Israel, Zionism and the Media

Month: April 2010

FA Cup Final to be disrupted by Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions crowd

With Avram Grant, an Israeli, leading Portsmouth out against Chelsea in the FA Cup final next month, I am sure that the BDS people will be running on to the pitch to stop the match, heckling the team coach as at arrives with the horrible spectacle of an Israeli on board.

He will be accused of representing a state that murders children, of  being a warmonger. Well that’s what happens now to Israelis in the UK going about their business be they musicians, academics, politicians, sportspersons or entertainers. So why should Avram not get the treatment?

Well maybe it’s because he represents the largest religious group in England – football fans.

Avram Grant, son of Holocaust survivors, attended the March of the Living in Auschwitz-Birkenau earlier this week. A sober reminder of the genocide Israel’s enemies want to emulate. And those nice BDS people are keen to help the process along.

Life on Mars

As President Obama announces that the United States will be going for a manned mission to Mars by the 2030’s the Jewish world breathes a sigh of relief.

At last there is hope for the Jewish people when their homeland is taken from them in a future Judenrein world.

We’ll all be going to Mars! Eventually. If we survive that long and if Olympus Mons is not claimed as an ancient Muslim holy place.

When we’re all several million miles away perhaps the rest of the human race will leave us alone.

Only possible problem will be the Little Green Men who will not take kindly to Jewish colonialism. We can always build a separation wall and if the locals expel us from a second planet the moons of Jupiter look interesting.

Hamas closes smuggling tunnels – no-one notices

Hamas effectively closed the smuggling tunnels from Egypt. No-one is sure why yet. Happened yesterday. ‘Stop using them or else’ was the order. Egypt has half completed the steel barrier which is already causing disruption to supplies. It’s very strange that the UN have not publicly rebuked Egypt for cutting off this lifeline. Maybe they are only interested in the legal crossings not the illegal ones. Maybe they just like to single out Israel. The blockade, so called, has caused the tunnel smuggling, so the story goes, and without it Gazans would starve. So that means Hamas has decided to starve Gaza and is actually working with Egypt and Israel to starve Gazans, because as we ‘know’, according to John Ging head of UNWRA in Gaza, it’s a ‘siege’, a mediaeval one, in fact.

So where is Ging? Where is the UN Secretary General? Where is Mahmoud Abbas? Why are they not crying out for the lifeline tunnels to be reopened? Simple. Because they all know that enough food gets in without them. They all know that no-one is starving in Gaza, but it makes a nice story to bash Israel with.

Like I’ve said before, it’s no picnic in Gaza, but no-one is starving either. Food and fuel gets through and all from Israel, not Egypt.

Rumour has it that the tunnels were closed because of a possible kidnapping in the Sinai of an Israeli tourist who would then be taken into Gaza through a tunnel.

So Hamas do not want a kidnapped Israeli, or I should say, another kidnapped Israeli. Why not?

And no-one has really worked out the affect of Egypt blocking these tunnels either.

One good thing to note: the BBC News website now finally admits that the ‘blockade’ is administered by Israel AND Egypt. But no-one cares about this. As the psalmist said: they have eyes but cannot see. Or don’t want to.

Polish tragedy – some thoughts

All four of my grandparents were Polish. My family must have lived in Poland for hundreds of years. But in the early 20th century when Poland was part of the Russian empire things got difficult for Jews.

Growing Polish nationalism often spilled over into anti-Semitism. My grandparents left before their situation became too dangerous.

Then, in 1939, when Poland was a free and independent nation with 3 million Jews the Germans invaded and established their most notorious death camps on Polish soil.

Many Poles were happy to wave goodbye to their Jews and took part in their extermination. Poles also happen to be the most well represented at Yad Vashem, the memorial and museum of the Holocaust in Jerusalem,  with the highest number of any nation recognised as Righteous Amongst the Nations. So, for many Jews, Poland and Poles provoke contradictory emotions.

This tragedy for the Polish people has seen the death of a controversial President who recognised the contribution to Polish history of the Jewish people and the ties of that history, often difficult, sometime murderous but also, often, mutually beneficial. David A Harris has written:

I first met Lech Kaczynski when he was Warsaw’s mayor. He was eager for the renewal of Jewish life in Poland. He felt a kinship to Jews, whom he saw as an integral part of Poland’s fabric. He said it was impossible to understand Poland without comprehending the Jewish role in its life. That’s why he was supportive of the Museum of the History of Polish Jews, and why he was instrumental in launching it. I later met him many times as president, most recently in February. A man of passion and principle, he seldom minced words. He knew where he stood and he didn’t try to mask his views from others. 

Poland and the Jews have a troubled history and anti-Semitism is still an undercurrent, but great strides have also been made in Warsaw and Krakow, for example, to revive and celebrate Jewish culture. The Late President was an important factor in reconciling Poland with its Jewish history.

The Polish people’s dignified and moving response to this immense tragedy has been very impressive. The new Poland is becoming a major force in Europe and the world; a pivotal nation between the West and Russia. Poland will survive these terrible events and emerge stronger and an even prouder nation.

I send my heartfelt condolences to the Polish people in this hour of distress. I honour the memory of President Kaczynski and those who perished so ironically a few miles from the scene of one of the most heinous war crimes of World War II.

International Humanitarian Law – Israel know the laws of war best – it’s official

I hope you have all recovered from a week of dietary torture otherwise known as Pesach, for those of you who observe the festival.

I almost choked on my long-awaited breakfast toast when I read this article in the Jerusalem Post.

An Israeli team from the Interdisciplinary Center, Herzliya, recently beat out 44 universities to take first place in the 2010 edition of the Jean-Pictet Competition on international humanitarian law.

The week-long international competition, held between March 20-27 in Quebec, Canada, matched up teams from universities around the world to test their knowledge in the field of international humanitarian law (IHL) – commonly referred to as the laws of war.

Kol HaKavod!

In a nutshell, said [coach] Rosenzweig, IHL might be summarized as, “Do the most damage to the enemy [while] minimizing harm to civilians.”

Hmm. ring any bells?

He explained the four core principles of IHL as follows: distinction of soldiers from civilians; military necessity as a rule in evaluating targets; proportionality; and humanity to the enemy.

These are exactly the issues which Israel confronted in Gaza where their every decision was guided by experts in IHL which, we now know, Israel knows better than any other country.

After winning, the IDC team received a five-minute standing ovation from the other teams, including those from Iran, Lebanon and Jordan.

I’m sure these major offenders against IHL now and in the past ran Israel a close second. Nice that the Iranians applauded. They’ll probably be lynched on their return in accordance with IHL (Iranian Humanitarian Law).

Why didn’t Hamas send a team? After all they could have been sponsored by George Galloway and Tony Benn and I’m sure Gerald Kaufman would have donated one of his rugs which he bought at the British taxpayers’ expense.