The Midnight Cowboy On A Midnight Scenario: "We Must Learn From History Where The True Danger Lies"

A short but heartfelt message from John Voight:

(https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GdKNNHQMND4)

Even briefer, but just as eloquent, this cartoon:

Hat tip: Bruce's Mideast Soundbites, where some recent articles regarding the "nuclear deal" can be found.

"Israel Teeters On Cusp Of Security Suicide" Warns David Singer

http://libertyunyielding.com/

In this, his latest article, Australian lawyer and international affairs activist David Singer turns his attention to the imminent Israeli election.
 
He writes:

Economic issues have been identified as the top issue in the forthcoming Israeli elections to be held on 17 March, with security issues trailing far behind.

The polls are confidently predicting a four-seat difference in favour of the Zionist Camp over the current Likud-led Government and the possibility of a new Zionist Camp Government being formed.

Zvi Zhariyha pointed out on 15 January:

“In Israel’s proportional representation system, in which parties are awarded seats in parliament based on the proportion of the vote that they receive, the ranking of the candidates on the slate becomes all-important as seats are filled from the top of the list. Top spots on the Labor list went to MKs with a social-justice and economic agenda, including former journalist Shelly Yacimovich, and Stav Shaffir and Itzik Shmuli, who were both prominent in the 2011 social justice protest movement.

Yacimovich finished first in the party vote, which will place her in the third spot on the slate, behind Labor Party leader Isaac Herzog and Tzipi Livni, the leader of Hatnuah, which is running on a joint ticket with Labor. Shaffir finished just behind Yacimovich, granting her the fourth slot…"

Two of these top four Zionist Camp candidates have expressed viewpoints that are distinctly anti-Zionist. Prime Minister-in-waiting Isaac Herzog  – according to respected analyst Sarah Honig – has voiced opposition to the term “Jewish State”:

“The Jewish state expression is entirely mistaken,” he says recurrently (and we have a recording to prove it: (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D9nHlX19roA) “because it creates the impression of a nationality that enjoys excessive privileges.” 

 Were US Secretary of State John Kerry somehow able to get Israel and the PLO to the negotiating table again, then this long standing Israeli demand – supported by President Obama  – and the Congress since 2004 – would ostensibly fall by the wayside under a Government led by Herzog.

Sarah Honig further points out:

'Stav Shaffir, for example, refused to share a podium with the Likud’s Yoav Kish because he is a reserve fighter pilot. She also thinks that “Hatikva is a racist national anthem.”

It’s not our say-so. Journalist Asher Schechter wrote a book on the 2011 demonstrations in which Shaffir was a key mover (Rothschild – the Chronicle of Protest, published by Kibbutz Hameuhad/Sifriat Hapoalim). On page 96 Schechter describes Shaffir’s vehement opposition to singing Hatikva. She was so emotional about it that “she burst into tears and yelled out that Hatikva is racist.”'

Another Zionist Camp likely member of the Knesset – Merav Micaheli – told Galei Zahal

“women should not at all send their kids to the army when there is a continuous occupation for over 40 years. The regime in Israel doesn’t make the effort to solve this in other ways, so it’s necessary to stop being prepared to send children to the army.”

Sarah Honig has identified two other candidates likely to pop up as Zionist Camp representatives in any Zionist Camp Government:

http://www.onlythelikud.org.il/achievements/

Zoher Bahalul (who declares:“our Palestinian identity is stronger than the Israeli”) or the ultra-leftist Prof. Yossi Yonah (who confessed: “Zionism doesn’t express what I am”).

Veteran Ha’aretz journalist Gideon Levy has also delivered a withering attack on the Zionist Camp:

“This camp knows only how to trick and mislead, in the best of its tradition.” 

Economic issues also topped security issues by a country mile in the 2013 Israeli election – yet Netanyahu still emerged as Prime Minister.

With 14 per cent of the voters still undecided – they could re-elect Netanyahu again – figuring out that improvements in economic and social justice conditions aren’t worth a shekel if you are not alive to enjoy their undeniable benefits. [Emphasis added]

"It Is Difficult To Imagine A More Striking Example Of How The So-Called Jewish Leadership In The UK Is Failing The Vast Majority Of British Jews"

On 5 March, as many readers will know, the Cambridge Union debated (and carried) the preposterous motion "This House believes that Israel is a rogue state".

