EclectEcon

Ring the Bells Loud and Clear: Anti-semitism Is Gone sarcasm from Howard Jacobson

According to too many people, it isn't anti-semitism to hate Israel to the point of hypocritical, illogical, and inconsistent boycotts, etc. I'm skeptical of this position, quite obviously. 

British novelist makes the point so well here. An excerpt:

To those who ask why Israel alone of all offending countries is to be boycotted, the answer comes back loud and clear from boycotters that because they cannot change the whole world, that is no reason not to try to change some small part of it, in this case the part where they feel they have the most chance of success, which also just happens to be the part that’s Jewish. That this is, in fact, a “back-handed compliment” to Jews, John MacGabhann, general secretary of the pro-boycott Teachers’ Union of Ireland, made clear when he talked of “expecting more of the Israeli government, precisely because we would anticipate that Israeli governments would act in all instances and ways to better uphold the rights of other”, which implies that he expects less of other governments, and does not anticipate them to act in all instances and ways better to uphold the rights of others. And why? He can only mean, reader, because those other governments are not Jewish.

I’d call this implicit racism if I were a citizen of those circumambient Muslim countries that aren’t being boycotted – a tacit assumption that nothing can ever be done, say, about the persecution of women, the bombing of minorities, discrimination against Christians, the hanging of adulterers and homosexuals, and so on, because such things are intrinsic to their cultures – but at least now that we have got rid of anti-Semitism, tackling Islamophobia should not be slow to follow.

 

Never Again! this frightening nonsense needs to be countered constantly

A blatantly anti-semitic rally took place in Hungary [h/t Tom Palmer].

Several hundred supporters took part, despite attempts by the government to prevent it going ahead.

Jobbik said the rally was a protest against what it said was a Jewish attempt to buy up Hungary.

The party, which says it aims to protect Hungarian values and interests, is the third largest in parliament.

It regularly issues anti-Semitic statements.

It is maddening and frightening that this party is the third largest in Hungarian Parliament. Also be sure to check out the links along side that story.

Has EclectEcon Been Barred from Ireland?

Not exactly. But the Teachers' Union of Ireland has unanimously passed a motion urging their members not to work with scholars who have Israeli affiliation. And that includes EclectEcon. From Engage:

A motion, calling for all members of the union to end work with Israeli counterparts, was passed unanimously at the TUI annual conference in Galway on Thursday.

The union called on the Irish Congress of Trade Unions to increase its campaign for boycott, divestment and sanctions against “the apartheid state of Israel until it lifts its illegal siege of Gaza and its illegal occupation of the West Bank”.

The passed motion requests TUI members to “cease all cultural and academic collaboration with Israel, including the exchange of scientists, students and academic personalities, as well as all cooperation in research programmes”.

The motion doesn’t bother to maintain the fiction of the “institutional boycott”.  This is a boycott of scholars and students on the basis of their nationality.  This is a boycott of a significant proportion of the world’s Jewish academics and students for reasons which are nothing to do with anything that those academics have said or done.  Nobody but Israelis are to be boycotted.

This is disgusting, outrageous, an affront to academic freedom, and anti-semitic. They do not go after China for its occupation of Tibet; they do not go after North Korea for its human rights violations; they do not go after Saudi Arabia and its neighbours for their treatment of women; etc., etc. Nor do they go after scholars from those countries.

Instead they single out Israel, a democracy, a country which has had to fight three wars to ensure its existence - a country which must continue to take measures to protect itself from formal declarations that they should be annihilated. And what is more, they go after scholars affiliated with Israel. 

Long-time readers of EclectEcon will know my position. I am so upset by such views and single-country stances, that quite a few years ago I sought and obtained affiliation with two different Israeli academic institutions: Haifa and Bar-Ilan. As my email signature reads,

Member, Int'l Advisory Board for Academic Freedom, Bar-Ilan Univ
Affiliated Professor, University of Haifa

Related articles

Irish academics' union votes to "cease all cultural and academic collaboration with Israel"

Teachers Union of Ireland unanimously calls for Academic Boycott of Israel

"Mischievous Children on Their Way to School..." have a modern-day counterpart

In Cabaret, Herr Schultz, a Jewish owner of a fruit shop has his window smashed when a brick is thrown through it. He tries to minimize what others see as a determined Nazi attack on all Jews by saying,

They're just children. Mischievous children on their way to school.

But he was clearly wrong. The Nazis gained power and slowly began their programmes to exerminate Jews, gays, gypsies, etc.

Sadly, these "mischievous children" have many counterparts today. From the NYTimes Sunday Review,

Far-right ultranationalist groups are exploiting old enmities and new fears across the Continent. Although this is not the Europe of the 1930s, the disillusioned citizens of countries like Greece and Hungary have turned increasingly to simple answers, electing parties that blame familiar scapegoats — Jews, Gypsies, gays and foreigners — for their ills.

What’s at stake is the health of European democracy, and the values and institutions on which it rests. But while the euro crisis touched off a scramble to halt a financial meltdown, European leaders have done virtually nothing to reverse the union’s dangerous political trends.

These are not just mischievous children. These are racists, bigots, vandals, and killers. This time they must be stopped.

Addendum: I also intended to include a link to this article, which describes the rise of anti-semitism and neo-nazism in Hungary. Two items that stand out in Hungary are 

• attempts to identify and label Jewish students at university.
• placing stickers on the doors of Jewish professors telling them "the university belongs to us, not the Jews."

Related articles

Is Anti-Semitism on the Rise in The Netherlands?

Incidents make Jews wary, 75 years after Hitler annexed Austria

Cabaret: Berlin in the late 1920s, early 1930s

Cabaret, the Musical: 3.5/4 stars in a review of last night's performance at McManus Studio Theatre, London, Ontario

Cabaret, the Musical: March 22-30 McManus Studio Theatre, London, Ontario

Neo-Nazi Golden Dawn party targets schools

Cabaret: Berlin in the late 1920s, early 1930s

Berlin in the late 1920s and early 1930s was a hotbed of exploration and experimentation. Communists and socialists were strong, and at the same time sexual freedom was at an apex. Clubs abounded to present and/or satisfy nearly every sexual fantasy. Suppliers of these services were often young people (and their families!) who had lost their savings either in WWI or in the hyperinflation of the early 1920s. Others were simply young people who loved the sense of freedom and exploration. 

