Thread by @daverich1

This thread is a ruthless dismemberment of a terrible @ObserverUK article about Covid vaccines in Israel & the Palestinian territories. It's also a case study of when inaccurate anti-Israel commentary *might* be antisemitic according to @TheIHRA definition of antisemitism /1

https://twitter.com/ShMMor/status/1346091232871796738

The most contentious line in @TheIHRA definition is the one that says it "could" be antisemitic to apply to Israel "double standards by requiring of it a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation". Is that what this article is? holocaustremembrance.com/resources/work… /2

On the one hand, and as the thread by @ShMMor explains, the article implies expectations of Israel that are not expected or - or at least, met by - most other democratic nations; and it does so to make Israel look worse than it is /3

On the other hand, Israel wouldn't be the only country to be unfairly portrayed by misleading journalism. And while the overall impression from the article is definitely misleading, there's nothing explicitly false. Sometimes people aren't antisemitic - they are just wrong /4

Plus, everyone has double standards about something. Most people have issues, countries or causes they care about more than others. In itself, that isn't unusual or alarming /5

But two things sway this one for me. First, this article is wrong in a way that fits pre-existing antisemitic ideas: that Jews spread disease; they use their cleverness to gain advantage; they do not care about the suffering of others. This is relevant even if it is unwitting /6

Second, the article fits a pattern. It is rare that the @guardian website publishes articles that are wrong in a way that makes Israel look better than it is. The poor journalism isn't random: it is pretty much always towards the negative, and a particular type of negative /7

This is why the @TheIHRA line about "double standards" is useful. Double standards on their own aren't the problem as much as the prejudices that they sometimes reveal and perpetuate: the drip, drip effect creating a narrative that, reinforced over time, justifies hate. /End