Saturday, March 11, 2006

British anti-semitism

An interesting report here and a good article by Melanie Philips on a similar theme discuss the way that the ferocious campaign to deligitmise Israel has led to increased anti-semitism in the UK. The Livingstones and Galloways, as well as the Islamists know that if you repeat a lie often enough then it will be believed. They all routinely mention the 'barbarity' or even 'genocide' committed against 'Palestine' as the single most important reason for 'Muslim anger at the West'. Yet I have never once heard a commentator question such assertions. Hence people who have no knowledge of the Middle East at all simply accept that Israel has committed genocide against the Palestinians. One small example this week is typically shocking. The Jewish Chronicle reports that a British-based Dance magazine called Dance Europe refused to publish a piece about the Dance Drama Company in Tel Aviv unless "the company in Israel co-operates with us by adding a disclaimer saying it is opposed to the occupation, settlements, and everything else". It would be interesting to know just what the 'everything else' includes but I imagine it would be not much short of any Jew living in Israel. What makes the story even more astonishing is that it turns out there is a link on the magazine website to a Palestinian Dance company. When asked why the magazine required no disclaimer against suicide bombings the editor said "There's a reason for people to become suicide bombers. Their land is occupied".
That's the way a LOT of apparently intelligent people in the UK think nowadays.

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