Is Anti-Zionism Geo-Political Anti-Semitism?

Daniel Silverman at Seedy Road believes so and has vreated a marvelous post to illustrate the point. Here are a few extracts:

'"The settlements are the main obstacle to peace."

No, they're not. The settlements are a dead-end project that serve little purpose other than to antagonize the Palestinians, to disingenuously placate Israel's rightist/fundamentalist sector (the "Israeli Street"), and to delay and complicate Israel's inevitable extrication from the territories, but they are not the main obstacle to peace. Sorry, but, in the grand scheme of things, constructing housing (for whomever) just isn't all that terrible a thing to do.

Rather, the main obstacle to peace is, and has always been, the consequences of Arab governments' intransigence: the refusal of Arab despots to recognize Israel's legitimacy, their poisoning their populations with vile and primitive anti-Semitic rhetoric, their using Israel and Jews as scapegoats to deflect towards an easy target their own people's justified anger and frustration at their lack of freedoms, and most of all, their ongoing state of war (or, in two cases, ice cold peace) with the Jewish state. The result is a brainwashed youth nourished on a diet of hate, racism, and violence; prime candidates for being suckered into suicide terrorism.

Building houses or terrorists' mass murder of civilians: which is the greater obstacle to peace?

And by the way, it's hardly as if anti-Israel violence began only after its acquisition of the territories. The PLO, for example, was established in 1964, three years before the Six Day War (which was precipitated by several countries' amassing of 547,000 troops along Israel's borders, and declaring their intent of destroying Israel for good).

We can hope that the so-called Arab Spring will herald a new era of freedom and openness among Israel's neighbors, who might turn to Israel as an example of liberalism, tolerance, and democracy. Whaddaya say folks, care to join your neighbors to forge a brighter, happier future for all of us?'

'"If Israel stopped behaving like a pariah state, Diaspora Jews would have nothing to fear."

Well, sure, right? I mean if Israel is constantly destabilizing the region with its expansionist actions, and continues to oppress the Palestinians, of course there's bound to be backlash around the globe.

Let's see...

• "Chinese launch crackdown in Tibet. Take-away restaurants put on high alert."

• "Japanese continue to deny ethnic Koreans citizenship. Sony and Honda step up security at US offices."

• "German-born Turks still feel sting of persecution. Budweiser and PBR fear boycott."

• "Sudanese Arabs continue slaughter in Darfur. American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee receives 'credible threats'".

• "Civil strife continues in the Congo. African-Americans sense 'clear and present danger'".

Do any of these headlines smack of familiarity? No, I didn't think so. Only Israel's actions prompt overseas retribution (and far more often in Europe than elsewhere). At any rate, please recall: Israel is defending its liberal democracy against violent reactionary theocratic forces whose policies make the Tea Party look like the ACLU. Can the same be said of the situation in China, Japan, Germany, Congo, Sudan, or any number of other comparable cases?'

 Well said Daniel, well said.