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Tag Archives: Antisemitism
Duality of Antisemitism
Much of the hateful discourse in the media (mainstream and social) during the hot war with Iran has been about the relationship between Trump/USA and Netanyahu/Israel.
The general thrust of the poison was (and is) to the effect that Trump does what Netanyahu wants, that the war was Israel’s, and that the USA had no option but do what its Zionist overlords ordered. In other words, The Jews controlled America.
This, of course, is hateful nonsense.
As Sartre said:
Never believe that anti-Semites are completely unaware of the absurdity of their replies. They know that their remarks are frivolous, open to challenge. But they are amusing themselves, for it is their adversary who is obliged to use words responsibly, since he believes in words…
The anti-Semites…like to play with discourse for, by giving ridiculous reasons, they discredit the seriousness of their interlocutors. They delight in acting in bad faith, since they seek not to persuade by sound argument but to intimidate and disconcert. If you press them too closely, they will abruptly fall silent, loftily indicating by some phrase that the time for argument is past.
Source: Anti-Semite and Jew by Jean-Paul Sartre, 1944
With that in mind, let’s turn to an article in today’s Times of Israel:
Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi warns that the US-Iran memorandum of understanding obligates US President Donald Trump to “muzzle” Israel and prevent it from militarily threatening Iran, in response to remarks by Defense Minister Israel Katz.
“The terms of the Islamabad MoU are crystal clear and public for all to see. POTUS has committed the US to muzzling its pets in Tel Aviv. If they ignore their master, Iran will school them. Any threat against our People and Leadership will receive Immediate Powerful Response,” Araghchi warns in a post on X.
Yes, you read that correctly. Apparently, the story has changed: now it’s America that controls Israel.
Truly, to be an antisemite is to be especially blessed: you have the capacity, if not the requirement, to hold two conflicting racist tropes in your mind at the same time. Such is the duality of antisemitism.
The Antisemitism of Amnesty
I previously referred to the Perfidy of Amnesty. Their continuing bigotry has been brought to my attention by the indomitable Elder of Ziyon in a post entitled Amnesty proves it is antisemitic, again.
I encourage you to follow the last link and read the post on the Elder’s site. For those who want a summary, here goes:
Amnesty tweeted about a Holocaust survivor:
Right now, Holocaust survivor Stephen Kapos is at the Nakba Day demonstration in London. The 88-year-old has attended almost every demonstration in the last two year’s protesting Israel’s genocide in Gaza. Stephen stands and sits with family and members of his group the ‘Holocaust Survivors & Descendants Against the Genocide in Gaza’.
The Elder pointed out:
Amnesty-UK is publicizing a child Holocaust survivor who marches in anti-Israel demonstrations, calling the Gaza War a “genocide.” The only reason they want to promote him is to make the point that as a Holocaust survivor, Kapos knows what genocide is and has a particular moral authority to be able to describe Israel’s actions as the most heinous war crimes.
But if Holocaust survivors have a unique perspective on genocide – and they do, having survived the paradigm of all genocides – then what about the 99.9% of living Holocaust survivors who support Israel, and who recognize Hamas and October 7 as being the closest modern equivalent to Nazis? If Holocaust survivors have an important perspective on the matter, why is Amnesty ignoring the feelings of nearly all of them and promoting a fringe figure among them?
From this, the Elder (rightly) concludes that Amnesty doesn’t think most Holocaust survivors’ opinions are important. I agree. How arrogant is their attitude? How bigoted is it?
The Elder makes two particular points following this.
First, Amnesty means that the other Holocaust survivors who support Israel are — by Amnesty’s logic — supporting genocide.
Second, by promoting Kapos above the majority of other Holocaust survivors, they are clearly using him as a prop. If they cared for Holocaust survivors, they would instead quote the others who would tell Amnesty about Hamas, Hezbollah, Iran, and the Houthis who want to finish Hitler’s job.
