Can people actually criticise Israel and get away with it? Hasn't been the case for the past decade or even more. This is hardly news.
I’ve found that you definitely can outside of the US. Growing up in Australia I was always taught the ‘both sides’ argument regarding Israel/Palestine, and I’ve literally never met a person who didn’t support a two-state solution. A Jewish family I grew up with were notoriously anti-Israel, specifically because Israel has given them bad names by committing atrocities in response to other atrocities. You might find a few right wing nutjobs that refuse to allow criticism of Israel, but generally they’re the ones that are ostracised by the majority.
Jewish families in America are anti-Israel too, but the US has the crazy Christians that need Israel for the second coming of Christ. So yeah, can't be critical of Israel in America because an old folk lore might come true.
This is pretty much it. My Jewish friends, with one exception who worked for the DOD, all draw a line between the Israeli gov and the people. I also think a lot of the high level blind support is because Israel is essentially America's "aircraft carrier" in the region and a valuable source of intelligence.
Can people actually criticise Israel and get away with it? Hasn't been the case for the past decade or even more. This is hardly news.
I’ve found that you definitely can outside of the US. Growing up in Australia I was always taught the ‘both sides’ argument regarding Israel/Palestine, and I’ve literally never met a person who didn’t support a two-state solution. A Jewish family I grew up with were notoriously anti-Israel, specifically because Israel has given them bad names by committing atrocities in response to other atrocities. You might find a few right wing nutjobs that refuse to allow criticism of Israel, but generally they’re the ones that are ostracised by the majority.
Jewish families in America are anti-Israel too, but the US has the crazy Christians that need Israel for the second coming of Christ. So yeah, can't be critical of Israel in America because an old folk lore might come true.
This is pretty much it. My Jewish friends, with one exception who worked for the DOD, all draw a line between the Israeli gov and the people. I also think a lot of the high level blind support is because Israel is essentially America's "aircraft carrier" in the region and a valuable source of intelligence.