Friday, January 26, 2007

Al-Hayat antisemitism

Davis writes: An excerpt from this story in Al-hayat is below. Irresponsible, malicious antisemitic journalism. The Jews control America. They are the most prominent decision makers in the US. And they are using this - vast and magical power - to cause a Palestinian civil war. Give me a break.

I take this extremely seriously. It is antisemitism, pure and simple, in it's classic form, dressed up in new 'US - Israeli' clothes. Nothing to do with Israel, US policy, or reality for that matter. Just people who feel uncomfortable in their place in a complex world, spinning a vicious fantasy about Jewish power and plots that are to blame:

"The reality is that the American administration, contrary to the impressions it is trying to create for itself, has become an enemy of an honorable, peaceful solution for the conflict in the region, because of its absolute bias toward Israel, resulting from the tremendous influence the pro-Israeli lobby enjoys in the administration. The members of this lobby have now become of the most prominent decision-makers in the US. It has now become commonplace knowledge that the rabid Zionist, Elliot Abrams, senior Middle East director of the National Security Council, put in place a naive plan to provoke a Palestinian civil war. He did this by means of funding, arming and training the Palestinian presidential guard, and spreading the rumor that the purpose of this was springing on Hamas and eradicating it. It seems that Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice was forced to adopt this wild, naive plan, and that she was the one who has been incapable, until now, to even prompt Israel to implement the Rafah crossing agreement that she engendered. "

3 comments:

William said...

Well, the writer sure is critical of Zionism and of Israel. Yes the writer implies there is an Israeli conspiracy to make Israel supreme by seducing neo-con America. Does being anti-Israel neccessarilly equate with being racist though? I am a little wary of that call.

Anonymous said...

This writer is not critical of Zionism or Israel, but clearly and openly antisemitic, in it's most classic sense.

But first things first. The reply states:

'Does being anti-Israel necessarily equate with being racist though? I am a little weary of that call.'

'That call'?

I understand this to allude to what is a commonplace slander nowadays, namely that 'Jews use accusations of antisemitism to deflect criticism of Israel.'

This is of course a malicious generalisation (though much criticism of Israel is indeed motivated in part by antisemitism and the number of critics who stand for a principled critique that is free from ill-will towards the Jews is uncomfortably small).

Nobody amongst the Jewish commentariat is saying that criticism of Israel is antisemitic by default. As I stated, unfortunately, in reality it often is. The sheer audacity of some of the intellectual bends going on in the West to accomodate Islamic / Arabic antisemitism beggars belief.
Nevermind the Palestinians. They're excused by default it seems.

But criticising Israel is not antisemitic. I challenge you to find me one serious Jewish commentator who claims otherwise. Only the antisemites say that that is what the 'Jews' claim.

So don't be wary of that call. Nobody has made it.

Unless of course you consider this to be what is happening here. in which case you'd think that I am slandering this writer as antisemitic, in order to deflect his criticism of Israel.

But then I would like you to explain how you can apologise for an article that thinly - actually not at all - veils its idea of a Jewish Lobby ruling the US and hatching evil plans against the Palestinians, how you can explicitly excuse the idea that Elliot Abrams, the 'rabid Zionist' is directing this, as part of 'the most prominent decision makers in America'?


This article is akin to a fantasy of 'evil jewish domination', that would be more at home in the Stuermer, than a contemporary newspaper, and I am troubled by the above response.

It is classic antisemitic fantasy dressed in the latest fashion.

William said...

I still fail to see how this is anti-semitic. Am I missing something? Elliot Abrams would happily call himself a Zionist - indeed I would imagine he has done so. He is on record as being a strong and absolute supporter of ISRAEL. Nothing wrong with that. Nothing wrong with being a Zionist either in my book. This article calls Abrams a rabid Zionist which is over the top - but is this truly anti-semitic . . . or merely anti-Israel and anti-Elliot?