Ignatieff & MSM vs. Criticism of Israel
I have only peripherally followed the latest outbreak of violence between Israel & the Palestinians, and as always, both sides likely deserve criticism. And as a conflict that has been ongoing for decades, there are no easy solutions.
However, banning discussion of the state of Israel’s actions at Universities in Ottawa, and playing the ‘anti-Semitic’ card as Ignatieff has done, is not going to help the situation. A National Post editorial (gee, I can’t believe I’m quoting the National Post, again…)
Michael Ignatieff states “IAW singles out one state, its citizens and its supporters for condemnation and exclusion, and it targets institutions and individuals because of what and who they are–Israeli and Jewish.”
This is unfair and completely untrue. The organizers of Israeli Apartheid Week are committed to freedom of speech and to working against all forms of oppression, including Islamophobia, anti-Semitism and other forms of racism or discrimination based on religion, nationality, gender or sexual orientation. Israeli Apartheid Week judges Israel by the same standards as all other states, in terms of violations of international law and human rights abuses. These accusations of anti-Semitism are designed to shut down discussion of Palestinian rights by blurring the boundary between criticism of the State of Israel and attacks on the human rights of Jewish people.
More at that article. H/t to Dawg’s Blog.
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