You can be critical of Israel and not be antisemitic. There are some Jewish people who cannot see that.
If someone’s mind cannot understand that people can criticize Israel and not be antisemitic, it means they believe all Palestinians are terrorists. And that is factually wrong. To a large degree, this explains why there is such a dislocation between the newly elected Democratic nominee for NYC mayor Zohran Mamdani and the horrible things being said about him because he is Muslim.
Many Jewish people voted for Zohran Mamdani. Many people of all backgrounds voted for Mamdani. If you do not like Muslims, that’s your business. But be honest about it. Because stepping aside from religion and backgrounds, this young man has a plan to tackle NYC’s biggest problem, ‘affordability.’
The same way many countries despise the US now because of Donald Trump, it does not mean they dislike the American people. No, they despise Trump, who is now doing infomercials to hock his new fragrance line while Rome is burning.
That is how many people feel about Israel’s government right now. I’m not talking about the people of Israel. I’m talking about the right wing government. Over 150 countries, representing the vast majority of Earth’s population, oppose what Israel is doing to Palestinians, either through official UN votes, public condemnation, recognition of Palestinian statehood, or legal action.
Even families of the hostages are imploring Israel’s leadership, saying please do not make this just a ceasefire between Israel and Iran, but include Gaza as well. Journalists in the Middle East are saying Iran is not even the main story, despite all the headlines. The Middle East and much of the world are in uproar over what is still happening in Gaza. Kids are eating sand just to fill their stomachs. Stephen Colbert recently interviewed CNN’s Jordan correspondent, Clarissa Ward. “We are approaching a man made famine. We have crossed the Rubicon here,” Ward said.
People and countries all over the world are saying that Israel does not have the right to kill tens of thousands of innocent people who had nothing to do with what happened on October 7, 2023. But they did it anyway. They also did not have the right to displace 1.9 million people from their homes. But they did that anyway. And they did it again yesterday, bombing a beach cafe where Gazans were simply trying to get some online connectivity to the outside world. Another 30 innocent people were scorched and killed. Has anyone looked at the pictures of Gaza? There is no Gaza anymore.
October 7, 2023 was Israel’s 9/11. No question about it. But that does not give any country the right to slaughter innocent people and displace 1.9 million people from their homes. The same way 9/11 did not give the US the right to kill hundreds of thousands of innocent Iraqi citizens during its 12 year war. More accurately said, 12 year slaughter.
I no longer feel that Israel is an ally of the United States. I believe the far-right extremist government of Israel is a terrorist state. I am 100 percent against the genocide and atrocities it has inflicted and continues to inflict on the innocent, defenseless people of Gaza. While I do not support the government, I stand with the Israeli citizens who are in uproar over what their government is doing and the war crimes it is committing.
The government of Israel is on the wrong side of history here. The world will never forgive them. It didn’t have to be this way.
Sincerely,
Scott Smith