Anti-Zionism is not anti-semitic
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The American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is facing accusations of Islamophobia and incitement after doubling down on attacks against Muslim-American congresswomen Ilhan Omar and Rashida Tlaib.
“Not only is AIPAC running false, vitriolic ads against progressive Congresswomen of color, it’s doubling down on them after being called out for dangerously spreading misinformation about lawmakers who are among the most frequent targets of rightwing extremists’ bigotry & threats,” wrote Dylan Williams, senior vice president at J Street, a liberal Jewish group that presents itself as pro-Israel and pro-peace.
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/8/12/aipac-accused-of-islamophobia-after-attacks-on-ilhan-omar
Jonathan Cook on the role of the Jewish Chronicle in smearing Corbyn as an anti-semite.
Jewish Chronicle’s libel payouts were a small price to pay for smearing Corbyn and the left
The Jewish Chronicle served as the chief attack dog on Corbyn and the Labour left, in service of an establishment represented by the Conservative party and the long-dominant right wing of the Labour party…The paper’s role was to breathe life into the claim that Corbyn and his supporters were anti-semites, and the paper managed it by maliciously conflating antisemitism and the left’s criticisms of Israel as a racist, apartheid state that oppresses Palestinians. The Chronicle’s job was to initiate the antisemitism libels and lies against Corbyn and his followers that served to feed and rationalise the fears of prominent sections of the Jewish community. Those fears could then be cited by the rest of the corporate media as evidence that Labour was riding roughshod over the Jewish community’s “sensitivities”. And in turn, the Labour left’s supposed indifference to Jewish sensitivities could be attributed to its rampant antisemitism… to deny Labour has some especial antisemitism problem, separate from that found more generally in British society, is itself proof of antisemitism. Once accused of antisemitism, as the Labour left endlessly is, one is guilty by definition – the choice is either to confess to antisemitism or be proven an antisemite by denying the accusation.
To discriminate against the Arabs and the Islamics is also antisemitism based on the traditional concept, even more, according to the Bible the real Semitic are the Arabs
Haredi Jewish-Israeli claims political asylum in the UK for his anti-zionism
https://www.aljazeera.com/news/2021/9/16/asylum-appeal-of-anti-zionist-jewish-israeli-who-refuse
he cited the Zionist movement as one of five sources of Islamophobia in a lecture on the subject, and showed a diagram linking Jewish charities to Zionist lobbying. Complaints were made that this resembled the antisemitic trope that Jews wield secretive influence on political affairs, but they were dismissed by the university on academic freedom grounds.
Since then, comments by him in online lectures describing Israel as “the enemy of world peace” and a statement sent to the student news outlet the Tab that described the Jewish Society as an “Israel lobby group” that had “manufactured hysteria” about his teaching
Ironically, Miller’s research specialises in how power self-perpetuates through lobbying and propaganda.
Jonathan Cook on the witch-hunt against David Miller
That’s a good article by Jonathan Cook you posted, Alan
I was struck by one passage
Paradoxically, at the same time as Boris Johnson’s government has been seeking to silence criticism of Israel, it has also been demanding an end to what it calls “cancel culture” at universities – chiefly attempts by students to deny a platform to racist and transphobic speakers.
Surely the witchhunt and sacking of Miller is a prime example of “cancel culture”?
Never read any of her books but she has stirred up a hornet’s nest by supporting BDS and denying an Israeli publisher the rights to translate her latest book into Hebrew although she had permitted earlier works translated.
Now she is being described as an anti-semite by Israeli officials
https://www.bbc.com/news/entertainment-arts-58886915
I half expect that there will now be a call in future for her books to be withdrawn from bookshops and libraries etc.
What’s the opposite of BDS?
FIFA President Gianno Infantino during his visit to Jerusalem suggesting that the 2030 World Cup could take place in Israel, Palestine and other countries in the region.
Jonathan Cook of the Zionist Lobby’s activities
As with its attacks on Corbyn, the [Jewish] Chronicle’s claims against Miller are hyperbolic, with the paper reporting uncritically that members of the Union of Jewish Students at Bristol had accused the professor of “harassment, targeting, and vicious diatribe”.
In fact, this supposed “harassment” refers either to a lecture about propaganda by Miller, based on his research, that cited the Israel lobby’s promotion of Islamophobia, or to critical comments he made about Zionism and the Israel lobby in forums outside the classroom.
Miller did not harass anyone. Rather, those who identify as Zionists – for whom Israel is an abiding political priority – have chosen to take offence at his findings. They have not been bullied, intimidated or threatened, as the Chronicle implies. Their political beliefs about Israel have been challenged by Miller’s academic work.
On a different note, having accepted Russians with questionable claims to Judaism and Ethiopian Falashas, Israel is rejecting the claims of a community in Nigeria who say they are followers of Judaism
Australia the latest to adopt the IHRA definition of anti-semitism
I hadn’t heard of the Nexus Document
What Is Not Antisemitic?
As a general rule, criticism of Zionism and Israel, opposition to Israel’s policies, or nonviolent political action directed at the State of Israel and/or its policies should not, as such, be deemed antisemitic.
Even contentious, strident, or harsh criticism of Israel for its policies and actions, including those that led to the creation of Israel, is not per se illegitimate or antisemitic.
Opposition to Zionism and/or Israel does not necessarily reflect specific anti-Jewish animus nor purposefully lead to antisemitic behaviors and conditions. (For example, someone might oppose the principle of nationalism or ethnonationalist ideology. Similarly, someone’s personal or national experience may have been adversely affected by the creation of the State of Israel. These motivations or attitudes towards Israel and/or Zionism do not necessarily constitute antisemitic behavior.)
Paying disproportionate attention to Israel and treating Israel differently than other countries is not prima facie proof of antisemitism. (There are numerous reasons for devoting special attention to Israel and treating Israel differently, e.g., some people care about Israel more; others may pay more attention because Israel has a special relationship with the United States and receives $4 billion in American aid).A shameful statistic on the ignorance of the British public concerning the Holocaust.
However, I would have liked to see figures that included knowledge of the attempted extermination of the Roma and the scale of the atrocities against Russian POWs which was nothing like the luxury of Colditz.
Wearing a pro-Hamas t-shirt designated a terrorist act
In a move she says will help to combat antisemitism, Priti Patel,
the home secretary, said Hamas will be proscribed by the government under the Terrorism Act. It means anyone who expresses support for Hamas, flies their flag or arranges meetings for the organisation will be in breach of the law. Supporters of Hamas could face up to 14 years in jail.Until now, the UK has banned only its military wing – the Izz ad-Din al-Qassam Brigades.
She says it is a vital step towards protecting the Jewish community.
“Hamas is fundamentally and rabidly antisemitic. “Antisemitism is an enduring evil which I will never tolerate. Jewish people routinely feel unsafe – at school, in the streets, when they worship, in their homes, and online. This step will strengthen the case against anyone who waves a Hamas flag in the United Kingdom, an act that is bound to make Jewish people feel unsafe.”
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