To American Jews: Israel needs your criticism

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Next week, 4,000 leaders of the organized Jewish community in North America will convene in Jerusalem for their annual General Assembly to discuss with their Israeli hosts the "shaping of our common future."

As I intend to participate, I would be happy if one of the Jewish American participants grabbed me by the sleeve and demanded to know what Israel was doing in Gaza. Why Gaza? Because, in a nutshell, it embodies the major problems Israel is now facing.

Israel keeps 7,700 Jewish settlers in the midst of 1 million Arabs in locations that have no strategic importance and in an area which, unlike Judea and Samaria - the West Bank - doesn't even have a biblical significance (except, of course, for Samson).

Yet when it comes to sharing their views with the Israelis, the leaders of the organized Jewish community adhere to the motto of "Israel Right or Wrong." They don't even allow a staunch supporter of Israel such as Deputy Defense Secretary Paul Wolfowitz to say something remotely critical of Israel: When he told a pro-Israeli rally in Washington last April that Palestinians as well as Israelis have been victims of Middle East violence, he was booed off the podium...

http://www.iht.com/cgi-bin/generic.cgi?template=articleprint.tmplh&ArticleId=117573

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1. I think this applies to all Americans...

In the same public opinion poll, American Jews were asked to agree or disagree with the following statement: "Regardless of their individual views on the peace negotiations with the Arabs, American Jews should support the policies of the duly elected government of Israel." Sixty-one percent agreed, but 36 disagreed (4 percent were not sure).

I haven't seen any polls of Democrats or the American public itself, but it wouldn't surprise me to see this attitude was a widespread one. If someone's individual views are different than that of any government, then I believe it's morally bankrupt to ignore those views and support all policies of the government solely because of the freeperish 'logic' that voicing any criticism at all is to be disloyal to that country. What does this make all those Israelis who don't vote for the government to be returned when it comes to elections? Disloyal haters of Israel who are committing treason and threatening the security of Israel? And for those who'd claim that only Israelis can criticise their government, does that mean only Iraqis should have been criticising Saddam Hussein, and only Americans should be criticising the Bush Administration?

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