I don't have any ties to BDS. But I am dismayed at the feeble debating points Bernard-Henri Levy uses to try to discredit Israel's critics and excuse Israel's ongoing crimes.



Levy's essay is mostly an extended insult to Israel. Why would Israel wish to be classed in the same league as Bashar al-Assad rather than, say, Renzi's Italy or Hollande's France?



Levy dishes up the usual line about how Israel is the region's only democracy. But is Israel a true friend of democracy in the region? How does Levy justify the disgusting love-fest between Netanyahu and Egypt's General Sisi? It seems clear that Israel is the only democracy in the region, and it is going to do whatever it takes to make sure that things stay that way.



Levy tries to change the subject -- to Qatar! But we are not talking about Qatar; we are talking about Israel, a country that professedly embodies our values. Israel is (reasonably) seen by its neighbors as a European plantation in the Middle East. Qatar is not.



Is Levy seriously asking that we should avert our gaze from Israel's crimes so long as there are greater crimes happening in other countries? So long as Boko Haram is on the loose, Israel is above criticism?



Shockingly, Levy invokes the Nazi term "judenfrei." But the true heirs of that policy are the Israelis who ethnically cleansed much of Palestine after the 1948 war. It is Israel that is founded on the idea of ethno-religious identity. And some influential Israelis have called for the expulsion of Palestinians from the West Bank.



I don't oppose bringing pressure on the Palestinians. But why is Levy calling for a false symmetry? After all, Israel is the aggressor, so long as it does not dismantle its settlements in the West Bank. It is a properly a pariah nation.



Most tawdry of all is Levy's exploitation of the charge of anti-Semitism to try to smear his opponents. He can't win the argument, so he resorts to name-calling.



Here is a practical suggestion for Levy. He should join with others in calling for Israel to immediately evacuate the West Bank. Nothing is certain, but I expect the Palestinians will have their hands too full trying to build a state to find the time and resources to dry to drive Israelis into the sea. And it would be the right thing to so.

