I'm starting this thread because arguments, very occasionally rising to the level of discussions, are currently overwhelming another thread about the British Labour Party. I am hoping that some at least of those busily exchanging opinions (and insults) relating to this might choose to carry them on here rather than in that thread.

The central point at dispute is that how far it is possible to criticise the State of Israel without this feeding into hostility towards the Jewish people and their culture and religion, amounting to antisemitism.

At present there is a wave of accusations directed at people within the Labour tradition who are stringly critical of Israel that this amounts to antisemitism, and that they should be purged from Labour. The basis for this is that Jews generally, wherever they live, feel a strong sense of solidarity with Israel, and therefore attacks on Israel are experienced as attacks on them. (Jews who do not react in this way are liable to be desribed as a special variety of antisemite, "self-hating Jews").

The question arises, since there are many diasporas where people with ethnic connections scattered around the world feel strong attachments to a far away country, how is it that it is only in the case of Members of the Jewish diaspora that it is felt that criticism of the far away country is rightly interpreted as hostility to its sons and daughters elsewhere?