Israel’s negative influence on the world

Why are attacks against Israel tolerated in circumstances that would be dismissed with regard to any other country?

Partly, this has come about by those who wish to see Israel removed from the world map using the plausible but indefensible argument that anti-Zionism is not racism because their target is only Israel and not all Jews. Reasoned criticism of Israel is not racism, but no other country in the world is targeted for removal by its critics. Perhaps the Middle East as a whole could be considered the greatest threat to world peace, although there are clearly others too, but there are many candidates for global troublemaking in that region.

British sociologist Dr Paul Iganski wrote that for some, Israel has become the new cause célèbre. "It used to be anti-apartheid, now it's anti-Israel,” he said. This is conspicuous from the BBC poll.

Diaspora Jews do not fear criticism of Israel, in fact they are well aware that Israelis are fully able to speak up for themselves. What they resent is that the language of those attacks, and the disreputable comparisons to other countries, have polluted the attitudes of otherwise fair-minded people towards Israel.

In truth Jews do not fear dispassionate comparisons of Israel with other countries, they welcome them. But the fact that Israel can be labelled the country most negatively affecting world affairs confirms that it is not being judged on a level playing field. Australian Jews do not ask their fellow citizens to turn their support to Israel; all they seek is a fair hearing. Nothing more.