Criticizing Israel Isn’t Antisemitism

[arikara]

Ever since the Israeli invasion of the Gaza strip last December, the global debate surrounding the Israeli-Palestinian conflict has intensified with both sides upping the ante, and the stakes of the framing battle increasing almost daily. One of the most recent — but almost totally unreported — developments in Canada is something called the Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Antisemitism (CPCCA). It is not an official parliamentary body but is a multi-party, voluntary association of 13 MPs. It is currently holding an inquiry into antisemitism because, it says, “The extent and severity of antisemitism is widely regarded as at its worst level since the end of the Second World War.”

In fact, antisemitic attitudes in the U.S. are at an all-time low according to Abe Foxman of the Anti-Defamation League, whose mandate is to monitor and expose antisemitism. Statistics Canada reports the number of hate crimes against Jews has been dropping since 2001-2002.

But of course, it all depends on how you define antisemitism. Jewish organizations from the Canadian Jewish Congress and Hillel to B’nai Brith have all been vigorously redefining this scourge to capture many more alleged perpetrators in its net of enemies. One of their targets is the handful of Canadian universities where pro-Palestinian activity has been intense.

http://murraydobbin.ca/