Words of the Week

The question, then, isn’t whether but how to criticize. If you must criticize Israel, do so with the intention of helping Israel grow. Criticize with pride in our achievements, not only with disapproval of our failures. And don’t delight in the role of rebuker. 

In criticizing Israel, remember the circumstances of our predicament: that we are the only country living under a permanent death sentence imposed on us by many of our neighbors; that we are the only country targeted by an international boycott movement seeking to turn us into humanity’s symbol of evil. 

Remember that none of our options are good, that ‘land for peace’ has never been a serious offer because the Palestinian national movement, in all its factions, still doesn’t accept our legitimacy or indigenousness here. Remember that even Israelis like me who believe that we need a two-state solution for moral and political and demographic reasons, still doubt whether withdrawal will bring us real peace, and instead assume that the conflict in one form or another will continue.” 

Source: Yossi Klein Halevi, “Criticizing Israel with Anguish and Love” (Times of Israel)