February 17, 2012

The desensitising effect of bogus allegations of antisemitism

I think Rachel Shabi, in The Guardian, is locking the stable door after the horse has bolted here but she's criticising the habit so many zionists have of falsely accusing Israel's critics of antisemitism.
the real danger in all this is that the rush to throw charges of antisemitism at people who criticise Israel will desensitise vigilance over the real thing. Such tactics are meant to intimidate and paralyse, choke and divert the discussion over Israel's occupation and policies in the Middle East. But for every person silenced, there are growing numbers who, surveying the quality of the argument, will dismiss the pro-right Israel lobby solely on the basis of the bullying. It isn't just the nature of the bashing, but its compulsive frequency, especially when set against the paucity of actual arguments presented.
The problem here is that Israel's supporters must know that they are cheapening the currency by flooding the market with the stuff.  It's almost as if they see a benefit from the confusion.

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