"Our elected representatives, who operate in a political environment where Israel's political lobby holds well-documented power, have consistently minimized and deflected criticism of the State of Israel, even as it has grown more emboldened in its occupation of Palestinian territory and adopted some practices reminiscent of apartheid in South Africa and Jim Crow segregation in the United States.

Many civil rights activists and organizations have remained silent as well, not because they lack concern or sympathy for the Palestinian people, but because they fear loss of funding from foundations, and false charges of anti-Semitism. They worry, as I once did, that their important social justice work will be compromised or discredited by smear campaigns.

Similarly, many students are fearful of expressing support for Palestinian rights because of the McCarthyite tactics of secret organizations like Canary Mission, which blacklists those who publicly dare to support boycotts against Israel, jeopardizing their employment prospects and future careers." Michelle Alexander

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What on earth is happening at the New York Times? The intimidation of critics of Israel that Alexander writes of has had a bastion of support at the Times for a long time.

I don't write much about the plight of the Palestinians. I gave up on that a long time ago. I have other concerns. The murderous hatred of the Israeli Jews toward the Palestinians is acted out just about every day. Actual violence, demeaning insult, seizure of private property are all the lot of the Palestinians both in the occupied territories and also in Israel proper. "Arab Israelis? Don't make me laugh! No one in Israel believes that Arab citizens of Israel are anything like first class citizens.

Are the Palestinians born without Original Sin? Not at all, not at all, they fight back with knives, stones and in the past with large scale and terrible attacks on Jewish civilians. Before Israeli independence they repeatedly attacked Jewish settlements and fought a three year rebellion in Palestine in attempting to roll back the Jewish tide of immigration. Did the Mufti of Jerusalem side with the Nazis in the hope of exterminating the Jews in Palestine if Germany won the world war. Yes! He did!

I stopped going to Israel some time ago because I was beginning to dislike both groups. The Jews treat the Palestinians like pariah dogs, and the Palestinians are not capable of dealing with their situation at any level beyond whining menace.

A pox on both their houses, but something very odd is happening at the New York Times. pl

https://www.nytimes.com/2019/01/19/opinion/sunday/martin-luther-king-palestine-israel.html