That reeks of sophistry. The German law which started this comment thread is meant to criminalize rhetoric against Israel, and the rhetoric it takes aim at is not merely abstract rhetoric about seeking to get Israelis to elect a nicer government. Not all criticism of Israel is anti-semitism, but it’s disingenuous to pretend that anti-semitism doesn’t exist at all. And if you ARE willing to admit the extent to which anti-semitism still pervades our world, then you have to see that the overly simplistic rhetoric that “Israel has no right to exist” has more sinister implications than you’re willing to admit.
That reeks of sophistry. The German law which started this comment thread is meant to criminalize rhetoric against Israel, and the rhetoric it takes aim at is not merely abstract rhetoric about seeking to get Israelis to elect a nicer government. Not all criticism of Israel is anti-semitism, but it’s disingenuous to pretend that anti-semitism doesn’t exist at all. And if you ARE willing to admit the extent to which anti-semitism still pervades our world, then you have to see that the overly simplistic rhetoric that “Israel has no right to exist” has more sinister implications than you’re willing to admit.