Theory, action, or practice directed against the Jews. Hence anti-{sm}Semite, one who is hostile or opposed to the Jews; anti-Se{sm}mitic a.
However, the 1989 OED defines Semite as:
A person belonging to the race of mankind which includes most of the peoples mentioned in Gen. x. as descended from Shem son of Noah, as the Hebrews, Arabs, Assyrians, and Aramæans. Also, a person speaking a Semitic language as his native tongue.
Interestingly, the OED has no entries for the following terms:
anti-Arabism
anti-Islamism
Which most assuredly would mean, respectively:
Theory, action, or practice directed against the Arabs, hence, anti-Arabist one who is hostile or opposed to the Arabs
Theory, action, or practice directed against the followers of Islam, hence, anti-Islamist one who is hostile or opposed to the Arabs
In practice, to say that an opinion is anti-semtic means that BECAUSE opinion criticizes ANY Jewish action, the opinion is automatically invalid, and the one who rendered the opinion
In a recent online English-language version of the Haaretz, a writer levels some serious charges against Israel.
This war, perhaps more than its predecessors, is exposing the true deep veins of Israeli society. Racism and hatred are rearing their heads, as is the impulse for revenge and the thirst for blood. The "inclination of the commander" in the Israel Defense Forces is now "to kill as many as possible," as the military correspondents on television describe it. And even if the reference is to Hamas fighters, this inclination is still chilling.