The pre-event publicity material stated:

'The Israel/Palestine crisis has existed since Israel’s formation; with neither side gaining the upper hand despite decades of suffering. In this debate we turn to Israel, and ask whether it is time we declared them a rogue state.'

Speaking in favour of the motion were, again quoting from the publicity material, three prominent Israel-haters:

'Dr Norman Finkelstein is a Jewish American political scientist, activist, professor, and author, whose primary fields of research include the Israel–Palestine conflict. He is currently working on his next book, ‘How to Solve the Israel-Palestine Conflict.’Prof.

 Ghada Karmi is a Palestinian author and academic who was made to leave Jerusalem in 1948. Most of her recent research has been on the Israel-Palestinian conflict and has appeared widely in the media and the press

 Ben White is a freelance journalist, writer, and human rights activist. He is a Cambridge graduate, and has published two books on the Israel-Palestine conflict.'  [See White's triumphant take on the debate here]

And those opposing it?

'Vivian Wineman is currently president of the Board of Deputies of British Jews, the representative body of the Jewish community in Britain.

Hannah Weisfeld is the director and one of the founders of Yachad, the UK’s pro-Israel pro-peace movement. Previously she chaired the Jewish Social Action Forum for two years.

Davis Lewin is the Deputy Director & Head of Policy and Research at the Henry Jackson Society, a global think tank that fights for the principles that keep societies free. He is also a former Middle East Director at the Next Century Foundation.'

The Cambridge Union has a channel on Youtube and posts footage of its debates.  Eventually. 

So far the only video of the debate I've found is this one, which shows rather too much of the frightful Finkelstein but does show the jubilant screams of "Free, free Palestine!" that broke out at the debate's end, as well as a bit of a contretemps afterwards.  Have a look at it, and try to forget that Cambridge is an elite institution when you see the word "rogue" spelt "rouge": 

As Douglas Murray has observed inter alia here:

 'The Cambridge Union – the oldest in the country – enjoys debating that motion more than any other. It is a fixture in its termly schedules.

And once again last week the students of Cambridge decided to hold Israel guilty among the nations. Needless to say there is no record of Cambridge students debating whether Pakistan (created in the same year as Israel) is a rogue state. Despite there being far more reasons to do so.

Nor does the Cambridge Union annually denigrate any of Israel’s neighbours in the Middle East. During last week’s Cambridge debate the notorious anti-Israeli activist and discredited academic Norman Finkelstein explained to the students that Israel is worse than North Korea....'

The students agreed with him. Next month the University of Southampton will become the latest university to fix its position on this bandwagon of hate.'

Quite so.  And regarding that forthcoming "bandwagon of hate" see this excellent analysis of the dramatis personae by David Collier (they [hat tip: Nathan of Plaza] include Wollongong's Marcelo ("BDS and blisters") Svirsky, who features in my previous post, plus a range of heavy-duty srael-loathing nasties).

But it's a post by one of my favourite British bloggers,  Edgar Davidson, which should be ringing alarm bells regarding the Cambridge fracas. He observes, inter alia:

'[T]he Israel 'case' was made by two people whose "support" for Israel is at the very best ambivalent:

1.Hannah Weisfeld, the leader of the anti-Zionist Yachad - which is still trying to con British Jews into thinking it is pro-Israel, even though all the evidence suggests that they fully support the motion that their leader was supposed to be arguing against.

2.Vivian Wineman, the useless and discredited Chairman of the Board of Deputies who has devoted his leadership of the Board to developing ties with the Muslim Council Britain (which is the official Muslim Brotherhood organisation in the UK) and to stopping pro-Israel speakers from coming to the UK....

Two-thirds of Anglo-Jews would vote for Bibi

And irrespective  of their views, Weisfeld and Wineman are also both appalling speakers as anybody who has had the misfortune to hear them will know. It is difficult to imagine a more striking example of how the so-called Jewish leadership in the UK is failing the vast majority of British Jews; unlike Weisfeld and Wineman they are strong supporters of Israel and know that failure to properly support Israel (and counter the propaganda lies against it) is fuelling the rise in antisemitism. [Emphasis added]

 I really [his emphasis] would like to know how either of these goons got selected to make the case for Israel. Was it the Cambridge University Jewish Society? Did nobody raise any concerns? The result of the debate (which interestingly was a complete reversal of a similar motion in 2010) shows what a bad decision it was....' 