It was against this backdrop that Christopher Isherwood visited and revisited Berlin and wrote his stories and short novel that led, eventually, to the musical "Cabaret". Any performance of Cabaret that does not capture both the ecstatic freedom and the depressing near-slavery of this era misses the mark. To see what I mean, take some time to look at the documentary "Berlin - Metropolis of Vice" (broken into three parts for posting on YouTube) below [h/t Paige Miller, our director/producer].

In our upcoming performance, one of my roles is Max, the creepy owner of the Kit-Kat club, a small seedy nightclub where anything is possible and for sale. 

The second part of the documentary explicitly mentions Isherwood. And the third part shows the puritan-like views of the Nazis and the impact of their rise to power in the early 1930s.

Now put all this to music, singing, dancing, and acting; then throw in a substantial secondary love plot involving a Jew, and you have "Cabaret". 

 

Cabaret (Fuse Productions)
McManus Studio Theatre, London, Ontario
March 22-23; March 26-30 8pm, $25
March 23, 30 2pm, $15
Preview, March 21, 8pm, $15

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Cabaret, the Musical: March 22-30 McManus Studio Theatre, London, Ontario

Next week the local production of Cabaret by Fuse Productions opens at the McManus Studio Theatre (at the Grand Theatre) in London, Ontario. 

The stage version of Cabaret is different from the movie. It is darker and has a tense rawness that tends to be glossed over a bit in the movie. From Wikipaedia:

Set in 1931 Berlin as the Nazis are rising to power, it focuses on nightlife at the seedy Kit Kat Klub and revolves around the 19-year-old English cabaret performer Sally Bowles and her relationship with the young American writer Cliff Bradshaw.

A sub-plot involves the doomed romance between German boarding house owner Fräulein Schneider and her elderly suitor Herr Schultz, a Jewish fruit vendor. Overseeing the action is the Master of Ceremonies at the Kit Kat Klub which serves as a constant metaphor for the tenuous and threatening state of late Weimar Germany throughout the show.

The first time I saw Cabaret on stage, I found it confusing and boring, but that's because it was a confused and boring production. The production that opens next week has power and drive that definitely avoid those problems. 

The choreography and dancing are something to behold. They capture the mood of each scene and display an absolutely amazing sense of character, music, and mood. On top of the energy required for the dancing, the actors usually sing at the same time. The performers in this production have both the dancing skills and the vocal skills and power to pull this off effectively. 

As you know, I'm in the show. But you will be relieved to know I don't dance. Instead, I have two fairly minor roles that are designed primarily to help set the overall scene and convey the mood of the various scenes. 

Let me tell you, this is a show I am honoured to be a part of. It will definitely have an impact.

Cabaret (Fuse Productions)
McManus Studio Theatre, London, Ontario
March 22-23; March 26-30 8pm, $25
March 23, 30 2pm, $15
Preview, March 21, 8pm, $15

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Cabaret: Berlin in the late 1920s, early 1930s

Is Anti-Semitism on the Rise in The Netherlands?

It sure looks that way. See this (via MA). An excerpt:

Teenage Turkish Muslim immigrants to the Netherlands expressed their admiration for Nazism and hatred of Jews during a recent interview on Dutch TV, saying Hitler “should have killed all Jews.”

In a clip from the program, which was aired in February, a Dutch researcher can be seen talking to a group of teens and asking them to express their opinion on issues related to the Holocaust and World War II. The four explain that anyone killed by Hitler was probably guilty of something, and he “didn’t kill Jews for no reason.”

This is just plain wrong and frightening.

Undoubtedly, much of the rise of anti-semitism in The Netherlands is from recent Muslim immigrants, especially Palestinian arabs. But the strength of the anti-semitism in the country has been there for quite some time and seems to be growing. And it certainly isn't all Palestinian arabs. See this.

"The study’s authors asked people if they believe that Israel is conducting an extermination war against the Palestinian Arabs. About 39% of the Dutch polled answered in the affirmative.

"Already in 2003 in a Euro barometer study, it was asked which countries are dangers to world peace. Israel came in second place after Iran. This was the opinion held by 59% of the Europeans. In the Netherlands, the percentage was the highest at 74%.”

Gerstenfeld added: “With such a diabolical opinion of the Jewish state, millions of Dutchmen are thus back in the Middle Ages mentally. Today, there are more Dutchmen with this insane viewpoint than the number of Nazis in the Netherlands during the Second World War.

" At present these views are largely latent, as were Dutch Nazi views before the war. Today there is actually more hostility against Jews than before the Second World War in the Netherlands. But if the atmosphere is ripe, violence can increase, as has happened in the past.”

Horrifying and amazing. A country which wouldn't have had to fight any wars if its neighbours had accepted the initial 1947 United Nations' creation of Israel but which must constantly defend itself, even after having withdrawn from Gaza -- and it is under attack everywhere and Jews are threatened everywhere.

Also, re: The Netherlands and persistent anti-semitism, see this: WARTIME AND POSTWAR DUTCH ATTITUDES TOWARD THE JEWS: MYTH AND TRUTH

Geert Wilders has his work cut out for him and deserves more support.

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Dutch Turkish youths probed for anti-Semitic statements

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Is Chuck Hagel an Anti-Semite?

Probably. My internet correspondent MA sent me this link. Here is an excerpt:

[T]o my knowledge, no one has ever argued that anyone who criticizes Israel, for its foreign policies or otherwise, is an anti-Semite. Similarly, no one argues that anyone who criticizes the government of Poland, say, must be bigoted against Poles.

This red herring is used to obscure what really does happen: there are a considerable number of people, of whom Hagel appears to be one, who are obsessed with Israel, and not in a good way. Against all evidence, they assert that Israel’s accommodating the Palestinians is the key to peace in the entire Middle Eastern region if not the whole Arab world. History tells us that the supposed centrality of Israeli-Palestinian relations to everything that goes on within 2,000 miles is a fantasy, yet the fantasy persists in men like Chuck Hagel. If only Israel would yield to the Palestinians, then everything else would fall into place.

