Maximilian Hess is a Fellow at the Foreign Policy Research Institute in London. He calls himself the child of an American Jewish and Catholic German couple and says antisemitism has indelibly shaped his life.
In an Aljazeera column, Hess said that today, many seem only interested in silencing criticism of Israel. He said that disapproval of actions by Israel, and especially criticism of the country’s conduct in Gaza, is not antisemitism. Treating it as such, says Hess, harms efforts to combat real prejudice against Jewish people.
Hess notes that violence between Israelis and Palestinians long predated the 2006 election that allowed Hamas to form an administration in Gaza, the land that Noam Chomsky called the world’s largest open-air prison because of Israel’s land, sea, and air blockades.
Hess wrote:
Today, however, it appears the world has turned upside down. The fight against the scourge of anti-Semitism is under threat from those who refuse to criticise Israel’s actions in the Gaza Strip because they conflate such action with anti-Semitism.
Violence begets violence.
“Never again” must mean never again by anyone, against anyone. If this call is not applied to Palestinians, there can never realistically be any hope that others will apply it to Jews – especially in an era in which so much anti-Semitism goes ignored because it does not fit into the pro-Israel/pro-Palestine dichotomy. Hatred must be fought everywhere and in all its guises, including among those whose fight against anti-Semitism is dependent upon how it relates to Israel.
Criticism of Israel’s war and occupation is not anti-Semitism
Categories: International, Justice
in-sights.ca 
We agree Norm. 100% Thanks for giving the truth here. Much appreciated. John.
LikeLike
Saw the sign and first thought: Hijacked a slogan used by Jews after WWII. Yes, it would be nice if Never Again was for every one but to think it will, not going to happen in our life time or the next. After WWII we saw Russia starve Ukrainians, Pol Pot murder about 3 million of the country’s population, Rawanda, the Rihinga, the killing of Indigenous people of North, Central, South America. War is not going to end any time soon. there is too much money to be made and power aquired.
Never Again is aspirational, It can Always Happen Again, is the reality, according to my Mom.
A lot of the comments do read as if they are anti semitic, not anti Beni or anti Zionist, or anti Settlers, etc. In the general reaction to Jews, non Jews frequently can not differentiate.
Beni’s actions against the people of Gaza is wrong. It has gone on too long and is killing too many innocent people, especially the children. Of course Hamas or any one else would have known attacking Israel as they did would cause retaliation and it would not be pleasant. However, retaliation is fine, if its against those who committed the invasion. No one ever should expect Israel to be O.K. with the invasion and say, we forgive you. They never have and never will. Being “nice and polite” never got the oppressed any where. Mass bombing and then restricting food, water, medicine and refusing to let people leave Gaza, not cool. On the other hand for the past 70 years or so haven’t seen other well to do Arab countries willing to take Palestinian refugees either. .What is going on in Gaza and the West Bank reminds me of the Warsaw Ghetoo.
Anti Semetics who criticise the actions of Beni and his followers frequently apply it to all Jews, as if they were responsible for the actions of the Israeli military. Rational, because they aren’t keen on Jews to start with. During this on going “event” we have seen attacks on Jewish synagoges and schools, threats to Jewish individuals. Why, because they are Jews, not that they have done anything “wrong”, no its their very existence. Lets not forget it wasn’t Jews who banned themselves from professions, owning land, etc. It were the Gentiles. Yes, the good christians. Not much has changed in all these centuries and I don’t expect it will Attacks against Jews will end about the same time the last Jew leaves this earth. Beni and his followers will stop what they are doing when they’re dead or the last person they disagree are dead. From my years in elementary school to 74 what I’ve seen leads me to conclude you have nutbars in ever religion along with the extremists The leaders of these groups don’t really care about people, just that they personally benefit from the misery they create. A solution might be to pick up the Hamas leadership along, with Modi, Beni, Putin and a few others and drop them off at Mar a lago. They can live there in luxury but away from the public.They can enjoy each other’s company all the while hating and the rest of the world might get some peace. Can you imagine what the world will be like if Trump, “Hitler did some good things” is elected.
LikeLike
No reasonable person can deny that Jews have been undeserving victims of horrific acts for centuries. Among unconscionable people, antisemitism continues today, although hateful people are a small minority who make outsized noise. With the Online Harms Act, our federal government is proposing to increase sanctions on those who foster hatred.
But any group that complains about suffering mistreatment, ought not to condone the mistreatment of innocent people outside their group. Yet defenders of Israel, despite images of communities reduced to rubble, are arguing that casualty counts are faked.
E.A.F., you note that certain nations are unwilling to receive Palestinian refugees. Why should they? Israel’s population has grown by 35% in the last 20 years and removal of existing residents enables the process of expansion. Understandably, affected people will defend against intrusions in whatever ways they can.
People would not be refugees if allowed to live in peace on lands of the southern Levant where their ancestors have resided for generations.
I restate the need for a two-state solution that involves an independent Palestine alongside Israel. That is opposed by the current leadership of Israel, so peace seems impossible without more humane people in charge.
As Mr. Hess repeated in the subject column, violence begets violence.
LikeLike
Beni learned well from the old switch routine of taking and twisting your adversaries talking points and making them your own,
We have seen this way too much notably where the well meaning woke! has been bastardised to become an insult.
TB
LikeLike
It is what it is.
https://www.theguardian.com/world/2024/jan/29/israeli-ministers-attend-conference-calling-for-voluntary-migration-of-palestinians
TB
LikeLike