With criticism of IAW noted, I would like to do nothing more than pose a simple question: is any government above criticism? While there are some who find that Israel is unique among all nations, those who support human rights note that Israel is a state just like any other; they are not above criticism any more than our own government. As for those who claim that the boycott, divestment and sanctions movement is anti-Semitic: do sanctions against North Korea mean that we hate all ethnically Korean people? Of course not. Something to chew on.
– A. Kowalchuk
What a misguided response. Of course Israel is not above criticism, but there is a tremendous difference between critique and calling for boycotts, divestments and sanctions against a state. Moreover there is a tremendous difference between critique and labelling a state an apartheid.
To be clear, the connection between the BDS movement and anti-semitism comes from the tendency of many of the movement’s proponents (if not the primary goal of the movement’s originators) to deny the Jewish people their right to self-determination – quite clearly an anti-semitic notion.
Furthermore, Mr. Abra certainly never proposed in his article that all criticism of Israel should be silenced – rather he called for an end to the flawed demonization of Israel, certainly a necessary step in any valid analysis of the Arab-Israeli conflict.