Why do people think anti-isreal is the same as anti-semetic?

[enenenya]

Just that. If I was anti-Iran, it is never called anti-Islamic.

The points you mentioned there are not totally relevant to the spelling.
Muslims refer to that area as the Al-Aqsa compound. As that is where the Al Aqsa mosque is.

What I mean by that is, Jews have been persecuted long before 1948. And being anti-Israel is tied in very much with that basic anti semitism. I don't think you can transfer that template to any other religion.

And the fact that being Jewish is both an ethnicity and a religion complicates things even further.

Have you name changed op? Your posting style is quite similar to a recent poster.... apologies if not

In my experience people do not think anti-israel is antisemitic. In my experience people who are being antisemitic think they are being anti-israel.

Here are some truths:

1. All antisemites are also passionately anti-Israel. Israel is the only Jewish majority state on earth. Antisemites hate everything "Jewish". Being passionately anti-Israel is often an expression of Jew hatred.

2. Antisemitism is often "coded". Post Holocaust it's not acceptable to create Nazi or Soviet style anti-Jewish theories such as Jews control the world, Jews are uniquely bad etc. so people transfer this to Jewish things. Hence you see the antisemitism being directed at "the Israel Lobby" or "The fascist Israeli state" or "The Rothschild" or "Zionists". It is simply a way of being antisemitic, but using different words.

3. People can get, temporarily, mad at countries governments for their behavior or feel sad for tragedies around the world. But the idea that Israel is uniquely bad is simply ridiculous. There are far worse conflicts, far worst situations, and FAR worse governments.

So my personal experience is that people who are "anti-Israel" are often antisemites who are engaging in a kind of denial about it.

I can count 30 things around the world I am unhappy with in various countries. I could list 20 things for example going on in Pakistan which I find disgusting, which are human rights abuses and which are frankly evil. I do not translate this into being "anti-Pakistian". In fact, I hope Pakistan resolves those specific issues I find abhorrent and goes on to flourish!

Criticising the Israeli government and their actions and policies and criticising the IDF and their actions is of course not anti-semitic but I can see why the phrase anti Israel would be viewed as anti-semitic because it suggests (whether intentional or not) that Israel should not exist.
I also think that this feeling is unique to Israelis, if someone said they were anti Irish or anti British I would not think they would be suggesting the state of Ireland or Britain should not exist so I can see why non Israelis or non Jewish would not understand the ramifications of saying anti Israel. It is far more effective to point this out to someone though rather then accuse them of antisemitism if it's coming from a place of ignorance rather than hate.

There are far worse conflicts, far worst situations, and FAR worse governments.
@DooveyDay in your opinion, but many suggest and feel there is enough evidence to accuse the Israeli government of committing genocide

What do you mean by a western democratic view? Is democracy a concept only for you? Western democracy agenda is what destroyed the middle east.

What I find enlightening, beyond the idiots fixating on my spelling is that people assume that because I am pro-Palestinian I do not want isreal to exist. I have no solution for the problem, I am against the genocide of the people of palestine.

I feel this way towards the government killing Palestinians. What do other countries have to do with this?

If you are anti Israel, the only Jewish country, then yes you are anti-semitic.
Plenty of countries have bad governments but that doesn’t mean we want to erase those countries from the face of the earth.
Do you feel this way about any other country OP or is it just the only Jewish one?

//

Can one be anti some of the actions of the Israeli government and not anti Israel or anti semetic? While also being anti the actions of lots of other groups or countries including Hamas?

Why are you forcing that there is a reason behind it? I have said several times that there isnt. Why wouldn't I just say it's my way of protesting? this is an anonymous forum, if it were the case I'd just say it. If I were petty I'd make it a thing but this is not the point I'm trying to make.

It's sad this is how people think. I am saying that being anti-Israel, being pro-Palestinian does not mean I believe in anti-Semitic rhetoric.

People are ignoring what I am saying, and are distracting with this talk. This is exactly what happens when people talk about palestine.

What makes you think I want to erase a country? Did i say that? Youre assuming nonsense and basing your comment on that.

I was just thinking the same thing. It's a bit of a leap to go from someone being anti Israel to 'they don't want it to exist'. It's far more likely that they just want Israel to cut out the illegal occupation and the oppression. Like you said it seems to be a cultural thing attached only to Israel.

Edited to clarify I don't mean the occupation and oppression is cultural, the assumption that someone being anti Israel means that they think Israel shouldn't exist seems to be cultural.

I cant stress how sadly true this is

People want to make this leap to shut down discourse.

I have seen Jewish Zionist posters write Isreal. I think some people find it difficult to spell, whatever their political leanings or biases.

OP I wasn't having a go at you at all and haven't assumed anything. I've copied and pasted some of another posters contribution to ask a question. Mainly because I've been watching these threads since October and frankly been too nervous to engage as I've seen lots of posters criticising some actions being slammed immediately as anti Semitic. So I'm kind of dipping my toes in

Likewise when I commented on the spelling thing I was actually giving you the benefit of the doubt.

Anyway, as you were.

Can you explain exactly how this genocide is being conducted?

As the grandchild of people who were murdered in actual genocide, (and alsoa person who loves the english language) I find using this inaccurate term to describe the sad deaths of civilians in a war anti-semitic.

Do you think German civilians who died in the bombings of WW2 were also victims of genocide?

@DooveyDay ”All antisemites are also passionately anti-Israel”. This just isn’t true. Many antisemites in the US are pro-Israel for political reasons.

"You people"?

Who are you referring to?

We’ve had similar threads as this one before OP.

Are there some people who criticize Israel who are antisemitic? Yes. Unfortunately there has been a spike in antisemitism (as well as Islamophobia) which needs to be tackled. However, automatic conflation of the two concepts is being used increasingly as a tool of censorship against people speaking up who, for the most part, are just horrified by the images they’ve seen of events in Gaza and the West Bank, and who don’t believe one group of people should suffer oppression so another group can have self determination.

Here’s an interview with a Jewish protester at a recent London pro Palestine march explaining his perspective. I’m not saying that this man’s views are right or wrong. It’s an example to show that there is a spectrum of views on this question even within the Jewish community to which this man belongs. Some may be anti-government, anti-Zionist and some may support Israel completely. Therefore, the narrative of anti Israel sentiment automatically being the same as antisemitism can’t be as straightforward as some like to portray.

https://www.instagram.com/reel/C5M4p-iLcZ2/?igsh=bHJvb24zemlkOTlu

maudelovesharoldToday 00:01

A lot of people don’t want Israel to exist and its 9 million people to be expelled/
A lot of Israelis don’t want Gaza or the West Bank to exist and are supporting their government’s best efforts to achieve that aim through occupation of land which is not theirs, persecution, starvation and murder of civilians. HTH

This. Revolving report on BBC News last week, a family of illegal settlers interviewed. The woman was positively salivating at the idea of the Government taking Gaza and installing further illegal settlers, even suggesting that she’d already identified her spot by the beach.
Juxtaposed with Palestinian children dying of starvation, just minutes from the border where trucks were being held by Israel’s Government.

You should look at the case South Africa presented to the ICJ. That lays out pretty clearly why people think genocide is happening. There was also the UN special rapporteur report a week or so ago titled 'Genocide in action' or something like that that again lays out what is happening and why people are talking about genocide.