As for the far Left, occasional small groups have been known to be antisemitic. The vast majority of the far left everywhere on the planet have been at the centre of the fight against neofascism and antisemitism, which is more than can be said for most political traditions.

John Mullen

Which of course is ignoring the very real possibility that there might have been an “historical impetus” for Palestinians to stay right where they were – the “historical impetus”, for example, of having generations of people living on the land. But it would seem in this case that one people’s “historical impetus” wasn’t backed up by the arms of more powerful nations, so off they go.

But of course the existence of Israel is off topic. The issue is whether or not people who oppose Israel are necessary showing the “anti-semitism to which all non-Jews are prone”. Doesn’t this whole sentence defeat the argument? If all non-Jews are prone to anti-semitism it doesn’t matter whether we oppose Israel or not. Presumably as a non-Jew who is anti-semitic, the only reason I would support the existence of Israel would be to do something bad to the Jews, right?

This is exactly the sort of self-defeating zionist logic which has so many people opposed to Israel. Every time an Israeli national (inevitably Jewish) commits a war crime (and there are many), we have to be careful to say it was an “israeli”. But every time an Arab or Palestinian nationalist of any colour, flavour or religion attacks an Israeli they’re attacking a Jew, and it’s anti-semitic. And any time anyone in the rest of the world (even Katz, who we are led to believe is Jewish!) disputes the legitimacy of these actions, or identifies the perpetrators of Israeli war crimes as Jews, we’re being anti-semitic.

So I suppose I have to ask all these people who are firmly left-wing but oh-so-firmly pro-zionist, how can I as a non-jew criticize any part of Israeli actions without showing the “anti-semitism to which all non-Jews are prone”? If some Jewish pilot drops (American) bombs signed by Jewish children onto Muslim children, how do I kick up a fuss about that without being seen to be anti-Semitic? I’d like a guide please.

Well, it seems that the former strand of Zionism has won out, which isn’t surprising as with the latter strand it is difficult to see how that would create a jewish state when it would in fact be a coalition between different religions, which is in effect the experience of the International Jew already outside Israel.Considering that the mainstream of zionism, the Israeli govt, turned very quickly into this belligerent genocidal creature, surely it’s time to take stock and say “hold on – is this right? what have we created?”

I might mention that the Marxist club known as the Melbourne Discussion Group, at whose meetings I spent many a cold Sunday night in 1981-82 and whose membership included many of the key leaders of the Melbourne chapter of the Palestine Human Rights Campaign, subjected “the Jewish Question” to a rigorous analysis shortly after I moved to Sydney, and came to a conclusion fairly close to the position I have outlined in the previous paragraph. They produced a booklet outlining their conclusion and the underpinning analysis, and I am trying to find a library which has a copy.

What business is it of yours why people have a connection to their country?

Though I agree with Lefty E.

Not entirely sure why you ask about Ashkenazi Jews, given that the numbers of Shephardi are close if not exceeding half the Israeli Jewish population.