Challah Hu Akbar
It has always amazed me the depths to which radical Muslims and their leftist anti-Israel cheerleaders will sink to demonize the Jewish state. A fantastic example of this blight to reason, history, and reality was the Never Again for Anyone tour, which went around the United States this past winter.
The tour was sponsored by a sophisticated propaganda outlet called American Muslims for Palestine (AMP), which essentially totes the Hamas party-line with their attacks on the Palestinian negotiating team and their condemnation of JStreet, the International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN), a sycophantic nominally "Jewish" organization, whose members are always eager to be the next useful idiot to lend their name to whatever terrorist or despot is attacking Jewish self-determination that week, and the Middle East Children's Alliance, a virulently anti-Israel group. The tour made its biggest news at Rutgers University in New Jersey, where despite advertisements stating that the event was Free and Open to the Public, entry was denied to pro-Israel activists - CHALLAH.
On February 4th, the tour went to DePaul University, former home of Norman Finkelstein, glamor boy of the anti-Israel world, as well as the site of Malik Shabazz's, Chairman of the New Black Panther Party, latest outburst, in which he declared that Zionists control the media and manipulate the masses. I have obtained the audio from the event. Unfortunately, due to requests by my source, I cannot post the entire audio. Thus, I have spliced down to some of the most outrageous claims and comments. It is important to note, however, that all recording at the DePaul event was prohibited; it was reported that the organizers went as far to have members of the Depaul Students for Justice in Palestine patrol the aisles in search of contraband recording equipment.
The speakers at the event were Sara Kershnar (Founder of IJAN), Hatem Bazian (Lecturer, University of California, Berkeley and Chairman of AMP), and Hajo Meyer (Holocaust Survivor, Physicist, & Professional Anti-Zionist).
1. Sara Kershnar: Balfour is one of the many examples of uh uh, Zionist, the, uh uh, Zionists collaboration with anti-Semites.
This went along with Meyer’s claims that Zionists are unsympathetic to Holocaust survivors. This is a libel often put forth by the Palestinians and many others in the anti-Israel crowd. Kershnar fails to point out that Balfour actually viewed Zionism as a just cause. In 1919, Balfour wrote the introduction to a book entitled History of Zionism 1600-1919 by Nahum Sokolow.
Here are a few excerpts from that introduction:
...it was hoped that Jews fleeing from persecution might found a community where, in harmony with their own religion, development on traditional lines might (we thought) peacefully proceed without external interruption, and free from any fears of violence. The scheme was certainly well-intentioned, and had, I think, many merits. But it had one serious defect. It was not Zionism. It attempted to find a home for men of Jewish religion and Jewish race in a region far removed from the country where that race was nurtured and that religion came into being. Conversations I held with Mr. Weizmann in January, 1906, convinced me that history could not thus be ignored, and that if a home was to be found for the Jewish people, homeless now for nearly nineteen hundred years, it was vain to seek it anywhere but in Palestine...The position of the Jews is unique. For them race, religion and country are inter-related, as they are inter-related in the case of no other race, no other religion, and no other country on earth.... By a strange and most unhappy fate it is this people of all others which, retaining the full its racial self-consciousness, has been severed from its home, has wandered into all lands, and has nowhere been able to create for itself an organized social commonwealth. Only Zionism -- so at least Zionists believe -- can provide some mitigation of this great tragedy.....'Doubtless there are difficulties, doubtless there are objections -- great difficulties, very real objections. And it is, I suspect, among the Jews themselves that these are most acutely felt. Yet no one can reasonably doubt that if, as I believe, Zionism can be developed into a working scheme, the benefit it would bring to the Jewish people, especially perhaps to that section of it which most deserves our pity, would be great and lasting...
2. Sara Kershnar: Before we close here, just quickly a definition of Zionism, which is the political movement to establish a Jewish colonial state in Palestine, or as Hajo often says, maximum, maximum land for Jews in Palestine with minimum number of Palestinians. That’s the basic policy and practice of Zionism.
Here is an actual definition of Zionism - "Zionism is the national revival movement of the Jewish people. It holds that the Jews have the right to self-determination in their own national home, and the right to develop their national culture. Historically, Zionism strove to create a legally recognized national home for the Jews in their historical homeland. This goal was implemented by the creation of the State of Israel. Today, Zionism supports the existence of the state of Israel and helps to inspire a revival of Jewish national life, culture and language."
I have no doubt that Kershnar thinks that Zionism is racism. And with that I provide the fine words of Chaim Herzog’s Response to Zionism is Racism Resolution at the United Nations on November 10th, 1975:
...The Jews were once one of the important communities in the countries of the Middle East, the leaders of thought, of commerce, of medical science. Where are they in Arab society today? You dare talk of racism when I can point with pride to the Arab ministers who have served in my government; to the Arab deputy speaker of my Parliament; to Arab officers and men serving of their own volition in our border and police defense forces, frequently commanding Jewish troops; to the hundreds of thousands of Arabs from all over the Middle East crowding the cities of Israel every year; to the thousands of Arabs from all over the Middle East coming for medical treatment to Israel; to the peaceful coexistence which has developed; to the fact that Arabic is an official language in Israel on a par with Hebrew; to the fact that it is as natural for an Arab to serve in public office in Israel as it is incongruous to think of a Jew serving in any public office in an Arab country, indeed being admitted to many of them. Is that racism? It is not! That, Mr. President, is Zionism.
