PRIME Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will never miss an opportunity to justify his stubborn refusal to come to an agreement with the Palestinians. … On Sunday … Netanyahu pulled a new rabbit out of his … hat: The Anti-Defamation Lea­gue’s latest anti-Semitism survey. Obviously the prime minister didn’t address the problems inherent in the very existence of surveys of this kind, since the phrases presented to those surveyed are actually classic stereotypical perceptions … that only strengthen global anti-Semitism. …

Netanyahu … seized on one of the survey’s findings, which states that the place with the highest level of anti-Semitism is the Palestinian Authority areas, where 93pc of adults allegedly hold anti-Semitic views. Of cou­r­se that finding can, and should, be explained in the context of the Israeli occupation that [... has been] going on for 47 years. …

But despite these obvious explanations, Netanyahu chose to say that, “this is the result of … incitement by the Palestinian Authority, which distorts the image of … Israel and … of the Je­wish people …” The prime minister was not satisfied with making the gross comparison between the Palestinians and the Nazis. … He … concluded [with] “Whoever sees the creation of Israel … as a catastrophe does not want peace”. The … simplistic attitude displayed by Netanyahu with regard to the Palestinian tragedy … is at the heart of the problem. …— (May 19)

Published in Dawn, May 22nd, 2014