Juan Gelman is a distinguished Argentine poet. In 2007 he was awarded the Premio Cervantes, the most important prize awarded for literature in the Spanish language. Gelman devoted a good part of his youth and middle age to participation various revolutionary Peronist organizations and was obliged to flee the country during the 1976 - 1983 military dictatorship. In recent years, as well as his work as a poet, he has devoted himself to fulminating in the press against what he regards as the two principle founts of evil in the world: the United States of America and Israel.

I’ve analyzed some of this journalism here but would now like to turn my attention to an article by him published by him on the back page Sunday’s edition of Pagina/12 of Buenos Aires.

After quoting part of a piece in Haaretz by Anders Carlberg, a Swedish Jewish community leader, Gelman goes on to say,

That doesn’t mean that the burning of synagogues that has occurred in various countries is justified. However, it’s still true that the more that the 1300 deaths in Gaza, many of them civilians and, especially, children are the result of a decision by Olmert’s government and this opened up a space where these demonstrations could occur in the framework of a generalized feeling of repudiation. It’s appropriate, therefore to ask who is really responsible for these truly antisemitic activities.

As far as I know he’s exaggerating when he talks about synagogues having been burned in several countries but it’s certainly true that there has been an upsurge in antisemitic activity in many parts of the world in recent weeks. Now note that although Gelman believes that attacks on Jewish places of worship are unjustified he also considers them to be “demonstrations” and regards it as appropriate to ask whether the Israeli government might not be the body really responsible for them.

The implications of this view are really quite something. In the article by Carlberg that Gelman quotes from, mention is made of an unsuccessful attempt to burn down a synagogue in southern Sweden. If we follow the poet’s logic we are required to believe that the reaction to be reasonably expected - though, of course, it can’t be justified, good heavens no - of ordinary peaceable Swedes on becoming aware of actions by the government of Israel which they disapprove of, is to attempt to burn down the house of worship of their Jewish neighbors. Attacks on Jews in one place, therefore, may be explained - never justified though, what do you take me for? - by the crimes, real or perceived, of Jews in other places. It follows from this that the best way to deal with outbreaks of antisemitism is for Jews to make sure that they don’t do things which people willing to commit antisemitic acts might find irritating.

There is a widely held view in Argentina that Juan Gelman is a defender of human rights.