BRATTLEBORO — Neither the victims nor the perpetrators of the alleged anti-Semitic program at local schools are identified in the letter.
Because the conversation revolved around the Palestinian struggles, I'm wondering if criticism of the state of Israel's policies and practices is not being confused with anti-Semitism. This is an old tactic designated to divert criticism of the state. Another canard is that Jews critical of Israel are self-hating.
The British government designated Palestine as a Jewish state. This was called the British Mandate. This act of imperialism was part of the carving up of the Middle East by Western countries after World War I.
Jewish groups with a Zionist vision of Palestine disregarded Arab Palestinians who had lived there for millennia. Zionists basically stole Palestine, dispossessed the Arab Palestinians, and have attempted to negate the Arab past.
Former Prime Minister Menachem Begin pronounced that there would never be a Palestinian state, and that policy has continued until this day in spite of negotiations.
Israel's settlement movement on the West Bank has gradually made a Palestinian state there impossible. The settlement building is accelerating. A heavy military occupation continues. Gaza's living conditions are dire, and Israel continues an embargo against the territory and periodically attacks it without restraint, killing thousands. They refer to this in the government as “cutting the grass.”
This historical narrative about Israel and Palestine is not the mainstream message that portrays Israel as a democratic ally of the United States.
A counter-narrative demands equal rights for Palestinians and Jews and condemns the Israeli occupation and repression of Palestinians.
Perhaps a public forum could be organized so that the alternative voice, essentially a voice for peace and justice, could be presented to the public. I think it is a positive thing that students in our schools can be educated about historical and social issues.