It is a cultural tragedy that Yair Rosenberg is the Atlantic’s antisemitism expert. He is an agitator. His job is to stir up the antiZionism=antisemitism and the BDS=antisemitism claims by baiting anti-Zionists, but when these discussions become real issues, he slinks away, because he is not prepared to defend the claims in a real world discussion. His baiting of the Institute for Middle East Understanding demonstrates that intellectual irresponsibility.

After the synagogue attack in Texas, Yair Rosenberg and other “Never Again” journalists rushed in to explain that antisemitism is a belief in Jewish control that permeates America and transcends history. According to the hasbara culture these authorities propagate, it is always the 1930’s. And isn’t that convenient for Israel and its lobby: Never Again journalists seek to make it taboo to mention Israel’s political power in the U.S.

Yair Rosenberg has routinely described Palestinian leaders as terrorists and antisemites and characterized Palestinian resistance to occupation as stemming from ancient historical hatred of Jews. He is now ensconced at the Atlantic spreading his misunderstanding of the world into American opinion, for years to come.

The pogroms against Palestinians that are a weekly occurrence, and the long reign of Netanyahu, have all been rendered “understandable” by a crew of hasbara culture journalists like Yair Rosenberg, Bret Stephens, David Frum, and Jeffrey Goldberg, who have purveyed a mythology of Jews as the sacred special victims of history. The ethnocentricity has laid waste to Jewish political culture.

Pro-Israel writers have dismissed all criticism, opposition and even enmity to Israel and its actions as springing from an ancient malady, antisemitism. They thereby erase the true history of the Israel-Palestine conflict, in a so-far successful effort to discredit the critics. Israel’s actions exist very much in history, and its supporters use very sharp elbows and knees to get its way.

When Rep. Rashida Tlaib faulted people for making record profits from Gaza tp Detroit, Jonathan Greenblatt of the ADL accused her of antisemitic “dogwhistling.” And Bari Weiss joined in the smear campaign, saying, “So many people have been willfully blind toward the worldview of this congresswoman.” Tlaib’s actual crime is being Palestinian.

The news this morning that Israel will bar a visit by U.S. Congresswomen Rashida Tlaib…