Some nations are judged by their laws. Israel is judged by its headlines. One Israeli commits a crime, and suddenly millions stand accused under the convenient vocabulary of “the IDF,” “the settlers,” and “the Israelis”, because collective guilt, it seems, only became fashionable again when Jews were involved.

A Mexican cartel member commits murder and nobody concludes that extortion is embedded in the Mexican soul.A British soldier commits a war crime and sane people do not suddenly discover that brutality is encoded into the DNA of the British Army.

But let an Israeli somewhere say something idiotic, do something criminal, or behave disgracefully, and suddenly half the Western world begins speaking in mystical collectivist poetry:

“The IDF.”“The settlers.”“The Israelis.”“The Zionists.”

Curiously, the people most allergic to generalization become extraordinarily enthusiastic about it the moment Jews are involved. The moment these bigots are challenged on their anti-Semitism, they retreat behind the same fashionable shield: “I’m only criticizing Israel.”

And of course, criticism of Israel is entirely legitimate. Israelis criticize Israel more passionately before breakfast than most activists manage in an entire career. Israel is a democracy. Governments are criticized. Ministers are criticized. Armies are criticized. That is normal.

The problem is that many people are not criticizing Israel at all. They are prosecuting Jews through the convenient vehicle of Israel. There is a difference between criticizing a policy and pathologizing an entire society. There is a difference between condemning a criminal act and transforming that act into evidence that the Jewish state itself is uniquely monstrous. But this distinction mysteriously........

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