 Read all of Edgar Davidson's post here and see his many relevant links below it.

Incidentally, poll results regarding who British Jews favour as Israel's prime minister can be seen here

"This ... Is In The Same Vein Of Islamic Extremism & Incitement To Violence That Islamic State Peddles" (contains updates ... & nuts)

It seems even one or two of Australia's most ardent leftist Israel-bashers (or at any rate one or two of the Jewish ones) think the principal screecher among the mob of ferals who on Wednesday invaded Colonel Kemp's lecture at Sydney University – a female to boot – erred in condemning the recent  campus ban on speakers from the notorious group Hizb-ut Tahrir.

Watch and hear her at around 0.43 on the video (see my last post but one).

The strange leftist mindset revealed.

First, by one of the student demonstrators:

 Secondly, by the Wollongong academic who some time ago walked from Sydney to Canberra to deliver an anti-Israel petition to federal parliament:

(The latter is Jewish, by the way.)

As Sydney Daily Telegraph blogger Tim Blair has observed:

"Note the description of Hizb ut-Tahrir from the main shouter: it is merely an “outspoken Islamic organisation.” Yeah, right."

Now here's a bit of welcome sense from Larry Stillman of the leftwing Israel-bashing Australian Jewish Democratic Society, in a discussion with a bunch of fellow-Jewish lefties on Facebook (the reference to Professor Jake Lynch's wallet, by the way, concerns this alleged but perhaps misinterpreted incident)*:

Not only are Hizb ut-Tahrir "no friends of progressive women" (indeed, of any women unwilling to be demeaned and used as chattels and to be regarded as inherently inferior to men) but they are certainly no friends to Jews, as seen here as well as in this, the latest video from Sydney in which vicious antisemitism and uninhibited incitement to violence against Jews is displayed:

 No wonder, as reported here,

'NSW Jewish Board of Deputies chief Vic Alhadeff compared the rhetoric to the propaganda of the Islamic State.

He also called on the government to respond swiftly amid fears of cultivating another homegrown terrorist. “This has nothing to do with Israel and is in the same vein of Islamic extremism and incitement to violence that IS peddles,” he said. “It is another wake-up call for authorities to act before these hate-preachers inspire the next Man Monis.”'

 *Incidentally, for Colonel Kemp's letter to the vice-chancellor of Sydney University, expressing outrage at the intimidatory and offensive tactics used (including, he says, money thrust into the face of a Jewish student by Professor Lynch), and urging an investigation, see here

Moulin Stooge: "Another Little Nugget To Be Used Against Israel's Propaganda"

Vraiment! What dunderheads some of the Israel-hating brigade are.

They seem to think that Palestine was once an autonomous Arab state, which of course it never was.

And to "prove" it, as we've seen on this blog from time to time,  they've offered a jumble of exhibits, ranging from maps with "Palestine" printed on them to coins and stamps issued by the Mandate authority to advertisements for Mandate-era "Palestinian Airways" to travel posters, newspapers and the orchestra of  the Yishuv to photos of  the pre-war Palestinian soccer team (another Yishuv initiative, composed of, er, Jews).

Now, some of the Israel-hating brigade are over the windmill, having discovered that French writer Alphonse ("Lettres de mon moulin") Daudet mentioned "Palestine" as long ago as – mon dieu! – 1869!

And they of course have been keen to share this fabulous Zionist myth-busting find with others.

Here, for instance, is just one of the "shares" currently doing the rounds on social media:

 

Well, that "little nugget" sure ain't gold.

Somebody's been "seeing queer things" alright, and it's not only the person in Daudet's story.

When will the dunderheads and dupes of the anti-Israel movement realise that Israel's "propagandists" are not denying that the existence of a place dubbed "Palestine".

They are denying the historical existence of Palestine as an autonomous entity.

They are pointing out that the Roman conquerors renamed Judea "Palestine" as a deliberate measure to undermine Jewish ties with that land.

 And they are now pointing out that, when Daudet was writing, Palestine indeed existed, and existed  as it had been for hundreds of years, a backward province of the Ottoman Empire.

