Jim ~~

I would draw your attention to the following exchange a little upthread between lively lass & me ~~

LL:" I believe that most people accusing others of 'anti-Semitism' mean no such thing and abuse the term as a fully cynical means to stifle open discussion of actions of the Israeli govt.
Many Jewish people, particularly those who do not wish to have their Jewish identity subsumed into and conflated with the actions of a government of a country they may not even have any personal interest in or relationship with, find the routine invoking of "anti-Semitism" in such discussions, both offensive and harmful."'

M: 'Take your point, lively lass; that is up to a point my position ~~ see my post above just pointed out to Jim, 26 sep 0523 pm. But I think it is also a fact that anti-Zionism can be conflated with, or used as a cover for, straight antisemitism by some ill-wishers. Not always easy to distinguish between these motivations, alas."

LL: "That is a fair point also M" ~~~

One of the preferred techniques for achieving this conflation is to compare the actions of Israel to those of the Nazis: a rhetorical trope for obvious reasons peculiarly offensive to Jews {even, I suspect, Jim, to these Jewish friends of yours you have mentioned more than once}.

Let me emphasise that I know well that you yourself are no racist or antisemite; but I feel you should be made aware of the danger that your pertinacity in making what several of us have pointed out to you we regard as exaggerated and invidious comparisons might make you appear so to many; and of the extremely undesirable nature of the company with whose views you might well appear to some to be aligning yourself by such statements.

You have informed me before now of your opinion that my defence of another poster's position, which you have perceived as racist while I have not, might have the effect in some minds of tarring me with the same brush. So I trust you will not mind my pointing out to you that I consider you to be putting yourself at something of a similar risk in the present instance.

~Michael~