There must be room

In columns recently published by The Heritage, Ben and Jerry’s Ice Cream was excoriated for deciding not to sell ice cream in what the company calls “the Occupied Palestinian Territory.” Mel Pearlman equates the decision with antisemitism, stating “This action is part of the BDS effort to delegitimize the existence of the Jewish State, and to deny the indigenous right of the Jewish people to their homeland.” And Jim Shipley titles his column, “Anti-Israel equals antisemitism.”

Whether you agree with Ben and Jerry’s stance or not (and my personal feelings are mixed), the idea that opposing Israeli policy equals opposing Israel and can be deemed antisemitic is both way over the top Jewish political correctness and a harsh form of censorship. One can love Israel and still hate specific Israeli policies, politics, and stands vis a vis Palestinians. That supporting Israel (or any country or cause or ideal) means blind, blanket, 100 percent support without questioning or debate is anathema to the very concept of free thought and democracy. 

I for one do not and have for a very long time not supported all of Israel’s policies relative to Gaza, the West Bank, and Palestinians. Does that make me antisemitic? Far from it. It means I give myself the right to take personal moral positions that may not equate to the rigid, hardline approach taken by the Netanyahu administration for years. I have never believed that a violent response to violence is necessarily the best or even appropriate response. I have never believed that heavy-handed punishment teaches positive lessons. And while I have been told by many in the know that there are no good answers to the issues of the Middle East, and that the problems are generational, long-lasting and may not be resolved in many lifetimes (and I don’t dispute that), I also am a firm believer in something that is the definition of insanity: doing the same thing again and again and expecting different results. I believe in new and different. I believe in thinking outside the box, and experimenting, and taking new approaches to old problems in the hope that something different will be borne in the mix. That is not what has happened in Israel, and I cannot and do not support same old same old.

So am I antisemitic? If I don’t like Israel’s tax laws (and I’m not saying I do or don’t), would that make me antisemitic? I don’t think so. Israel has a death penalty, though it hasn’t been used in years. If I were opposed to the death penalty, then, would that make me anti-Israel? No it would not. And if I say I don’t like and never was a fan of Benjamin Netanyahu and was glad to see him go, and that I disagree with Israel’s policy of bulldozing homes in response to tunnel building (I don’t have a problem with blowing up terrorist tunnels, btw), am I an Israel hater? Absolutely not. I am opposed to specific Israeli policy on what I deem humanitarian grounds. Feel free to disagree with me. That’s what honest and open debate is all about.

Does Ben and Jerry’s position to not sell ice cream in the areas called Judea and Samaria make the company anti-Israel or antisemitic, then? I don’t believe it does. Naïve? Maybe. A poorly thought out policy? Probably. Hateful? No. The company is simply taking what it views as a moral stand, and it has every right to do so. If I were the CEO of Ben and Jerry’s I would take a different approach. I would not have punished everyone in the occupied territories by not selling my ice cream there. That’s short-sighted and narrow minded. I would have pledged that all profits from the sale of ice cream in the occupied territories would be used to better the lives of those living there, in the form of medical facilities and schools and libraries and roads and infrastructure. That would be a positive statement. That would be a way to take a position in support of Palestinian life, help the Palestinian economy thrive, and make good sense to me. 

Sadly, and again narrow mindedly, it is too easy to call on any form of political correctness to shut down an opposing point of view. It’s so easy to say you can’t critique the Black Lives Matter movement or social justice issues or Israel (and I am a strong supporter of all those), instead of allowing for differing opinions. As long as the opposition acts with compassion and empathy and a willingness to listen, I have no problem with diverging philosophies and points of view. What I do have a problem with is blanket censorship and the use of labels and name calling to stifle the voice of those who disagree. There must be room for everyone to have an opinion and take a stand, whether you stand with them or not.