This obsession with Israel is usually combined with a hyper-critical attitude toward its conduct. The Tutus can slaughter a million Hutsis–or was it the other way around?–and hardly anyone appears to care. If Chuck Hagel ever commented on that particular bloodbath, or if he was especially bothered when a million people were killed in the Iran-Iraq war, I never heard about it. But let Israel defend itself against thousands of rocket attacks and assorted other terrorist threats, and let an Israeli bomb fall near a school because that’s where the terrorists locate their rocket launchers, and my Lord! You would think the world is coming to an end. This strange imbalance, which we see in people like Chuck Hagel, must have a cause somewhere.

 

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The Holocaust: Polish Guilt. Polish Sorrow

Thoughts On Anti-Semitism, Prompted by Hagel and Others

Chuck Hagel, anti-Semite?

Jewish Groups Must End Silence on Hagel

Colin Powell: It's 'disgraceful' to play anti-Semitic card against Hagel

These Are Not Just a Few Wackos; These Are Gubmnt Leaders

Whenever you read or hear things like this, you wonder how on earth Israel could survive if it didn't have a strong military and a strong determination.

 A key figure in Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's government called the Holocaust a hoax cooked up by U.S. intelligence operatives and claimed the 6 million Jews who were killed by Nazis simply moved to the U.S.

The outrageous claims, by Fathi Shihab-Eddim, a senior figure close to President Morsi who is now responsible for appointing the editors of all state-run Egyptian newspapers, came as the world marked Holocaust Remembrance Day on Jan. 27, and also as the U.S. continues to assess its relationship with the increasingly radical Arab state.

“The myth of the Holocaust is an industry that America invented,” Shihab-Eddim said, leaving no room for doubt that the Egyptian government -- like Iran's -- has at the very least significant elements that deny one of history's best documented genocides.

“U.S. intelligence agencies in cooperation with their counterparts in allied nations during World War II created it [the Holocaust] to destroy the image of their opponents in Germany, and to justify war and massive destruction against military and civilian facilities of the Axis powers, and especially to hit Hiroshima and Nagasaki with the atomic bomb,” Shihab-Eddim said.

See how moderate Egypt's leaders are? They blame America, not Jews, for the "myth" of the Holocaust!

Remember that next time someone calls Egypt or the Muslim Brotherhood anti-semitic.

If Being Anti-Israel Isn't Anti-Semitic, It's Mighty Close

Melanie Phillips has yet another terrific column (ht MA):

[T]he fact is that Israel is not trying to exterminate the Palestinians – indeed how could this possibly be the case, since the Palestinian population has more than quadrupled since the rebirth of Israel in 1948. Nor are the Israelis oppressing the Palestinians, who have benefited from some of the highest rises in GDP and lowest child mortality ratios in the Middle East.

Nor are the Israelis behaving inhumanely; it is the Palestinians who are committing crimes against humanity by targeting Israeli innocents for mass murder without remission, both from Gaza and from the West Bank. It is the Palestinians, in the West Bank as well as Gaza, who are brainwashed from the cradle to hate Jews and to believe that murdering Israelis is their highest glory. Which they have been doing in Israel and before that in Palestine for more than a century – despite the fact that, as the international community laid down in binding treaty in 1920, the Jews alone had the inalienable and historic right to settle throughout Palestine, including not just present-day Israel but also the West Bank and Gaza.

Moreover, while the Jews accepted proposals for a Palestinian state first made in the 1930s and then in 1947, and while the Israelis offered them more than 95 per cent of the possible land for a state in 2000 and 2008, the Palestinians responded merely by murdering more Jews.

Despite all this, Israel behaves towards its genocidal Palestinian attackers with a humanity that is seen in no other conflict on the planet. Despite the rocket attacks and constant smuggling of ever more fearsome weapons to be aimed at its civilians, it allows humanitarian supplies into Gaza; despite the constant plotting in the West Bank to kill more Israelis, it allows Palestinians to work in Israel, and treats Palestinians from both the West Bank and Gaza alongside Israelis in Israeli hospitals. Yes of course there is Palestinian hardship caused by the checkpoints and security barrier. But the only reason these exist is to prevent Palestinians killing yet more Israelis. If the Palestinians and their Arab and Iranian backers stopped trying to wipe Israel off the map, there would be peace tomorrow.

 

The Holocaust: Polish Guilt. Polish Sorrow

via MA:

 The film "Poklosie" delves into the dark history of Polish complicity during the Holocaust. Director Wladyslaw Pasikowski's work has sparked fresh debate in Poland by posing the question: How anti-Semitic were the Poles?

Poland's Jewish community was almost entirely decimated during the Holocaust. The Nazis murdered 90 percent of the three million Jews there.

Later, the communist regime fostered a climate of anti-Semitism in the country, forcing many more Jews to leave. A kind of phantom pain was all that remained, the sort experienced by people who've lost a limb.

The loss is, to this day, almost unbearable.

Fierce debates between Jewish and Catholic Poles continue to shake the country on a regular basis. The question is always the same: Did the majority of Christian Poles approve of, or even assist, the mass murder of Jews?

The country's self-image as the most significant victim of the Nazi terror and the Second World War is at stake.

Sparking debate

It's a debate that has been reignited in recent weeks with the release of the film "Poklosie" ("Aftermath") by director Wladyslaw Pasikowski.  

The thriller tells the story of a Catholic farmer, Jozef Kalina (Maciej Stuhr), who discovers the traces of a massacre of Jews during the Holocaust in his village. His research reveals that it was local Polish villagers who, without the help of the Nazis, had murdered their Jewish neighbors.

 

Are Jews a National Security Risk in Hungary?anti-semitism, pure and simple

Despicable.

A Hungarian far-right politician urged the government to draw up lists of Jews who pose a “national security risk”, stirring outrage among Jewish leaders who saw echoes of fascist policies that led to the Holocaust.

And yet nowhere in the article did I see any concern on the part of Jobbik or anyone else about any other group (Palestinians, Arabs, Islamists, etc) whom they might also have included. No matter how they try to dress it up, this is pure and simple anti-semitism.

 

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Anger as Hungary far-right leader demands lists of Jews

Hungarian Government Condemns Calls for List of Jews

Hungarian Politician Denounced for Anti-Semitism

Israel and Gaza what about all the rockets?

Reading the mainstream media, you'd think the Israeli attack on Gaza was largely unprovoked. For instance, the Trono Globe and Mail writes, "Slaying of Hamas commander threatens fragile Middle East peace". Or see what Melanie Phillips has to say about it here.

