There is an astonishing article by Max Hastings over at CiF, in which he writes about how he fell out of love with Israel. One might have hoped for a reasonable, factual argument from a man such as Hastings. Unfortunately, Mad Max disappoints.
“There is no purpose in wasting rhetoric upon moral denunciations of terrorism or even suicide-bombing.”
Yeah, why condemn terrorism when you can condemn democracy? They must have loved that line at CiF.
“The Palestinians, together with the Muslim world and many in the west, no longer believe that Israel will grant justice to their people by negotiation; they believe that only force might eventually drive the Israelis to make concessions.”
It’s amazing when people get things exactly the wrong way round. The truth is that on numerous occasions over several decades, Israel has offered the Palestinians a state. Each time, the Palestinians have turned the offer down in favour of further terrorism. Hastings is not some random leftie buffoon, he’s an intelligent, educated man. How can he not know this?
“The most extraordinary, indeed nihilistic aspect of Israeli military policy towards the Palestinians is that it has sought to punish terrorism by deliberately wrecking the economic base of Palestinian society. On its own terms, this has succeeded.”
The standard lie that Jews are entirely responsible for the squalor that successive Palestinian leaders have inflicted on their own people.
“For more than 60 years, the Holocaust card has been played again and again.”
What a sickening sentence. Again, they must have loved it at CiF.
“The Holocaust argument is sometimes displaced by a more facile jibe: that those who criticise Israel are guilty of anti-semitism. I have been accused of this myself. Yet I take comfort from the number of Jews who express repugnance about Israel’s excesses.”
Yeah, they are useful for antisemites to hide behind aren’t they?
“It is because so many of us so much want to see Israel prosper in security and peace that…”
Do you? Not on the evidence of this article, which appears to be an order that Israel signs a suicide note.
In conclusion, I quote the words of an unnamed Israeli politician who once told Hastings: “You are a typical European. You loved Israel when it was a victim. Now you turn your face from us, because we have become too strong for your taste. We are no longer Jews on our knees, begging for pity.”
Never again will they thus beg, whether Mad Max likes it or not.
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One of your best posts in ages, Chas. Well said.
Excellently put, I prefer the posts where you tear apart an article or an argument. Great final quote, expertly done!!
I agree. Great article Chas. I expect that Mad Max prefers countries where loads of men with brown faces defer to his colonial superiority. Don’t expect that from Israel in a hurry Hastings.
I read that article and the disgusting comments beneath. I agree with your sentiment completely. However,
I would like to make the distinction between ‘the Palestinians’ and their disgusting, terribly irresponsible, genocidal government/leaders. It is the leadership who rejected these states, their people were never consulted. It was as though average Abdul from Ramallah or Maryam from Nablus that decided to reject Israel’s offers. My bets are most Palestinians would have jumped at a state in 2000, and indeed in November last year. Sadly, they have no form of responsible leadership. AT ALL.
*RANT OVER*
“The standard lie that Jews are entirely responsible for the squalor that successive Palestinian leaders have inflicted on their own people.”
If one checks out the various Human Development Indexes published, including by the U.N., the Palestinians generally fare better than Arabs in neighbouring countries. The oil producing countries tend to a little better though.
It is noticeable that certain countries hyper-critical of Israel, South Africa comes to mind, rate considerably lower.
So I’d answer, “what squalor?” Why should the Palestinians be compared with Israel rather than with their countries of origin?
Well said Chas
To Brad’s point, most Africans, Muslim or Christian, when polled, have a significantly more favourable view of Israel than most African governments.