Comments on: don’t worry, be happy, slag Muslims

By: Shafiq

Shafiq — Sun, 15 Nov 2009 15:19:44 +0000

winterleaves – 13 Nov 2009, 9:35AM

At a conference I attended in Jerusalem, one minister ? a noted dove within the Israeli government ? complained about the influence of Muslim minorities on the foreign policies of EU countries.

In other words exactly what anti-semites used to say about Europes Jewish minorities.

ME: This commenter beat me to it.

By: Citizen

Citizen — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 23:16:17 +0000

edwin, yes you make a good point; however Shmuel gives the canny response that is very realistic and a good guide.

By: potsherd

potsherd — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:49:54 +0000

While I don’t know a great deal about S A society, either, I trust the opinions of those who do, like Bishop Tutu.

By: potsherd

potsherd — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:48:37 +0000

Yes, it’s like drawing a line in the sand. When the Palestinians step over the line, the Israelis draw another line, further back. Ad infinitum. They will back off the edge of the world before they reach peace.

By: Nolan

Nolan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:43:14 +0000

And he claimed there was a direct correlation between the willingness of British MPs to criticise Israel, and the size of the Muslim minority in their constituencies.

Avi Shlaim writes:

On 2 June 1948, Sir John Troutbeck wrote to the foreign secretary, Ernest Bevin, that the Americans were responsible for the creation of a gangster state headed by “an utterly unscrupulous set of leaders” .

Source: The Guardian, January 7, 2009

By: Nolan

Nolan — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 15:42:30 +0000

And he claimed there was a direct correlation between the willingness of British MPs to criticise Israel, and the size of the Muslim minority in their constituencies.

Avi Shlaim writes:

Source: The Guardian, January 7, 2009

By: Shmuel

Shmuel — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 14:18:38 +0000

I don’t know enough about white South African society to compare, and even in the case of SA, no one knew that the boycott would work. Even now there are debates regarding the role that teh boycott played in bringing minority rule to an end. BDS is far from a sure thing, but there is a chance that it will work, and it gives us an opportunity to bypass our bought and/or impotent politicians. There is another aspect to consider however, and that is our ongoing complicity in Israel’s crimes. Israel does not have a “right” to our investments and our consumption of its products. BDS may not bring the system down, but there is certainly no justification for helping to prop it up.

By: edwin

edwin — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 13:43:50 +0000

I support the boycott. I have been boycotting Israel for years. I also disagree with Chomsky on a number of positions.

I do not think you have presented Chomsky fairly at all. I don’t have time to re-read what Chomsky said unfortunately, but if memory serves me, he said that there is a fundamental difference between Zionists and Whites of South Africa. The experience and internalization of victim hood is much stronger within Zionists and they will not respond in the same way to a boycott. They will respond as if it is 1938 all over again. Reading between the lines – I hear that the Whites of S. Africa are more reasonable and more in touch with reality than Jews who support Israel. This is an incredibly damning thing to say.

By: Citizen

Citizen — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 11:22:12 +0000

Judging from Fox News pundits, it looks like there’s a push to create the same atmosphere in the USA–taking full advantage of the recent Ft Hood pyscho murders by the Palestinian American. I better keep my eyes wide open when I go to the barber shop.

By: Shmuel

Shmuel — Sat, 14 Nov 2009 10:18:54 +0000

For an idea of what passes for “normal” these days in Jerusalem, read Sayed Kashua’s latest column in Haaretz: link to haaretz.com

For those unfamiliar with Kashua, he uses humour to present the reality of a Palestinian living in Jewish-Israeli society. Every once in a while, he loses it and publishes a furious rant (as he did during the Gaza massacre). The sad part is that most Israelis probably chuckle at his stuff (and ignore or get pissed off by the rants) without really understanding a word he says. For someone living in a western democracy, the picture he draws is absolutely surreal. For Israelis, it’s life.