And, as I don’t want to lessen the impact of the Elder’s closing words (with which I wholeheratedly agree) I set them out in full here:
To Amnesty, the Holocaust is not a lesson for them to learn from. It is only a lesson for its victims and their descendants. It wasn’t a genocide, exactly, but a giant classroom for Jews to learn to behave themselves and not act like Nazis. The rest of the world, the world that let the Holocaust happen, are now the judges that determine whether Jews fighting for their lives are crossing the line or need to be taught Remedial Holocaust 102. To Amnesty, the Holocaust is a prop meant to be trotted out when it is convenient for them to hurl the most hateful accusations against Jews and then use fringe, mentally ill Jews as a cover to protect themselves from being accused of antisemitism.
No one else can be compared to the Nazis but Jews, in Amnesty’s universe.
This tweet, alone, exposes the cynicism and hypocrisy of this supposedly “human rights” organization. And, yes, the implications of this tweet are pure Jew-hatred.
This is not imaginary. This is real. This is a once worthy human-rights organization that is clearly engaged in naked antisemitism — repeatedly. Their brand is poison and should be shunned forever.
The Perfidy of Amnesty
Once upon a time, Amnesty was a real human-rights organization. Not any more. For many years, perhaps decades, it has been a front for bigotry directed at Israel, Israelis, and Jews. For those outside the battlefield, Amnesty still retains its reputation. That’s one reason why its particular bigotry is so venomous and effective. Those of us who know the true situation tend to largely ignore all of Amnesty’s activity. Once you know it’s been repurposed as an antizionist, antisemitic outlet, you start to realize that you cannot trust anything it says. And I mean anything.
I was reminded of the perfidy of Amnesty by this recent post on X (formerly Twitter).
On the face of it, you couldn’t ask for more. However, it’s a sham.
Cast your mind back to 2015. At the Amnesty International UK’s Annual General Meeting that year, there were 17 resolutions up for adoption.
The 16 that were passed covered a range of international human rights issues and internal organizational matters.
The single resolution that was rejected was the one to “Campaign against anti-Semitism in the UK” and lobby the UK Government on this issue.
As reported by NGO Monitor here:
According to the motion, neither AIUK nor the [Amnesty] International Secretariat have undertaken research or campaigning work specifically on anti-Semitism in the UK.”
And
Nevertheless, an Amnesty-UK official offered a misleading technical justification, claiming that “our membership decided not to pass this resolution calling for a campaign with a single focus.” In fact, AIUK has initiated “single focus” campaigns frequently in the past, for instance, approving “overwhelmingly” a 2010 resolution on Sinti and Roma Communities, and stating: “Within the last year widespread discrimination and violence against Sinti and Roma communities has intensified in a number of European countries, which Amnesty International has published within respective country reports.” AIUK’s silence on antisemitism stands in sharp contrast.
There was an attempt on X to explain their stance:
We condemn all forms of hate crime and discrimination. Unfortunately we can’t campaign on everything.
They do campaign about lots of issues, but not about antisemitism.
Even Wikipedia, no friend to the Jews, has material about Amnesty’s bigotry.
Agnes Callamard has been the Secretary General of Amnesty International since 2021. Wikipedia – perhaps unsurprisingly – doesn’t find space for mention of her blind spot towards the Jews. For example, when British-Egyptian activist Alaa Abd el-Fattah was released, this was her post on X and a sample of the unanswered criticism it triggered.
In other words, she celebrated the release of a man who called for Jews to be killed. For the complete extent of Alaa’s bigotry, he also called for the death of homosexuals and “whites”.
There are plenty more examples of Callamard’s bigotry and bias. Grokipedia has some material here. But these are truly the tip of the iceberg. Given her position, there’s little likelihood of Amnesty’s stance changing.
In short, for Amnesty, Jews don’t count. That new post about the incident in Golders Green is a sham. Don’t trust Amnesty.
In the Sewer
Much of social media is a sewer. Sure, there are a meaningful amount of good things, but bigotry, racism, and stupidity are in the ascendancy. Here’s one example, from X (formerly Twitter) that has been making the rounds again this week.
