NIGHTLINE will be about antisemitism tonight. Here’s an excerpt from the promotional email:

We have been flooded with emails since the beginning of the current round of violence in the Middle East. A lot of them have been fairly nasty, which we expect. But a number of them have accused us of not only being biased, a common theme to all of them, but of also being anti-Semitic. A smaller number have compared us to the Nazis, a particularly ugly attack. Now in recent weeks there have been a growing number of anti-Semitic attacks, especially in Europe. Synagogues burned, cemeteries vandalized, even a Jewish soccer team attacked. Many of these incidents have happened in France, but there have been incidents all over. Correspondent Richard Gizbert will report on this rising level of violence.

But there is a more difficult issue here, and that’s why I referred to the emails. The charge of anti-Semitism is not one to be taken lightly. But can someone be critical of Israel, or its policies, without being anti-Semitic? Is it possible to separate the two? At the same time, the charge of anti-Semitism can be used to quash any criticism. It’s easy for everyone to condemn the blatant and violent anti-Semitism behind the incidents in Europe. But what of something that is much more subtle? It’s a difficult subject. John Donvan is going to explore that question in his
report tonight.

They’re going to have Elie Wiesel.

My short answer: Sure, you can criticize Israel without being antisemitic. But when you criticize Israel for things you ignore in others, it raises certain doubts.