Comments on: Danny Ayalon at Oxford

By: Masa

Masa — Sat, 01 May 2010 23:40:19 +0000

Extremely tasteless to devote a whole section on your webiste to defending a neofascist government representative and to call protesters of human rights abusers anti-Semites.

By: Trencherbone

Trencherbone — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 09:16:33 +0000

He was only doing what the Koran commands.. Allah has ordered Muslims to exterminate the Jews as a compulsory religious duty: http://crombouke.blogspot.com/2010/02/muslims-duty-is-to-exterminate-jews-in.html

By: One-forties for 9 Feb 2010 « Lineman

One-forties for 9 Feb 2010 « Lineman — Wed, 10 Feb 2010 00:36:30 +0000

[...] one for today, here’s a cogent observation from Chas Newkey-Burden: Israel’s deputy foreign minister Danny Ayalon spoke at the Oxford Union last night. As was – [...]

By: Liraz

Liraz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:47:37 +0000

Ben White strikes me as a particulary pernicious anti-Zionist.
On the relationship between antisemitism and anti-Zionism the lawyer and author Anthony Julius had this to say on the JC (4 Feb):
” It denies to Jews the rights that it upholds for other, comparable peoples. It adheres to the principle of national self-determination, except in the Jews’ case…. It is outraged by the Jewish nature of the state of Israel, but is untroubled by, say, the Islamic nature of Iran or of Saudi Arabia…. It is reluctant to take a position on the Chinese occupation of Tibet, while holding the Israeli occupation of the West Bank an indefensible evil of global consequence….
It treats UN, and UN committee and council, resolutions on Israel as if passed by impartial, apolitical bodies. It denies the existence of Islamic antisemitism, save perhaps as a Western import and of no practical consequence. While it excoriates racist sentiments found among Israelis, or in the complex history of Zionism, it refuses to acknowledge the racist themes towards Jews to be found in many currents of Arab nationalism….
Longstanding antisemites now embrace “anti-Zionism” as a cover for their Jew-hatred. This is because, in relation to Israel, the antisemite finds a protected voice. The desire to destroy Jews is reconfigured as the desire to destroy or dismantle the Jewish state. The new anti-Zionism has become a cause for some English academics and political activists; it is commonly found in the universities and in student and university teacher associations. Anti-Zionism has renewed antisemitism, and given it a future.”

Do please visit the JC website and read it all.

By: Liraz

Liraz — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 20:23:56 +0000

Susan Pike, you have completely misinterpreted the meaning of “The Chosen People”. The concept is rooted in the ancient religious mission of the Jews as a people covenanted to the Almighty, a people charged with the responsibility of being “a light to lighten the Gentiles”.

By: blahblahblah

blahblahblah — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 18:27:27 +0000

Adam reminds me of someone who went under the sock of “David Soori”,on a different forum.For ages I couldn’t decide if it(he/she?) was a spoof or not.The proof will be if “Adam” starts claiming that we are all ENSLAVED by the GLOBAL FINANCIERS with their COMPOUND INTEREST and USURY.

By: susan Pike

susan Pike — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:36:31 +0000

The Jews have always considered themselves “The Chosen People”. This obviously permits them to behave in total disregard to others who are ‘not the chosen people of the world’.
By the way, I am NOT anti-semitic. In fact many years ago as a teenager I supported the Jewish cause. Then I became more aware of the plans for Israel made at the beginning of the last century. Finally visiting Palestine to witness the shocking behavior of the Israelis.

By: Shmuel

Shmuel — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:36:01 +0000

Interesting rant, Adam, but throwing around random dramatic words without evidence or context might fool idiots or those with wider agendas but it is meaningless beyond that, even if you PUT SOME OF IT IN CAPITALS.

Come on, the idiots from Oxford last night do their cause no good with their antisemitism. Likewise you do your cause no good by just flinging around hysterical, unproven allegations.

By: Mark2

Mark2 — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 16:06:42 +0000

Adam,

Your language which grossly and ludicrously overstates any reasoned case there might be against Israel gives the game away.

Your post refers to a “demagogic” Israeli government”. Now I won’t deny Bibi Netanyahu has a certain charisma – but “demagogic” is just ridiculous. You spit out words like “radical Zionist” seemingly for the sake of doing so. I mean, obviously the Israeli government Zionist – it would be odd if it wasn’t – but adding “radical” (others say “extreme”) simply shows your wish to demonise.

Most tellingly of all like many so called “critics of Israel” you fail utterly to take into account that there is a dispute going on. The treatment you say the Israelis mete out to Palestinians is done – for what – a laugh perhaps or because Israelis are (racially??) inclined to do that sort of thing? Perhaps now you begin to see how this kind of talk gains such “critics of Israel” the reputation of beg anti-semitic.

These things do not take place in some kind of vacuum. Gaza is controlled by a movement that is totally opposed to the existence of an Israeli state –as well as being openly and avowedly anti semitic. I don’t doubt that there are other Palestinians who long for peace. The trouble is that these tend not to be those who get the support of the “critics of Israel”. So for example should these Palestinians as part of a genuine attempt to link up with Israeli Jews, their projects would fall foul of the Boycott and Divestment Movement.

Turning to white phosphorous I am not clear what your evidence is that people were targeted by this. It is clear that Israeli forces used this material which is not in itself illegal. However by going much further and alleging targeting of civilians again you choose demonization – not criticism.

I know of no other country that receives this kind of opprobrium – and there are many countries whose human rights record is far worse than Israel. Above all perhaps no one considers it necessary to suggest that those countries – Sudan, Iran, China, should cease to exist as the price for their abuses.

Incidantally if you were only a little more knowledgable than you are you would know that Jews are also “indigenous” to the country having had a permanent place there for over 2000 years

So we – most Jews and other supporters of Israel – watch and listen, we hear hyped “criticism” (to put it kindly), failure to even account for the fact that what happens takes place in the context of a wider dispute – and all this directed at a country no larger than Wales as if it were the root of all the world’s problems (it isn’t but lets leave that for another day – tomorrow perhaps).

And what other conclusion can we – even with the best will in the world – reach other than that anti Semitism lurks somewhere here?

By: Steve R

Steve R — Tue, 09 Feb 2010 14:26:08 +0000

Elise, maybe it’s time to take a lead from our parents/grandparents, I’m talking 43 group.