Many are the critics of Israel who react in horror when accused of anti—Semitism. Of course it is theoretically possible to criticize Israel without being a Jew—hater. Many Jews criticize Israel, and so do many well—meaning friends seeking a better future. 

But our contributor Diana Muir, writing for the History News Network has discovered a new study which points to an interesting correlation between habitual severe criticism of Israel and anti—Semitic beliefs.

Two Connecticut professors got curious about the constant denials that extremely harsh critics of Israel were anti—Semitic. Edward H. Kaplan, the William N. and Marie A. Beach Professor of Management Sciences, and Charles A. Small, Director of Urban Studies, Southern Connecticut State University, decided to examine the issue in formal way. Their paper, 'Anti—Israel Sentiment Predicts Anti—Semitism in Europe,' appears in the August issue of the Journal of Conflict Resolution.

Kaplan and Small ask whether individuals expressing strong anti—Israel sentiments, such as the statement by Ted Honderich, Emeritus Grote Professor of the Philosophy of Mind and Logic at University College London, that 'those Palestinians who have resorted to necessary killing have been right to try to free their people, and those who have killed themselves in the cause of their people have indeed sanctified themselves,' are more likely than the general population to also support in such old—style anti—Semitic slurs as 'Jews have too much power in our country today.'

The correlation was almost perfect. In a survey of 5,000 Europeans in ten countries, people who believed that the Israeli soldiers 'intentionally target Palestinian civilians,' and that 'Palestinian suicide bombers who target Israeli civilians' are justified, also believed that 'Jews don't care what happens to anyone but their own kind,' 'Jews have a lot of irritating faults,' and 'Jews are more willing than others to use shady practices to get what they want.'

The study's other interesting finding was that only a small fraction of Europeans believe any of these things.

Read the whole thing.

Thomas Lifson   7 21 06