The 2006 Murder of Canadian Forces Major Paeta Hess-Von Krudener

[CDNBear]

Funny, you'ld think an Ex Army NCO would be a little judgemental on this one...

But he's not.

It wasn't murder, it was an accident, the IDF shoot at things that shoot at them.

 

[earth_as_one]

The UN peacekeepers were unarmed. They were observers.

 

[CDNBear]

The UN peacekeepers were unarmed. They were observers.

Ya, but your hero's on the perimeter weren't unarmed and they weren't just observing.

 

[Zzarchov]

Here is a map from 1946. The borders don't mean anything because Israel now has all of Palestine.

Palestine 1947 District And District Centers

Thats not Palestine. Thats part of Palestine.

Its a form of propaganda to only show a partial truth. While it is Palestine, its not ALL of Palestine.

It is akin to showing only the Ulster province of Ireland (and maybe one or two counties from Lienster or Connaught) and going "oh look, The Protestants got 90% of Ireland with fraction of the population!"

The fact that you've never done a more through search on the matter while commenting so strongly on it leads me to one of two beliefs:

a) You really should look into a topic to the point of at least a basic google search before accepting information from a site like "PalestineRemembered" with an open and built in bias.

OR

b) You know its wrong but you want to lie to people to accept your point of view, rather than try to present an arguement based on facts.


I really hope its A.

 

[earth_as_one]

Ya, but your hero's on the perimeter weren't unarmed and they weren't just observing.

Unlike you CB, I don't support war crimes and war criminals. I've never posted anything in support of violence against innocent civilians. I don't support the belligerents on either side. That includes Hezbollah. But lets be clear here. Hezbollah never killed Major Paeta Hess-Von Krudener. Your heroes did.

In this incident my "heroes" were inside the UN outpost. Those guys had to be pretty brave to do what they did. Their deaths were a tragedy. Major Paeta Hess- Von Krudener's death should have warranted flags flying at half mast and a state funeral. Our government's impotent spineless reaction to Israel's lack of cooperation with the Board of Inquiry is an embarassment.

Supporting Canada's Military means standing up for them when it counts, not just when its convenient.

 

[CDNBear]

Unlike you CB, I don't support war crimes and war criminals. I've never posted anything in support of violence against innocent civilians. I don't support the belligerents on either side.

In this incident my "heroes" were inside the UN outpost. Those guys had to be pretty brave to do what they did. Their deaths were a tragedy. Major Hess-Von Krudener's death should have warranted flags flying at half mast and a state funeral. Our government's impotent spineless reaction to Israel's lack of cooperation with the Board of Inquiry is an embarassment.

Supporting Canada's Military means standing up for them when it counts, not when its convenient.

I support my brothers and sisters all the time. Not when it suits my agenda.

 

[earth_as_one]

I support my brothers and sisters all the time. Not when it suits my agenda.

Israel killed a unarmed Canadian soldier who was manning a UN observation post. Israel refused to cooperate with Canada's BOI.

CB: You haven't made a single post in support of justice for Major Paeta Hess-Von Krudener in this thread.

I find your insinuation that my support for Canada's military is insincere insulting. You know nothing about me. Maybe this post I made several months ago will give you a clue:

Sep 10th, 2008
I found a whole new respect for the armed services when ice-storm 98 hit. The civilians hadn't a clue how to deal with the emergency or make quick decisions. Without military intervention, things could have gotten ugly in some of the worst hit areas. I've seen people fighting for the last can on the shelf at a super market. When someone tried to cut in front of long line to get gas at the last gas station in town with gas, an angry mob tried to pull him out of the car. They almost rolled his car over and then he sped away almost driving over one of the mob. I've since come to the conclusion that we the sheeple are only about 48 hours of the right conditions away from killing each other.

Things settled down and became organized with the military took control under a declared state of emergency. I volunteered as an electrician at the local firehall which became a military HQ. The major who commanded the forces there knew how to evaluate situations and make decisions. Generators were allocated to hospitals and essential services. Gas stations and stores were re-opened at strategic locations first. People were evacuated from unsafe condition... and so on. Military intervention turned chaos into order.

