Two states, Israel, several rabbit holes and one straw man

The recent post by David Hirsh on Israel and the Two State solution and antisemitism played an unhealthy and unhelpful trick. Creating a straw man argument, an irredeemably flawed logic, through which all political opponents were smeared. The article begins with a headline that holds some merit. “Opposing settlements is constructive criticism, not anti-Semitism”.  An attack on a specific policy, is not in itself antisemitism. … Continue reading Two states, Israel, several rabbit holes and one straw man

PRO PALESTINIAN is anti BDS

What is a ‘pro Palestinian’?

It has been a year now since I changed strategy and began to go to events that are held in the name of the ‘Palestinian cause’. I joined many activist groups and have met with 1000’s of self-declared pro Palestinian activists. Some of those I have had long exchanges with are the ‘stars’ of BDS activism. In only the last ten days, I have been … Continue reading What is a ‘pro Palestinian’?

The ‘Elders of Zion’ reborn at the University of Kent

Yesterday, 28/01/2016, I was at the University of Kent to hear a talk by Amira Hass titled ‘Israel and the Palestinians: Colonialism and Prospects for Justice. The event itself was a collaboration between The Centre for Colonial and Postcolonial Studies at Kent University and the Palestine Centre at SOAS, University of London. One of these universities, SOAS, is already a notorious hotbed for extremism, the … Continue reading The ‘Elders of Zion’ reborn at the University of Kent

Ta'ayush, B'tselem, Human rights are optional

When human rights no longer matter to NGO’s

A few days ago, an Israeli investigative TV show (UVDA – ‘fact’) ran an expose that involved an Israeli infiltrating Ta’ayush, a NGO that promotes itself as ‘a grassroots movement of Arabs and Jews working to break down the walls of racism and segregation.’ The Israeli also encountered Nasser Nawajah, a member of B’tselem. These two NGO’s are cited as leading ‘human rights organisations’ whose … Continue reading When human rights no longer matter to NGO’s

The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) – giving in to the extremists

Recent events within the Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) suggest that the movement is losing the fight to keep its internal extremists at bay and has begun a descent towards civil war that may see the movement entirely overrun by antisemites and supporters of terror organisations. The PSC was formed in 1982 in the UK. It has been referenced as the major proponent in the UK, … Continue reading The Palestine Solidarity Campaign (PSC) – giving in to the extremists

The Kaufman Effect

Although this blog was written early this morning, I chose to release it first on the Elder of Ziyon blog rather than my own. Two days ago I sat in government buildings within the Westminster complex and witnessed classic antisemitic slurs. I have to say primarily, that whatever one thinks of the political position of the Arabs who were present, the antisemitism *did not come … Continue reading The Kaufman Effect

Jewish money. An evening with the PRC, Kaufman and classic antisemitic libels

It is 27/10/2015 and I am at 1 Parliament St for a ’roundtable event’ organised by the Palestine Return Council and hosted by Gerald Kaufman. I had not been to one of these before and therefore had no idea what to expect, but as all the names on the invitation were hostile to Israel, I was hoping for a little excitement. However, even I did … Continue reading Jewish money. An evening with the PRC, Kaufman and classic antisemitic libels

Stabbings, the Mufti and Enid Blyton – the week that was

As a child, I remember with fondness, reading and re-reading the adventures of Jo, Bessie, Fanny and Dick (the names changed in later editions for reasons that are not totally clear to me), who were four children living near a magical tree that took them to strange and wondrous lands. These stories of course were in Blyton’s tales of the ‘Enchanted Wood’. Today, somewhere in … Continue reading Stabbings, the Mufti and Enid Blyton – the week that was

The Palestinians, 100 years of catastrophic mismanagement

It is 100 years since the Ottomans ruled the Middle East region, and today Israel is the single oasis of freedom in a bubbling regional mess. Anyone, who like I have, has grappled with the complex history of the Israel/Arab conflict, must have spent long periods attempting to unravel the events that were to bring about such suffering on both sides of the great divide. … Continue reading The Palestinians, 100 years of catastrophic mismanagement