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Far be it from me to defend Ariel Sharon, but I must inform the board that Mr. G. Wagner's quote: "don't worry about American pressure, we the Jewish people control America" isn't at all true. Sharon never made any such comment. It was fabricated by Islamic Association for Palestine in 2001. Regardless, I don't quite like the tone of Mr. Wagner's letter. Should we be free to criticize Israeli policies? Yes. Should we also forget Sharon's acts of brutality in Lebanon because of his recent actions in the West Bank? No. Does every criticism of Israel always disguise feelings of anti-Semitism? Not necessarily. However, Mr. Wagner's letter bothers me. I do not like how he appears to paint ALL Israelis, ALL Zionists, and ALL Jews with the same tarbrush. Are there people who use the Shoah irresponsibly as a weapon against criticism? Of course, and those individuals must be resisted; yet, in the same vein, all attempts to tarnish all of Israel, all of the Jewish community in all its many facets, with the tawdry acts of the few must also be criticized and rejected. After all, repeating anti-Semitic nonsense and fabricated quotes is not going to ease the suffering of the Palestinians OR the Israelis any sooner.
