Commentary on the Commentary: On Jewish anti-Isrealism

The strange phenomenon of Jewish anti-Israelism often haunts those who support Israel. Why are Israel's most rabid critics Jewish?

By SETH J. FRANTZMAN
israel apartheid week 311 (photo credit: Screenshot)
israel apartheid week 311
(photo credit: Screenshot)
The strange phenomenon of Jewish anti-Israelism often haunts those who support Israel.  Why are Israel's most rabid critics Jewish?  Why do they seem so prominent?
NGO Monitor has invented a name for some of these critics. They call it "Jew washing" when Jews are brought forward by non-Jewish organizations in order to cover up charges of anti-Semitism.
But that isn't all that is going on. 
Princeton University Press recently published Paul Reitter's On the origins of Jewish self-hatred. This is a hot topic. It is also a hot topic among our contributors. Scott Krane wrote an article looking back over the decades at previous generations of Jews. Richard Marceau from Montreal wrote about "the real nature of Jewish anti-Zionists." Edward Alexander of the University of Washington wrote a scathing indictment of Judith Butler, the radical feminist who is a critic of Israel and has written about Hezbollah and Hamas being part of the "Global left." 
It comes as a further reminder, not about Jewish anti-Israelism, but about general anti-Zionism, that the Rachel Corrie case was once again in the news. A court found that Israel was not at fault in her death and Anne Herzberg of NGO Monitor published an interesting analysis of the ongoing story. In all the attention that the anti-Israel wackos get, the pro-Israel lobbyists are not always well covered. To that end Shelley Neese wrote a welcome op-ed on what motivates Christian Zionists.
At the same time, of course, Israel's neighbors near and far continue to perplex writers. Iqbal Jafar, a Pakistani writer, wrote an interesting op-ed on the similarities between Israel and Pakistan. Retired Colonel Liron Linman wrote an excellent column on Israel's treaty with Egypt. Gad Yair and Behzad Akbari, the former the head of the Department of Sociology at Hebrew University of Jerusalem, and the latter an Iranian academic, wrote about how historical experience is leading to conflict between the two peoples. Hayat Alvi, an American academic, and Can Kasapoglu, a Turkish academic, both wrote interesting analysis of developments in the Islamic world. Alvi, especially, wrote a fascinating piece about the Tablibanization of India and further impositions on the freedoms of young women there. 
The West Bank is in the news due to a court order to remove Jewish residents of Migron, an outpost, and because of attempts to remove Palestinians who have settled in parts of Area C. Michael Freund wrote a strongly worded column on the ramifications of the Migron evacuation. At the same time Ari Briggs of Rehavim and Eyal HeReuveni of B'Tselem wrote opposing op-eds on the nature of Arab settlement at Sussiya. While Hareuveni claims that the Bedouin residents have been there many many decades, Rehavim clams that they are recent migrants to the area. 
Of course, we can't forget that Israeli society is ever developing and changing. Eli Pollak and Yisrael Medad wrote about the closure of Channel 10. With news that Ma'ariv may also fold this week, it is a frightening time in the media business in Israel.
Dov Lipman wrote glowingly of the Yair Lapid education plan, while MK Moshe Matalon praised the paralympics. Richard Curwin reminded us that the children are going back to school, which takes the weight off many parents' backs. On that note, we move into another week, with more talk about a strike on Iran and the winding up of the Republican convention in Tampa, Florida. 
The writer is The Jerusalem Post's op-ed editor.