In silence, prejudice?

Editorial

The most vociferous critics of Israel will insist they cannot see any hint of race prejudice in their views, that any perception of anti-Semitism in their case is imagined by Jews, who use this bludgeon of the accusation to stifle legitimate criticism of Israeli policies.

The refusal to even consider the impact of prejudice in the anti-Israel narrative is the first sign of a toxic ideology. In dismissing the potential that bigotry or other such preconceptions are factors, critics are able to overlook the myriad inconsistencies in their positions, from the obsession with Israel that detracts from far greater global issues to the insanity of gays and lesbians, women, minorities and trade unionists making common cause with the most homophobic, misogynist, repressive regimes in the world against the only country in the region with democratic values of legislated equality and minority rights.

As irrational as this may be, there is a more subtle symptom that belies the insistence by Israel's enemies that racial preconceptions are not the defining factor in this incessant hostility toward the Jewish state.

It happened again two weeks ago at the University of British Columbia, when a room full of intelligent students, most of whom apparently have an interest in the region and its issues, listened to a litany of condemnations against Israel – assertions of cavalier brutality, intentional starvation, apartheid and genocide – without asking the first question required for an intellectual conversation: Why?

The occasion was a presentation by the Canadian photographer Jon Elmer, who has spent some time in Gaza and whose photos form the basis of a lecture he has brought to campuses across Canada.

As is so often the case, there was an innocent credulity among those who attended this event at UBC. Prepared to believe apparently anything they are told by spokespersons for the Palestinian cause, this crowd was challenged by the presence of a few outspoken (and courageous) Jewish students.

Among the disturbing aspects of Elmer's talk was the common cause the speaker and the crowd made with Hamas, which is, correctly enough, the duly elected Palestinian government, albeit now only of Gaza, thanks to a civil war. But Hamas is also a terrorist organization that kills Jewish civilians with the aim of destroying Israel and, free elections or no, listening to Canadians defend a Jew-killing terror machine is unsettling. Likewise the threat made by one member of the audience to the Jewish interlopers, who warned, "You don't have the IDF to protect you here."

In fact, the Israel Defence Forces was there, in the form of at least two young IDF veterans, now UBC students, one of whom offered, over derisive catcalls, a thoughtful and brave personal reflection on the situation.

The conflict as it manifests on local campuses reflects the conflict as it plays out in the Middle East. The desired end point for most Jews – Israeli and Diaspora – is the peaceful coexistence of Israel beside a Palestinian state. The end point for Hamas – and, truth be told, for Fatah, which governs the West Bank – is the destruction of Israel. The fundamental discord between the Israelis and Palestinians, at its root, is based on their willingness to live in peace with their neighbors, or not.

Like most Jews, the Hillel students who showed up that afternoon do not discount the legitimacy of the Palestinian case or the tragedy that is their plight. But they are realistic that, given the avalanche of foreign aid squandered to Palestinian corruption since 1993 and other inconvenient historical truths, blaming Israel for all Palestinian woes is simply ignorant.

On the other side, there seems to be little nuance and even less curiosity. And, at this most recent event, we were reminded again that Israel's critics can listen for hours to stories of Israeli atrocities and immorality, the latest barbarity perpetrated by Israel, Zionism's most vile outrage yet, without being moved to delve deeper into the issues. They seem secure in their knowledge that Israel does what it does, not out of any legitimate need or security concerns, but merely because these acts reflect the kind of people the Israelis are. In this lack of inquisitiveness may lie a hint of why some Jews see the anti-Israel movement as influenced by race prejudice.

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