Fortunately the internet provides other sources which point out that there had been a massive increase in rocket attacks from Gaza to southern Israel over the past few days:

U.S. Condemns Hamas Rocket Fire
Deputy State Department Spokesperson Mark C. Toner said Wednesday: "We strongly condemn the barrage of rocket fire from Gaza into southern Israel, and we regret the death and injury of innocent Israeli and Palestinian civilians caused by the ensuing violence. There is no justification for the violence that Hamas and other terrorist organizations are employing against the people of Israel. We call on those responsible to stop these cowardly acts immediately. We support Israel's right to defend itself, and we encourage Israel to continue to take every effort to avoid civilian casualties."
    "Hamas claims to have the best interests of the Palestinian people at heart, yet it continues to engage in violence that is counterproductive to the Palestinian cause. Attacking Israel on! a near daily basis does nothing to help Palestinians in Gaza or to move the Palestinian people any closer to achieving self-determination."  (U.S. State Department)
    See also State Department Sides with Israel in New Hamas War - Josh Rogin (Foreign Policy)
    See also Prime Minister Netanyahu Speaks with President Obama
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with President Barack Obama and expressed his deep appreciation for President Obama's support of Israel's right to defend itself. (Prime Minister's Office)
    See also Canada Condemns Hamas, Stands with Israel
"We fundamentally ! believe that Israel has the right to defend itself and its citizens from terrorist threats," Rick Roth, a spokesman for Canadian Foreign Affairs Minister John Baird, said in a statement. "Far too often, the Jewish people find themselves on the front lines in the struggle against terrorism."  (AP-CBC News)

And in the link provided above, Melanie Phillips rightly says,

...let’s get this clear: in the mindset of the BBC and Foreign Office, 120-plus rockets in four days is not an escalation of violence or attempted mass murder; but a targeted strike to kill two individuals who have been organising such attacks, in order to prevent them from organising any more, is an escalation. What kind of hideously warped perspective is this?...

... as far as much of the British media and wretched Foreign Office are concerned, Israel is the only country on earth which is not entitled to defend its people against attack. Does anyone think that if Britain had sustained a rocket barrage of 120 rockets in four days, let alone nearly 800 in a year or more than 5000 in six years, it would not have been at war long ago? But in the British establishment mind, Israel can never be a victim, only an aggressor.

Apparently The Globe has the same warped perspective as the BBC and the British Foreign Office. Pity.

Addendum: So does the NYTimes, which says, essentially, "It's all Israel's fault for not allowing Hamas to continue its rain of rockets."

Ferocious Israeli Assault on Gaza Kills a Leader of Hamas -- Israel hit at least 20 targets in aerial attacks that killed the military commander of Hamas, damaged Israel's fragile relations with Egypt and escalated the risks of a new war in the Middle East.

Hope and Change? Let's All Hope Melanie Phillips is Wrong

Melanie Phillips, writing after the US elections, said,

It is said that, with likely gridlock in Congress over domestic issues, Obama will concentrate on foreign policy. We should all shudder. So far, Obama has empowered Iran to destabilise the region; supported Islamist takeovers in Egypt and Libya; is backing al Qaeda affiliates in Syria; refused to come to the aid of Americans being attacked by al Qaeda in Benghazi as a result of which four American officials were murdered; and hung Israel out to dry against its genocidal Palestinian attackers. ....

Obama’s agenda has been crystal clear from the get-go: to increase the power of the state over the citizen at home, and to neutralise American power abroad. Four more years of this and he’ll almost certainly have succeeded.  The impact upon western security could be cataclysmic.

Britain and the Europeans love Obama because they think he will end American exceptionalism and turn the US into a pale shadow of themselves. What they don’t realise is that, all but lobotomised by consumerist rights, state dependency, victim culture, sentimentality, post-religion, post-nationalism and post-Holocaust and Empire guilt, Britain and Europe are themselves fast going down the civilisational tubes. (emphasis added)

If you want to see some more serious causes for concern, read the whole thing.

Antisemitism in Malaysia:Fulford Takes on Simpson and Burman

Robert Fulford, writing in the National Post, itemizes the antisemitism extant in Malaysia and in the process criticizes columnists Jeffrey Simpson of the Globe and Burman of the Star. 

It’s only when we grasp the unremitting and mindless hostility of countries such as Malaysia that we begin to understand the pain and difficulty of Israel’s place in the world. This is the context in which we should think about the Harper government’s pro-Israel policy. Israel faces automatic enmity from all the Arab nations, most other Muslim-dominated states and the many organizations in democratic countries that dedicate themselves to showering abuse on Israel (and no one else) in the name of human rights....

Yet many Canadians apparently believe that there is something unfair in this situation, not in the invective heaped on Israel but in Canada’s habit of friendship with the only democracy in the Middle East. It’s argued that this policy has done harm to Canada. Jeffrey Simpson of The Globe and Mail says that because of our attitude to Israel, “Canada’s reputation in the Arab world is mud.” Tony Burman, of the Toronto Star, former head of Al Jazeera English, and now a journalism teacher at Ryerson University, says that our government’s “passionate pro-Israeli stance” has damaged Canada’s reputation throughout the Middle East “after decades of being one of the world’s respected ‘honest brokers’ on Mideast issues.”

Of course there are many reasons for Canada's pro-Israel stances: democracy, constant threats of annhilation, and expulsion of Jews from so many arab and other Muslim countries to name three important ones.

European Anti-Semitism

These data are extremely disturbing. What on earth is going on, especially in Poland and Hungary?? How many Jews are left in those countries anyway?

Source (h/t JB), p57

Here's a Surprise

Norman Finklestein comes out AGAINST the BDS and Occupy crowd (h/t Elder of Ziyon)

Things Students at The University of Regina Should Consider and so should everyone else

The student union at The University of Regina has voted to support a campaign of boycotts, divestiture, and sanctions against Israel. While I will not defend absolutely everything Israel does or has done, here are some things the students there and everyone elsewhere should consider [from Melanie Phillips, "The Algorithm of Malice"]. I have added a number of additional points below this lengthy quote:

There are two big and connected points made by this little video. The first is that the widely-held belief that the Arabs were the only refugees from the Arab war against the newly reconstituted country of Israel (a war which started in 1948 and continues to this day) -- is totally untrue. There were many more Jewish refugees from Arab countries. As a result of the 1948 war, some 500,000 Arabs left Palestine – most of them as a result of having been told to do so by Arab regimes certain of destroying the new Jewish state. [emphasis added] But some 850,000 Jews were then attacked, stripped of their citizenship and ethnically cleansed from their homes in Arab states -- causing the destruction of ancient Jewish communities in those countries which had well predated the arrival of Islam in the Middle East. And what happened to those refugees? They were absorbed without fuss into Israel ..., where they form around half of the population, and into other countries.