Once again, anti-Israel propagandists have proved only the validity of the old adage "A little knowledge is a dangerous thing".

At Sydney University, Anti-Israel Lynch Mob Disrupts Colonel Kemp's Lecture (updated to include video)

Breaking news here in Australia: before any mention of  Israel or Palestine was uttered, a mob of about fifteen Israel-hating students  invaded a campus lecture hall this afternoon (it's now early evening) to disrupt an advertised talk by that heroic pro-Israel gentleman, Colonel Richard Kemp, former commander of the British forces in Afghanistan.

(Scroll down for video)

As described by Glen Falkenstein, a policy analyst/staff writer at the Australia/Israel Jewish Affairs Council (AIJAC), for J-Wire: 

 '.... Kemp began his talk with a brief explanation of his career and a joke about England’s cricket loss to Bangladesh on Monday. He went on to discuss non-state militant groups in Ireland and Afghanistan and the obligations of soldiers when engaging with civilians and civilian groups.

Before he could go into any detail or discuss any other issues, he was interrupted by over a dozen students bursting into the lecture hall screaming “Richard Kemp, you can’t hide, you support genocide.”

Photo credit: David Sokol/J-Wire

A demonstrator with a megaphone drowned out any attempts by the moderator to get the lecture back on track. Protestors wrestled with security guards who had asked them to leave and were then forced to remove them. Protestors stood on chairs, began to push students and shout loudly at those who objected to their behaviour.

Professor Jake Lynch, the director of the Centre for Peace and Conflict Studies (CPACS) and an ardent opponent of Israel, shouted in the faces of students, including at a senior officer of the Jewish student union. He then proceeded to stand on chairs and film attendees. Lynch screamed that attempts to remove the protestors was a violent attack on freedom of speech by security guards. When another academic suggested that he ask a question, Lynch responded that was not what this is about, only later opting to ask a question when invited by the Colonel.

Photo credit: David Sokol/J-Wire

One student commented that Kemp “hadn’t even mentioned Israel or Palestine” in the time he had to talk. Another student mentioned that she did not have strong views on either side of this issue, was studying international relations and had come expecting a talk, not an ambush.

After about 20 minutes of shouting, the protestors were finally removed from the hall, having objected loudly to their treatment by the security guards and some others present. Kemp, resuming as if nothing had happened, continued to speak on engagement with non-civilian groups in armed conflict. Concluding his talk, Kemp briefly addressed what he termed a “commercial break.”

“This protest was about my perspective on the IDF… I was in Israel during the 2014 summer conflict and I do believe that the IDF in their attack on Hamas in Gaza… were doing everything they could to protect civilians… People have told me I am wrong, but no one has told me what more steps Israel could take to minimize civilian casualties.” '

Glen Falkenstein adds that Jewish historian Professor Suzanne Rutland, of Sydney University, who attended the lecture, told him in an interview:

'I feel that the demonstration really showed clearly that the anti-Israel group speaks in slogans without any sort of understanding of the intricacies of the conflict between Israel and the Palestinians and without any sort of acknowledgement that when they stand there chanting, “Free Palestine,” what they mean is the dismantling of the Zionist entity which means genocide against Israel’s Jewish population.

Accusing Israel of committing genocide has no academic basis whatsoever; they even said the Colonel (Kemp) was responsible for genocide. I strongly support legitimate criticism and when we teach about Israel we try to present a critical, balanced voice which is part of academic learning.

 What I think the demonstration represented was the struggle faced by myself and others on campus who are opposed to Boycotts, Divestment and Sanctions. While we try to follow the rules of polite debate, the BDS supporters will often not allow an alternative voice and this is what happened during the lecture.

 Given the anti-Israel bias on campus we were grateful Dr Gil Merom agreed to chair the function and advertise it to his students.'

And Peter Wertheim, Executive Director of the ECAJ, told JWire: 

“The attempt by about 15 students and academics to shout down and censor a public lecture at the University of Sydney by Col Richard Kemp, an internationally renowned, much-decorated expert on military and security affairs, is an utter disgrace.

 Their attempts to bully campus security personnel who restored order was also shameful.  These  are the same people who have on numerous occasions invoked the principle of academic freedom to justify their engagement in political advocacy on campus.

Their hypocrisy is now obvious.  For them, academic freedom does not apply to views they disagree with.   They are cowards who are afraid of the truth.

