Debating Israel not anti-Semitic

First of all, I commend the IDS editorial staff’s commitment to represent different viewpoints. However, I’m dismayed that the editors have allowed Zionist extremists such as Dershowitz to slander an IU student by calling him a “bigot” and an “anti-Semite” simply because he acknowledged the suffering Palestinians endure under Israeli occupation and questioned the unconditional military aid that the U.S. provides Israel. Apparently, Dershowitz has so much spare time that he has nothing better to do than scan college newspapers for articles critical of Israel and then run a smear campaign against students.

As an American citizen, I believe it is productive to question the policies of governments, such as Israel, that receive large amounts of U.S. military aid (especially when they receive aid without precondition). Moreover, most Americans would be wary of any permanent alliance, especially one that has all too often proven to be a liability rather than a strategic asset.

In a recent book detailing the effects of the Israel Lobby’s influence on U.S. foreign policy, Mearsheimer and Walt pointed out how Israel has provided the U.S. with faulty intelligence on several occasions – including exaggerated information about the threat posed by Arab states prior to Israel’s 1967 invasion of Egypt and Jordan, as well as Iraq’s WMD program.

Unlike Iraq (which was accused of supporting terrorism), Israel has been implicated in terrorist attacks on U.S. interests. One such incident was Israel’s attack on the USS liberty in 1967 which killed dozens of American sailors. Also, in what became known as the “Lavon affair” in 1956, Israeli agents planned to bomb U.S. offices in Egypt and blame the attacks on Egyptian nationals. Israel also regularly conducts espionage against the U.S. military, and in doing so, has stolen sensitive nuclear technology.

American voters must begin questioning the motives of the Israeli lobby and our unconditional support for Israel’s aggressive tactics, including the brutal and humiliating occupation that has cost Palestinians everything from their water rights to the lives thousands of children.

Finally, it’s time we let extremists know that their bogus claims of “anti-Semitism” are desperate and empty lies designed to sow fear and discourage intelligent debate.

Nick Altieri
IU graduate student