In the last decade its become fashionable in certain quarters to lob the charge of anti-semitism at any criticism directed at Israel.  For example see link discussing a similar charge against General Wesley Clark.  But the blogging world was stunned this week by the broadside launched by The New Republic’s Leon Wieseltier against erstwhile pal Andrew Sullivan.  See link.  Worth reading is this long piece by Glenn Greenwald about TNR’s reckless hurling of anti-semitism charges which has limited its impact (something similar seems to be happening with Nazi and Hitler comparisons lately) particularly when Wieseltier’s boss Marty Peretz delights in racist innuendo against Arabs and Muslims.  Sullivan has himself responded to the screed.  See here, here and here.  Greenwald has also linked to some of the other blogs demolishing Wieseltier’s rants, some of which for convenience are re-linked here, here, and here.  Also see this by Daniel Luban on how the outrage seems generated by the changing rules on how Israel is to be criticized.  Given the material linked above, I will avoid the repetitive task of going through Wieseltier’s tedious post myself.

The anti-semitism card is not targeted just against gentiles.  Associates of Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netenyahu were allegedly convinced last year that Rahm Emmanuel, David Axelrod and other Jews in the Obama administration were “self-hating” Jews for failing to give Israel a blank check.  See link.

Needless to say, this is a very unhealthy manner to conduct a debate.  It is also the fastest way to build resentment among Israel’s well wishers who do not always toe the party line while making it much harder to corral the true anti-Semites.  TNR and their allies would be well served by brushing up on their Aesop’s, particularly the part on The Boy Who Cried Wolf.

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