Observation regarding Israel

[bigmacbear]

Partly because I don't wish to be seen as pontificating about things I know not of, and partly because I don't have time, I'll just observe:

This morning I had my alarm clock set to Air America Radio, the Stephanie Miller show, and somebody got on and started lambasting her for (in his view) equating the two sides in the recent dust-up in Israel and southern Lebanon, calling her "anti-Semitic" among other things. Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't both Jews and Arabs considered "Semitic"?

The only other observation I can make is clearly this is a conflict where no one involved is necessarily rational, and under those circumstances diplomacy is unlikely to ever be effective.

Comments

[thezzyzx.livejournal.com]

"Now, correct me if I'm wrong, but aren't both Jews and Arabs considered "Semitic"?"

Perhaps, but the word "anti-Semitic" has a known meaning that is different from a literal translation of its roots.

[kevynjacobs.livejournal.com]

The linguistic sleight-of-hand that always pisses me off is the conflation of anti-Israeli sentiment with anti-Semitism (in the anti-Jewish sense). Now, Israel is guilty of some pretty shitty behaviour towards its neighbours, behaviours which any normal, logical and reasonable human being would see as "wrong."

However, criticism of Israel's behaviour is a criticism of a GOVERNMENT, not of a race, people or religion. Unfortunately, Israel has supporters who try to paint all anti-Israeli feelings as anti-Semitic, and that's just not necessarily true. And it makes rational discourse about Israel difficult, because you end up on the defensive about racism and anti-Semitism. It's part of why we don't get enough dispassionate debate about Israel's misbehaviour in the media, because critics have been cowed by charges of racism.

[rfmcdpei.livejournal.com]

Anti-Semitism is a word that has a long history of being directly associated with anti-Jewish sentiment, dating back to the late 19th century when the Jews stood out as the only people of Semitic descent in Europe. Trying to redefine "anti-Semitism" to include other peoples of nominally Semitic descent strikes me as an unnatural appropriation of the word, especially given the ways in which some people misuse this altered term.

[ciddyguy.livejournal.com]

Dave Ross of Kiro Newsradio 71 said some good things this morning over on KMTT, of which I listen to about this war between Lebanon and Isreal et-al.

Lebanon, Isreal, syria and Palastine have been at this with each other for years and I forget what Dave said but I think it was Ireal who carries wounds deeply and never forgets it's history. Many still carry keys to the homes whey lost during the occupation of 1947(?) around their necks.

Also, many areas around there it's difficult to know if you are in a jewish state, palistinian state or what and that can change by home to home or by what side of the street you happen to be on or what have you.

It's a mess and it's something that the UN, nor us should be involved in really.