BDS Boycott

Boycott – BDS – maximalist Arab rejectionism and failures of logic

The Maximalist Arab position The original Arab position was that there should be no Jewish self-rule, and Jewish refugees should not be accepted into Palestine. A boycott of Jewish businesses began in the early 1920’s. By 1930 Arabs had committed massacres against ancient Jewish communities. Much of the Arab effort of the 1930’s was spent violently protesting the arrival of Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi Germany. … Continue reading Boycott – BDS – maximalist Arab rejectionism and failures of logic

University of Sussex, Palestine as Paradigm

The conference at the University of Sussex; a gathering of (mostly) idiots

I have just returned from a fascinating two-day conference at the University of Sussex. As someone who researches anti-Zionist forces in the UK, watching these people operate inside an arena so fraught with internal disagreement, made for a fascinating and educational outing. It spanned two full days and included around 50 speakers. The Sussex conference programme is available online. The framing of the University of … Continue reading The conference at the University of Sussex; a gathering of (mostly) idiots

QMUL

Helpless before the hatred at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)

19th January 2017. QMUL. This was my first anti-Israel university event of 2017. The start of an extremely busy time in the annual calendar. Apartheid Week, an intensive period of vicious anti-Israel activity on campus is only a month away. To highlight this intensity, this was one of only three events taking place I could have chosen. The other two were at SOAS, and Salisbury. … Continue reading Helpless before the hatred at Queen Mary University of London (QMUL)

Why is there no State of Palestine?

100 years since Balfour, , 70 years since partition. Why is there no State of Palestine? There is no State of Palestine because after the fall of the Ottoman Empire, when the League of Nations used the Mandate system to facilitate the creation of Nation States, the Arabs living in the British Mandate of Palestine didn’t want one. There is no State of Palestine because … Continue reading Why is there no State of Palestine?

325 miles to aleppo

325 miles to Aleppo, Syria. Hard lessons for Israel

It is difficult not to be moved by events in Syria. Images from Aleppo, Syria are heart-breaking. It is also fair to say, most of us in the west, despite vocally shouting that ‘something needs to be done’, haven’t got much idea about exactly what. Syria is a tale of 1000 trenches with 2000 armies. During the ‘Arab spring’ in 2011, I remember being engaged … Continue reading 325 miles to Aleppo, Syria. Hard lessons for Israel

ben white psc

A three day nightmare, living within an industry of hate

50 years since the 1967 war. 100 Years since Balfour. 70 years since partition. A launch of another anti-Israel campaign. And breathe. This week I have been busy, Friends of Al-Aqsa, suspect academia and Ben White. It is going to be a long year. What was notable about the 3 events, was that they came from different spheres of the anti-Israel movement. The first from … Continue reading A three day nightmare, living within an industry of hate

goldsmiths antisemitism

Dropping the antisemitic rugby ball at Goldsmiths University

It was a few days ago whilst conducting a regular sweep of recent campus activity, that I noticed Goldsmiths RFC (Rugby club), have become deployed as a political weapon of the anti-Israel movement. As announced by the Palestinian Society: “We’ve teamed up with Goldsmiths RFC to put our logo and the Palestine flag on their new shirts!” I had been to Goldsmiths only a few … Continue reading Dropping the antisemitic rugby ball at Goldsmiths University

goldsmiths

Institutional antisemitism at Goldsmiths, University of London

On Tuesday I spent an evening at Goldsmiths, University of London. It was my first visit. The talk itself was called ‘Palestine 101’. Like many events that are taking place on campus at the moment, it was designed to convert ‘interested folk’ into ‘dumbed down’, rabid, Israel haters. The talk was one of the most nonsensical, baseless and insane rants I have yet to hear … Continue reading Institutional antisemitism at Goldsmiths, University of London

yachad

So this is Yachad – part one: astroturf and magic tricks

Yachad have been an element of my research for two years. There is discomfort in writing about them, because they are, on the surface, representing a legitimate position. Despite my opposition to their core political argument, I focus on exposing Israel’s enemies, not criticising Zionists I disagree with. As Yachad’s Director Hannah Weisfeld just showed us all, with her astonishingly hypocritical attack on ‘Im Tirtzu’s’ … Continue reading So this is Yachad – part one: astroturf and magic tricks

HAMAS

Facebook. A pipeline for funding Hamas terrorism?

Arabs in Gaza are swarming social media platforms and sending private messages to pro-Palestinian activists looking for donations. Is it just one massive scam? Or are Hamas utilising social media platforms, not just to spread propaganda, but as a pipeline to raise funds for their terrorist activities? Hamas are one of the most brutal terrorist organisations on earth. Some of their attacks, such as the … Continue reading Facebook. A pipeline for funding Hamas terrorism?