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Why the Anti-Israel Sentiment? World opinion against Israel comes from a great many factors
National Review ^ | 01/05/2017 | Victor Davis Hanson

Posted on 01/05/2017 7:34:46 AM PST by SeekAndFind

Secretary of State John Kerry, echoing other policymakers in the Obama administration, blasted Israel last week in a 70-minute rant about its supposedly self-destructive policies.

Why does the world — including now the U.S. — single out liberal and lawful Israel but refrain from chastising truly illiberal countries?

Kerry has never sermonized for so long about his plan to solve the Syrian crisis that has led to some 500,000 deaths or the vast migrant crisis that has nearly wrecked the European Union.

No one in this administration has shown as much anger about the many thousands who have been killed and jailed in the Castro brothers’ Cuba, much less about the current Stone Age conditions in Venezuela or the nightmarish government of President Rodrigo Duterte in the Philippines, an ally nation.

President Obama did not champion the cause of the oppressed during the Green Revolution of 2009 in Iran. Did Kerry and Obama become so outraged after Russia occupied South Ossetia, Crimea, and eastern Ukraine?

Ambassador to the United Nations Samantha Power was never so impassioned over the borders of Chinese-occupied Tibet, or over Turkish-occupied Northern Cyprus.

In terms of harkening back to the Palestinian “refugee” crisis that started in the late 1940s, no one talks today in similar fashion about the Jews who survived the Holocaust and walked home, only to find that their houses in Eastern Europe were gone or occupied by others. Much less do we recall the 11 million German civilians who were ethnically cleansed from Eastern Europe in 1945 by the Soviets and their imposed Communist governments. Certainly, there are not still “refugee” camps outside Dresden for those persons displaced from East Prussia 70 years ago.

More recently, few nations at the U.N. faulted the Kuwaiti government for the expulsion of 200,000 Palestinians after the liberation of Kuwait by coalition forces in 1991.

Yet on nearly every issue — from “settlements” to human rights to the status of women — U.N. members that routinely violate human rights target a liberal Israel.

When President Obama entered office, among his first acts were to give an interview with the Saudi-owned news outlet Al Arabiya championing his outreach to the mostly non-democratic Islamic world and to blast democratic Israel on “settlements.”

Partly, the reason for such inordinate criticism of Israel is sheer cowardice. If Israel had 100 million people and was geographically large, the world would not so readily play the bully.

Instead, the United Nations and Europe would likely leave it alone — just as they give a pass to human-rights offenders such as Pakistan and Indonesia. If Israel were as big as Iran, and Iran as small as Israel, then the Obama administration would have not reached out to Iran, and would have left Israel alone.

Israel’s supposed Western friends sort out Israel’s enemies by their relative natural resources, geography, and population — and conclude that supporting Israel is a bad deal in cost/benefit terms.

Partly, the criticism of Israel is explained by oil — an issue that is changing daily as both the U.S. and Israel cease to be oil importers.

Still, about 40 percent of the world’s oil is sold by Persian Gulf nations. Influential nations in Europe and China continue to count on oil imports from the Middle East — and make political adjustments accordingly.

Partly, anti-Israel rhetoric is due to herd politics.

The Palestinians — illiberal and reactionary on cherished Western issues like gender equality, homosexuality, religious tolerance, and diversity — have grafted their cause to the popular campus agendas of race/class/gender victimization.

Western nations in general do not worry much about assorted non-Western crimes such as genocides, mass cleansings, or politically induced famines. Instead, they prefer sermons to other Westerners as a sort of virtue-signaling, without any worries over offending politically correct groups.

Partly, the piling on Israel is due to American leverage over Israel as a recipient of U.S. aid. As a benefactor, the Obama administration expects that Israel must match U.S. generosity with obeisance. Yet the U.S. rarely gives similar “how dare you” lectures to less liberal recipients of American aid, such as the Palestinians for their lack of free elections.

Partly, the cause of global hostility toward Israel is jealousy. If Israel were mired in Venezuela-like chaos, few nations would care. Instead, the image of a proud, successful, Westernized nation as an atoll in a sea of self-inflicted misery is grating to many. And the astounding success of Israel bothers so many failed states that the entire world takes notice.

But partly, the source of anti-Israelism is ancient anti-Semitism.

If Israelis were Egyptians administering Gaza or Jordanians running the West Bank (as during the 1960s), no one would care. The world’s problem is that Israelis are Jews. Thus, Israel earns negative scrutiny that is never extended commensurately to others.

