Netanyahu's crimes against humanity are crimes against Judaism

I feel it’s time for me to make a statement. Many of my Jewish and Israeli friends have been perfectly wide awake, for as long as I can remember, about the criminal mentality of the far-right government of Netanyahu and his political allies Smotrich and Ben-Gvir. They have been marching through the streets of Israel, have made their voices heard in public, and continue doing so day by day. Many others have begun waking up, some faster and others more slowly, as the true extent of the atrocities became impossible to deny. But unfortunately, there are also those who still keep suggesting that the crimes against humanity committed by Hamas – before, during, and after 7 October – somehow legitimate or excuse the crimes against humanity that are currently being committed on a daily basis by the IDF at the orders of the Netanyahu government, with the backing of the United States and the cowardly complicity of far too many European politicians, including those in my own country. There are also those who keep insisting or insinuating that any critique of the Netanyahu government for crimes against humanity, including the large-scale murder and starvation of innocent children who have no way to defend themselves, is antisemitic – as though this has anything at all to do with the notorious blood libel, which is usually brought up in this context. 

 

Meanwhile, we do indeed see an alarming rise of antisemitism worldwide, for a very simple reason that’s perfectly easy to understand. It is that far too many people, on all sides, just don’t bother to draw any clear distinctions between Jews or Judaism, the state of Israel, and the current government of that state. In the case of Netanyahu and his allies or supporters, this is perfectly convenient because it allows them to accuse anyone of "antisemitism" who dares to critize their policies and actions. But it’s just as convenient for their opponents, because it allows them to use this government’s inhumanity as a weapon for attacking the state of Israel’s right to exist or, indeed, for “blaming the Jews.” And then, of course, there is everybody else. Normal, decent people all over the world find it unbearable to watch the daily atrocities but do not necessarily think all too deeply about who is to blame and who isn't, about the complex historical developments that brought us where we are, or indeed about distinguishing a bit more carefully between the Netanyahu government, the state of Israel as such, and Jews in general. 

 

Such intellectual carelessness may be human nature, but it’s not an excuse. We are witnessing acts of inhumanity, the memory of which will be haunting all of us for generations to come, and none of us will be able to claim that “we did not know.” We did know, or at the very least we could have known if we had bothered to open our eyes and pay attention, but too many of us don’t want to know and prefer to look away. On the other hand, and understandably enough, too many of those who cannot bring themselves to look away are deeply confused by the complexity of the issues. As a result, they may not always  be aware of how easily their own heartfelt feelings of sorrow and outrage may be mined and manipulated by the cynical forces of polarization, extremism and hate. As for myself, I’m not a Jew and I don't live in Israel, but I care deeply about Judaism and everything it stands for. This is precisely why it disturbs me so deeply, not just to watch the routinization of inhumanity that’s on full display in Gaza, but also to see how the atrocious actions and mentality of the current Israeli government are actively feeding the flames of antisemitism. This madness must stop.