Soldiering is thankless job, the pay sucks and it can be dangerous... Canada's military has a reputation for being professional and disciplined. They've proven themselves in Bosnia, Lebanon, Cyprus, Haiti, Sudan... many other places and now Afghanistan. Most civilians learn to trust and respect our soldiers. Unlike our neighbors to the south, I haven't heard of Canadian soldiers being involved in the mass slaughter of civilians. The only blemish I can think of in recent history is the incident in Somalia, which I blame on the politicians who sent commandos on a peacekeeping mission.

http://forums.canadiancontent.net/hot-topics/76910-im-planing-join-canadian-forces.html

http://forums.canadiancontent.net/cbc-news/60824-two-more-canadians-killed-afghanistan.html

I can find dozens more of my posts like the above. I've also recommended that people here visit this website:
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/commun/message/index-eng.asp

I've also done volunteer work, donated money to various causes and in my work, I give preferential treatment to members of the forces. I also believe the veterans should have preferential access to employment and health care services.

I was aware of this Major Paeta Hess-Von Krudener's death at the time it happened. I assumed a full and complete investigation would have happened. Recently during my research regarding another string, I realized our government caved in to Israel and buried this story. Worse, Canada never properly recognized his sacrifice!!! So I'm pissed about this injustice and your post above touches a nerve.

CB: Go Fuddle Duddle yourself

 

[Zzarchov]

EAO, you really don't give a damn about the Major.

I know this because you only give a damn about the "peacekeeper" killed in an Israeli warzone. You know we are other places, where our armed forces personal die, and we don't even get apologies there.

He was a soldier, and he knew the risks in "peacekeeping" he knew it was a dangerous and stupid situation he put in for political purposes back home (the desire to be seen as fluffy bunny and friendly and helping the world to the media, as if calling it peacekeeping makes it not a warzone)

If you want justice, sue the Canadian government for putting a soldier in a warzone as a peacekeeper, without a peace to keep.

That is the atrocity.

That being said, in an unrelated note, the marintimes proved it was 17 hours until the break down of law and order (during a police strike before they were illegal)

 

[earth_as_one]

I don't expect a Taliban apology nor their cooperation with an investigation into the death of a Canadian soldier by one of their IEDs.

But I do expect the Canadian government to insist that Israel cooperate with a Canadian BOI regarding the death of an unarmed Canadian soldier manning a UN observation post by an Israel bunker buster bomb. Their failure to cooperate should have resulted in a re-examination of Canada-Israel relations and punitive measures.

When Canadian soldiers were killed by American pilots hopped up on bennies, we got a proper investigation. This is how an allie behaves regarding a friendly fire accident:
Tarnak Farm incident - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Israel's reaction indicates Major Paeta Hess-Von Krudener's death was not a result of friendly fire.

Regarding the rest of your post, I'm sure you are jerking my chain to provoke a response which might get me tossed off this forum.

 

[Zzarchov]

I don't expect a Taliban apology nor their cooperation with an investigation into the death of a Canadian soldier by one of their IEDs.

But I do expect the Canadian government to insist that Israel cooperate with a Canadian BOI regarding the death of an unarmed Canadian soldier manning a UN observation post by an Israel bunker buster bomb. Their failure to cooperate should have resulted in a re-examination of Canada-Israel relations and punitive measures.

When Canadian soldiers were killed by American pilots hopped up on bennies, we got a proper investigation. This is how an allie behaves regarding a friendly fire accident:
Tarnak Farm incident - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Israel's reaction indicates Major Paeta Hess-Von Krudener's death was not a result of friendly fire.

Regarding the rest of your post, I'm sure you are jerking my chain to provoke a response which might get me tossed off this forum.

See thats what Im talking about.

We are in other places, places that have nothing to do with Israel or America, places that are warzones where our soldiers die gruesome deaths, get no apology and no investigation, because we aren't at war "just peacekeeping" despite no peace to keep.

This is why we have the second highest peacekeeping fatality rate in the world, just behind India.

 

[CDNBear]

Israel killed a unarmed Canadian soldier who was manning a UN observation post. Israel refused to cooperate with Canada's BOI.

CB: You haven't made a single post in support of justice for Major Paeta Hess-Von Krudener in this thread.

Oh, so I have to post that his death made me cry to show my support? Or is it I need to condemn Israel along side you, while you ignore the fact that the people you perpetually ignore use places like schools, malls, apartments etc. as launching points for attacks on Israeli territory?

Not going to happen.

I mourned his passing as I do all Canadian Soldiers, and I would never stoop so low as to use his memory as a tool for some miss guided agenda. That's your tactic. That's despicable.