The second point which is crucial to an understanding of this conflict is that the Palestinian refugee issue is entirely artificial and bogus.  Not only were the Arabs from Palestine deliberately refused access to other Arab countries [EE: again emphasis added. Note that there was no country called Palestine then. Just Lebanon, Syria, Jordan, and Egypt in addition to Israel.] in order to turn them – as a UN refugee official admitted – into an open sore as a weapon to be used against Israel. Even more astonishingly, the UN itself was a party to this malevolent strategy.

For it chose to treat the Palestinian Arabs differently from any other refugee group. All other refugees are dealt with by the UN Refugee Agency, whose goal is to re-settle them. But for the Palestinian Arabs, the UN set up the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) – whose [apparent] goal was to maintain the Palestinian Arabs as permanent refugees.

To that end, while in every other conflict refugees are defined merely as people who flee their homes, the UN decided that amongst the Palestinian Arabs refugee status would be transmitted from generation to generation. As a result, the number of Palestinian Arab ‘refugees’ has not diminished but risen over the years from 550,000 to 4.7 million. These are the people who are now said to deserve the ‘right of return’ to Israel.

Of course, the idea that 4.2 million of these people are actually refugees is totally absurd. If that standard was applied generally, the entire Jewish diaspora -- not to mention untold millions around the world who have been settled for generations -  could suddenly claim refugee status. ...

Now at long last Israel has begun to realise that yes, incredible as it seems, sentient people do actually believe such lies -- – and that if the free world is to be restored to the axis of reason, they must be countered head-on by the true facts of history. 

So long as there are rockets landing in Israel, so long as there are neighbouring governments pledged to annihilate Israel, and so long as there are terrorists bombing and killing civilians in Israel and threatening the very existence of its citizens, it makes all the sense in the world to me that the Israelis would create checkpoints and barriers. 

Keep in mind, too, that after Israel ceded the Gaza strip to the Palestinian Arabs living in Gaza (forcing the Israelis living there to leave!), much of the infrastructure they left in place was immediately pillaged. And of course the rain of rockets from Gaza continues with Hamas in control in Gaza now. Furthermore, people blamed Israel for the later blockade of Gaza when in fact Egypt participated in it as well. 

Finally, if you want to defend some downtrodden people, consider defending the residents of North Korea, Tibet, southern Sudan and Darfur, Cuba, and even many Venezuelans. But the plight of many Palestinian Arabs is at least as much the result of policies of neighbouring Arab countries who:

1. encouraged them (and mostly their ancestors) to leave Israel in 1948, promising to drive the Jews into the sea. Granted, some Arabs were indeed driven out of Israel, but most left voluntarily expecting to return only a few weeks later.
2. When Jordan, Syria, and Egypt failed in this war, they blamed the Jews for taking the property of those who fled. Furthermore despite their mistaken policies, these governments refused to accept the fleeing Palestinian Arabs as full-fledged citizens, instead forcing them to live in refugee camps.
3. There are tonnes more Arab students in Israeli universities than there are Jews in Arab universities.

Finally, remember that for centuries before World War I, the entire region was ruled by the Ottoman Empire. After WWI, the British had a mandate to govern the middle east and probably botched it (though it is not at all clear that at the time anyone could realistically have done much better, given the mutually exclusive competing claims and factions).

After WWII, the British slowly re-carved the region, creating Israel, among other countries. If the Palestinian and other Arabs of the region had accepted the initial partition of 1947-48, there would be no problem (well, okay, there would be much less of a problem). 

Geert Wilders Visited London, Ontario, Yesterday: some quotes and photos

Geert Wilders, outspoken Dutch critic of Islam and producer of the (in)famous film, Fitna, spoke in London, Ontario, last evening, under a cloak of secrecy and surrounded by a wall of security. 

Wilders is a well-known public figure who sees Islam as more of an ideology than a religion. During his talk, he lambasted multiculturalism. Two quotes:

Multiculturalism is the biggest disease in Europe today.

And the reason for that?

Multiculturalism would not have been such a catastrophe if it weren't for Islam.

Because of his views, his public statements, his film, and his policy proposals, Wilders' life is constantly in danger. The organizers of the evening event, the International Free Press Society, refused to advertise the dates and locations of his talks while he is in Canada. Instead, we found out about them through word-of-mouth and then had to register before receiving the information [he does have two more talks planned while he is in Canada, in case you are interested; the information is available at the IFPS website]. 

Accompanying Wilders were about 10 security personnel from The Netherlands; also the RCMP had a large security contingent on hand. We all went through a security check before being admitted to the place where he spoke.

This is just plain wrong. People speaking about religion and ideology should not live in fear for their lives and the lives of their friends and families. 

Geert Wilders:

The warm-up act for Wilders was a dialogue between Ezra Levant (of human rights and freedom of the press fame in Canada) and Sam Solomon, a noted scholar of Islam and Sharia Law; it was mostly an interview of Solomon by Levant. During that interview, Solomon (who converted to Christianity and was at times quite coy about his past) proclaimed,

If you do not hate, you cannot be a complete Muslim.

Both Wilders and Solomon are very outspoken critics of Islam.

Here is a photo I took of Solomon and Levant ( all my photos from the event: twelve-times optical zoom, no flash, from about 50 feet away):

The session was introduced by Bjorn Larsen, who recently filmed a documentary about Caledonia, freedom, and property rights and who heads up the IFPS:

One more photo of Wilders, who was extremely engaging and compelling as a speaker:

Islam's Predicament: Perspectives of a Dissident Muslim

Salim Mansur is a well-known columnist and political scientist who often writes about the Middle East, about Islam, and about North American politics. His book, Islam's Predicament: Perspectives of a Dissident Muslim is a collection of some of his more poignant writings, with the addition of longer essays that have not been published as his weekly columns in Canada. 

