General Discussion
In reply to the discussion: Israel is not a race or a religion [View all]Caliman73
(11,730 posts)Israel is a country founded in what was historically considered the Jewish homeland. It was founded as a response to centuries of pushing by Jewish people for a homeland where Jews would not be systematically oppressed.
You are right that Israel is not a race or religion but the majority of the people who live in Israel are Jewish and Israel is set up as a Jewish State and Judaism influences policies and practices.
You can certainly criticize the policies and actions of the Israeli government without being antisemitic. The challenge is to do so without using stereotypical or inflammatory language.
Even doing so, you will likely get push back from somewhere and that push back will likely include suggesting that criticizing Israel is being antisemitic because some people attach a fundamental link between the State of Israel and Judaism. Others use it more cynically to shift the conversation from the actions of the government to the motives of the critic.
Also, ALL countries have questionable policies, not just Israel.