Face to Face

I joined facebook. I am a facebook addict. Maybe I'll try a twelve step program if it ever gets too bad. Then I could go to rehab and get a nice little vacation.I love facebook because I see there are thousands of young Jews who support Israel. I love to read their intelligent points of view. I ignore the ones who resort to cursing to get their point across if they even have one. They are not my problem. I leave that to their parents. In the same breath I also hate facebook. It puts me face to face with people who hate Israel.

The people who use facebook as a platform to spread hate of Israel come in a few different packages. The first group are actual Palestinians or Arabs. It is crystal clear that their agenda is a smear campaign. They post on sites dedicated to Israel. They make large statements against Israel. When their point is refuted they ignore it and continue with something else. They blur the facts. A prime example is someone who writes that Israel is apartheid because they do not allow Palestinians to become citizens. Forget that Palestinians don't want to be citizens of Israel. Forget that they are under PA rule. Forget that they want their own state. There is no dialogue. They are not there for dialogue. They are there to spread propaganda. The ones who want dialogue are few and far between.

Group two are the high school antisemites. Their posts are vicious and based on 1% fact. They have no knowledge of the middle east and the conflict. It is a way to attack Jews. I ignore them. Sometimes that gets them angry and they try and taunt me. I keep ignoring them. They are not the people I want to reach. They are the ones who need a good smack. They will spend their lives hating one group or another.

The last of these groups are the intellectuals. College kids. Their tone is rarely shrill but occasionally sarcastic. They speak with authority. They have sources. This group is easy to spot. Israel is a terrorist state. Hamas is technically not a terrorist group. They speak of a Palestinian State that Israel destroyed. They ignore the fact that there was no Palestinian state in the territories from 1948 - 1967. They are the members of the far left who simply frame the picture wrong and are not capable of adjusting the frame.

I do battle with these people. It is not a war that can be won. I simply refuse to let false accusations stand without being challenged. If my opponent resorts to calling us Nazis or anything of that nature I stop. If they post outrageous lies I stop. Then its game over. Most people can see through that crap. I know I have won a battle when they don't respond to my point but change the subject. The mental sparring is a great learning experience. It helps me sharpen my weapon. And now to battle I go.

Submitted by Carol