If you are not familiar with Mansur's writings, you might want to take a look at his columns as they become available on line with Sun News. Better yet, buy his book. 

Here are a few excerpts that particularly caught me. On Palestine:

 At best Arab claims to Palestine and Jersusalem were based on squatters' right ... Palestine was "liberated" from Ottoman Turkish rule by Britain towards the end of World War One and then partitioned twice. In 1922 for the first time when Britain demarcated the land on the east bank of the River Jordan as Transjordan (later to become the Kingdom of Jordan); and then for the second time in November 1947 when the United Nations divided the remaining territory on the west bank into two states, one Arab and one Jewish.

On the impact of 9/11 on his Muslim faith:

The events of September 11, 2001, ... made me rethink the basis of my thinking and living, writing and teaching regarding the politics of the Middle East, the world of Islam and its relationship with the West. That morning of 9/11, I along with so many of us, was overwhelmed by the horror of the evil we witnessed. That night I went to bed unaware of how greatly changed would be my sense of the world on awakening. I soon realized that I was beginning to reclaim a history and meaning for my faith -- Islam -- that was obscured, if not deliberately erased by those in authority and those aspiring to replace them. 

Salim Mansur and I have known each other for many years. We have met in the hallways at the university, we have met frequently on Saturday mornings for coffee at Starbucks in Masonville, we often socialize with our friends Ben, Eva, and Rory. His emergence as an intellectual leader, promoting and encouraging a Muslim reformation is inspiring. 

Judging from the reactions of many Muslims to his work, he is in a small minority. But his influence is growing.

.

Disclaimer: Salim gave me an autographed copy of his book.

Side note: For once it looks as if the Canadian price is roughly the same as the US price.

Anti-Semitism: Rife in England!

Read the whole article about how a small group of people is forcing the closure of a business in Covent Garden. Here is a very small extract [h/t Gary] that talks generally about the situation. But as I say, read the entire article for the particulars in this case:

In the 21st century it is not acceptable to be identified as an anti-Semite, but it is du rigeur to be anti-Israel, or as the kids call it a ‘social justice advocate.’ And so within the BDS movement there is a convergence of various groups; the Hamas loving terror supporters, the democracy hating socialist-communists, the women’s libbers who turn a blind eye to how women are treated in Israel’s neighbouring countries, the student activists who believe whatever their professors tell them as long as it is anti-Israel and anti-American, the gay rights groups who don’t care that Hamas’ sugar daddy hangs gays from cranes, the social justice activists who are so busy condemning Israel they forgot to protest women being stoned to death in Afghanistan, and a few randoms. But they all have something in common: they hate Israel and they want Israel as it is to cease to exist. 

Posters for Israel Anti-Apartheid Week

These four posters are from the blog of the Elder of Ziyon [h/t cba]. They very effectively counter accusations of apartheid in Israel. During the days of apartheid in South Africa, one did NOT see blacks in these positions.

If I Had to Choose Which to Keep, the Penny or OISE,...

If I had to choose whether to keep the penny or OISE, I would vote to keep the penny and get rid of OISE. Here's just one reason. From the introduction to that item:

The following is an analysis of all of the 36 currently internet-available theses completed at the SESE department of OISE, University of Toronto.

In half the cases, these theses appear to be so marred by political jargon and political preconceptions that they should never have been accepted into the corpus in which they are in fact found, viz. a collection of putative contributions to knowledge -- theses officially certified by the University of Toronto.

 

 

Israel a Rogue State? .... maybe it is....

The debaters at Oxbridge are superb wordsmiths. I stand in awe of their use of words and the developments of their arguments. But this one really stands out. Excerpts:

When you compare Israel to its regional neighbours, it becomes clear just how roguish Israel is. And here is the fourth argument [EE: read the entire piece for the other arguments]: Israel has a better human rights record than any of its neighbours. At no point in history, has there ever been a liberal democratic state in the Middle East -- except for Israel. Of all the countries in the Middle East, Israel is the only one where the LGBT community enjoys even a small measure of equality.

In Kuwait, Lebanon, Oman, Qatar, and Syria, homosexual conduct is punishable by flogging, imprisonment, or both. But homosexuals there get off pretty lightly compared to their counterparts in Iran, Saudi Arabia, and Yemen, who are put to death. Israeli homosexuals can adopt, openly serve in the army, enter civil unions, and are protected by exceptionally strongly worded ant-discrimination legislation. Beats a death sentence. In fact, it beats America.

Israel’s protection of its citizens’ civil liberties has earned international recognition. Freedom House is an NGO that releases an annual report on democracy and civil liberties in each of the 195 countries in the world. It ranks each country as “Free,” “Partly Free,” or “Not Free.”  In the Middle East, Israel is the only country that has earned designation as a “free” country. Not surprising given the level of freedom afforded to citizens in, say, Lebanon -- a country designated “partly free,” where there are laws against reporters criticizing not only the Lebanese government, but the Syrian regime as well. I’m hoping Ms. Booth will speak about this, given her experience working as a “journalist” for Iran.

Iran is a country given the rating of “not free,” putting it alongside China, Zimbabwe, North Korea, and Myanmar. In Iran, as Ms. Booth I hoped would have said in her speech, there is a special “Press Court” which prosecutes journalists for such heinous offences as criticizing the Ayatollah, reporting on stories damaging the “foundations of the Islamic republic,” using “suspicious (i.e., Western) sources,” or insulting Islam. Iran is the world leader in terms of jailed journalists, with 39 reporters (that we know of) in prison as of 2009. They also kicked out almost every Western journalist during the 2009 election. (I don't know if Ms Booth was affected by that.)

I guess we can’t really expect more from a theocracy. Which is what most countries in the Middle East are. Theocracies and autocracies. But Israel is the sole, the only, the rogue, democracy. Out of every country in the Middle East, only in Israel do anti-government protests and reporting go unquashed and uncensored.

The US State Department and Israel: getting it right

I am on a very interesting e-mail list called "Daily Alert" which provides news about Israel and the Middle East. This item appeared today, and I was delighted to see the US's continued strong support for Israel along with its growing concern about the increasing virulent forms of antisemitism that are emerging.