Here are some key facts:
- Before October 7, Gaza’s population was around 2 million.
- Of these, 332,000 were under the age of 5.
- This means the claim is that more kids have died in the war than existed!
- In the real world, the Gazan population is higher than it was at the start of the war.
Despite the ridiculous claim, this post has had 67k likes and been reposted 36k times. It has had 3 million views.
Did any of these people stop to think where all the dead bodies are? Gaza has been pumping out videos – many fake – about the suffering they are allegedly enduring. Amazingly, with an over-abundance of modern phones with cameras, there are no videos supporting the claims made above. Not one.
The people responsible for these claims – and those promoting them – have blood on their hands.
Welcome to the sewer!
Bloody Bondi
I wanted to post something about the dreadful Chanukah attack in Bondi Beach, Australia. But as the Elder of Ziyon‘s post exactly matches my thoughts and perspective (and since reading through the reports and some of the social media responses has been so exhausting) I will take the easy option and simply direct you there.
I also want to repeat his concluding words.
The calls to “Globalize the Intifada” and “By Any Means Necessary” are exactly as offensive, exactly as disgusting and exactly as inciteful as “Gas the Jews.” There is no difference. Yet the tolerance of the “pro-Palestinian” phrases is exactly what leads to the horrific events of today in Bondi Beach.
It is long past time for the media and political class to confront reality: these protests are not about peace, human rights, or justice. They function as permission structures, inciting people to attack Jews while cloaking themselves in moral language.
October 7, 2023
Note: I published the following post on my Facebook page on October 11 2023. I am reposting it here, unedited.
We are the people of the Jewish State. We have been demonized. We have been delegitimized. We have been defamed. We have been denounced. We have been subjected to double standards.
But all of that is so much sticks and stones in the face of Saturday’s brutal terror attack. Now we have been slaughtered, brutalized, raped, and taken hostage.
To add insult to deep injury there are people out there who celebrate the atrocities committed against us. Or, if they don’t celebrate the atrocities, they offer excuses and justification. Or, if they neither celebrate nor justify the atrocities, they are silent.
It should not be difficult to know which side of the fence to stand on: on the side of evil with those committing the atrocities or on the side of good with those against whom the atrocities were perpetrated. If you’re not standing on the side of good, you’re part of the problem.
It should not be difficult to know that there is no justification or excuse for these atrocities. Every murderer in so-called civil society seeks to excuse his actions and those excuses are rightfully rejected. That is what you should be doing. If you’re not, you’re part of the problem. It should not be difficult to know that silence and inaction can be deadly. As the famous quote (edited) say: “The only thing necessary for the triumph of evil is for good men and women to do nothing.” So, if you’re doing nothing, you’re part of the problem.
And the problem? See the first paragraph. The Guardian is part of the problem. Almost every story about Israel and Jews is designed to show the Jewish State in a bad light. Many events that would highlight the bloodthirsty immorality of our terrorist neighbors are ignored or excused. Like the BBC – also part of the problem – it offers a platform for antisemites and Israel haters to freely express their venom. The New York Times is part of the problem. When’s the last time you saw these outlets cover Arab antisemitism? When’s the last time you saw these outlets feature articles that explained where Hamas got all its rockets from? When’s the last time you saw these outlets acknowledge that the IDF takes more care than any other army on the planet to avoid unnecessary civilian casualties? This unholy trinity are only the most obvious examples that spring to mind, and they are all similar. Piece by piece, bit by bit, byte by byte, they cast Israel as the source of all evil and the only one to blame.
