Peace and justice
Sue Beardon writes about anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism
As the old joke goes: ‘Just because you are paranoid doesn’t mean they’re not out to get you.’ Martin Drummond (12 August) is right to stress that criticism of Israel is not anti-Semitic. But this does not mean that some critics of Israel don’t sail close to the anti-Semitic wind. I have heard, for instance, an activist from the Palestine Solidarity Campaign argue for boycotting the BBC because they showed Simon Sharma’s series on the history of the Jews. I have heard perfectly anti-racist activists talk about the Hasidim of Stamford Hill as ‘creepy’. Such a comment about a hijab-wearing Muslim would be given, rightly, very short shrift.
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