John Kerry, in one of his final acts as secretary of state, gave a lengthy speech attacking Israel while sneering at Jews for being overly sensitive, saying “too often … anyone who disagrees with Israel policy is cast as anti-Israel or even anti-Semitic.” He was perpetuating a popular straw man on the left, which is that anybody who criticizes any policy of the Israeli government is somehow branded anti-Semitic. What this straw man ignores is nobody is saying that you cannot criticize Israel, but that when you support an unceasing campaign of lies and double standards aimed at disproportionately portraying Israel as the worst nation on earth, you are giving cover to Jew haters who see no distinction between attacking Israel and attacking Jews themselves.
We just saw a perfect example of this in New York City, in which a Sukkah (a temporary structure that is the focal point of an important Jewish holiday) was vandalized with graffiti touting “Free Gaza.” If “Free Gaza” is merely a term expressing solidarity with Palestinians and displeasure with Israeli policy, why not protest outside the Israeli embassy or some other area associated specifically with the nation? Why deface a religious structure that is only associated with Jewish observance?
Appalled by images of a vandalized Sukkah in Carl Schurz Park in #NYC this morning. Targeting a premises used for religious purposes during the #Jewish holiday of Sukkot is simply beyond the pale. Thankful to @NYPDnews for swiftly being on the scene & investigating. pic.twitter.com/w9V3ROF9vB
— ADL New York / New Jersey (@ADL_NYNJ) September 30, 2018
Unfortunately, this is not an isolated incident. In Europe, protests against Israel routinely involve attacks on Jewish institutions, and hate crimes against Jews typically spike when there is a flareup between Israelis and Palestinians. Last year, a German court ruled that the attempted firebombing of a synagogue was merely an expression of protest against Israeli actions in Gaza. On U.S. college campuses, rising attacks against Jewish students have been associated with opposition to Israel. One report found that anti-semitic incidents were eight times more likely on campuses that had at least one anti-Israel group, such as Students for Justice in Palestine. How else to explain anti-semitic graffiti on the Berkeley campus that declares, “Zionists should be sent to the gas chamber” but as an example of anti-semitism and anti-Israel sentiment being intertwined.
Liberals, who often criticize others for normalizing prejudice, have refused to grapple with how their harsh anti-Israel rhetoric is normalizing anti-semitism.
