Jon,
I Think your characterization of the present Israeli government as fascist in a recent email to me is both appalling and just plain wrong.
You appear to be overly emotionally attached to hyper-criticism of the current Israeli government.
You may not like their or some of their policies and that is fine but also debatable.
But to call them fascist is beyond reasonable bounds and only gives comfort to (sadly) Israel’s enemies.
It is in these times of ever increasing worldwide antisemitism and here at home, an irresponsible public statement.
The government was duly and democratically elected and like every government before it is subject to the vagaries of Knesset coalition politics.
It is hardly fascist.
Even if you truly believe this on a strategic level, given the global anti-Semitic crisis of the Jewish world, you would think in the short-term and tactically, that you would exercise more discretion in your castigation of the current Israeli government .
It is not perfect.
It doesn’t have to be.
Call it, for example, provocative in some of its policies but not fascist.
How is your comment on any way productive ?
How many Arab countries have a Jewish population or were “ emptied out” of its Jews
Answer : all
Yet does JSPACE, you or “ progressives” call them fascist in any of your public statements or Brochure?
And does not Israel have an Arab population of approximately 20% with full
Legal rights and whose communities sit in the Knesset.
Your choice of words is unfair, reckless and brings peace farther not closer. It also increases hated for the Jewish world. It appears that these concerns don’t seem to bother you.
Sadly, it also shows a wanton disregard for Jewish History, both past and current.
One need only take the complete withdrawal from Gaza and the resulting mess therefrom and security nightmare Israel now faces in the south.
Israel’s motives are thus rightly justified as security concerns, not one built of and motivated by an authoritarian state wishing to enforce a single national identity with “ others” marginalized or worse.
The use of the word “ fascist “ is completely inappropriate and portrays an emotional attachment to a “ scorched earth “ criticism of Israel.
I’m reminded of the words of the author of the book, “Jews Against Themselves” and the definition of “Jewish progressives”:
They identify with every cause but their own.
Shame on you !
Charles Cooke
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