Fortunately, the lecture was resumed after a 15 minute disruption and Richard Kemp’s presentation was so compelling that even academics who had participated in the earlier protest asked him questions and were given comprehensive answers.

The ECAJ is proud to have facilitated the lecture.”

[Emphasis added]

Here's a video (hat tip: Ian):

A jewel of an item from The Australian given on Shirlee Finn's piece here

See also here

P.S. Lynch in action last month:

History As She Is Spoke: "The Jews in Palestine are occupiers of Islamic land"

"This is not the first time apologists for Jewish criminality in Palestine have sought to silence criticism of the actions of the Jewish entity by playing the victim card. The Jews in Palestine are occupiers of Islamic land ....

 It is the height of depravity to seek to delegitimise the real and deadly concerns of the victims of Jewish barbarity in Palestine by portraying their opposition to Jewish occupation as opposition to Jews themselves. The criticisms directed towards Hizb ut-Tahrir are the in fact the same criticisms directed to all Muslims who principally oppose the criminality of Jewish occupation in Palestine....

It is well known to all that Jews have always historically turned to Muslims in times of their most desperate need. Jews have only flourished under Islam; indeed their golden age was realised only under Islam.

 To attempt to reconstruct history by portraying Muslims as anti-Semitic is not only disingenuous but criminal...."

So declares the Australian wing of the Caliphate-seeking Islamic extremist group Hizb ut-Tahrir in response to revelations that the New South Wales Board of Deputies has written as follows to the president of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board:

 "We write to refer a matter to the NSW Anti-Discrimination Board with a request that the ADB prepare a brief for the Director of Public Prosecutions to prosecute Ismail al-Wahwah and Wassim Dureihi under S.20D of the NSW Anti-Discrimination Act.

 An inflammatory speech was delivered in [the Sydney suburb of Lakemba in Arabic on July 25, 2014 by Wahwah, the local spiritual head of Hizb ut-Tahrir – an organisation which advocates sharia and the destruction of the democratic way of life.

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aumYJHM2cM]

A translated extract follows:

 “The entire world suffers from the children of Israel today and complains about them. Who will set the world free from the children of Israel so that the world will be able to say that it has rid itself of that hidden evil? This mission will be accomplished by none but you, O Muslims … The ember of jihad against the Jews will continue to burn. The struggle and the jihad will continue until the words of Allah come true.  Judgment day will not come until the Muslims fight the Jews … Tomorrow you Jews will see what will become of you — an eye for an eye, blood for blood, destruction for destruction.”

Reinforcing his message, the unseen crowd interjected with a chant of “Khaybar, Khaybar” — the full war-cry being “Khaybar Khaybar Ya Yahud jaysh Muhammad saya’ud ” (Khaybar, Khaybar O Jews,the army of Muhammad will return).

[https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2aumYJHM2cM]

 This is a blatant call for violence against Jews on the basis of their race as Khaybar was the scene of a 7th-century massacre of Jews in what is now Saudi Arabia.

The following observations will be of assistance:

Ismail al-Wahwah gave the speech in public to a live audience.

The speech incited hatred towards, serious contempt for, and severe ridicule of, Jews on theground of them being Jewish. The speaker clearly refers to “the children of Israel” – ie Jews – as a people.

It is clear that the speech threatened physical harm towards Jews. It also incited others to threaten physical harm towards Jews.

Each of these elements was done intentionally.

The intent extends beyond that of the main speaker to the host, Wassim Dureihi, a spokesperson  for Hizb ut-Tahrir.

It is important to note that the diatribe was crude Jew-hatred reminiscent of last year’s anti-Israel rallies in Sydney that descended into blatant antisemitism, complete with Nazi swastikas and placards evoking racist images that had nothing to do with any Middle East conflict.

 Wahwah’s speech was delivered in Arabic and a subtitled video was recently released...."

(Hat tip: J-Wire) See also Shirlee Finn's excellent detailed post on this topic here

Also of interest on J-Wire, barrister Geoff Bloch's riposte to a Guardian article by a prominent Aussie human rights lawyer, Julian Burnside, who averred, inter alia, that "Right now, Islamophobia is the new anti-Semitism ..."  See Bloch's winning (game, set, and match) piece here