[WCUSP] Fwd: New "Anti-Semitism" to Nuclear Holocaust-How Israel is Engineering the "Clash of Civilizations"

[C.J. Minster]

I do not believe this article is particularly relevant to WILPF's 
emphasis on challenging US policy. As some of us are aware, there has 
been some tension among WILPF activists over commentary perceived as 
anti-Semitic.

In my opinion, the article appears to insist that anti-Semitism is a 
term only used by apologists for the right-wing government of Israel. It 
denies that anti-Jewish actions or sentiments actually exist in the 
modern world. I believe this article only serves to inflame the 
differences between us. It would be helpful to understand how it relates 
to our challenge of US policy or our desire to restore aid to the 
Palestinian Authority.

Personally, I wish people could understand that anti-Jewish behavior and 
actions still exist. That conflating the terms "Jew" and "Israeli" 
increases anti-Jewish sentiment among some progressive communities.

I also recognize that our Arab and Muslim sisters and brothers are 
experiencing a tremendous upsurge in discrimination in the US, Europe, 
and elsewhere. For me, this is a more widespread concern that deserves 
our attention as individuals and as an organization.

However, profligating the lie that Jews or Israel alone are engineering 
the so-called "clash of civilizations" is yet another way form of 
anti-Jewish writing. Must we debate this? Can we not agree that there 
are multiple forces at work that have created this neo-conservative 
bipolar view of the world, including Christians and non-religious people 
of European descent? Personally, I believe the world is more strongly 
divided between capitalist / imperialist forces and socialist / 
democratic forces, but this is just one woman's opinion.

in sisterhood,
c.j.

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C.J. Minster
Program Chair, US Section
Women's International League for Peace and Freedom
http://wilpf.blogspot.com

~current affairs blog~
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