ANTI-SEMITIC CENTRAL….
By ATWadmin On July 25th, 2009
I was reading that Israel’s military clean up of Gaza earlier this year prompted a steep increase in anti-Semitic attacks and intimidation in London.
The Community Security Trust recorded 303 anti-Semitic incidents in the capital in the first half of this year, a record. There were 67 more attacks than in the same peiod last year and the total accounted for nearly half of all incidents in Britain. Much of the surge took place in January when there were more than nine incidents every day.
I wonder who exactly was carrying out all these vicious racist attacks? Has there been any convictions and if not, why not? London, of course, has the largest Muslim population in the UK.
I am preparing an article on this and the key thing to remember is that "Islamaphobia" and an "anti-Muslim backlash" are the big fears that must be avoided. Jews are expendable, Muslims must be protected.
Obviously this has nothing to do with certain supporters of Israel equating that state and zionism with judaism. Like Troll for instance who routinely refers to the state of Israel as ‘the Jews’. Would such people be willing to accept their idotic terminology helps feed anti-semtism? Don’t bet on it.
"Obviously this has nothing to do with certain supporters of Israel equating that state and zionism with judaism. "
You are right it has nothing to do with that and everything to do with opponents of Israel not making that distinction. From the website of CST:
"The incidents recorded by CST hold a particular message, though, for anti-Israel campaigners. The correlation between anti-Israel rage and antisemitic attacks, evident for some years, dominates the period covered by CST’s report. In January alone, 286 antisemitic incidents were reported to CST from around Britain. Over half of these made some reference to the fighting in Gaza, alongside the antisemitism. For comparison, during the Lebanon war of 2006, CST recorded 134 incidents in 34 days.
Let’s be clear: every one of the incidents recorded by CST as antisemitic is just that. Every one involves antisemitic language, or motivation, or the targeting of Jews per se, rather than pro-Israel groups or activists. We received many reports during the first six months of the year, of anti-Israel activity that we did not record as antisemitic incidents. There are examples of this on page seven of the report. Nor do we record anti-Israel, and arguably antisemitic, placards, banners or chants on demonstrations as antisemitic incidents. In total, in addition to the 609 antisemitic incidents recorded by CST, we received reports of a further 236 potential incidents that did not show evidence of antisemitism and were not recorded as such. "
‘You are right it has nothing to do with that and everything to do with opponents of Israel not making that distinction.’
Way to miss the point Ross. It is precisely such language by certain ‘supporters’ of Israel which helps feed anti-semitism. Are you actually trying to deny that by referring to Israel as ‘the jews’ does not encourage anti-semitism????????
Of ocurse we haven’t even touched on the issue of philo-semitism which many people use as a disguise for their real feelings, as Goldhagen has argued.
I agree, RS. I’ve thought for a long time that those who claim to be Israel’s best friends are in fact her worst enemies. These rabid anti-semites agree with me!
On the larger point, these anti-semitic attacks are a disgrace.
RS, I wouldn’t argue that people like Troll and David’s views that Judaism and Zionism are inseperable encourage anti-Semitism. I believe that people who aren’t anti-Semetic but still oppose Israel are intelligent enough to make that distinction. Those people who attack Jews because of Israel’s actions are simply anti-Semites looking for an excuse.
That being said those who consider Judaism and Zionism to be inseperable are racist, whether they are trying to gain support for Israel or whether they are attacking Jews.
RS
Israel is the national homeland for the Jewish people. There is a genuine, organic, emotional, connection between most Jews and the Jewish state.
Including the majority of Jews outside of Israel.
Phantom, you can be Jewish and not be Israeli. You can be Israeli and not be Jewish. It is therefore wrong to claim Israel is the national homeland for the Jewish people.
You can indeed, but that state was founded as the Jewish homeland, and has acted as such for sixty years. It is a historical fact.
It is noted that Ireland is the national homeland for the Irish people. But many Irish people don’t live in Ireland, and many residents of Ireland are not Irish, or even European. Doesn’t make Ireland a non Irish state.
But, in my opinion, it has moved beyond that. It is now a nation state, not a theocratic experiment. There is an attempt to portray opposition to Israel as opposition to Judaism, fueled by this nonsense that it is the national homeland of Jews. To portray the Israelis as the Jews is incorrect, stupid and racist.
I wouldn’t get hung up on these distinctions.
And I’ve never said that Israel should be immune from criticism – they’ve got plenty to be criticized about.
You can certainly criticize Israel without being anti semitic. Israel’s harshest critics are often nonreligious Jews, many of whom despise the rule-or-ruin Orthodox, secular Jews who live in Tel Aviv and elsewhere, who don’t keep the Sabbath, who will eat cheeseburgers with bacon if the mood strikes them.
But these guys will be the first to pick up a gun to defend the homeland if it is attacked.
Seamus continually referring to the state of Israel as ‘the Jews’ and saying idiotic things like ‘the jews should bomb Iran’ etc, does encourage anti-semitism, because there are idiots out there who will read such a use of language and conclude that ergo all jews must be zionists and supporters of Israel.
