With world opinion of Israel at an all time low, and with the growing movement to boycott, divest, and sanction Israel, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is getting desperate. So,what better way to shut down criticism of Israel than to make the accusation of anti-Semitism?[youtube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iUE9yNffy5U]This time, the accusation wasn t hurled at Palestinians or so-called  self-hating Jews  and others who criticize Israel. In a sign of the times, it was directed at Western leaders, historically supportive of anything Israel but who are growing increasingly impatient with Israel over its horrendous treatment of the Palestinians. During Netanyahu s official greeting on the occasion of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, Netanyahu stated: Islamic extremists incorporate the most outrageous antisemitism into their murderous doctrines. We see this in Gaza; we see it in Raqqa; we see it in Tehran. And it s not just Islamic extremists in the Middle East and Europe. Even respected Western opinion leaders have become afflicted with hatred for the Jewish people and the Jewish state. The charge of anti-Semitism has traditionally been used as a tool to muzzle those who speak out against Israel s nasty  policies toward the Palestinians and it s worked for a long time but there has been a slow but sure change that has alarmed Netanyahu and the Zionist establishment both in Israel and around the world. While Western opinion has indeed changed, its important to differentiate between being anti-Semitic and anti-Israel. Israel is a state worthy of criticism for its genocidal policies toward the Palestinians and its thievery of their lands and it s not anti-Semitic to criticize Israel but it s actually right and a just thing to do. However, when this happens, the anti-Semitic accusation immediately follows.For example, when Swedish foreign minister Margot Wallstrom recently called for conducting an investigation into Israel s extrajudicial executions of Palestinians during the latest violence, she was attacked by Israeli politicians and the media through a campaign of hatred and incitement and was labeled an anti-Semite.  One former Israeli official even incited murder against her in an article, suggesting that Wallstr m deserved to be executed like Count Folke Bernadotte, a Swedish UN diplomat murdered by a Zionist militia in 1948. The aricle, by Zvi Zameret, headlined Margot Wallstr m s source of inspiration, was published in Makor Rishon, a paper owned by US Zionist billionaire casino owner Sheldon Adelson, an unconditional supporter of Israel and Benjmamin Netanyahu, and a guy who the Republican presidential candidates grovel to for money and support.Although the attacks can be frighting, Westerners are developing a backbone. The European Union has recently approved of labeling goods made in the West Bank as  made in settlements  rather than  made in Israel.  Israel called the move (take a guess) anti-Semitic. However, Israeli settlements are built on Palestinian territory Israel occupied in 1967 and are deemed illegal under international law.Even the United States, a country whose politicians grovel to Zionists more than any other country (it s quite embarrassing), have come out in criticism of Israel, most notably under President Obama s administration. US ambassador to Israel David Shapiro recently criticized Israel s failure to prosecute Jewish vigilantism against Palestinians and its differing set of laws for Jews and Palestinians in the West Bank, effectively calling Israel an apartheid state. During a speech in Tel Aviv, Shapiro, who is Jewish, said: Too much Israeli vigilantism in the West Bank goes on unchecked. There is a lack of thorough investigations   at times it seems Israel has two standards of adherence to rule of law in the West Bank   one for Israelis and one for Palestinians. The response from the Zionist establishment was nasty and typical. A former Netanyahu aide used a derogatory ethnic slur, calling Shapiro  yehudon,  the equivalent of  little Jew boy  used in Israel to describe Jews not living in Israel as not being  Jewish enough  or  pro-Israel. The bottom line is that the world is disgusted with Israel. Its Western supporters can no longer defend a crumbling system of apartheid and injustice that is coming to an end. The movement that calls for justice for Palestinians is growing and as Nelson Mandela, the great leader of the South African anti-aparteid movement, eloquently stated: We know too well that our freedom is incomplete without the freedom of the Palestinians. Featured image via Wikipedia Commons