Just Because We're Paranoid Doesn't Mean They're Not Really Out To Get Us.

Maybe my mother is right? Here are more items that seem to confirm that "They are all AntiSemites":

A leaflet from anti Lebanon War demonstration in Bande Ache Indonesia. (You'd think they had enough troubles locally, and not have time to focus on Israel and the Middle East.)



Or see this article:

On "Israel planned the Lebanon War with US collusion, and the Jews are responsible for the War in Iraq"


Or this one, on how Amnesty International so eager to label all Israeli actions in Lebanon "war crimes" (Yes I know it's by Alan Dershowitz - but sometimes even he is right.)

Amnesty Int'l redefines 'war crimes'


Or this one, on growing anti-Jewish sentiment in Germany (GEVALDT !!)

"I See an Absolutely Hostile Mood Towards Jews"


Or this one, that claims that "What Israel is doing, in a very concrete sense, is wiping Lebanon off the face of the map", and shows lots of gruesome pictures of war dead, claiming that Israel is using secret weapons that will also cause cancer among the Lebanese population. (And yes, war is hell, and the pictures are truly horrific, but Israeli damage to Lebanon was, in fact, about the same as NATO's damage to Serbia in the Kosovo war, and much much less than U.S. damage to Iraq in the Gulf War.) Anyone who reads this site, and accepted it all uncritically would, indeed, wish to wipe Israel, and Israelis "off the map."

Israeli Crimes Against Humanity

Of course there are many other sites and news stories in this vein, and it is a worrying trend. Are these sites and stories indicative of anti-Semitism? I think so. Israel did commit atrocities in Lebanon, but sadly these are not out of line with most warfare. Criticism of, and anger at, Israel is legitimate. But anti-Semitism - as defined in an old joke - is "hating the Jews more than necessary." By this standard there is a lot of anti-Semitism inf the world, much of it focussed around Isreal.

* * *

On the other hand, maybe we are also too eager to believe that everyone is against us:

"Some 15% of Jewish Israelis polled said all Israeli Arabs supported Nasrallah, while 40% claimed that most Israeli Arabs supported him. Some 21% of the respondents said that half of Israeli Arabs supported Nasrallah, and 21% believe that only a small minority of Israeli Arabs supported the Hezbollah leader.

When asked who they supported in the second Lebanon war, 27% of the Israeli Arabs polled said they backed Israel, 18% said they supported Hezbollah and 36% said they did not support either side."

For the full story see:

Poll: 18% of Israeli Arabs backed Hezbollah in war

Maybe only some people are against us. And maybe some of those against us are not against us per se, but against specific actions and policies. Maybe our exaggerated fears make us act in ways that increase our own mistrust, unilateralism, and aggressiveness, and thus increase the cycle of violence and hatred.