This is a guest post from Jonathan Sacerdoti who attended the War On Want event yesterday evening.
What does Ben White think about the 85 per cent reduction in terrorist attacks in Israel since the security fence was built? Firstly, he thinks that is a loaded question, because it requires him to perfunctorily acknowledge that it’s good that so many innocent people aren’t being killed any more by terror attacks. But his biggest concern is that the fence is ‘illegal’ even if it is saving lives on a scale like no other step taken in the Middle East.
I learnt this on Thursday night from an event run by the charity War on Want, where White was plugging his new anti Israel book (which is brim full of lies and misquotations). He didn’t have much to say about the illegality of people blowing themselves up in crowded bars, though. And presumably, if he wants the fence taken down, he’s made a value judgement that the ‘illegality’ of the fence is worse than the brutal and evil intentional killing of Israeli civilians that it prevents.
At the event, I asked White what other suggestions he might have for reducing so drastically the number of terrorist attacks on innocent civilians in discotheques, pizza restaurants and school buses, seeing as he was so against the fence. But he didn’t have any suggestions. He did seem pretty sure, however, that all efforts Israel has made to protect its people have been totally wrong.
Operation Cast Lead was carried out in January of this year in response to a sustained, several year long barrage of missiles launched from the Gaza strip into southern Israeli towns. But White and War on Want say that was definitely wrong, even though it reduced the frequency of subsequent attacks on Israeli civilians, and attracted praise for the IDF from former British Army Colonel Richard Kemp, who said that “the IDF did more to safeguard the rights of [Palestinian] civilians in a combat zone than any other army in the history of warfare”. Kemp commanded British troops in Afghanistan, and was a senior advisor on Army Issues to the British government.
Even Israel’s unilateral disengagement from Gaza was somehow wrong, according to White, because it was what he calls a “tactical” move. He suggested it was no more than a photo opportunity for the world to see Israel in a more favourable light. He didn’t have much to say about the Palestinian ‘tactic’ of using this enormous effort for peace on Israel’s part as an opportunity to increase rocket attacks on Israeli civilians, rather than to build a solid foundation for a thriving and peaceful state.
When it came to efforts to encourage the strengthening of the Palestinian people through economic means, as championed by Tony Blair and Binyamin Netanyahu, White was certain that this too was wrong: it is no more than an effort to keep Palestinians employed on a low wage, and busy, so that they might forget their real cause (how patronising…)
Ultimately, the problem with White and War on Want’s approach is that it seems to be motivated more by hatred of the Jewish state of Israel than anything else. They quickly and totally reject any effort Israel makes—be it literal disengagement and movement of thousands of Israelis, encouraging economic growth for the Palestinians, the physical protection of a fence, or even military action. Conversely, they never mention Hamas and its declared genocidal aims, the years of terrorist attacks and peace initiatives rejected by the Palestinians, or the lack of a meaningful and powerful Palestinian partner for negotiation.
White is an absurd excuse for a commentator. He has no desire to consider the complex and sensitive political, religious and security facts of the Middle East. He is unashamedly one-sided, sanctimonious, and often inaccurate. One audience member asked him how he hoped anyone would take him seriously when he didn’t once acknowledge any error or wrong-doing on the part of the Palestinians (of which, of course, there are many). White and his groupies in the audience suggested it was because we hear so much from the Israeli perspective already, and so little from that of the Palestinians: “Palestinians don’t control the press” one blurted out from the back of the room. And I think we all knew what she meant by that…
Well done Jonathan. And well done to all of you who let the sunshine in to the Toynbee Centre last night.
Good article, and kudos to Jonathan Sacerdoti for confronting Ben White face to face. Unfortunately I doubt it will make the slightest bit of difference. People like White do not like to be confused with facts.
And Chas, I noticed you got the first comment in White’s latest screed in El-Guardian. And I spotted a deleted comment of yours too. You must have gotten under their skin. Well done.
A very important account which I have posted up on my own blog. If Jonathan Sacerdoti or anyone else has an even more detailed account or, better still, a video of the event I would be very interested. Please leave any suggestions on my blog: http://www.robinshepherdonline.com/
Ben White seems to play pop-up pirates with comments on his articles, and many of the logical arguments put by Those Sneaky Zionists end up mysteriously deleted.
Jonathan, you must have nuts of steel to be able to confront this mob – I don’t know how you do it! All they need are brown shirts to match with their ‘sympathy-with-suicide-bombers’ keffiyahs. Funnily enough, I had to work at a so-called ‘Diversity’ conference last night. Two things were notable: screaming in the conference room when the police mentioned violent extremism (one group ranting on about ‘discrimination’ – you can guess who hijacked the whole thing) and the absence of another religious minority. I’ll let you guess who that was…
Ben White’s writing on Israel has been totally discredited.
What interests me more is his motivation. Do we think Ben White is genuinely evil, or just hopelessly naive and caught-up in a bandwagon of antisemites who are exploiting his craving for attention?
Also, well done Jonathan for your non-violent resistance to War on Want’s apartheid!
Sometimes I wonder if people like White have half of their brain missing. I can see no other explanation for the absolute blindness they suffer from when it comes to the truth about Israel, and the intentional ‘naivety’ when it comes to the Palestinians.
Well done to all those who are bravely standing up against the Jew haters in left wing clothing. The depths of their influence with governmental and non governmental groups is frightening. Left wing Jew haters posing as antizionists have had far too much malign influence for far too long.
I wish there was an organised group that I could join which would confront these nutters head on. Sometimes posting on a bulletin board or a blog is just not enough.
Emma Robinson said:”Do we think Ben White is genuinely evil, or just hopelessly naive and caught-up in a bandwagon of antisemites who are exploiting his craving for attention?”
I think this question needs to be asked about all Left wing antisemites (I now call them what they are rather than antizionists) who are hawking their drek about in middle class lefty circles.
Some are probably of the ‘Jews control the world’ variety but there are others who are suckers for admiration and the flattery of screaming crowds and there are probably many others who are brainwashed by the sects they belong to consider Israel and by extension Jews to be the ‘ultimate evil’
I would put the influential fellow travellers of this disgusting clique of lefty antisemites such as those who work in the media to be a mixture of the admiration suckers and the brainwashed.
Re Ben White a previous poster said that his writings have been discredited if so why don’t organs like the Guardian treat his writings like that of other frothing loons?
“Re Ben White a previous poster said that his writings have been discredited if so why don’t organs like the Guardian treat his writings like that of other frothing loons?”
Because the Guardian is the Der Stermer of the current age?
Let’s face it – if a person wants to get ahead in the world of the UK media, the easiest and quickest way is to jump on the anti-Israel bandwaggon, crowded as it is.
This is true in journalism as well as TV and film. My daughter has just completed her degree in Film & TV Production at a British university and she very soon discovered that as far as Israelis go, the industry only wants to hear from the Pappes and Atzmons of this world.
That’s one of the reasons I admire and respect Chas’s choice to tread the more difficult route. I’m sure his life would have been easier if he went with the herd like Ben White. Thank goodness there are still some people with backbones and principles.
What we need is a debate show or something where instead of struggling to be heard over raving, frothing-at-the-mouth, ignorant Israel-haters, the Zionist Lobby (haha!) talks first, puts the facts out there, and the anti-Zionists are made to look like the idiots that they are because they simply can’t refute the facts (LYING would be against the rules of the show!), and then they’ll realise that Zionism is the only way to go and nothing else makes sense.
Sorry, I went off on one there. Hey, a Zionist can dream.
Thanks for the comments so far and thanks Israelinurse for your kind words. Much appreciated.
PZ – I would LOVE to see a televised debate between Jonathan Hoffman and Ben White. That said, it would be a bit cruel on White as Hoffman would wipe the floor with him.
I agree with Proud Zionist that there needs to be something whether it be a debate show or something where those who are supporters of Israel or at the very least not one of the brainwashed frothers and who are genuinely open minded put forward the truth. It will be attacked, it will be degraded, it will be sneered at by the lunatics of the antizionist / islamist Left but it must be done. I don’t think that such an event would convert any of the headcases to the idea of accepting Zionism but it may very well enlighten those on the fringes of these groups or those who are being led by peer pressure.
I can concur with Israelinurses comments. From what I can see and hear it seems that the media is stuffed full of those who have been ‘educated’ by establishments where an anti Israeli culture exists and students pick up on this.
I can
The Pals should THANK the Israelis for the security fence!
After all, not only Israeli lives are being saved but Pal lives too!
I am not here referring just to innocent Israeli lives!
Nor am I referring just to Israeli incursions into the WB or Gaza to search and destroy the instigators of the suicide bombers in the immediate aftermath of a dastardly attack!
No! The Pal lives being saved are those of the would-be suicide bombers themselves who are always the best and the brightest (sic!) of the Pals!
Those putative suicide bombers and their willing-before-wailing wives and mothers, finding their desires thwarted, their longings unfulfilled, and their bodies still in one piece, can now happily go back to doing what they do best–digging tunnels and tunnelling their first cousins!
Say “Thank you, Ariel”, all you suicide bombers, to PM. Sharon, whose foresight has helped take away temptation and given you life, when all you had to look forward to was a searing pain, and blowing yourself into smithereens!
Trundlemaster…. I posted a comment on Liberal Conspiracy(smearing opponents as anti-semitic )under another non de plume 666, suggesting that we take our lead from Group 43, boy did this get up Whites arse. So there you have it anybody up for it ?