Obama and his diplomatic team should have known all this. Perhaps they do, but they simply do not care.

— Victor Davis Hanson is a classicist and historian at the Hoover Institution, Stanford University, and the author, most recently, of The Savior Generals


TOPICS: Culture/Society; Foreign Affairs; Israel; News/Current Events
KEYWORDS: antisemitism; israel; un
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1 posted on 01/05/2017 7:34:46 AM PST by SeekAndFind
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To: SeekAndFind

The Source of this hatred is Satan. The world is deceived or blind to it.


2 posted on 01/05/2017 7:37:37 AM PST by BipolarBob (I thought money was burning a hole in my pocket but it was just my Samsung Galaxy 7.)
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To: SeekAndFind

Kerry sermonized for hours because it was the very last time in his life that he would have that opportunity with a national audience.

We won’t hear from him again until he croaks and he has a leftist parade for a funeral. buh-bye jFk


3 posted on 01/05/2017 7:39:21 AM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ( '45 will be the best ever.)
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To: BipolarBob

Yep.


4 posted on 01/05/2017 7:43:13 AM PST by WKUHilltopper (WKU 2016 Boca Raton Bowl Champions)
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To: SeekAndFind
But partly, the source of anti-Israelism is ancient anti-Semitism.

No matter what other reason you might cite, this is the issue that underlies them all! The world embraced the dark and turned its back on the Light, including the US.

5 posted on 01/05/2017 7:45:12 AM PST by pgkdan (The Silent Majority Stands With TRUMP!)
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To: SeekAndFind

In Shakespeare’s “The Merchant Of Venice”, a Morrocan warlord - a muslim - openly woos Portia, whereas a Jew would have likely been tortured and killed for such an offense.

The same psychology operates throughout Europe today.

Backward fools.


6 posted on 01/05/2017 7:45:50 AM PST by onedoug
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To: SeekAndFind

Mostly leftist propaganda for the last 40 years.


7 posted on 01/05/2017 7:52:28 AM PST by refermech
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To: All

People are uncomfortable around those who have superior assets or talent - we all have a tint of envy in us. The Jewish population has worked for generations to improve their mental abilities, with some success. Their work paid big dividends over time.


8 posted on 01/05/2017 7:52:56 AM PST by RideForever
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To: SeekAndFind
Why the Anti-Israel Sentiment? World opinion against Israel comes from a great many factors

The main factor is the "palestinian" koranimals themselves.

They are probably the masters at fake news, including real child murder orchestrated by the killers themselves, and blamed on the Israelis. The inbred imbeciles actually planned to get away with it.

Fake funerals where the body falls off the funeral platform, and gets up and resumes his position.

And my favorite, ISIL Muslim Mass Murderers spending a half hour staging a fake "air strike" including women and children walking "bodies" scattered around the fake "wedding" site, lying down as pretend victims, followed by ambulances appearing to collect the dozens of fake "bodies."

Unfortunately, they made a video of the entire fraud, including the "preparation."

And the Moron Muslim Mass Murderers put the entire thing on line, including the "preparation."

A Muslim Mass Murderers instructional video gone awry??

9 posted on 01/05/2017 8:10:26 AM PST by publius911 (IMPEACH HIM NOW evil, stupid, insane ignorant or just clueless, doesn't matter!)
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To: Beautiful_Gracious_Skies
"Kerry sermonized for hours because it was the very last time in his life that he would have that opportunity with a national audience."

According to the Swift Boat officers who served with him, John Kerry is a traitor, a coward and a mendacious scoundrel.

10 posted on 01/05/2017 8:10:41 AM PST by wmileo
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To: SeekAndFind

jealousy. the world hates competence and hard work. Is full of lazy assholes.


11 posted on 01/05/2017 8:12:16 AM PST by yldstrk (My heroes have always been cowboys)
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To: SeekAndFind

Israel and Jews hated for two thousand years because they killed Christ. (/sarc).


12 posted on 01/05/2017 8:29:55 AM PST by SkyDancer (Ambition Without Talent Is Sad, Talent Without Ambition Is Worse)
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To: wmileo

At the time of the Vietnam War, Kerry had taken multiple educational deferments and written an opposition paper to the war. He met with the other JFK and they convinced him to enter within an area where he was most unlikely to take fire. He served only because he wanted a political career, which is why he dressed up in a ceremonial uniform and had himself filmed with his big gun stalking in the jungle. All for show.

