Daphne Anson: BDSers Target Charles Aznavour

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, 28 October 2013

BDSers Target Charles Aznavour

If his performance in London's Albert Hall a few days ago is any indication, soulful-eyed French singing legend Charles Aznavour, although very soon to turn ninety, still has what it takes to enthral an audience.

On 23 November his audience will be in Tel Aviv, at the Nokia Arena.

But not if Omar Barghouti's Palestine Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel (PACBI) and its eager accomplices in the West have their way. They want Monsieur Aznavour to cancel his plans.

That's despite the fact that, as the Jerusalem Post reported on 1 October, as soon as the French singer's impending visit was announced: "Aznavour will dedicate his trip to promoting the peace process and increasing public support for it."

To quote another report, which noted Aznavour's friendship with Shimon Peres:

'Aznavour is arriving in Israel not just as a legendary singer, but also as Armenia's ambassador to Switzerland and its permanent representative at the United Nations.

According to a statement issued by Aznavour's office, his visit to the region will be dedicated to promoting the peace process and increasing public support for it. The singer was therefore officially invited for lunch at the President's Residence, and accepted the invitation.

Some of Aznavour's songs were translated into Hebrew over the years. In 2011 he was awarded the Hebrew University's Scopus Award for his contribution to Israel.'

Mindful of the sprightly nonagenarian's ethnic heitage, in addition to their their usual demonic canard that Israel practises "Apartheid" some BDSers, at least, are attempting to tug at Aznavour's heartstrings by making a suggestive analogy between the Israel's policy towards the Palestinians on the one hand and Turkey's historic atrocities towards the Armenians on the other.

Here, in translation, is part of what a certain Isabelle, officially representing the BDS movement in France, has written to Monsieur Aznavour, c/o EMI records in Paris:

'In January 2011 you received the Scopus prize from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

In February 2011 Marie, a young Palestinian student, wrote you a fine letter in which she spoke about the suffering of the Palestinian people, the children's hopeless future, the forgotten lives, the stolen lands, the exile of so many men, women and children of Palestine. She asked you to return that prize.... [L]ike us, she had read the words of your song for Armenia and seen in them the picture of martyred peoples like those of Palestine....

We'd have liked the magnificent song you wrote for Armenia in 1968 to have heralded your support to all the oppressed peoples, including the Palestinian people, and kept you from accepting the Scopus prize and from going to sing in Tel Aviv in November....

Mr Aznavour, don't go to sing in Israel. Don't give your support to a government that ignores the rights of an entire people and subjects them to a policy of apartheid, as defined by the Russell Tribunal held in Cape Town in November 2011. This is happening amidst the indifference of the international community.

Please take the path chosen by Stephen Hawking, Jean-Luc Godard, Gilles Vigneault, Vanessa Paradis and Dustin Hoffman, amongst others, who have refused to appear in Israel.

Please consider the significance of the commitment of personalities such as Desmond Tutu, Stéphane Hessel, Alice Walker, Ken Loach, Illan Pappe, Noam Chomsky, and so many others, who declared their support for the BDS (Boycott-Divestment-Sanctions) campaign against the policies of Israel'

More here

His heart, fortunately, seems to lie solidly with Israel, as glimpsed in this video of him expressing heartfelt gratitude to Israel for its humanitarian aid to Armenia during the devastating earthquake of December 1988, when Israel's emergency teams were the first to arrive there:

3 comments:

Ian28 October 2013 at 20:57
Isn't it Aznavour not Azvanour?
Charles Aznavour should meet with Omar Barghouti and his bully rabble, they need to smacked up the side of their heads for comparing people internally displaced (mainly voluntarily) with an actual genocide of 1.5 Mil.
I'd like to see the BDS morons announce their official recognition of the Armenian Genocide. If they ever did, no more IHH flotillas.
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Daphne Anson28 October 2013 at 21:32
Oops! That was a bad one. Well spotted! Apologies for tardy posting of comments - having major problems with new computer.
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Anonymous30 October 2013 at 22:30
Bravo Charles. Sadly, as people who are old enough to have fully observed events of the last century die off, they are being replaced by assholes like Roger Waters.
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The "Apartheid" Slur

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.
95% of the West Bank Arabs live in Areas A and B and their daily lives are under the total administration and control of the PLO since the Palestinian Authority was disbanded by Abbas in January 2013. The PLO has total security control in A and shares security control in B with Israel. Israel has total administrative and security control in C.
Israel is entitled to and will continue to take responsibility for the security of Jews living in the West Bank.
Jews were given the legal right to settle in the West Bank under article 6 of the Mandate for Palestine and article 80 of the UN Charter. They did so for decades until they were driven out in 1947 and not able to return there until 1967.
There are Arab roads only in the West Bank that Jews are not allowed to use. Jews are also forbidden from entering Area “A”. Selling land to Jews is forbidden by the PLO under pain of death. The PLO runs the daily lives of 95% of the West Bank Arabs and Hamas runs the daily lives of 100% of the Gazan Arabs. They have been under occupation – and subjugation – by these two evil groups for the last ten years and given no say in their future or any opportunity to elect others to lead them following the disastrous political decisions of their leaders over the past ten years. Hamas and the PLO do not accept the continued existence of a Jewish State and call for its disappearance.
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