(Guardian-UK) Jeremy Havardi - 122 Palestinian and Arab intellectuals (Letters, Nov. 29) have taken it upon themselves to define anti-Semitism and the struggle for Jewish rights. This is a mistaken approach which also fails to understand the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitism manifests itself, in part, by denying to Jews their collective right to self-determination under international law. That is why the view of Israel as a "racist endeavor" is an example within the IHRA definition. A Jewish majority state is no more racist than a Muslim or Christian one. The current plight of Palestinians, far from being an intrinsic feature of Zionism, is the outcome of a tragic conflict between two peoples. In recent decades, Israel has made at least four offers to partition the land and create a Palestinian state, with every offer rebuffed, often violently. Palestinian rejectionism is thus the main cause of their statelessness. The writer is Director, B'nai B'rith UK's Bureau of International Affairs.
2020-12-03 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive