David Singer: "Fiction ... Designed to Deceive & Mislead & Possibly Incite to Violence & Jew-hatred"

Entitled "Palestine – Politicians Peddling Propaganda Forfeit Credibility", here is the latest article by Sydney lawyer and international affairs analyst David Singer.

Image credit: J-Wire.com

 He writes:

Senator Lee Rhiannon – a member of the Greens Party holding a pivotal position in Australian politics – authorised and printed a deceptive and misleading pamphlet which was distributed at a protest rally addressed by her last Sunday in Sydney “against Israeli Apartheid and commemorating Al Nakba 68 years on.”

Image credit: J-Wire.com

The pamphlet purported to quote a statement by Israel’s then Defense Minister Moshe Dayan in 1969:

“We came to a region of land that was inhabited by Arabs and we set up a Jewish State … Jewish villages were built in the place of Arab villages“

What Dayan actually said – which Senator Rhiannon was apparently not prepared to disclose – was:

“We came to a region that was inhabited by Arabs, and we set up a Jewish state. In many places, we purchased the land from Arabs and set up Jewish villages where there had once been Arab villages.”

God forbid that those present should learn that Jews had actually purchased land from its Arab owners. Better to maintain the canard repeated in Palestinian text books and media that

“the Zionist gangs stole Palestine”

 Moshe Aumann in his seminal work "Land ownership in Palestine 1880-1948" states that in 1948:

“8.6 per cent of the land was owned by Jews and 3.3 per cent by Israeli Arabs, while 16.9 per cent had been abandoned by Arab owners who imprudently heeded the call from neighbouring countries to "get out of the way" while the invading Arab armies made short shrift of Israel. The rest of the land—over 70 per cent—had been vested in the Mandatory Power, and accordingly reverted to the State of Israel as its legal heir. (Government of Palestine, Survey of Palestine, 1946, British Government Printer, p. 257.) The greater part of this 70 per cent consisted of the Negev, some 3,144,250 acres all told, or close to 50 per cent of the 6,580,000 acres in all of Mandatory Palestine. Known as Crown or State Lands, this was mostly uninhabited arid or semi-arid territory, inherited originally by the Mandatory Government from Turkey.  In 1948 it passed to the Government of Israel. These lands had not been owned by Arab farmers—neither under the British Mandate nor under the preceding regime.”

Senator Rhiannon has a Parliamentary staff to assist her in ensuring everything that issues in her name as a Senator is totally and completely accurate.

She has let her emotions cloud her judgement in what can only be seen as a deliberate attempt to paper over the fact that Jews bought land in Palestine they settled on.

Another pamphlet containing four maps was handed out at the rally – supposedly documenting Palestinian loss of land between 1946 and 2000.

Image credit: J-Wire.com

McGraw Hill Publishing only recently withdrew from sale and trashed unsold copies of one of its textbooks – Global Politics: Engaging a Complex World – containing those maps.

Spokesperson Catherine Mathis stated:

"As soon as we learned about the concerns with it, we placed sales of the book on hold and immediately initiated an academic review. The review determined that the map did not meet our academic standards. We have informed the authors and we are no longer selling the book. All existing inventory will be destroyed. We apologize and will refund payment to anyone who returns the book."

Senator Rhiannon is perfectly entitled to express her support for the Palestinian Arabs.

It would be encouraging to know, however, that her support is based on fact – not fiction and partisan propaganda designed to deceive and mislead and possibly incite to violence and Jew-hatred.

Senator Rhiannon has badly blotted her copybook – and credibility.

Aussie Senator Defames Israel & Adelaide Museum Allows Nakba Plaque

"The great crime of the 20th century is now the great crime of the 21st century."

That's how, according to an excellent must-read  report from J-Wire, the Israel-hating BDS-loving part-Jewish Greens Australian Senator Lee Rhiannon, the daughter of hard left parents, described the Nakba at this year's "Nakba Day" rally in Sydney.

As J-Wire noted, and as seen in the Sydney Daily Telegraph, she also authorised rally leaflets and a poster using parliamentary funds, material that denies Israel's right to exist by dating the "Occupation" to 1948.   (Read and see more at J-Wire here)

Some faces in the crowd:

Yes, it seems that all of Israel-hating human life was there.

