I think Hitchens is on stronger ground regarding Hitchens' anti-semitism.
"Should be "Gibson's anti-semitism". Sorry about that.
This is from an earlier post here from the Catholic spokesman Bill Donohue. I think it speaks to the truth that the Passion is NOT anti-semetic even if its director is.
"But Mel's enemies will never cut him a break. Their real goal is to discredit 'The Passion of the Christ,' and that is why their propaganda machine is in full gear. Never mind that Mel has said that 'Anti-Semitism is not only contrary to my personal beliefs, it is also contrary to the core message of my movie.' How ironic it is to note that the core message of his film—forgiveness—is sorely lacking in his critics. "