Here are two of the latest irresponsible efforts to portray criticism of Israel as anti-Semitism.
First, the anti-Zionist site Free Speech on Israel publishes a report on French premier Manuel Valls saying yesterday at Tel Aviv University that “loathing of Jews” is behind the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement (BDS). The French prime minister’s comments are a signal of BDS’s effectiveness, the website says.
Valls said: “This invitation is…the most sincere response to those who talk of nothing but boycott. Behind this boycott we well know what there is: not only an opposition, but also a loathing of the State of Israel, the loathing of a Jewish home, and therefore of Jews as a whole.”
Valls was addressing an audience during a ceremony on Sunday at Tel Aviv University in which the George Wise Medal was conferred on him. The medal commemorates Tel Aviv University’s founding President and is awarded to long-standing Israel advocates.
The Prime Minister said that it was France’s ‘role and duty’ to never give way before those that want to ‘hinder a democracy;’ that it was the ‘fight of a lifetime’ against antisemitism, ‘a battle of civilisation.’ To applause, Valls said, “When one attacks Jews, one of course attacks France and attacks civilisation.”
France has introduced legislation seeking to criminalize BDS advocacy. One activist was arrested for wearing a pro-BDS t-shirt.
Second, tomorrow Jeff Halper is going to talk about his new book, War Against the People: Israel, the Palestinians and Global Pacification, at an Asheville, N.C., bookstore called Malaprops. The book contains Halper’s argument that Israel has become a global economic player by marketing militarism based on its tactics of controlling Palestinians.
And look, this letter appeared in today’s Asheville Citizen-Times calling Halper an anti-Semite. Halper is a human rights activist who once studied to be a rabbi. He moved to Israel because he wanted to build a progressive society. He has spent 20 years fighting the occupation, working with Palestinians, Jews, anyone. And he’s an anti-Semite?
Malaprops to Host Jewish World Conspiracy Theorist
Malaprops is hosting Jewish world conspiracies [sic] Jeff Halper on May 24. Halper will weave falsehoods together about Israel and Jewish money to articulate classic centuries-old anti-Semitic tropes.
Here’s the cliff notes version: Halper ponders how respectable European nations could accept Israel into the Organization of Economic Cooperation and Development? Halper answer that Israel (not the U.S., EU, Russia or China) is “a superpower.”
How? It gains political clout through arms deals.
“Israel is an arms exporter at the level of France. Israel exports more arms than China,” Halper recently told a Massachusetts audience. But, according to the leading authority, Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, Israel trails way behind the U.S., Russia, China, five European countries and Ukraine.
So, to try to make his argument stick, Halper fabricates a conspiracy: Israel “finds out what the elites need in order to keep their control and stay in power and it fills those niches.”
And, thus, Israel manipulates world elites and gains admittance into the prestigious OECD.
But here’s the rub. Israel has exported arms to only nine of the 36 OECD countries. Halper’s theory is baseless, anti-Semitic and coming to a bookstore near you.
Naomi Friedman, Asheville
The writer is said to be the music teacher at the local Chabad House, by a person who answered the phone there. I asked to have Ms. Friedman call to confirm, but haven’t heard from her yet.
One often sees this strange intensity, this passionate projection, this utter inversion of reality among Zionists. Disturbing at best, especially so coming from the French prime minister. Evil perpetuates itself, if permitted to do so.
“Turning and turning in the widening gyre
The falcon cannot hear the falconer;
Things fall apart; the centre cannot hold;
Mere anarchy is loosed upon the world,
The blood-dimmed tide is loosed, and everywhere
The ceremony of innocence is drowned;
The best lack all conviction, while the worst
Are full of passionate intensity.”
http://www.potw.org/archive/potw351.html
Why was Valls in Israel at the same moment that France is proposing a peace process re-start and Israel is resisting it? Whatever his reason, people who go to Israel seeking to butter-up the Israelis do say things like that: it is straight Israel hasbara. In Israel, Israel is king and “the king can do no wrong”. Therefore, by twisted logic, criticism even from outside Israel (where Israel is not king !!!) must be based on antisemitism rather than licit political opinion.
Shame on Valls, and shame on France which is apparently making further efforts to silence BDS and other criticism of Israel. I wonder how soon the European Courts will be able to rule on whether these anti-free-speech laws must be rescinded. Let us hope the judges are independent and honorable people.
Halper’s new book is important because it evades the dichotomy around the pro Israel Lobby: the classical ‘the lobby is normal and legit and nothing to see here please move along now’ vs ‘the lobby is the most powerful force distorting us from following a sane policy’. With dichotomy I don’t mean to say people’s views lack nuance but that they’re caught in a polarisation that narrows down thinking.
The Chomsky view that focuses on general US foreign policy behaviour , puts the emphasis on natural imperial tendencies in US policies. If you view it through the dichotomy then it’s closer to the classical view on the lobby I think. But you don’t have to view it that way. My preference is for how the Leveretts put it, that the lobby is powerful but also very effective because it’s pushing an open door of US foreign policy doctrines. These policies would still exist if the lobby wasn’t there and they manifest themselves in other non-middle east areas in the same manner.
Halper looks at worldwide attitudes towards Israel, and points at the business ties, mainly defense and security business which translates roughly in providing protection of those in power against the people around them and under them. So there’s a plain business side, an elite business aspect and a ‘merchants of oppression’ flavouring. And then you get countries like China that have no significant influence from US lobbies and that turn towards Israel rather than away from it. So I think Halper has made a valuable contribution.
Loathing of Jews is behind BDS? Nope, not at all.
Let’s see if this works though: Fear and loathing of all Non-Jews is behind (but not so much) zionism.
It should be a source of shame to zionists that israel is a force to be reckoned with in the war profiteering and weapons of mass destruction market. Sickening.
Behind this boycott we well know what there is: not only an opposition, but also the uncivilised and un-French principles of liberté, égalité and fraternité. When one supports these principles, one of course attacks France and attacks civilisation.
So now that we well know what is behind BDS, what is behind Valls’ false accusations and undemocratic stance?