Fresh off his first visit to Auschwitz, born-again Jew-lover Glenn Beck has arrived in Israel for several spectacle-filled days of Israel-pumping and Islam-bashing. The visit comes a little more than a month before his Restore Courage Rally in Jerusalem, which is being billed as "an opportunity to demonstrate to the world that Israel does not stand alone," but which might better be described as the official marriage ceremony of the Christian right to the Zionist front, right, and center. Think of this week's visit as the engagement party for the happy couple--that's certainly how it's playing out. Never mind that the groom is a bona fide anti-Semite with a pungent history of anti-Jewish eruptions, he has been greeted as nothing short of a visiting Prince Charming come to rescue his besieged bride. His appearance earlier today before the Knesset's Immigration, Absorption and Diaspora Affairs Committee, as described by Ami Kaufman at +972, gives some sense of the mutually-assured love-bombing on display between Beck and his fans.
Here is MK Danny Danon, the committee chairman who invited Beck to speak, introducing him to the standing-room only crowd inside the Knesset's Negev Room:
If we didn't have someone like Glenn Beck we would have had to invent someone like him.
Here is MK Arieh Eldad, rabid settler and latter-day Jabotinsky-ite, applauding Beck's call for "truth":
It’s true we must say our truth, as you say Mr. Beck. We are in an era where people are opposed to the truth. The truth is, that we must end the occupation: the Islamic occupation of the land of Israel!
MK Michael Ben Ari, an unapologetic disciple of Meir Kahane, had this to say:
I think Glenn Beck should take my seat in the Knesset. Whoever helps Israel is a partner in the work of God, who returned his land to his people.
It's worth noting that Ben Ari's aide, Baruch Marzel, was also in attendance and even managed to snag a few private, post-speech moments with Beck. Marzel lives in Hebron and spent time both as the secretary and chairman of Meir Kahane's Kach movement, which, Noam Sheizaf points out, is considered a terrorist organization by the United States, Canada, and the European Union. Judging by the picture, it looks like the two shared an intent little chat.
But today's love fest wasn't only for wing-nuts. The so-called center was represented as well in the form of of Labor-turned-Independence Party MK Anat Wilf, who took advantage of her access to offer this hard-hitting statement:
The battle for Israel is moving to the media, in an effort to delegitimize Israel and Zionism.
I’d like to ask you one thing. Don’t portray us as the victim. We are not the victim. But I thank you for your help.
So there you have it, the great Defenders of the Jews, the True Jews, the ones who attack everyone else as self-haters, kissing up to a racist, quasi-fascist, anti-Semite. All because his shared Islamophobia and end-times philosophy inspires him to say things like:
Antisemitism is about to go through the roof. Because when tragedy happens, it’s always the Jew’s fault. My event here on August 24th could be the biggest ever. It is not for courage here in Israel. Israel already has enough courage. I’m doing it here, because the solution will be found here. I knew it when I read the book of Ruth and Esther. I want people to hear what I have learned from those books, that “your god is my god, where you go I will go."
With leaders like these, who needs -- well, you get it.
Wow,
Israel rolls out the red carpet for Palin and Beck and then wonder why Isrle is being delegitimized?
Mind numbing to say the least!
Be forewarned, there is no telling what someone like Glenn Beck might do whilst trying to satisfy his messianic complex(es)!
Lots of luck, Israel. With friends like Beck, you’re certainly going to need it.
P.S. A NICE LITTLE FILM: Amreeka, 2009, PG-13, 96 minutes [Streaming from Netflix until 7/12/11, 3:00 am EDST tonight]
Eager to provide a better future for her son, Fadi (Melkar Muallem), divorcée Muna Farah (Nisreen Faour) leaves her Palestinian homeland and takes up residence in rural Illinois — just in time to encounter the domestic repercussions of America’s disastrous war in Iraq. Now, the duo must reinvent their lives with some help from Muna’s sister, Raghda (Hiam Abbass), and brother-in-law, Nabeel (Yussuf Abu-Warda). Cherien Dabis writes and directs.
