It could be argued that anti-Semitism is 2018 years old, if we take the Bible literally. According to the Gospel of Matthew, 27:25, Pontius Pilate released a convicted thief, Barabbas, to placate an angry Jewish crowd. Pilate had declared Jesus an innocent man, but, the Bible says:
"Then answered all the people, and said, His blood be on us, and on our children."
This Biblical quote, along with others, was used to justify anti-Semitism in all its ugly forms for hundreds of years. In the 19th Century, Houston Chamberlain (not Nietzsche, as popularly supposed), developed anti-Semitism as a pseudo-scientific theory which inspired Hitler's "racial theories". Modern neo-Nazi "theorists" still include Chamberlain in their booklists.
This potted history of mine is not strictly relevant here, but needs to be borne in mind when considering the "anti-Zionist" position and the fact that anti-Semitism as such does still exist.
The PPL will soon be organising mass protests against the recent killings of Palestinians. The PPL celebrity line-up, which includes George Galloway and other dubious characters, will be making impassioned speeches via any and every media outlet. They will piously deny being anti-Semitic, chanting the ancient mantra: "anti-Zionism is not the same as Anti-Semitism" (I wish I had ten quid for the number of times I've heard that), and accuse their critics of everything from being accomplices to murder to being agents of Mossad.
I'd like to pick up on the last point here: the PPL members I've talked to cannot endure the slightest criticism and usually overreact. Simply saying something innocuous like "my Mum went on pilgrimage to the Holy Land last year" draws vitriol from the mouth of a hardline PPL member. All of which, I think, points to a sense of insecurity on the part of the so-called "average" PPL member.
For there is no average PPL member. The PPL, as I have said before, contains a wide spectrum of opinion, ranging from people who are genuinely concerned for the Palestinian people to fanatics who oppose the very existence of the state of Israel, across to the neo-Nazis (the rest of the PPL don't like talking about them) who want to continue where Hitler left off. This can lead to confused reactions when you question PPL supporters. Here are three gems I have gathered, after conversations with PPL believers.
1. "I like Jews, but not Israelis".
The idiocy of this is obvious; most Israelis ARE Jews.
2. "Zionists control the US media".
This questionable belief could have been said by a neo-Nazi - even without changing "Zionists" to "Jews".
3. "Holocaust denial is wrong, but it's all right if the Palestinians do it, because they're being oppressed by Israel".
This fatuous statement is so ridiculous as to need no further comment.
But - do I believe that the PPL section of the Labour Party are anti-Semites, along with Jeremy Corbyn? Well, no, although I have no doubt that some are. Fascist infiltration of Labour has happened before, the most famous case being that of British Movement member Peter Marriner, back in the 70s. And there is electoral opportunism to consider. As Baroness Deech has said:
"Too many Labour politicians cravenly adopted the anti-Semitic tropes and anti-Israel demonization they think will get them British Muslim votes, rather than standing up to the prejudice that exists in the community".
To his credit, Jeremy Corbyn has said that more needs to be done on this issue. I wonder how Hamas and Hezbollah supporters of the PPL in the UK, who have marched with Corbyn on pro-Palestinian demonstrations, will react to that.
The committed PPL members in Labour's ranks will continue acting as a pressure group for their cause, whatever initiatives Corbyn may devise, and I think that this calls for a deeper analysis of the Left's antipathy to Israel. This antipathy is peculiar to Israel, as there were no protests from Labour PPL supporters against Russia's campaign in Chechnya, Assad's crimes against his people in Syria and no sympathetic vigils for the Yazidis and Iraqi Christians, when persecuted by ISIS.
So what's the real beef of the far Left and the PPL when it comes to Israel? Well, I do not think that it is exclusively anti-Semitism (although anti-Semitism is certainly present among this section of the Left).Rather, I believe it to be anti-Western in motivation. Occasionally, the mask slips on this issue. I have seen Israel labelled in a PPL leaflet as "the West's attack dog". Now, that explains a lot, if it is a widely held belief among the PPL. In future, I believe that we should ask: who seeks to benefit if the West's attack dog is neutered or destroyed? I have answers already...
Happy Easter, everyone!
Your desire for tenners doesn't invalidate the fact that a very careful distinction that needs to be made between Judaism and Zionism. One is a religion and one is a political movement: indeed Theodor Herzl, credited with being the founder of modern Zionism, was an atheist. Israel deliberately conflates the two, Netanyahu always referring to the country as "the Jewish state", and the Israeli establishment describing Jews anywhere in the world who criticise the State of Israel as "self-hating Jews".
ReplyDeleteSorry, no tenner winging its way to you.
Superficially, you are correct; there IS such a difference between Judaism and Zionism. Your mistake is to believe that all Jews practise their religion. Even those Jews who never attend synagogue consider themselves to be Jewish, as would the atheist, Theodore Herzl.As such, when Netanyahu, and other Israeli politicians speak of Israel as a Jewish state, they mean it is a state for the Jewish people, practising or not. Your distinction, therefore is lacking understanding of the fact that being Jewish is not necessarily defined by religion, but by blood ties and tradition.
DeleteI am sorry I won't be getting my tenner, which I deserve; I'll just have to ask Mossad for a raise.
Oh dear! I said Judaism was a religion. Nowhere did I say that all Jews practice their religion. Indeed, I pointed out that Herzl was an atheist. Your inference does not reflect what I think.
ReplyDeleteWhen it suits the Israeli establishment, they point to the fact that a large minority of Israeli citizens are Arabs, some of whom sit in the Knesset as MPs. Then at other times, they repeatedly refer to 'the Jewish state'. These are contradictory attitudes, each employed when it suits them, and sympathisers like you choose not to notice.
In no way, Geoff, are you an impartial judge of the situation in Israel: you are as irrational as you frequently accuse supporters of the Palestinian cause to be. You actually admitted your bias the last time we met. I told you that you were determinedly analytical of all issues, except about Israel when your objectivity went out of the window. If you remember, you actually agreed.
Well, if Saudi, Pakistani and Iranian politicians and others describe their countries as Muslim states, even though they have non-Muslim minorities, I can't see a problem with Israeli politicians describing Israel as Jewish state, especially when three quarters of the Isareli population are Jewish. I don't see any problem there. I don't remember agreeing that I lacked objectivity over Israel; you must have misheard me. On the other hand, if I gave that impression,Iam sorry for it and retract that statement.I do frequently criticise the PPL, as I think they deserve it.This is a rational decision on my part. I believe my criticisms to be fair and justified. I have never accused PPL supporters of being irrational; inconsistent is a better description.I support Amnesty International actions on behalf of Palestinians , which is not the behaviour of an Israeli sympathiser.I shall continue to support AI in its efforts to support human rights around the world and continue to criticise the PPL where appropriate.If I have said anything in my blog item that is incorrect, then perhaps you and others should try and refute it, if you can.
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