"The idea that Jews threaten the world is deeply embedded in Western culture, so deeply in fact, that this category is automatically evoked when the Israeli state sometimes breaks the law, as many states around the world do. There is no doubt that in recent decades, Israel has acted in defiance of international law (and its own as well) and that its military response in Gaza has been disproportionate. But I have trouble believing that under the same circumstances other countries would have acted differently."