[Peace-discuss] Response to ADL in Tribune

[David Green]

VOICE OF THE PEOPLE (LETTER)
Criticizing Israel
  
Hugh Iglarsh
Published December 8, 2002

Skokie -- Thank you, Richard S. Hirschhaut, regional
director, Anti-Defamation League, Greater
Chicago-Upper Midwest Region, for teaching us how to
distinguish between legitimate and illegitimate
criticism of Israel (Voice of the people, Dec. 2).

I am relieved to learn that criticism of Israel is
untainted by "the ugly specter of anti-Semitism" when
two conditions are met:

- Complaints about Israel are accompanied by equal
condemnation of all other human rights violations
going back, apparently, to Cain vs. Abel.

- The entire history of the Arab-Israeli conflict is
incorporated into any message on the subject, possibly
through the judicious use of footnotes.

If these conditions are not met, then the criticism
clearly lacks legitimacy and the writer should expect
a stern rebuke from the ADL and similar watchdog
groups.

To those who feel this ideological litmus-testing is a
form of censorship, I imagine Hirschhaut would point
out that things are even worse in Iraq and Syria, then
demand to see their footnotes.

Copyright © 2002, Chicago Tribune 



__________________________________________________
Do you Yahoo!?
Yahoo! Mail Plus - Powerful. Affordable. Sign up now.
http://mailplus.yahoo.com