[Nadval]

Originally Posted by Tactitus

I think that virtually all of the 'pro-Israel lobby' meme is so far over the top that it is anti-semetic. The idea that jews control various political parties and even entire western countries, far out of proportion to their numbers or any hyper-inflated perception of their combined wealth, is one of the more pernicious ideas of the 20th century (you can probably credit The Protocols of the Elders of Zion for that).

I'm not saying they control things. I'm saying that, with regards to rhetoric on Israel, they have enough influence to prevent government ministers and politicians from speaking out against Israel or else suffer a bombardment of emails and claims of anti-Semitism. I feel that it is a mockery of anti-racism to use the term to represent any criticism of any government policy with respect to a given nation. Let us compare it to tobacco companies in America: Whilst noone will claim that they 'run the nation', they certainly have sufficient power and influence to prevent any government measures that would threaten their cause.


edit: And the fact that I'm not talking about Jews - I'm talking about pro-Israelis. My mother had a very Jewish upbringing, yet she fights continuously for the palastinian cause. The West, I believe, has certain interests in keeping a strong pro-Western Israel in a predominantly oil-rich, anti-West, Middle East.