Israel critics go too far & betray peace

Manhattan: Not long after the Oct. 7 Hamas attack on Israel, I wrote a letter to Voice of the People in which I stated that calling Israel’s response a “genocide” was wrong. Here it is three years later, and the term genocide is everywhere. It has become a political liability to defend Israel (ask Rep. Dan Goldman).

The depth of Israel hatred, which has always been present, is the highest I’ve ever seen, probably since Israel was founded in 1948. It’s all very distressing, especially since these charges of genocide remain untrue, in my opinion. Yes, Israel has been much too heavy-handed in its response to Hamas in Gaza. Yes, way too many civilians, women and children have been killed. That doesn’t make it genocide. Israel does not want to eliminate all Palestinians as a people, but that’s exactly what Hamas and Hezbollah want for Israeli Jews. Israel wants what it’s always wanted: to live in peace, free from the threat of attack from its enemies. Can anyone really argue with that?

Using the odious term of genocide does nothing to help what’s going on in the Middle East. You want to criticize Israel? Criticize Benjamin Netanyahu? Go right ahead. I certainly have. But stop equating Israel with true genocidal states like Nazi Germany. It only creates ever-growing antisemitism and hardens Netanyahu’s wrong-headed positions. It does nothing to help the plight of Palestinians.

Manhattan: A long-term establishment Democrat shockingly loses a primary to a young, unknown, left-wing newcomer. He considers the challenger unworthy and not representative of the wider electorate. Polling tells him that his moderate positions on........

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