Dean’s comments are coming under criticism. In a statement released to Democracy Now, Mitchell Plitnick of the San Francisco-based Jewish Voice for Peace said: “Israel opens itself up to legitimate criticism with its killing of so many civilians on top of 39 years of occupation of Palestinian lands. It is shameful to hide these misdeeds behind specious accusations of anti-Semitism. Mr. Dean and others like him belittle centuries of Jewish suffering by using accusations of anti-Semitism to shield Israel from legitimate criticism.”