Reply #16: Antisemitism is hardly a myth [View All]

I don't much like the expression 'the new antisemitism' because there is little new about it. It's the old antisemitism, that hasn't changed much.

There are certainly people who use accusations of antisemitism to stave off any criticism of Israel's policies. But there are also people who do use 'Israel' and 'Zionists' as a code for 'Jews'; use real and imagined misdeeds of Israel as an excuse for blaming Jews worldwide; and accuse Israel/Zionists/Jews of controlling other countries or the entire world.

My general guideline in these matters is: criticizing Israel is not usually antisemitic; BUT blaming Israel for the actions and failings of other countries, especially much bigger and more powerful countries such as the USA, IS usually antisemitic, or at least xenophobic.