Wrong to criticise Israel ?

I am frequently told, in chat rooms and various forums that I am anti-Semitic or the suggestion is made. Why you might ask, well, in line with many other people with the exception of our government, Israel has taken a disproportionate stand against the Lebanon, which at this point has resulted in hundreds of civilians being killed needlessly in the last few weeks.

My view is that Israel has a right to defend it itself, and without question has a right to exist, now this view, is frankly not good enough, for many Israelis for they will not allow Palestinians their right to exist as a nation, neither will they consider giving back to Palestinian families lands and homes that they have taken in the last few years.

My view of equality, does not sit well with the Israeli government or its supporters, so frequently one is slurred, and called anti-Semitic not for any religious opinion but for holding a modest sensible political view.

There is no question, that Israel has had to fight hard in the past to maintain itself, and frequently Israel as had the unequivocal support from Western nations and rightly so but times change and so should Israel.

I find it ironic, when supporters of Israel descend into cheap and offensive insults of the type I've already described, particularly as I consider why I am no Christian or any other religion for that matter and part of the reason is the knowledge of the Holocaust, and other war-crimes which unfortunately have recurred during my lifetime in Cambodia, Yugoslavia, and Rwanda.

There is no justification, for terrorism and I don't think that terrorism has ever resulted in winning an argument. It is a pity that neither party in the Middle-East have the will to pursue their aims in a strictly political way.

It is difficult to equate one situation with another but maybe Israel and the Palestinians should draw some inspiration from South Africa, here you had a minority government which eventually faced the inevitable and did a deal.