Is it ‘antisemitic’ to accuse Israel of genocide in Gaza?
“Bad men need nothing more to compass their ends, than that good men should look on and do nothing.”
—John Stuart Mill
Supporters of Israel’s current “war” against Gaza often ask why critics don’t show equal concern for the victims of no less horrific conflicts elsewhere.
The implication, which is spelled out in the Holocaust Remembrance Alliance (IHRA) “working definition” of antisemitism, is that while “criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic,” we are guilty of antisemitism if we single out Israel for criticism while remaining silent on comparable atrocities in Sudan, or Myanmar, or Yemen.
While the IHRA definition has been accepted by many Western governments (including Canada), it has been challenged as “unclear in key respects and widely open to different interpretations” by 350 leading international scholars in the fields of Holocaust history, Jewish studies, and Middle East studies who came together to sign the alternative Jerusalem Declaration on Antisemitism (JDA) in 2020.
Pointing out that “The IHRA Definition includes 11 ‘examples’ of antisemitism, 7 of which focus on the State of Israel,” the JDA offers an alternative set of guidelines and examples. (more...)
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