On Jan 15, 2009, at 1:12 PM, James Heartfield wrote:
> Its understandable that passions are high when Israel is
> slaughtering people in their hundreds (now thousands) and in anger
> some are tempted to short-cut the argument by lashing out at the
> Jews. There was a time when left-wing criticisms of Israel were
> largely inspired by anti-imperialism, on the understanding that the
> Zionist state was a cats-paw of the US. But with most demonstrators
> today calling on the 'International Community' to restrain Israel
> the critics reverse the plarity: they see the hand of the Israel
> lobby in US policy. The devious Jew becomes the architect of
> oppression. But then that's what anti Semitism is, 'the socialism of
> fools', as August Bebel said.
Not sure whom you're arguing with, really. The anti-Semitism charge is mostly a canard introduced by apologists for Israel.
Doug