Daphne Anson: A Boycotting Clergyman's Bunkum on Bethlehem

Eretz Israel is our unforgettable historic homeland...The Jews who will it shall achieve their State...And whatever we attempt there for our own benefit will redound mightily and beneficially to the good of all mankind. (Theodor Herzl, DerJudenstaat, 1896)

We offer peace and amity to all the neighbouring states and their peoples, and invite them to cooperate with the independent Jewish nation for the common good of all. The State of Israel is ready to contribute its full share to the peaceful progress and development of the Middle East. (From Proclamation of the State of Israel, 5 Iyar 5708; 14 May 1948)

With a liberal democratic political system operating under the rule of law, a flourishing market economy producing technological innovation to the benefit of the wider world, and a population as educated and cultured as anywhere in Europe or North America, Israel is a normal Western country with a right to be treated as such in the community of nations.... For the global jihad, Israel may be the first objective. But it will not be the last. (Friends of Israel Initiative)

Monday, 4 April 2011

A Boycotting Clergyman's Bunkum on Bethlehem

Father Dave is a Sydney Anglican clergyman who ardently supports the BDS movement. Here, in warmly congratulating Marrickville Council for boycotting Israel and in deploring the plight of "our suffering sisters and brothers in Bethlehem", he in effect compares the situation of the Palestinian Arabs to the Holocaust and to that of blacks under South African Apartheid.

He appears to have overlooked the rather salient fact that the Christian population of Bethlehem has decreased markedly in recent decades - from 70 per cent under Israeli rule to 15 percent under that of the Palestinian Authority, largely as a result of Muslim persecution and intimidation. Despite this, Israel is the target of his wrath. He dismisses the "erroneous" and "insidious" charge of antisemitism made against the BDS movement ...

Father Dave expresses his "pride" in the Council's "wonderful motion" and favourably quotes Martin Luther King's dictum "injustice anywhere is a threat against justice everywhere". Why, then, is he not calling on Marrickville Council to take a stand against injustice "everywhere"?

6 comments:

Shirl in Oz4 April 2011 at 20:17
I was at that meeting and I shudder at what he said.

I also know who took the video, when the Council had refused anyone to record, other than the official person there, who was from some Palestinian group or other.

I was sitting two away from his left
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Daphne Anson4 April 2011 at 21:31
Ah, a surreptitious video, Shirlee. Good on 'em!
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Rita5 April 2011 at 07:41
What is it with these anglicans - the Archbishop of Canterbury, then this moronic, sanctimonious, servile little clown? They seem to be rusted into the "the Jews killed Jesus" mode.

ps: if it's any consolation to my Jewish friends: they even think the Catholics are the ennemy.
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Shirl in Oz5 April 2011 at 08:12
"surreptitious"

Never heard of that word before............just looked it up !!!

I don't however think I will be adding it to my vocabulary.

Sorry Daph!!!
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deegee5 April 2011 at 16:41
It seems that in 2011 it's much worse to be accused of antisemitism than it is to actually do or say something antisemitic.

My question to those who claim not to be antisemitic merely critics of Israel is, "If what you are saying isn't antisemitism, give me an example of what is". Mostly they are reduced to stammering or essentially say somthing like calling for genocide. That leads to a follow-up question, So what are you doing giving moral support to those who call for genocide against the Jews (or spread whatever classic antisemitic canard, they chose as an example).

If anyone is interested I blogged about this on my blog Where are the new red lines?
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Daphne Anson5 April 2011 at 17:33
Thanks, Rita, Shirlee, and deegee,
Shirlee, a video by a "scarlet pimpernel" then!
deegee, excellent points! Will look at your blog...
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The division of Judea and Samaria (West Bank) into three separate areas “A”, “B” and “C” was agreed on by Israel and the PLO pursuant to the Oslo Accords.
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