Which brings me to another part of the problem: the UN. In a world where only Israel features as a permanent item on the Human Right’s Council agenda, perhaps it’s understandable that people think everything bad that happens in the world is Israel’s fault. The truth? Well, if you have half a brain you will appreciate that the Chinese might have something to answer for if only there was anyone brave enough to stand up to them. Certainly if you’re Ukrainian you will (rightfully) believe that Putin’s Russia has got off lightly. What about Turkey’s invasion and illegal occupation of Northern Cyprus? Why did Assad get free rein to murder his own people and thousands of Palestinians? Life’s a bundle of laughs for the people living under the rule of the oppressive regimes in Burma, Cuba, Iran, and many more. (Where are the BDS movements about these countries?) Despite all of this, the UN disproportionately targets Israel. The central problem with the UN is it gives a vote to every country, even those who do not give the vote to their citizens. And dictatorships support one another.
Now for the so-called Human Rights organizations. What are they doing? Once, Amnesty International, Human Rights Watch (HRW), and the like did a good job. But at a certain moment, many of them cottoned on to the fact that there is so much hatred for the Jewish State (or maybe just Jews?) that so long as they focused on Israel, the money would roll in. That, for example, at least in part explains the obscene Amnesty allegation of apartheid against Israel. What you may not realize is that, not for the first time, Amnesty had to create new law (applicable only to Israel) and a brand new definition of apartheid to make it fit. What kind of hateful people do these things? As for HRW, their Israel coverage became laughable. They were leading lights in the world of double standards, going through contortions to avoid naming the real culprits. For example, when “collaborators” were being executed in Gaza, HRW couldn’t name Hamas as being the perpetrators! As one commentator noted, “You limit your criticism of the Hamas terror group as much as you can, only condemning what cannot possibly be denied and interpreting international humanitarian law in the most conservative way possible for them. You do the exact opposite for Israel. That’s how we know you are biased.” Even the original founder of HRW called them out for their bias. For Amnesty and HRW, money talks and Jews suffer.
For the avoidance of doubt, I neither pretend nor believe that Israel is perfect. (I wish it were otherwise.) People are entitled to criticize us, but using double standards or invented international law or deliberate misrepresentations of legal principles like proportionality highlight how much of that criticism is simply disguised hate.
I ask you to bear all of this in mind when, sadly but inevitably, civilian casualties in Gaza pile up and there are pleas for a cease-fire or humanitarian aid. Unfortunately, war is not a video game and there will be innocent casualties. Israel’s record in minimizing civilian casualties, compared to every other army, is second to none. This, despite facing an inhuman and evil foe that relishes the deaths of its own people whether as human shields or otherwise. Nobody in Israel wants innocent civilians to die. But our military forces must be free to hunt down every member of Hamas. You don’t get to commit an atrocity and then hide behind the skirts of western apologists and peacemakers. Every pause benefits Hamas. Every penny in aid benefits Hamas. Save your charity and save your pleas because, unless I am sadly mistaken, this will not be over until Hamas are removed.
If you want to campaign to improve the lives of Palestinians, may I humbly suggest that you join groups that fight for women’s rights, gay rights, freedom of assembly, freedom of speech, freedom of worship, and democracy for Palestinians. I’ll back you all the way.
For my penultimate point, I want to address the bystanders who have done nothing. If you have reached out to people in Israel, that’s something and it’s appreciated. If you haven’t reached out yet, it’s not too late to do so. Another thing you can do is call out or report antisemitism and Jew hatred when you see it. Also, take everything about Israel that you read in the world media with a huge pinch of salt. For an alternative – one that is genuinely free thinking and not afraid to call a spade a spade – see The Times of Israel. And if you want to challenge yourself, bookmark the Elder of Ziyon blog site and visit every day. This site is a phenomenon. I don’t agree with everything he posts, but it’s a far better and more informative and insightful read than anything you will see on the Guardian, BBC, or New York Times. Haaretz? Keep well away. It’s the Guardian in disguise, but worse. In short, be truly informed so you know what’s really happening. If you want to be more active in your support, consider donating to Magen David Adom, United Hatzalah, IDF Soldiers’ Fund, or Zaka.
Finally, be assured that we will endure, we will survive, and then we will thrive. And in the face of all those engaging in the acts outlined in paragraph one, that will be our greatest victory.