THE ISSUE: Whether recent US criticism of Israel is a new form of anti-Semitism.
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Ralph Peters knocks it right out of the park with his column “Dumping Israel” (PostOpinion, May 17).
Thank you for being a voice of reason in this mad world.
Michael Sharf
Brooklyn
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In “Dumping Israel,” Peters continues the nasty habit of lumping critics of the Israeli government with anti-Semites.
This cheapens the cases of true anti-Semitism and does not allow for a constructive debate.
Hard-liners like Peters are bad for Jews, Arabs and Americans who wish to solve the ongoing problems in the Mideast.
Dave Segal
Manorhaven
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Peters’ breakdown of what ails Israel is both compelling and troublesome.
The new version of anti-Semites, who blame the very existence of Israel for a world of dysfunction by its neighbors, is almost laughable.
Arab wealth has created a community that still functions hundreds of years behind modern communities. It’s not the fault of a modern Israel, the rose in a weed garden filled with little men who are crying for its destruction.
Peters’ four main points should be taken by both sides.
Theodore Miraldi
The Bronx
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Peters once again hits the nail on the head regarding the growing “dump Israel” cabal in the United States.
Making this movement all the more disturbing is the Obama administration’s embrace of it.
Time after time, President Obama has chosen to throw Israel under the bus in a naive and pathetic attempt to placate the Palestinians and assorted thugs of the Mideast.
By abandoning our only true ally in the region, this policy is not only destined to fail, it will also further erode our nation’s security.
Joe Mulvanerton III
Old Bridge, NJ
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When the going gets tough, the pseudo-tough search for scapegoats to explain their own inadequacies.
Thus it has been for a few thousand years now that Jews have borne the brunt of blame for all sorts of problems that the inadequate cannot fathom.
Paul Bloustein
Cincinnati
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Peters’ column grandly oversimplifies the position stated by Gen. David Petraeus and others with respect to their evaluation that long-term US policy has antagonized anti-US elements in the Mideast.
No one has said, as Peters asserts, that a more nuanced US policy would result in the elimination of anti-Americanism or terrorism. The issue is whether or not the United States can continue to support Israeli policy, right or wrong, irrespective of consequences for Americans, Israelis and Palestinians.
No one in the military or the administration is remotely calling for “abandonment of Israel.” The current debate is about the United States not being held hostage to the often-toxic nature of Israeli politics and its system of proportional representation. Independent thinking is not the anti-Semitism Peters claims.
Edward Schor
Manhattan
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As an American Jew, I read Peters’ column with gratitude. Another problem is that the American Jewish community is so wedded to ultra-liberal ideology that it wears blinders when Israel is defamed by Washington elites.
The Jewish community expresses great concern over growing anti-Semitism but views it as separate from the blame-Israel syndrome.
Elaine Jancourtz
Plainsboro, NJ