
If that "culture" referred to is Israeli, being anti-zionist can be seen
as a complete denial of that entity's right to exist and its "legitimacy". 
Just as saying that Islam has *no right* to establish and implement a 
"state" that includes any non-muslims, both are *absolute*, one-dimensional 
views of that culture with regard to the issue of "state".


If that were the case, one would expect a few of that culture's positives
to be discussed with regard to the issue at hand. Since the issue *centers*
on Israeli culture, I have yet to hear of *any* positives of that culture
in this discussion.


I agree with you. But I also feel that when a culture feels it is confronted 
by another group that wishes to see that culture "disassembled", the first
culture has little choice but to *try* to secure its "survival" as well as
maintain its moral center. Since the culture is not about to turn away
from *either* the matter of its survival or the valuing of its moral 
principles, it has the virtually impossible job of "balancing". 

To discuss Israel's faults and "crimes" without *any* recognition of this
circumstance and *reality* it faces is a conscious decision based on the 
discussant's political biases, NOT on an honest and empathetically open 
understanding of the situation. The same applies to those who attempt to 
paint the Palestinian movement as "all bad" and dispense with considerations 
of the *reality* facing them.

You beg the question by centering on the symptoms while the issue
of "self-hating" addresses the motivations. I certainly feel that
anyone who expends so much effort inflating, distorting and robbing
human context from aspects of his/her own culture is reflecting
a degree of dislike for it. Since bits of that culture are bound, 
due to his/her upbringing, to be a part of him/her, a bit of self-
dislike seems likely to be mixed in somewhere.

As you well know, this process of *blaming the other* for the morally
questionable actions one side is forced (by the "other", of course) to 
take is thoroughly practiced by **both sides**. If you are only hearing
the pro-Israeli crowd's self-supporting arguments, that may be due to
the fact that you are not listening for anything else. *I* certainly
hear the similarly distorting pro-Palestinian/pro-Arab element in
*this* newsgroup (as well as in soc.culture.arabic).


I agree, agree, agree, agree.

However, in my response to the initial discussion above between Davidsson
and those opposing his presentations, I saw Davidsson carefully putting 
academic frills around a blatantly one-sided series of I-hate/dislike-
"them", yesIdo,yesIdo,yesIdo. I did *not* find the approach of those 
opposing Davidsson to be centered *at all* on a denigration and denial
of the "other side". 

I certainly do wonder if the degree to which Davidsson's views on the 
Middle East have distorted is connected to his dislike and rejection
of his jewish lineage. Having said this, however, I agree with you that 
this constant accusing others of being "self-hating" jews seems
pointless. It is not worse a label than is "why, you're on their side",
except to perhaps imply a certain degree of overly enthusiastic 
biasedness.

Tim

 