I find your insinuation that my support for Canada's military is insincere insulting. You know nothing about me. Maybe this post I made several months ago will give you a clue:



http://forums.canadiancontent.net/cbc-news/60824-two-more-canadians-killed-afghanistan.html

I can find dozens more of my posts like the above. I've also recommended that people here visit this website:
http://www.forces.gc.ca/site/commun/message/index-eng.asp

I've also done volunteer work, donated money to various causes and in my work, I give preferential treatment to members of the forces. I also believe the veterans should have preferential access to employment and health care services.

I was aware of this Major Paeta Hess-Von Krudener's death at the time it happened. I assumed a full and complete investigation would have happened. Recently during my research regarding another string, I realized our government caved in to Israel and buried this story. Worse, Canada never properly recognized his sacrifice!!! So I'm pissed about this injustice and your post above touches a nerve.

Need a hug?

Half the crap you post hits peoples nerves. You perpetually drone on about how bad Israel is, while you consistently ignore the attacks of war that facilitate Israeli aggression.

Then you start using one of my brothers as your tool. Give your head a shake.

CB: Go Fuddle Duddle yourself

If I could, I wouldn't be here. I'ld be on a webcam making money.

 

[earth_as_one]

If you mourn this soldier's death as you claim, then why are you ok with Israel not cooperating with the Canadian Board of Inquiry? Explain yourself.

Shouldn't the circumstances regarding this soldier's death be fully investigated with Israel's complete cooperation so that similar tragedies could be avoided in the future? Why isn't Israel's cooperation in this investigation important to you?

 

[CDNBear]

If you mourn this soldier's death as you claim, then why are you ok with Israel not cooperating with the Canadian Board of Inquiry? Explain yourself.

It's called friendly fire...what's the need for a cooperative investigation?

And don't give me orders, you don't pack the gear to do so. And don't ever question my support or my grief involving my brothers again. That just confirms my suspicion you're using his death as a tool for your agenda. And leads me to believe your cheese has fallen off your cracker. The fact that you would stoop that low proves I'm right about your agenda.

Shouldn't the circumstances regarding this soldier's death be fully investigated with Israel's complete cooperation so that similar tragedies could be avoided in the future?

Because it will continue to happen so long as there's war, duh! Especially since the cowards you ignore and support with your silence, keep using UN bases as launching pads.

Why isn't Israel's cooperation in this investigation important to you?

Because it isn't. I know that friendly fire happens, it's an expected side effect of war. Besides, I already know why it happened, your buddies used the UN base as a back drop to attack Israel.

This isn't rocket science.

 

[Goober]

It's called friendly fire...what's the need for a cooperative investigation?

And don't give me orders, you don't pack the gear to do so. And don't ever question my support or my grief involving my brothers again. That just confirms my suspicion you're using his death as a tool for your agenda. And leads me to believe your cheese has fallen off your cracker. The fact that you would stoop that low proves I'm right about your agenda.


Because it will continue to happen so long as there's war, duh! Especially since the cowards you ignore and support with your silence, keep using UN bases as launching pads.
Because it isn't. I know that friendly fire happens, it's an expected side effect of war. Besides, I already know why it happened, your buddies used the UN base as a back drop to attack Israel.

This isn't rocket science.

CDN Bear
No it is not rocket science to figure this one out – I personally believe that you are confusing where a person stands on the Mid East wars and mixing this in –
That said It was a deliberate attack and it was in no way friendly fire – It was murder, plain and simple.
PS –And then you go on to say you know why it happened – really - Can you tell the difference between shxt and Shinola – I doubt it.

 

[Zzarchov]

So I suppose you support hanging our boys when they shoot someone, in a warzone, with people crawling all over them?

Armed cops can outnumber a defenseless polish man and kill him, thats logical and A-Ok.

But put two groups of shadowy figures dancing around trying to kill each other (and in the case of Hezbollah enemy civilians, old ladies and small babies included), and the thought that anyone can get killed in the crossfire...

is somehow deliberate murder?

ya. Im so glad you think our soldiers should be sent to prison for reacting logically to situations we force them to be put in. Or do these rules not apply to our guys, just Israel?

 

[CDNBear]

CDN Bear
No it is not rocket science to figure this one out – I personally believe that you are confusing where a person stands on the Mid East wars and mixing this in –
That said It was a deliberate attack and it was in no way friendly fire – It was murder, plain and simple.

Got any proof it was a deliberate act?

Didn't think so...

Israel apologised, and accepted full responsibility. The only confusion here is yours.

PS –And then you go on to say you know why it happened – really - Can you tell the difference between shxt and Shinola – I doubt it.

Yep I sure can, your post being a prime example of **** and shinola.