• U.S. Denounces "Obsession with Condemning Israel"
  Hannah Rosenthal, U.S. Special Envoy to Monitor and Combat Anti-Semitism, told a conference on "Combating Anti-Semitism" in Ottawa, Canada, on Nov. 8: "Opposition to a policy by the State of Israel morphs into anti-Semitism easily and often. We record huge increases in anti-Semitism whenever there is activity in the Middle East. This form of anti-Semitism is more difficult for many to identify - but if all Jews are held responsible for the decisions of the sovereign State of Israel, when governments call upon and intimidate their Jewish communities to condemn Israeli actions, when academics from Israel are boycotted - this is not objecting to a policy - this is anti-Semitism."
      "Our State Department uses Natan Sharansky's framework for identifying when someone or a government crosses the line - when Israel is demonized, when Israel is held to different standards than the rest of the countries, and when Israel is delegitimized. These cases are not disagreements with a policy of Israel, this is anti-Semitism. The U.S. is often the only "no" vote in international bodies who seem to have an obsession with condemning Israel."  (U.S. State Department) 

 

PM Harper on Anti-Semitism and Israel

An excellent summary of Canada's position. Here are some excerpts:

In Canada, we have taken a number of steps to assess and combat anti-Semitism in our own country. But of course we must also combat anti-Semitism beyond our borders, - an evolving, global phenomenon. And we must recognize, that while its substance is as crude as ever, its method is now more sophisticated.

Harnessing disparate anti-Semitic, anti-American and anti-Western ideologies, it targets the Jewish people by targeting the Jewish homeland, Israel, as the source of injustice and conflict in the world, and uses, perversely, the language of human rights to do so.

We must be relentless in exposing this new anti-Semitism for what it is. Of course, like any country, Israel may be subjected to fair criticism. And like any free country, Israel subjects itself to such criticism – healthy, necessary, democratic debate. But when Israel, the only country in the world whose very existence is under attack – Is consistently and conspicuously singled out for condemnation, I believe we are morally obligated to take a stand. Demonization, double standards, delegitimization, the 3 D’s, it is a responsibility, to stand up to them.

Outrageous Silencing of Supporters of Israel

From Melanie Phillips in The Spectator:

The 2010 Belfast Festival, held under the auspices of Queen’s University Belfast, convened a panel discussion last night on the topic ‘Conflict in the Middle East’. Last September, the Festival’s director, Graeme Farrow, invited Professor Geoffrey Alderman, a British Jewish commentator and defender of Israel, to take part in this panel, an invitation he accepted. To Alderman’s astonishment, last Friday afternoon he received an email from Farrow informing him that ‘a mistake’ had been made in inviting him,  and that although he could join the audience the event was to go ahead without his panel participation.

The other members of this panel were Professors Avi Shlaim of St Anthony’s College, Oxford and Beverley Milton Edwards, of Queens University, Belfast. Shlaim, an Israeli by birth who hasn’t lived in Israel for years, has made a career out of demonising Israel. Milton Edwards is a founder of Conflicts Forum, which shills for Hamas under the pretext of ‘dialogue’. It would appear that one or both of them objected to Alderman’s presence.

... 

Thus the delegitimisation, bullying and ostracism of the Jewish state morphs seamlessly into the delegitimisation, bullying and ostracism of Jews anywhere who support it. The Jewish state alone is not to be allowed to defend its existence; its Jewish supporters alone are not to be allowed to speak in defence of its right to do so.

Monstrous.

 

Tarek Fatah, a Reformist Muslim, Writes about Jewish-Muslim Relations

From Barbara Kay's column in the National Post,

In his new book, The Jew is Not My Enemy, to be released Oct. 19, Fatah summarizes the present situation between Jews and Muslims: Jews hate Islam, and Muslims hate Jews. “Even the most radical Islamist websites [attack Jews viciously but] do not have a single sentence attacking the Jewish faith,” Fatah notes, while even the most rabidly anti-Islamist Jews “rarely attack Muslims, yet have little reservation in deriding Islam and the Koran.”

Even if this observation is true only in general but not universally, it is a pithy insight. But the rest of the column expands the idea (i.e. read the whole thing). Some excerpts:

Tarek Fatah grew up in Pakistan. He does not remember any anti-Semitism in his youth. But on a 2006 visit home, he was revolted by the ubiquity and virulence of the anti-Semitism he met when socializing with even educated and wealthy Muslims. In a posh neighbourhood of Karachi he saw a banner over a grocery store announcing, “Bird flu is a Jewish conspiracy.” He was dumbstruck to hear the store owner’s theory that the “Yahoodis” wanted to destroy the poultry industry of Muslim Indonesia. The owner then pressed a free copy of The Protocols of the Elders of Zion on Fatah and told him it would explain everything, including how the 2004 tsunami was a joint venture by the Yahoodis and the United States.

Anti-Semitism spewed forth from every social and media spigot on this visit, from the Karachi Press Club to the upper crust’s charity balls. In Pakistan today, Fatah sadly notes, “expressing hatred of the Jew…is the easiest way to establish one’s intellectual credentials.”

and

Fatah’s basic arguments come down to this: The Koran itself — the sacred text — does not express a shred of anti-Semitism. The Hadith, though, were written by men centuries later, and certain Hadith verses “can best be described as hate literature.” They can and should be revised or dumped. True anti-Semitism — the blood libel and the exterminationism — are imports, Fatah says, from medieval Christian converts to Islam and Western fascism. The convergence of Arab and German enmities permitted Nazi-style anti-Semitism to penetrate and flourish amongst Arabs and then throughout the Muslim world. The Muslim Brotherhood is behind the successful transmogrification of the Jew into Islam’s existential enemy.

Conspiracy "Scholar" Visits The University of Regina: I have to wonder if he will dust off The Protocols during his talk

Sponsored by the department of (you guessed it!) sociology, an English professor from The University of Guelph is visiting The University of Regina to speak on the very open-minded-sounding topic, "Antisemitism, Real and Imagined". 