Phantom
‘Israel is the national homeland for the Jewish people.’
Grossly incorrect. It is a national homeland for any Jew who decides to settle there. But to my knowldege the majority of the worlds Jews currently have chosen not to do so.
‘There is a genuine, organic, emotional, connection between most Jews and the Jewish state.’
Organic? Like how? Oragnic in the same manner the Palestinians have to the levant?
emotional? Many jews may have an emotional link. But you seem to underestimate the level of dissent within the jewish community regarding the policies and future status of Israel. I would direct you to have a read of Esther Kaplan’s excellent article for ‘The Nation’ called ‘The Jewish Divide on Israel’ and once you do please desist with your usual line of ‘the vast majority of jews support Israel’.
‘It is a historical fact.’
There are plenty of historical facts which paint Israel in a rathewr unsavoury light, but your philo-semitism is such that you cannot acknowledge them.
I know many, many Jews whose views range from the right ( there are some ) to the far left. They all ( or at least essentially all ) are happy that there is a Jewish state.
I’m not here to argue the Palestinian – Israeli thing for the zillionth time. We know where yiz stand on that.
The majority of Jews live in places like America because America is a terrific place to live. That does not mean that these people, both those who live in Israel and those who don’t, can’t regard Israel as the Jewish homeland. Because it is.
Every people is entitled to a nation of their own. Including the Irish, and including the Jews. Lets be consistent.
‘But many Irish people don’t live in Ireland,’
Jesus wept Phantom. Any Irish person who doesn’t live in Ireland obviously came from Ireland or their parents did. To equate that to an upstate New York Jew who ancestors came from Europe or Russia and say that gives them rights in a land they have never set foot in or their parents never set foot in is ridiculous.
Phantom, a jew born in France is french. A jew from Ireland IS IRISH. Jews are humans, their religion does not put them above or below the rest of humanity, that is called being consistent.
The Jews have a far longer historical memory than the Irish do perhaps. That should be honored, not criticized.
RS
That is true, but they’re also Jewish as an ethnicity / tribe. Do we have to go over this yet again?
Half the population of Tel Aviv are ethnic Jews who despise the rabbis.
That ethnicity is a birthright that many, including those born in alien nations such as Ireland and the historically antisemitic nation of France can claim – you cannot take it away from them
Phantom, as an ethniticity, Semites, or Ethnic Jews, are ethnically no different from the Palestinians or many of the Arabs. Most Jews aren’t Semites. If I converted to Judaism tomorrow I would be a Jew. I would not ethnically be a Semite. Only a small proportion of the world’s Jews are actually descended from the Holy Land.
‘That should be honored, not criticized.’
What should be honored? Who was criticisng what? Memory?
‘ but they’re also Jewish as an ethnicity / tribe. ‘ ‘Do we have to go over this yet again?’
Yes it seems we do Phantom, because you’re doing the moth thing again. You know full well about the Khazars and the Falasha etc. To claim all jews are related or from the same tribe is typical zionist erroneous bullshit. plain and simple.
Phantom you fail to realise the simple fact that the dual nationality/loyalty you impose on jews also feeds anti-semitism. It allows bigots in their country of origin to view their jewish compatriots as being ‘other’ as being ‘outsiders’ as ‘not belonging’ as being ‘disloyal’. By peddling your idiotic line you make anti-semitism flourish and make assimilation for those jews who want nothing to do with Israel or zionism all that harder. Why on earth can you not see this simple fact?????
We disagree on this. It’s OK.
"I wonder who exactly was carrying out all these vicious racist attacks?"
IIRC it was the IDF.
Its ok to disagree yes. Its not ok to keep rehashing long debunked nonsense. You seem like an intelligent guy Phantom, but im at a loss as to why you insist on this line. Perhaps its your fear of being labelled an ‘anti-semite’.
Im off now to take my daughter to her grannies to visit her Gran-uncle whose home from Johannesburg. Shes never met him, and it looks like BBQ weather. Have a good weekend !
Did you know that there is no such thing as a Palestinian people
there seems to be an attempt to deny to Jews a right to a homeland even now!
the Jews are descended from the 12 tribes of ISRAEL. they have owned the land on and off back when we were eating our dead enemies.
the attempt to attack Zionism is anti semitism in disguise.
and the attacks abroard are just the latest round in a two thousand year campaign of violence against them.
The name may change "Christ Killer" = "Zionist" but the hate is the same old hate.
funnily enough this was all predicted in the Bible, and i should point out that those who stand against the Jews have faired rather badly.
ngg
>>that state was founded as the Jewish homeland, <<
East Germany was founded as the German Democratic Republic.
That’s another "historical fact" for you.
Ian that link you provided is full of the usual falsehoods which zionists like to push. Its uncannily simliar to the great tome of Joan Peters called ‘From Time Immemorial’. She atempted to justify zionism aith something similar to your link. I suggest you read about her book and what a certain well known academic called Norman Finkelstein did to it. Oh and while your at it google ‘Palestine married to another man’.