The designation of a group with essential, evil qualities is rationalized by appealing to the greatest source of authority of the era, like religion in the past, science in modern times, or human rights in the present. This act is essential to transform a group into the 'other,' necessitating a distortion or ignorance of reality. Through appeals to authoritative doctrines or concepts, such as religious doctrine attributing Jews as Christ killers, perverted science suggesting Jews endanger racial purity, or distorted human rights labeling Zionism as violators, these collective designations are constructed. By distorting human rights concepts, accusations of ethnic cleansing on those who were ethnically cleansed from the Arab world are made, showcasing the manipulation of authority for collective designation.
Is there a country in the world that attracts so much criticism as Israel? Studies consistently show Israel to be one of the most disliked nations in the world (along with Iran and North Korea). But how much of this is to do with genuine concern about Israel’s actions, and how much is actually a cover for the age-old hatred of the Jews? In this week's podcast Mehdi Hasan of The Intercept and the Israeli historian Ilan Pappe go head to head against Times columnist Melanie Phillips and Israeli former Member of the Knesset Einat Wilf.
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