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Opinion

It's OK for Jews to criticise Israel... but it isn't a duty

Israel is a country divided and that is mirrored in the diaspora’s response

March 21, 2023 14:10
Demonstrators wave flags flags at one of the protests (Photo: Alamy)
2 min read

The notion that diaspora Jews must never criticise Israel is as wrongheaded as the notion that we are duty-bound to do so. Having spent years working in the community, my reflection on these respective positions is that they are two sides of the same coin and come down to one thing: confidence, or lack thereof.

Let’s take them in turn.

There are those who say we must never criticise Israel until we take up citizenship, put ourselves and our children on the front line, and pay taxes there. On the face of it, a legitimate argument; but taken in the absolute, it is a nonsensical position. No one says we must take up citizenship of America, Russia, or France if we want to criticise their respective governments.

Those who hold this view also say that Israel has enough enemies – a hard argument to rebut – and that by lending our voices to the attack dogs, we strengthen them. However, to suggest that a country is never ripe for criticism is to put it on a pedestal that it can’t but fall off. Loving and supporting Israel and accepting that it can make mistakes, or even that those mistakes must sometimes be criticised, are not mutually exclusive positions.