There Is a Reason… and It Is Not Antisemitism
Published at 07:21 on 10 October 2023
The criticism of Israel that Sharansky is worrying about is probably coming, there is a good reason for this, and for the most part it is not antisemitism.
It is very similar to the situation between Ukraine and Russia in many respects. When Putin sent troops into Ukraine, he started a war, and now he has one. Attacks against Russia by Ukraine are seen in this context. If Putin wants the war to end, he can order his troops out of Ukraine.
The situation between Hamas and Israel is quite similar. There is very little criticism of Israel’s right to forcibly apprehend or remove the invaders from its territory and re-secure its internationally recognized border. The issue is what happens after that mission is accomplished.
One difference is that in this case, the invaded is significantly more militarily powerful than the invader. Nobody with even half a brain doubts Israel’s ability to accomplish the above. In fact, it has already in large part been accomplished.
Then what? As I opined yesterday, an Israeli occupation of Gaza seems all but inevitable. That is when the real problems will begin for Israel when it comes to international public relations. As they should.
Ukraine has been warned by the West, multiple times, not to turn this into an excuse for occupying Russian territory. It is not antisemitism for the same standard to be applied to Israel.