Tonge sacked over suicide bomber comment

[migrendel]

Tonge spoke in favor of Palestinian rights, and I regret to see her go. The leadership bench's problem is that it failed to see any of this on its simplest level. Any human being is capable of lashing back if its territory is invaded. Anyone is capable of killing if provoked. But what frightens me the most is that the Israeli ambassador was so quick to call this a calumny against Jews. Ms. Tonge never mentioned them, and this is part of an Anti-Semitic smear you see so often these days. Many fine people have been victimized by those who claim anyone who dares defy the most criminal excesses of the State of Israel is on a par with Hitler. Such irresponsibility is for another era, but not for the cultural sensitivity of today.

[migrendel]

I don't dislike Jewish people. I really don't. I just think that Palestinians are getting the short end of the stick, and they deserve better from Israel, a nation that is doing some genuinely appalling things.

[migrendel]

I'm perfectly aware that people of Jewish extraction have endured horrendous violations of their human rights, from being run off their land, to pogroms, to the Holocaust. However, M, you are far too quick to label someone as an anti-semite. I believe it is possible to hold views contrary to the current actions of the State of Israel and still be sympathetic to Jews. If another nation persecuted a minority, such as a Christian nation persecuting Jews, there would be condemnation. People are just applying that standard to the goings on in Israel. Also, to make such broad-based accusations of bias entails establishing that a broad range of individuals, institutions, and government organs consciously act in a way to disadvantage Jews. It would seem to me that placing such an emphasis on such a line of thought is rather self-centered. This might be most shocking to you, but perhaps people don't give Israel and Jews in general that much thought when they go about their business. But then again, that in itself might be anti-semitism to you. I really wish you were more prudent and less swift to judge. Lord knows how many people of goodwill have seen their careers tarnished by such accusations. So the next time you decide to level such a claim, think about it. Apply a strict level of scrutiny to any statement of that nature, because there is no reason why the innocent should be wrapped up in the hysteria of those who care about little else than whether their precious Israel is in their overly demanding minds being assailed.