He convinced others to write himself up for nominal injuries with the related medals. Once Kerry hit the magical number of 3, he had his ticket out of the war.

Then his real work began to destroy and humiliate the rest of the guys in the armed forces. Kerry was on the steering committee for VVAW- Vietnam Vets against the War. His work with them should have been prosecuted. He incited others to acts of treason and sedition, beyond protest and met with the enemy in Paris.

Kerry is a traitor who should have been permanently shunned as a pariah. Instead, he nearly gets elected president in 2004. I can’t imagine how bad we would have spiraled down with Kerry in charge in 2004-2008 rather than GWB. Obamadishu was already being catapulted up for 2008. It would have been 12 years of the demolition of America rather than just 8.

Unlike the current occupier, everything about Kerry was not hidden, but well documented by other Vietnam veterans. The media ignored the truth about Kerry as does the Democrat Party. You will learn all about jFk from the site below.

http://www.wintersoldier.com/


13 posted on 01/05/2017 8:40:24 AM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ( '45 will be the best ever.)
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To: wmileo

John Kerry-

John Kerry was introduced at the 2004 Democrat Nat. Convention by Wade Sanders, a retired Navy Captain & former DA Secretary of the Navy... a Swift Boat officer in Vietnam. Like Kerry, Sanders was the recipient of a Silver Star for gallantry in action. In 2004, Sanders functioned as Kerry’s lead attack dog against the Swift Boat Veterans for Truth, repeatedly denouncing the veterans on the air as liars and comparing them to Nazi propagandists.

2011, Wade Sanders is currently in Federal prison, serving a 37-month sentence for possessing child pornography.... Secretary of the Navy- Ray Mabus has revoked Sanders’ Silver Star. The highly unusual decision appears unrelated to Sanders’ felony conviction. A Navy spokesman cited “subsequently determined facts and evidence surrounding both the incident for which the award was made and the processing of the award itself.”

John Kerry has to be hoping this doesn’t become a trend.

http://www.wintersoldier.com/


14 posted on 01/05/2017 8:55:12 AM PST by Beautiful_Gracious_Skies ( '45 will be the best ever.)
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To: BipolarBob; SeekAndFind

Amen...

Ephesians 6:12
For we wrestle not against flesh and blood, but against principalities, against powers, against the rulers of the darkness of this world, against spiritual wickedness in high places.


15 posted on 01/05/2017 10:15:44 AM PST by HeadOn (Sit down, shut up, hang on. You'll be better off, whether you like it or not.)
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To: SeekAndFind
The world’s problem is that Israelis are Jews. Thus, Israel earns negative scrutiny that is never extended commensurately to others.

Pretty much sums it up.

16 posted on 01/05/2017 10:21:18 AM PST by Sans-Culotte (Time to get the US out of the UN and the UN out of the US!)
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To: SeekAndFind

The world hates Israel because the world hates God. They cannot hurt God, so they try to hurt His people instead.


17 posted on 01/05/2017 11:01:45 AM PST by Boogieman
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To: SeekAndFind

Isaac and Ishmael - Son of Promise and Son of the Flesh.

Satan wants to kill God’s promise and call Him a liar.
Ishmael is a troubled man.

Genesis 16:11-13 21st Century King James Version (KJ21)

11 And the angel of the Lord said unto her, “Behold, thou art with child, and shalt bear a son and shalt call his name Ishmael [that is, God shall hear], because the Lord hath heard thy affliction.

12 And he will be a wild man. His hand will be against every man, and every man’s hand against him; and he shall dwell in the presence of all his brethren.”


18 posted on 01/05/2017 11:06:04 AM PST by time4good
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To: bestintxas; carolinablonde; COBOL2Java; DuncanWaring; EXCH54FE; ExTexasRedhead; FreedomPoster; ...

Victor Davis Hanson Column


Please Freepmail me if you want to be added, or removed from the ping list

19 posted on 01/05/2017 12:44:21 PM PST by Kaslin (Start by doing what's necessary; then do what's possible; and suddenly you are doing the impossible)
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To: dennisw; Cachelot; Nix 2; veronica; Catspaw; knighthawk; Alouette; Optimist; weikel; Lent; GregB; ..
Middle East and terrorism, occasional political and Jewish issues Ping List. High Volume

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20 posted on 01/05/2017 5:24:46 PM PST by SJackson (The Pilgrims—Doing the jobs Native Americans wouldn’t do !)
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