Netanyahu calls for War

cramer said:

My concern is with my own community, the progressive one. They don’t like to have this conversation, but the progressive community really does have an anti-Semitism problem. Usually this takes the form of dismissing Jewish concerns about anti-Semitism -- especially when those concerns are directed at a fellow progressive.

There's a popular talking point, one progressives never should have allowed to even get a foothold, but did. It's pernicious, and has made discussions of anti-Semitism fraught, frustrating, and hard to resolve in progressive communities. This talking point ties into the latest series of Omar tweets. It goes as follows:
"Jews use charges of anti-Semitism to shut down criticism of Israel."

I hate to even have to respond to this, but since so many non-Jews instantly shut down the moment the subject's broached, I have to say it: Some of us are guilty of this very thing. There are a few unscrupulous Jews who claim "anti-Semitism" whenever Israel gets criticized, credibly or not.

That doesn't justify dismissing or refusing the discussion. But thanks to the insistence that anti-Semitism is actually just an Israeli dodge, it happens often enough."

It's a reasonable way of phrasing the issue. There are a vocal few on each extreme who shut down discussions with the other side - making the necessarily complex conversation more challenging to have.

And -- if I was someone (or some country) who wanted to splinter the left in the USA (and weaken the US in the Middle East simultaneously), increasing anti-Semitism on the left by linking it to simplistic anti-Israel sentiments would be a brilliant strategy.

ETA: If Omar and her Jewish colleagues are really open to having this conversation, I am hopeful that they can model the productive discussions we need within the US -- and perhaps even be a force towards real compromise and peace in the ME.

paulsurovell said:
In any discussion of the term "the Benjamins" this Twitter thread by Lara Friedman, president of the Foundation for Middle East Peace should be considered:
https://twitter.com/LaraFriedmanDC/status/1095647078586277889

Lara Friedman forget to include this: