MJ Rosenberg: It's Netanyahu who is delegitimising Israel

Israel's way of "changing the subject" from its illegal occupation of Palestine is to label any criticism as an attack.

Israel's reaction to any protest against the occupation is often violent and overly defensive

The "pro-Israel" lobby's latest hobbyhorse is "delegitimisation". Those who criticise Israeli policies are accused of trying to "delegitimise" Israel, which supposedly means denying Israel's right to exist.

Even President Obama has gotten into the act, stating in his May 19 speech that "for the Palestinians, efforts to delegitimise Israel will end in failure".

Obama seemed to be referring to the Palestinians' plan to seek recognition of their state at the United Nations this autumn, although it's hard to imagine just how that would delegitimise Israel.

After all, the Palestinians are not seeking statehood in Israeli territory, but in territory that the whole world (including Israel) recognises as having been occupied by Israel only after the 1967 war. Rather than seeking Israel's elimination, the Palestinians who intend to go to the United Nations are seeking establishment of a state alongside Israel. That state would encompass 22 per cent of Mandate Palestine, with Israel possessing 78 per cent.
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