On the Twisted Logic of Labeling Criticism of Israel as “Anti-Semitism”

Published on May 31, 2026, filed under politics, philosophy. (Share this post, e.g., on Mastodon or on Bluesky.)

When you look at Germany, England, Australia, and other western countries, you notice that criticism of Israel is readily being labeled as anti-semitism.

Instinctively, we know this is wrong—above all, criticism isn’t a bad thing, it’s what we all need, it’s how we grow. We can also question the motivation, which may range from ignorance to idolatry to racism and islamophobia.

But what some groups and individuals in these countries are doing is perverse—by putting people into a corner in order to silence them, they force them to make an impossible choice:

Are You a Human Rights Proponent—or No Anti-Semite?

Here’s the conclusion of an argument said Israel-aligned groups and individuals are trying to make:

C

Therefore, to criticize Israel constitutes anti-semitism.

People who support human rights, regardless of a person’s color or religion, operate on an argument that leads to a different conclusion:

C

Therefore, to stop Israel oppressing, segregating, and killing Palestinians necessitates criticizing Israel.

They may also act on the basis of the following conclusion:

C

Therefore, to stop Israel waging constant war on Islamic countries—constantly murdering Muslims—necessitates criticizing Israel.

The first of the rights-advocate arguments reflects the criticism-isn’t-bad idea mentioned earlier, roughly as follows: To help someone stop their destructive behavior, you need to criticize that behavior; oppressing, segregating, killing is destructive behavior; therefore, when someone is oppressing, segregating, killing, you help them by criticizing their respective behavior.

But combining these conclusions leads to a syllogism that couldn’t be any more Orwellian:

P.1

To criticize Israel constitutes anti-semitism.

P.2

To stop Israel oppressing, segregating, and killing Palestinians necessitates criticizing Israel.

C

Therefore, to stop Israel oppressing, segregating, and killing Palestinians constitutes anti-semitism.

This is very much what we see in the “discourse” of western media. This is what is being pushed on us. (This is the problem of the decent person.)

The Calculation

The calculation seems to be that you so very much want to avoid being branded an anti-semite, that you rather not criticize Israel.

However, not only is the underlying insinuation a form of violence—consider what is being done here—, it’s also a gamble:

Eventually, more and more people will prioritize human rights, freedom, peace, and safety for Palestinians, for Muslims, for all people, so that the “logic” collapses.

When that happens, the advocates of this manipulation tactic have not only lost this attack on public conscience, they have also caused massive damage to another group of people, the one they claimed to protect: Jews—people who may have nothing to do with Israeli extremists and their colonization, apartheid, and genocide of and in Palestine.

This is because Israel lobbyists are making the “anti-semite” label meaningless, so that it will not deter those who are actual anti-semites anymore, either.

Think about it.

The upsides here, apart from the hope that we will transcend this violence against people who merely advocate for human rights and peaceful co-existence?

The advocates for human rights and peaceful co-existence are there for everyone, including Jews and Israelis. We’re also there for them.

And, you cannot weaponize language without paying a price.

About Me

I’m Jens (long: Jens Oliver Meiert), and I’m an engineering lead, guerrilla philosopher, and indie publisher. I’ve worked as a technical lead and engineering manager at various companies, including Google; I’m an open-source developer and a contributor to web standards (like HTML, CSS, WCAG); and I write and review books for O’Reilly and Frontend Dogma.

I love trying things, not only in web development and engineering management, but also with respect to politics and philosophy. Here on meiert.com I talk about some of my experiences and perspectives. (Please share feedback—interpret charitably, keep it friendly, but do be critical.)