The standard response to criticism in Israel is to attack the critic. Many times the critic has a valid point so it does not benefit Israelis to attempt to answer the point he makes. Instead, the critic is attacked for having skeletons in his own closet, however old they may be. He is called an "anti-semite", a hypocrite, a "hater" (good people never hate anything). There are a couple major problems with this strategy. First, it leaves the critics original assertion unanswered. To a neutral observer, this smacks of guilt. Second, it can escalate out of control, turning a friend into an enemy. It`s not as if Israel has a lot of friends to throw away.
P.S. Why would a friend criticize you? Ask your mom. |
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