I had a difficult day on Tuesday. One of those days were I see the poison spread on London’s streets. I was at the Corbyn antisemitism demo /counter demo, that took place as the NEC discussed the adoption of the IHRA definition. There are plenty of political commentaries on the event (1,2,3,4) and I have never been one just to parrot what is said elsewhere. … Continue reading Hate against Jewish people. A poison that spreads unnoticed
It was a long time coming, but during the recent trip to Israel I went back to areas controlled by the Palestinian Authority. A decade ago, this type of visit would not have happened given the upsurge in violence in Gaza. Violence in one area, raised tensions in another. Since the Gaza withdrawal and the rise of Hamas, this is progressively proving to no longer … Continue reading Beyond the great divide, a trip inside the Palestinian areas
It seems as though Asa Winstanley at ‘Electronic Intifada’ decided he needed to attack me. A point of recognition that indicates the work you are doing is having an effect. When Mondoweiss dedicated an entire piece to me, I considered it a mark of respect. The Algemeiner J100 recognition was another step up. Now Electronic Intifada? One of the central hate-filled mouthpieces of the entire … Continue reading An open ‘response’ for Asa Winstanley at Electronic Intifada
I have been spending time recently in the British Archives at Kew. I am working on a project (with Jonathan Hoffman) that is due to be published on Sep 4th. It has meant spending time, inside the files that recorded the British view of the events of the Mandate. Engaging with the mindset of those that wrote the documents. This ‘perspective’, and the bias behind … Continue reading The Mandate: From 1919 to civil war, antisemitism and Bergen-Belsen
This is the story of how a small engagement at Balad al-Shaykh, at the start of the 1947/1948 civil war in the British Mandate of Palestine, became the story of a full blown massacre with its own wiki page. I have uncovered documents that reveal the Balad al-Shaykh massacre is little more than part of the bubble of anti-Israel distortion. Here is the report: It … Continue reading The myth of Balad al-Shaykh. A massacre that never happened
There is an oft repeated poem that begins ‘first they came for the socialists’. It was refined over several years by German Lutheran pastor Martin Niemölle as he described the general cowardice of German intellectuals during the rise to power of the Nazis. The central message is clear and it can be adapted easily to suit the person who wishes to use it. Given the … Continue reading What if they were ‘coming for the Jews’. What would you do?
‘The only good Jew is a dead Jew’. A horrific statement not so openly suggested in Europe or the USA in 2017. In reality, this line is actually being propagated in almost every university campus in the west. Yes, it is camouflaged, but do not let that distract us from the sickening message underneath. Let me explain. Thomas Suarez recently published a work of revisionist … Continue reading ‘The only good Jew is a dead Jew’ (the Suarez – Barkan threshold)
Today is the 15th May, one day after the Gregorian calendar date for Israel’s Independence Day. Today, Palestinians and anti-Israel activists will commemorate the ‘Nakba’, or Catastrophe. Why the 15th May? Let me take a brief journey through history to find out if there are more suitable dates that should have been chosen. For example, just 11 days after the handshake between Arafat and Rabin … Continue reading The ‘Nakba’: The ongoing catastrophe of bad Palestinian decisions
On 27/4/2017, Mark Regev, the current Israeli Ambassador to London, came to speak at SOAS. Ever since the news of this event became public knowledge, several groups of students on SOAS have been actively trying to have the talk cancelled. SOAS academics also issued a public plea, the student union issued a statement, and eventually, when it became clear it would go ahead, student groups … Continue reading The day Israeli Ambassador Mark Regev went to SOAS campus
Last night 9/3/2017, I had an invite to two very different events. The first, an event at UCL hosted by the UCL Israel Society, with Mohammed Zoabi. The second, part of the SOAS centenary lecture series, with a talk by ‘renowned human rights lawyer’ Raja Shehadeh. As it was, I chose to see both, an upside to the new trend of live streaming. This a … Continue reading Bare faced lies, distortion and propaganda at the SOAS centenary talk