 

[earth_as_one]

Any friendly fire incident should be thoroughly investigated with the cooperation of all the friendlies. Canada never got Israel's cooperation. That tells me this wasn't a friendly fire incident and Israel is hiding something.

Here is an example of friendly fire:

Friendly fire case: the legal saga
CBC News Online | June 6, 2005

On April 18, 2002, an American F-16 fighter jet dropped a laser-guided 225-kilogram bomb near Kandahar, accidentally killing four Canadian soldiers and injuring eight others.

The accident sent Canadians into mourning. Nearly two weeks later, the official mourning came to an end with an emotional memorial service in Edmonton.

Of the eight Canadian soldiers injured in the bombing, six returned to Canada the following week. The two others were treated for minor injuries and remained with their unit in Afghanistan. The unit, the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry, has since returned to Canada.

In May 2005, the four soldiers were honoured with a granite memorial in Fort Campbell, Ky., home of the 187th Infantry Regiment, the American unit the PPCLI fought beside in Afghanistan. The soldiers' names were also engraved on a memorial wall in Fort Campbell, the first time the names of non-U.S. soldiers were included on the wall.

U.S. air force Maj. Harry Schmidt, one of the pilots involved in the "friendly fire" incident that killed four Canadians in Afghanistan, was found guilty of dereliction of duty on July 6, 2004, in what the U.S. military calls a "non-judicial hearing" before a senior officer. The maximum penalty he had faced was 30 days of house arrest.

He was reprimanded and forfeited more than $5,000 US in pay. The air force agreed to allow Schmidt to remain in the Illinois Air National Guard, but not as a pilot. Schmidt later appealed the verdict, but the appeal was rejected. He also filed a lawsuit against the air force, saying it released his letter of reprimand to the media, in violation of his privacy.

Schmidt had made a deal in June 2004 so he could avoid a full court martial.

Legal wrangling had delayed the case again and again. In late March 2004, the U.S. Air Force Court of Criminal Appeals refused to supply classified information to Schmidt's legal team, who had argued the data was crucial to the defence.

In a statement released by Gittins in the summer of 2003, Schmidt said: "It is clear that I cannot and will not receive a full and fair hearing" in a non-judicial proceeding which is heard by a senior U. S. Air Force officer.

Schmidt faced two counts of dereliction of duty for not making sure he was dropping a bomb on the enemy and for disobeying air controllers' instructions to "standby" while information was verified. The formal counts allege that he "failed to comply with the applicable rules of engagement" and "willfully failed to exercise appropriate flight discipline over his aircraft."

Schmidt was originally charged with four counts of involuntary manslaughter and eight counts of assault. Schmidt's wingman, Maj. William Umbach was originally charged with four counts of aiding and abetting manslaughter, and eight counts of aiding and abetting assault.

Umbach agreed to accept a reprimand and retire from the Air Force.

When it decided to proceed with the dereliction of duty charges on June 30, 2003, the Air Force dropped the original charges of involuntary manslaughter and aggravated assault against Schmidt.

On June 19, 2003, Lt. Gen. Bruce Carlson, commander of the U.S. 8th Air Force, who reviewed the case, decided that both pilots should receive non-judicial punishment. That meant the Air Force had decided not to court martial the two National Guard pilots who were charged in the incident outside Kandahar, Afghanistan on April 18, 2002. As well as the four Canadian soldiers who were killed, eight others were wounded when Schmidt dropped a 250-kilogram laser-guided bomb from his F-16 on the night-time live-fire military exercise.

Schmidt maintains he was not briefed on the Canadian exercise before the flight. He says he was told in the briefing that the Taliban was active in the area.

The ruling came after an Air Force "Article 32" hearing - the equivalent of a preliminary hearing in Canada - was held at Barksdale Air Force Base near Bossier, La., in January 2003.

If Schmidt had faced the manslaughter charges, he could have received up to 64 years in prison. The dereliction of duty charge means Schmidt could face up to six months in jail.

CBC News Indepth: Friendly Fire

This incident and the resulting investigation resulted in better "friend or foe" detection systems and similar incidents have not been repeated.

If indeed this was an example of friendly fire and Israel had cooperated with the investigation they might have learned from mistakes and avoided this incident:

Israeli shells kill 42 at U.N. school: Gaza medics | Reuters

But I doubt either incident are examples of friendly fire.

 

[CDNBear]

Any friendly fire incident should be thoroughly investigated with the cooperation of all the friendlies. Canada never got Israel's cooperation. That tells me this wasn't a friendly fire incident and Israel is hiding something.