The ludicrous "Jews Against The Occupation" also turned up, but since they'd fit inside an old-fashioned telephone booth and still have space over I haven't bothered to include them.  

I trust that Senator Rhiannon, a staunch feminist who nevertheless denounces "Islamophobia"

deplores the overt antisemitism seen among Nakba Day demonstrators such as this bozo at the rally:

I think we should be told.

Meanwhile:

 The Anti-Israel-obsessed Left is lobbying hard.

 "Nakba Day" has also seen a squalid development in Adelaide.

The Migration Museum  in that city is a South Australia state government institution that according to its website "works towards the preservation, understanding and enjoyment of South Australia’s diverse cultures. It is a place to discover the many identities of the people of South Australia through the stories of individuals and communities".

However, on Sunday 15 May political divisiveness and demonisation of Israel intruded upon the multicultural ethos, since the Museum permitted a "Nakba Day" event under the auspices of AFOPA (Australian Friends of Palestine Association) to take place for the purpose of unveiling a plaque headed "Palestine" commemorating the "Nakba, or Catastrophe" (text shown close-up below).

As I noted recently, AFOPA's patron is Adelaide barrister Mr Paul Heywood Smith, whom I mentioned here recently with regard to his writings concerning Israel.

AFOPA's thrust can be seen in such image as these:

In his speech at the unveiling Adelaide resident Dr Ibrahim Elassaad reminisced about his Palestinian Arab family's experiences (and I'm sure no one begrudges him his memories nor his feelings), but the political nature of the event at a publicly funded Museum was a propaganda exercise which enabled one-sided denunciation of Israel to go unchallenged:

"We suffered greatly as a result of our displacement. We became a stateless people.

We lived as refugees, struggling for recognition, struggling for survival and waiting for the day when we can go back home. We still wait for the day when we can go back home.

Today marks the 68th anniversary of the Al Nakba - the Catastrophe of Palestine. Today I am sad to say that the Palestinian displacement and suffering has not stopped.... The Israeli Separation Wall, which is illegal under International law and which has destroyed any possibility of a contiguous Palestinian land, continues.

And today we witness the siege of more than two million Palestinians in Gaza. Gaza stands as the world’s largest and most densely populated open air prison, with the Palestinians denied autonomy over access to their land, and denied autonomy over their sea and air space.

The list goes on.

And the intention of the Israeli Occupying powers is clear: it is to make Palestinian life so miserable so as to force the remaining Palestinians to leave....

Today we are calling for all people who believe in human rights and all governments who proclaim democracy, equal opportunity and justice to stand by the Palestinians. To help them regain their freedom; their rights and their autonomy.

We are grateful and indebted to the Australian people for their support, and we are indebted to the Migration Museum of South Australia for acknowledging us and for commemorating the suffering of the Palestinian people; and for acknowledging the contribution of the South Australian Palestinian community with this plaque...."

[Emphasis added]

In London on "Nakba Day", an Altercation (video)

This "Russia Today" newsclip was posted by "London Palestine Action", the group that, among other escapades, pastes anti-Israel posters that look just like bona fide advertisements on London Tube trains.

They say:

"A rally organised by London Palestine Action to mark the 68th anniversary of the Nakba in Palestine, was met by a group of around 25 people from the UK zionist federation heckling the participants and screaming "terrorist" at them in London on Nakba Day, Sunday.

The group of around 100 pro-Palestinian activists were attempting to carry out a peaceful traditional Palestinian Dabke dance outside a Sabon store, an Israeli company that operates in illegally occupied territory in Palestine. However, the participants were harassed and intimidated by the group of zionists, who followed them through the streets screaming "terrorists" and chanting against them."

"From the UK Zionist Federation"?  Really?

 Edgar Davidson has far more here

Meanwhile, in Sydney, a Green Left snap of some of the usual suspects from the usual hard left groups on the Nakba Day march:

As for leftist antisemitism, here's Mark Regev:

See also the brilliant Mr Regev on the Sussex Friend of Israel's video that I've shared on my Facebook page; introduced by Jonathan Arkush, he delivers  a very fine address indeed to the British Board of Deputies.

