When it stops being just "criticism of Israel"

Sometimes it's legitimate. But there's a point where it's about something darker.

Joel Harden, a member of the Ontario legislature from the left-wing New Democratic Party, is under fire for allegedly antisemitic remarks.

But did they truly betray hatred or distrust of Jews, or was it just overheated criticism of the state of Israel? Let’s examine the evidence:

An Ottawa-area provincial politician has apologized for comments that critics deemed antisemitic.

On Sunday, Joel Harden, the Ottawa-Centre member of Ontario’s provincial parliament, apologized for comments he made in a video roughly one year ago in which he said the “single greatest origin of violence in the Middle East is unquestionably the state of Israel.”

[…]

In the video, Harden makes claims about the state of Israel dehumanizing Palestinians. He also discusses the criticism that critiques of Israel are cast as antisemitic.

He said he’s been called an anti-Semite for his views.

“I don’t shrug it off,” Harden said. “I understand why people are active and vigilant in fighting antisemitism because it’s a real pr…