Here is an example of friendly fire:



This incident and the resulting investigation resulted in better "friend or foe" detection systems and similar incidents have not been repeated.

If indeed this was an example of friendly fire and Israel had cooperated with the investigation they might have learned from mistakes and avoided this incident:

Israeli shells kill 42 at U.N. school: Gaza medics | Reuters

But I doubt either incident are examples of friendly fire.

I'm getting a 'friendly fire' lesson from a civilian with an agenda...

eao, give it a rest. Go ignore some more human rights violations by your hero's and loved ones.

Here's an easy one for you, go count the threads you've created condemning Israel, and then count the ones that were strictly about condemning the Hezbollah, Hamas etc...

You have an agenda, period.

Do you even read...fully...the shyte you post. That one link actually details that the school was used as a back drop for attacks on Israeli positions. To which two confirmed gunmen were killed. Go figure. As I've said a thousand times to you and your ilk. Israel needs to guage its responses more carefully and stop blatantly, and blindly retaliating. But hey, it's ok for your buddies to use the schools, homes, Mosques, apartments, and hospitals in the first place. Keep defending the despicable eao. It suits you.

You consistantly gloss over, or out right ignore terrorist acts against Israel. All the while holding Israel to a higher standard.

If it isn't anti Israeli, I don't know what it is...Perhaps you're just a bigot and hate Jews?

 

[earth_as_one]

Related:

Supporting the Troops When It's Convenient
Published Feb. 6, 2008

The Conservative government has repeatedly affirmed that its approach to foreign policy revolves around four principles: human rights, rule of law, democracy and freedom.

Given the way it has handled the tragic death of Canadian peacekeeper Maj. Paeta Hess-von Kruedener, another word might be more important than any of these: priorities.

On July 25, 2006, an Israeli aircraft dropped a 500-kg. bomb on the UN observation post the Canadian and three other peacekeepers were manning near where the Israeli, Lebanese and Syrian borders meet.

Questions and allegations erupted at once. Then UN secretary-general Kofi Annan said the post had been intentionally targeted, a claim echoed by Maj. Hess-von Kruedener's widow.

Prime Minister Stephen Harper, who had described Israel's actions in the war against Hezbollah as "measured" and fought against international calls for a ceasefire, described the bombing as a "terrible tragedy."

Then Mr. Harper demanded answers.

"We want to find out why this United Nations post was attacked, and also why it remained manned during what is, more or less, a war, during obvious danger to these particular individuals."

But Israel refused to co-operate with Canadian investigators, instead giving them a summary of its own investigations. To be fair, the UN also refused, but they weren't the ones who dropped the bomb. It was up to the Israelis to answer for their actions, or so one would think.

Last Friday, 16 months after wrapping up its investigation, during which time the file floated around National Defence Headquarters, the Canadian board of inquiry released its findings. The result: the Israeli Defence Force was to blame for Maj. Hess-von Kruedener's "tragic and preventable" death.

The Canadian board appeared to accept Israel's own explanation, and said it was unlikely that access to further Israeli personnel or information would have altered its findings.

But the Israeli explanation just doesn't add up.

Israel says an old map was to blame, even though the post had been built decades ago, was clearly marked and was well-known to all sides.

There's also the question as to why Israeli forces continued to attack the post even after the UN lodged protests.

Unfortunately, the Canadian board's censored report painted the picture in broad strokes that did nothing to explain what really happened on the Israeli side.

And that is where Canada's government failed Maj. Hess-von Kruedener, his family and Canadian peacekeepers in general, and where the government's priorities become apparent.

Despite the prime minister's demand for answers, Israeli Ambassador Alan Baker told Embassy there was no high-level push for accountability from Canada.

At the same time, the government has spared no breath paying homage to Canada's young men and women who are in Afghanistan, but appears to have no interest in finding out the truth when it comes to a peacekeeper who was killed for doing his job.

In refusing to demand justice and accountability—especially from a close ally—this government has abandoned its principles and made clear where it's true interests lie.

The message: Good relations with our ally Israel are more important than any one of us, even a Canadian who was just doing his job.

Supporting the Troops When It's Convenient | Embassy - Foreign Policy Newsweekly

I'm coming to the conclusion that the problem wasn't just Israel's lack of cooperation, but also our government's lack of interest in finding answers.

 

[earth_as_one]

I'm getting a 'friendly fire' lesson from a civilian with an agenda...

eao, give it a rest. Go ignore some more human rights violations by your hero's and loved ones.

