandable — not anti-Semitic.

Pedja proudly and unapologetically supports the creation of an independent Palestinian state, alongside Israel, with economic viability and geographic contiguity. E-mail him at pej3@pitt.edu.