It is complicated, and not only an excuse to libel the Jews, because you have many Jews (like Glennnnnn I think) who are biased against Israel. Israel is probably one of the most egalitarian countries and probably has more of a safety net for the poor than any nation on earth, so leftists should love it. Many of the founders of Israel innocently believed in collectives. Women are respected and became fighter pilots and tank commanders long before American women could. Progressives should love Israel, but, funny enough they hate her. They hate Israel because they fall hook line and sinker for the 'colonialist' schtick.

They are eating 1960's leftish leftovers, so Israel is a "colonial power." It does not matter that Israel voluntarily left Gaza, lovely greenhouses and all. It does not matter to these people that the Gazans destroyed the greenhouses and squandered mountains of foreign aid on tunnels and weaponry. No facts matter if they do not follow their "oppressive colonial power" script.

You and I don't exist outside of their rigid little narrative.

My problem with Glennnnnn is how could such a nice looking and smart Jewish boy do this?

It's 'un schamen!'

Why you continue to fail to grasp it is because 0% and 100% are both extremes. You pick and choose your binaries in which two completely distinct language systems apply for you, and for your critics.

Oh, knock it off. 'Binaries' indeed. Your failed attempts at intelligent discourse were made plain long ago.

"It is complicated, and not only an excuse to libel the Jews, because you have many Jews (like Glennnnnn I think) who are biased against Israel. "

You just libeled a Jew sir. Will your anti-semitism have no end?

1. A non-Jew criticises Israel. This person is, therefore, anti-Semitic.

2. A Jew criticises Israel. This person is, therefore, a self-hating Jew.

3. A non-Jew points out that Israel is committing a war-crime by deliberately targetting civilians. This person is, therefore, racist and ant-Semitic.

4. A Jew points out that Israel is committing a war-crime by deliberately targetting civilians. This person is also a self-loathing Jew, and possibly not even really Jewish.

5. A Jewish journalist writes an opinion piece critical of Israel for its deliberate targetting of civilians. He is a self-loathing Jew pandering to the innate anti-Semitism of his readers (or the self-loathing of his Jewish readers), for the nefarious purpose of increasing his circle of readers, and is also possibly not even really Jewish.

Did I miss anything?

It must be nice to live in a world-view that is hermetically sealed off from any intrusion of contrary intelligence. Kind of dull, but nice ... like Belgium ... or something.

Yes, you are right that just because some use Israel as an excuse for Jew hatred, all criticisms of Israel are not Jew hatred.

Thanks for finally acknowledging that.

Our dispute then boils down to what particular comments are Jew hatred? You seem to think that merely making the accusation is sufficient evidence, because you, the commenter identified as WinSmith, know anti-Semitism when you see it.

When you want to damn the entire commenter community as anti-Semitic - or as passive enablers of anti-Semitism - though, you need to make a stronger case.

If you're not interested in making that case, if you don't care about trying to raise our awareness to this issue and encouraging us to cease and desist... then what exactly are you doing here?

No sir, you missed the point.

Orwell's satire about The Two Minutes of Hate against Goldstein was pretending it was about "politics" or "issues" when it was about Goldstein's physical Jewishness as the proverbial "other."

Orwell understood that if you asked any of the people screaming at the picture of Goldstein, why they hated Goldstein, they'd explain it was because Goldstein's politics threatened Oceania's political system of power.

Orwell got what Goldstein (and by proxy, "the Jew") function as: The excuse by which politicians pretend "politics" but target inchoate rage at.

The Two Minutes of Hate against Israel, or Bill O'Reilly's Two Minutes of Hate against George Soros, all come from the same place. It is a rage that the hater him or herself cannot understand.

It is why so many on this board deny that any anti-Semitism exists on this board. Because the people shouting at Emmaneul Goldstein's image never understand why they do so.

This is Orwell's genius. Clearly you missed the point.

But I'm sure all the shouting at Goldstein in these threads is merely a political disagreement on the surface issues.

Israel is probably one of the most egalitarian countries and probably has more of a safety net for the poor than any nation on earth, so leftists should love it.

So if the nazis offered Germans Universal Healthcare, and a nice retirement program, then the Left should have overlooked their crimes against humanity?

Do you know why Israel has such a lovely Universal Health Care System, and a wonderful safety net? Because US Taxpayers (without Universal Healthcare, and withou a safety net of our own) GIVES IT TO THEM. Israel is OUR welfare recipient!

Omooex - "Israel's goals for this attack have little do with stopping rocket fire."

You insinuate that you know what Israel's goals are. I'm interested. What are Israel's goals and how do you know what they are?

You have set out your blindness and bias for all to see and analyze. What you wrote makes no sense in relation to what Glenn wrote to you (however, I suppose it makes a kind of sense if one begins by pre-judging Glenn and then continues by ignoring what he actually wrote.

I have read some of Benny Morris' writings---a very interesting guy with a changing viewpoint. I will take a look at his book on the turn of the century.

With respect to Hezbollah, I respectfully suggest that it was its rather brutal takeover of Beirut from the Sunni militias that was far more responsible for its hold on the Lebanese government than its war with Israel, which made it very unpopular in non-Shiite parts of Lebanon. Still, the right wing wingnuts (is that redundant?) of the Bush administration gave their blessing to the Lebanon power-sharing deal precisely because it neutralizes Hezbollah in the Arab-Israeli dispute (Bush and Co. do not give a rat's ass about Lebanon---that is deemed a French problem). Now that it is responsible for its actions as a nation-state, Hezbollah cannot cause Lebanon massive damage by starting wars with Israel.

Similarly, I would like to see that particular carrot being offered to Hamas---be part of the process and take the responsibility of a nation instead of being simply rejectionist. One of the singular qualities attracting me to Obama was his willingness to talk to anyone. I hold no illusions, however, that Hamas will suddenly see the light. I just see no downside to trying.

And I also hold no illusions that if the Israelis, through their own decision or pressure from the US, stop settlement activity, that suddenly rose petals will flutter over the Separation Barrier. I just see no downside to trying.

I just hope, that if Israel does these things and offers Taba and gets more suicide bombers and rockets, that we don't get the piling on that this thread has developed into.