Here's an easy one for you, go count the threads you've created condemning Israel, and then count the ones that were strictly about condemning the Hezbollah, Hamas etc...

You have an agenda, period.

Do you even read...fully...the shyte you post. That one link actually details that the school was used as a back drop for attacks on Israeli positions. To which two confirmed gunmen were killed. Go figure. As I've said a thousand times to you and your ilk. Israel needs to guage its responses more carefully and stop blatantly, and blindly retaliating. But hey, it's ok for your buddies to use the schools, homes, Mosques, apartments, and hospitals in the first place. Keep defending the despicable eao. It suits you.

You consistantly gloss over, or out right ignore terrorist acts against Israel. All the while holding Israel to a higher standard.

If it isn't anti Israeli, I don't know what it is...Perhaps you're just a bigot and hate Jews?

Your tactics are typical of an Israeli apologist. Attack a person's character, label them anti-semitic and a terrorist supporter. I'd like to see you back up any of the statements about me by referencing my posts.

I share similar opinions and viewpoints as many Israelis and Jews. Are these people also anti-semitic and terrorist supporters?

Criticize Israel? You're an Anti-Semite!

How can we have a real discussion about Mideast peace if speaking honestly about Israel is out of bounds?

By Rosa Brooks:

09/01/06 "Los Angeles Times" -- -- EVER WONDER what it's like to be a pariah?

Publish something sharply critical of Israeli government policies and you'll find out. If you're lucky, you'll merely discover that you've been uninvited to some dinner parties. If you're less lucky, you'll be the subject of an all-out attack by neoconservative pundits and accused of rabid anti-Semitism.

This, at least, is what happened to Ken Roth. Roth — whose father fled Nazi Germany — is executive director of Human Rights Watch, America's largest and most respected human rights organization. (Disclosure: I have worked in the past as a paid consultant for the group.) In July, after the Israeli offensive in Lebanon began, Human Rights Watch did the same thing it has done in Iraq, Afghanistan, Chechnya, Bosnia, East Timor, Sierra Leone, Congo, Uganda and countless other conflict zones around the globe: It sent researchers to monitor the conflict and report on any abuses committed by either side.

It found plenty. On July 18, Human Rights Watch condemned Hezbollah rocket strikes on civilian areas within Israel, calling the strikes "serious violations of international humanitarian law and probable war crimes." So far, so good. You can't lose when you criticize a terrorist organization.

But Roth and Human Rights Watch didn't stop there. As the conflict's death toll spiraled — with most of the casualties Lebanese civilians — Human Rights Watch also criticized Israel for indiscriminate attacks on civilians. Roth noted that the Israeli military appeared to be "treating southern Lebanon as a free-fire zone," and he observed that the failure to take appropriate measures to distinguish between civilians and combatants constitutes a war crime.

The backlash was prompt. Roth and Human Rights Watch soon found themselves accused of unethical behavior, giving aid and comfort to terrorists and anti-Semitism. The conservative New York Sun attacked Roth (who is Jewish) for having a "clear pro-Hezbollah and anti-Israel bias" and accused him of engaging in "the de-legitimization of Judaism, the basis of much anti-Semitism." Neocon commentator David Horowitz called Roth a "reflexive Israel-basher … who, in his zest to pillory Israel at every turn, is little more than an ally of the barbarians." The New Republic piled on, as did Alan Dershowitz, who claimed Human Rights Watch "cooks the books" to make Israel look bad. And writing in the Jewish Exponent, Jonathan Rosenblum accused Roth of resorting to a "slur about primitive Jewish bloodlust."

Anyone familiar with Human Rights Watch — or with Roth — knows this to be lunacy. Human Rights Watch is nonpartisan — it doesn't "take sides" in conflicts. And the notion that Roth is anti-Semitic verges on the insane.

But what's most troubling about the vitriol directed at Roth and his organization isn't that it's savage, unfounded and fantastical. What's most troubling is that it's typical. Typical, that is, of what anyone rash enough to criticize Israel can expect to encounter. In the United States today, it just isn't possible to have a civil debate about Israel, because any serious criticism of its policies is instantly countered with charges of anti-Semitism. Think Israel's tactics against Hezbollah were too heavy-handed, or that Israel hasn't always been wholly fair to the Palestinians, or that the United States should reconsider its unquestioning financial and military support for Israel?

Shhh: Don't voice those sentiments unless you want to be called an anti-Semite — and probably a terrorist sympathizer to boot....

Criticize Israel? You're an Anti-Semite!