The Editor:

"Bashing Israel is the new anti-Semitism" [Edmonton Sun, December 23, 2001] banners the header over Mindelle Jacobs' column. Equating alleged Israel-bashing with so-called "anti-Semitism" is hardly new. It's an old ploy to silence critics. For example:

The United Church Observer once had the temerity to print a graphic photo of a Palestinian child recovering from napalm burns resulting from Israeli attacks on Arab civilians. The Reverend A.C. Forrest, editor of the Observer [The Unholy Land, The Devin-Adair Co., Old Greenwich, Conn., 1972, p. 17], recalled: "Later I did publish one of the pictures in the United Church Observer, of a little girl recovering from napalm burns. That, I was told, proved I was anti-Semitic. To condemn napalm in Vietnam is alright. To report its use by the Israelis is considered anti-Semitic."

Sincerely yours,

Orest Slepokura
Strathmore AB