I found all of the links here to outside sites interesting and not boring (noone is forced here to read threads he finds boring, BTW). I nearly always love to read Avnery, for instance, even if I don't agree, for the clarity of his thoughts and argumentation. It was also interesting to read that the phrase 'Zionist project' was not used anywhere by Herzl in his famous book. And it was interesting to read, for instance, that Spain has a somewhat similar discussion to a discussion in Germany thought both countries' recent history of anti-semitism is quite dissimilar.

The radical left and the radical right in Germany have very few fields of politics where they agree closely. One of these fields is Israel/Palestine. That often comes as a surprise to some of my more radical friends when they learn that they completely agree on that field with some publication from the far right. It is often instructive to leave away the source (or even change it) and look for their reactions when they find they have agreed with someone they usually never agree with.

One of the differences, however, is that I know of noone on the left who would not oppose being called anti-semite whereas some people on the right would be proud to be called so. On the left, you don't dislike people you dislike types of politics. The accusation in the target article that for some (let us agree we never speak about 'all', only about 'some') of the Spanish left what on the surface is dislike of Israel's politics is in depth based upon dislike of the Jews is hardly palatable for those accused so.

In the target article, this comes over for me as a kind of unfair accusation, since (1) no examples are named or cited and (2) the underlying motives are targeted instead of what is actually said. It is extremely difficult to fight against the argument that deep in you some irrational hatred or whatever is the basis for your open political position. You say 'No, I'm not, for instance, anti-semitic." It could mean that you just do not want to (or cannot) admit your hidden motives. It makes you look a loser both ways. If Rahola has not more of an argumentation than in that short article I'd say it is a weak argument.

...some people who oppose the government of Israel are not anti-Semites (Carol)

I know of noone here who comes even remotely close to disagreeing with that statement. I remember an awful thread (Anti-Semitism, started by the Dreadful Guest) in which this phrase and paraphrases of it have been repeated about two dozen times without anyone disagreeing. It is always amazing to me when an undisputed statement is repeated all over and then I start myself asking why, but I don't want to argue hidden motives.

Wolfgang