Availability: Streaming and DVD (Streaming until 7/12/11)
NETFLIX LISTING – link to movies.netflix.com
Amreeka Trailer (VIDEO, 02:18) – link to youtube.com
The Amreeka Interviews – link to youtube.com
RE: “My event here on August 24th could be the biggest ever…I’m doing it here, because the solution will be found here. I knew it when I read the book of Ruth and Esther. I want people to hear what I have learned from those books, that ‘your god is my god, where you go I will go’.” – Glenn Beck
FROM MICHELLE GOLDBERG:
SOURCE – link to mondoweiss.net
A relationship based on desperation. Not a great foundation
Ami’s post on this is both hilarious and somewhat frightening.
great post lizzy, excellent engagement metaphore. i’m liking this more and more, let’s divide the shaft from the wheat. if israel likes beck, they can sure as hell have him.
zogby
game on, let them take the fundies because we’ve got the youth, women and minorities. the lobby wants us to think the US is united over israel. clearly, we are not.
Oh, glenn beck, such a fool for flattery. His messianic lunacy attracts all of the most fascist tendency in Israel. Meanwhile the others are dazzled not with Beck, as he stupidly imagines, but with the prospect of access to acres of prime time US TV. The hysteria around him is actually desperation – after the colossal stupidity and mistakes of the Israeli propaganda machine in trying to combat a few hundred harmless activists, which once again gave them reams of negative press around the world, here comes a useful idiot on a white horse to promote all of their absurd, hyper inflated rhetoric and barefaced lies. All on TV. The only problem is that they have no idea that Beck’s audience already believes the comic book nonsense and grotesque lies, while everybody else thinks of him as a colossal, swivel-eyed lunatic. Put it this way: if you are in trouble, your reputation sinking fast, as your actions are exposed, who would you call to shore it up? Glen Beck?? You cannot be serious. Another PR disaster in the making.
Awesome. just plum awesome.
>> The truth is, that we must end the occupation: the Islamic occupation of the land of Israel!
Sick, sick, sick. Unfortunately, I can’t tell if it’s air or chocolate.
Unfortunately, I can’t tell if it’s air or chocolate.
Maybe it’s an Aero bar :-P
>> Maybe it’s an Aero bar :-P
Damn! That is an AWESOME answer!!
\m/ > , < \m/
Couldn’t have done it without an awesome setup. You think we should take it on the road? ;-)
>> You think we should take it on the road? ;-)
LOL! Maybe, although I have a feeling it would do slightly less well than “tiger blood’s” act. :-)
The pendulum probably will swing against Jews again, but it will be because
a sensation loving media will continue to present a momolithic view of Jews using zionist jews as a template.
The world will be correct to be repulsed by the images and actions of such jews.
Zionists, not anyone else…are the greatest threat to Jews.
Zionists, not anyone else…are the greatest threat to Jews.
zionism
A few months back, when Beck was booted from his network perch, I watched him perform an hour long program about Jews and the Holocaust. There were holocaust survivors in the audience and Beck was welling up with tears on stage.
It was a miserable act to watch him pretend to care about Jews, when he was saying the opposite message a few months prior.
Watch the goy shill >
link to youtube.com
check it out at 4:40. It’s sad how lost he is.
LOL! He was quite notorious for being a crybaby.
If you read a transcript of his latest speech, it is very odd. He is a very odd person for sure, but most of the things he said. It was like a hidden message sort of. Saying that the MSM was censored and propaganda was true, although not in the context he claims to be referring to. The MSM censors the Palestinian narrative. Maybe he is just being an epic troll? Nevermind, he isn’t that intelligent.
Yeah. He’s damaged goods.
Why anyone would want him on their side smells of desperation.
Maybe the Israeli government will offer Beck a job on the local news outlet
“Antisemitism is about to go through the roof. Because when tragedy happens, it’s always the Jew’s fault”
Even though he is a lunatic, part of this statement important although not as he intended.
Zionism is going to fail, there is no doubt in my mind. Whether that happens in 5 years or 20 years, we don’t know. But Zionism is fascism no better than National Socialism or Italian Fascism. Eventually, the Israeli criminal leaders will be held accountable and there will be some sort of law making Zionism illegal. Eventually, Americans and the entire world will know the crimes Israel has committed. Who are they going to blame? The media? The Evangelical? No, they will blame the Jews. Not because the Jews always get blamed. But because on the surface it appears Jews were primarily responsible. Emphasis on appears because Zionism and Israel gets a ton of support from fundamentalists, far more than from the Jews.
This is why it is important for the Jewish people to distance themselves from fascist Israel and from Zionism. Thankfully we are seeing a lot of this in the USA and abroad, but not enough. Those rapturous fundies are the primary supporters of Israel here in the USA and they will be the first ones to blame Jews. Of the Jewish people I know, only those born our of the country still support Zionism. The ones born here that I can think of who are also under 40 are vocal critics. Spread the word