These Israel-haters have linked to the Board of Deputies' website but you may, like me, have difficulty in accessing the video there:

 

Nakba Protests (videos)

Outside the White House.  Note the presence of Israel-demonisers from Occupy DC and from CodePink, who like other hypocrites of their ilk have no qualms about venting their spleen on Press TV (ever heard of Iran's brutal treatment of the Bahai, gays, dissenters, and women, guys?)
:

In Sydney, a Muslim woman talks into Press TV's microphone of "these Satanic Israelis who are causing all this injustice in the world"; note how Greens State parliamentarian David Shoebridge, an inveterate foe of Israel, also has no qualms about talking to the Iranian propaganda channel despite Iran's disgusting record on human rights:

And on the other side of Australia, in Perth. a young woman leads the vicious chanting (hat tip: reader Shirlee, who also sent this link to pix of Brisbane's rally, apparently bigger than last year's).

For the corresponding demo in London, seemingly the most vociferous and hate-filled of the bunch, see here

During Sydney's "Nakba Day" March John Pilger Pimps The Arab Line On Press TV

During the march that forms the subject of my previous post, John Pilger spews out anti-Israel venom on the Ahmadinejad regime's propaganda channel, and pro-BDS NSW state parliamentarian David Shoebridge (Greens) gives his ten cents' worth too.

(Pssst! David, they stone women and string up gays in Iran, you know.  Not very liberal of them, is it? Shouldn't you be boycotting the Iranian regime and all their works, including their satellite TV channel?)

If I spot any videos of the "Nakba Day" march in downtown Sydney, I'll post or link to them them here.

J-Wire has the latest 

More here

Aussie Judge Compares "Nakba Day" To Christmas Day

"As Australians, we should not be importing overseas conflicts onto the streets of Sydney.  But there is a tragedy today, and it is that when the Jewish world accepted the State of Israel as decreed by the UN 64 years ago, the Arab world did not do the same. If it had, we would be celebrating a state of Palestine today which was 64 years old, just as Israel is. Isn’t it time we all moved on and explored ways to advance peace instead of dwelling on the past?"

So, very sensibly, remarks Vic Alhadeff, chief executive officer of the New South Wales Jewish Board of Deputies, of the decision to hold a Nakba Day rally (composed of the usual suspects) in the Sydney central business district.  Police had opposed owing the disruption to traffic, but on appeal by march organiser Patrick Langosch, Justice Christine Adamson ruled that the march should proceed , though from 7 p.m. rather than the 5.30 p.m. proposed, in order to minimise such disruption.

An online poll on the Sydney Daily Telegraph shows that an overwhelming majority of respondents deplore demos taking place in the CBD.

According to Henry Benjamin, reporting for J-Wire, during the hearing Justice Adamson cited "the continuing grievances of the Palestinian people" in understanding the reasons for the protest.

In delivering her ruling she agreed with Langosch's contention that "it is not an option to have it on any other day than May 15" (he added that "the demonstration will go on regardless of the decision of the Court"):

 "I do not regard it as reasonable to expect persons commemorating a particular date to defer or bring forward its commemoration so that it can be commemorated on a weekend.

Nakba Day ought be regarded as a day which, like Anzac Day, Christmas Day or Australia Day, is referable to a particular date which is not movable....

If one's purpose were to disrupt commuter traffic, one could hardly choose a better time or place. But this is not the defendant's purpose. His purpose is to conduct a public assembly to commemorate Nakba Day. The date is the product of history."

Sydney Telegraph blogger Tim Blair, in a post mocking the notion of a Nakba Day as described by the judge, notes sarcastically  that the Sydney march started later than organisers wished

"But there’s no holding back other revellers:

Arab terrorists attacked southern Israel with a Kassam rocket early Tuesday and attacked Jews in the Hevron area with two firebombs overnight as “Nakba Day” began …"

Good on yer, cobber.  As Bibi Netanyahu has said of the latest perpetrators of violence against the little Jewish State:

"Their struggle is not over the 1967 borders, but it questions the very existence of Israel, which they describe as a catastrophe which must be resolved.

We are determined to defend our borders and our sovereignty."

 Update: click here for Ben Fordham's interview with Langosch and here for Ray Hadley's take on events (hat tip: reader Shirlee)  See also my next post, where I'll post or link to any relevant videos that come my way...