WASHINGTON – The Bush administration has taken the groundbreaking step of identifying some virulent criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism, as it warns that anti-Jewish attitudes and incidents are on the rise worldwide.
In a new study, the U.S. State Department cites Tel Aviv University’s Stephen Roth Institute in reporting an increase of serious anti-Semitic incidents, encompassing physical attacks and vandalism, from 406 in 2005 to 593 in 2006.
The new study, "Contemporary Global Anti-Semitism," also cites a range of other nongovernmental organizations to show dramatic increases in Latin America, Australasia and Europe, including a 31 percent spike in incidents in Britain from 2005 to 2006 and a 35 percent jump in Argentina during the same period.
The report goes quite far in warning about the intensification of anti-Semitic rhetoric among governments and international elites, and its policy recommendations are unusually strong for State Department reports, which generally refrain from pronounced language.
Its boldest venture is to name some attacks on Israel as anti-Semitism. In addition, the report marks the first time the U.S. government has made it a policy to apply the label of anti-Semitism to some criticism of Israel.
"Anti-Semitism has proven to be an adaptive phenomenon," the report said. "New forms of anti-Semitism have evolved. They often incorporate ele
ments of traditional anti-Semitism. However, the distinguishing feature of the new anti-Semitism is criticism of Zionism or Israeli policy that – whether intentionally or unintentionally – has the effect of promoting prejudice against all Jews by demonizing Israel and Israelis and attributing Israel’s perceived faults to its Jewish character."
In a town where tone often matters more than substance in assessing a government’s priorities, the pronounced focus on anti-Semitism stands out, especially when compared to the State Department’s separate, relatively muted report on human rights worldwide.
U.S. diplomats and other officials will be expected to take their cues from this forceful language in how they deal with political groups and individuals overseas.
In its introductory overview – generally the part of any report that is most closely read by U.S. officials seeking guidance on an issue – the report singles out governments that have had particularly parlous relations with the Bush administration, including Iran, Syria and Venezuela.
The body of the report, however, includes pronounced examples of anti-Semitism among the elites of nations that the United States has cultivated as allies, including Russia, Ukraine and Iraq.
Sorry Zionism is a Political Movement, nothing to do with Race - So go Pound Sand!
Sorry but Israel is a Secular State with atheistic views and Communist dogma and is committing Genocide against a semitic race. - So go Pound Sand
Sorry but Judaism is a religion and not a race - So go pound Sand
Semites include Sephardi Jews[10% of Israel's Jews], Palestinians, Lebanese - so since I support the Palestinians I can not be a Anti-Semite - so go pound sand
Have you seen the horrible advert or commercial on youtube with the Freemason rappers Jay Z and Russell Simons, they equate being Anti Zionist or Anti Israel with being a racist.
I almost slapped the monitor,
Thu Apr 10, 2008 10:21 am
madthumbs
Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 8243 Location: Fingerlakes - NY usa
Why hate Israel? Why not hate America, Britain, etc, for creating and supporting it?
Why hate Israel? Why not hate America, Britain, etc, for creating and supporting it?
Well that is a good point, but you can't actually hate an intangible like a country, all countries are artificial, now people are real and make these stupid situation that people pay for.
I don't honestly believe it is or was an America or UK that made Israel, they people in charge and who cooked this situation are unknown to us, sure we have the names given to us in history but I am far to clinical to believe that is the truth.
If we use such language we only make the general public feel angry or guilty, so they lash back and will not listen because they feel attacked by this kind of label or language.
Its like the list of people blamed for 9/11 we have the official names and then we have the other names, I still believe it was planned and executed by people who's names are unknown to us, all the low level monkeys are names and shamed but I don't believe these puppets planned and pulled this off, there just the actors in the TV show or theatre of War.
Who writes the script?
Thu Apr 10, 2008 11:59 am
madthumbs
Joined: 22 Feb 2006 Posts: 8243 Location: Fingerlakes - NY usa
Good one, and I agree, it kind of goes along with the notion that everybody is connected or one of the same, makes me sad because I meet so many people I can't stand
