Learning about Israel
“Let’s begin by laying out where I’m coming from on the issue of Israel. I find anti-Semitism to be a loathsome ideology. My Jewish grandfather came to this country in 1938, escaping from Nazi Germany. My half-Jewish father and uncle were still in Germany during the Kristallnacht, only escaping with my grandmother later that same year (my grandfather had come earlier to help pave the way for his family’s arrival). Even without my personal background, I would detest anti-Semitism, just as I detest all other forms of racism. I lay out these facts, my bona fides, because all too often critics of Israel are labeled racists or anti-Semites by their opponents (although the above letter writer did not stoop to that kind of slander). I’m trying to derail that sort of reaction.
Second, any sane person recognizes that there are rights and wrongs on both sides of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict. There are few saints and many villains in both camps. I do not see myself as pro- Palestinian or anti-Israel.”
This is the start of a pretty interesting piece that attempts to provide an overview of the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, and, in my opinion, does a pretty good job of it. It adds a lot of historical perspective that you may not have seen before, so if you’re at all interested in the subject, it’s well worth a look. The second two parts are the author’s responses to various email replies he received.
Read part one here, then part two here, and part three here.