It turns out the speaker, Michael Keefer, is coincidentally on a tour to promote a book of the same title. It also turns out he has a history of advocating that conspiracies are responsible for 9/11, the London terrorist bombings, etc., and he has a history of association with anti-Israel groups. From a friend at UWO whom I asked about him,

This thing smells bad. I did a little further research because I remembered his name. Here's part of what I found out:

Michael Keefer is a tenured English professor at the University of Guelph who may become best known in coming months for his contribution to a book called "Antisemitism. Real and Imagined". The book warns against a nebulous conspiracy of Zionists and co-opted far right conservatives attempting to undermine free speech.This is a common theme for the Canadian Charger, a publication for which Keefer sits on the editorial board. Typical headlines you might read in the Canadian Charger would include "Zionist Israel Built On Ethnic Cleansing", "Harpervision for Canada" and "The Sacred Mysteries of 9/11", just to give you a flavor for the rag.

Keefer is no stranger to conspiracy theories. Indeed, his worldview seems to be utterly dominated by them. He has come to prominence as a 9/11 truther of the boldest variety. He doesn't just reject the "official" story propagated by the "corrupt" media. He stated unequivocally in February 2010 that "senior people in the United States government had systematically disabled their air defenses to make these (9/11) attacks succeed."

The purpose of the conspiracy? "The effect (of the 9/11 attacks) was a double-effect. It legitimized a program of aggressive geopolitics, including war on Afghanistan, war against Iraq and the planners of the event no doubt hoped that they would also in the future be able to follow up with wars on other countries including Iran."

Well, of course. High level officials (Bush? Cheney? The undead Richard Nixon they keep in the basement?) collaborated with a sordid assortment of Islamist nutcases from Saudi Arabia and Egypt who would as soon behead an Infidel as spend thirty seconds in a room with them. In this case, the terrorists were not the aggressors but the dupes - even, one might argue, the first victims of the plot. And the wars that followed are not so much strategically required as pathologically necessary for this wicked cabal bent on killing Muslims around the world.

That's how Keefer's mind seems to work. Nice.

It doesn't stop there. Not just the US government, but other Western nations, the Canadian government, and of course, the cops, are all in on the plot (or blind stooges for the shadowy masterminds - again, Zionists and neo-cons). Any high-profile terror attack in the West is automatically suspect, most likely perpetrated by the conspiracy and blamed on innocent Muslims who were probably tortured into confessing. He makes these sorts of statements in an article published at the "Global Research" site called "The Harper Government and Canada's 'War-on-Terror' Immigration Policy":

On the 7/7 attacks by Islamist terrorists in London:

 "The London bombings of July 7, 2005, for example, are said to have been carried out by suicide bombers-a story that is contradicted by the testimony of survivors that the explosions blew the floors of the underground carriages upward from below. If the bombs were not carried onto the carriages, but detonated from beneath, then the purported Islamist fanatics said to have been responsible for these appalling crimes cannot have been the actual mass murderers."

On the arrest of the "Toronto 18" terror cell in Canada:

 "Did Canadian intelligence agencies really anticipate that squads of heavily armed terrorists might descend on the Brampton courthouse in a desperate Robin-Hood style attempt to free their captured comrades? Or would it be cynical to think that the state was trying to panic the Canadian media and the public at large with this graphic demonstration of how terrified we should all be-if not of the handcuffed prisoners, then certainly of their shadowy accomplices. The logic is clear: if the brave and clever men who dress like ninjas, carry big automatic weapons and work in intelligence are worried, then the rest of us ought to be gob-smacked with fear."

Why does it really matter if a Shakespeare expert most people have never heard about goes on a speaking tour perpetuating these bizarre fairy tales about brutal cabals corrupting democratic governments that are leading us into an unending, unthinking war on innocents here and abroad? Why does Michael Keefer matter?

In a sense, he doesn't. If Keefer dropped off the face of the Earth today, he could be replaced in a moment. There are literally thousands of "experts" around who would love to take his place on the speaking circuit, whose main goal in life seems to be to evangelize these twisted unicorn myths. And they would continue to deliver their message to packed theatres and conferences.

The relentless propaganda has already had its effect. Over a third of Americans believe 9/11 was an inside job. Numbers are similar in other Western countries. And of course, in the countries that most need to switch over to a more reality-based approach to managing their own affairs and dealing with the world, these conspiracy theories are not minority views; they are accepted broadly as facts.

When citizens of a democracy no longer feel represented; when they feel that the government is controlled by, if not run by, mass murdering scum; if they believe that urgent threats, like a relentless global attack by modern fascists and totalitarians is bogus and not worth defending against; if they believe that every institution from the government to the justice system and virtually all media is irredeemably corrupt and wicked; then they will cease to take part in that democracy. In fact, they will work against it, probably in the most extreme sorts of ways.

We're talking about societal breakdown, brought on by nothing more than fear-mongering and indoctrination. That's why people like Keefer matter. And it's why their crackpot theories must be exposed and condemned by all those who truly care about freedom.

 My friend also recommends these website:

Jonathon Narvey <http://propagandistmag.com/2010/2010/jonathon-narvey>  is the Editor of The Propagandist. This is the final part of a 6-part series.

 Read Part 5 of

<http://propagandistmag.com/2010/09/25/kind-talk-can-get-you-trouble-part-5>

That Kind Of Talk Can Get You In Trouble <http://propagandistmag.com/2010/09/25/kind-talk-can-get-you-trouble-part-5>

 If I weren't teaching at the time his talk is scheduled, I wonder if I could provoke Keefer into saying that The Protocols of the Elders of Zion are probably legitimate...

 

Stefan Zweig, on Kapuzinerberg in Salzburg

Last month while in Salzburg, I spent an afternoon wandering around on Kapuzinerberg, a small near-mountain on the north side of the river, across from the Fortress. It felt like a mountain while I was walking up the trail, but when I looked at it later, from Untersberg, I realized it is more like a really big hill. There is an active monastery on the hill, and there are shrines all along the main path.

 

I was mildly amused, as I walked up the hill, to see this, a US mailbox:

As I was taking the photo, a young man emerged from the property and explained to me that this was the former villa of Stefan Zweig, a Jewish poet and author who fled Austria when the Nazis came to power in 1934 and who lived in the United States briefly. I doubt that there is any connection between his having lived in the US in the early 1940s and a new US mailbox, but the coincidence intrigued me nevertheless. 

Up a little higher, nearer the monastery, there is a tribute to Zweig, a plaque and a bust:

 For more on Zweig, just google him. Or start here.