Zionism is our attempt to build a society, imperfect though it may be, in which the visions of the prophets of Israel will be realized. I know that we have problems. I know that many disagree with our government's policies. Many in Israel too disagree from time to time with the government's policies ... and are free to do so because Zionism has created the first and only real democratic state in a part of the world that never really knew democracy and freedom of speech....
See this amazing footage from the proceedings of the day the UN voted on the Zionism is Racism resolution. Most importantly watch the first 4 or so minutes, in which Chaim Herzog speaks.
But this will all be ignored by Kershnar who tries to deny Israel’s right to exist. Thus, I bring the words of the eloquent Abba Eban: “There is no difference whatever between anti-Semitism and the denial of Israel's statehood. Classical anti-Semitism denies the equal right of Jews as citizens within society. Anti-Zionism denies the equal rights of the Jewish people its lawful sovereignty within the community of nations. The common principle in the two cases is discrimination.”
3. Hatem Bazian: This is the Israeli fence, and I’m using the term fence because that’s what Israel’s spokespeople say, because theoretically speaking, the majority of this wall is a fence - in the areas where there isn’t Palestinian inhabitants. In the areas where there are Palestinians who are living and existing it’s a concrete wall that separates people and communities that divides them and makes their lives a living hell.
Note that Bazian fails to mention the reason behind the security fence - namely the brutal murder of over 1000 Israelis during the Palestinian Terror War (Second Intifada). Simply stated, if there was no terrorism by Palestinians against Israeli civilians, there would be no fence. Yes, it is true that some Palestinians are inconvenienced by the fence, however, one cannot argue with the fact that the fence saves lives and is thus accomplishing its explicit goal. Furthermore, Palestinian terrorists have admitted that the fence inhibits their ability to carry out attacks. It is important to note that Palestinians have taken cases to the Israeli Supreme court, in which they argue that the fence has adversely effected them. In some of these cases the Supreme Court ruled in their favor and ordered the government to move the fence.
Bazian’s use of the word majority, while correct is in my opinion intentionally misleading. The barrier is not 51% fence, rather it is over 95% fence.
In addition, many countries have fences to protect their citizens, including: United States, South Korea, China, Cyprus, Turkey, Northern Ireland, Netherlands, Saudi Arabia, Yemen, Morocco, Thailand, Kuwait and many more. Why is Israel being singled out?
4. Hatem Bazian: Ethnic cleansing was intentional, systematic, well planned, and designed at the highest level of the Israeli state.
Once again, Bazian ignores reality in an attempt to delegitimize and demonize Israel. Contrary to what Bazian would like one to think, Israel did not have a policy of ethnic cleansing during the 1948 War. As Benny Morris, the foremost expert on the ‘48 War, writes: "The Palestinian refugee problem was born of war, not by design, Jewish or Arab.” Morris also states that “There was no Zionist “plan” or blanket policy of evicting the Arab population, or of "ethnic cleansing".” Yoav Gelber writes that "contrary to later accusations, the documentary evidence proves that throughout this period [December 1947-May 1948] the Yishuv (Jewish community) had no comprehensive strategy of expulsion.”
Let’s not forget the words of the Declaration of Independence of the State of Israel:
WE APPEAL - in the very midst of the onslaught launched against us now for months - to the Arab inhabitants of the State of Israel to preserve peace and participate in the upbuilding of the State on the basis of full and equal citizenship and due representation in all its provisional and permanent institutions.
5. Hatem Bazian: The challenge till today is still standing. Any Zionist who would actually provide documentation of any Arab broadcast from December to June of 1948 of any broadcast from Jordan, from Egypt, from Syria, from Lebanon, from Iraq that saying to the Palestinians ‘get out, we’re going to come and throw the Jews into the sea.’ The fact is that none exist.
From studies that have been done, it seems that Bazian is right to say that there are no radio broadcasts (Benny Morris says this as well), but this is not the claim people make, rather what people argue is that there is clear evidence that Palestinians (not all) were encouraged in some fashion by their Arab brethren to "get out." Bazian fails to mention all of this as it does not fit into his anti-Israel screed. CHALLAH @ Mitchell Bard
….Benny Morris, the historian who documented instances where Palestinians were expelled, also found that Arab leaders encouraged their brethren to leave. Starting in December 1947, he said, “Arab officers ordered the complete evacuation of specific villages in certain areas, lest their inhabitants ‘treacherously’ acquiesce in Israeli rule or hamper Arab military deployments.” He concluded, “There can be no exaggerating the importance of these early Arab-initiated evacuations in the demoralization, and eventual exodus, of the remaining rural and urban populations” (Benny Morris, The Birth of the Palestinian Refugee Problem Revisited, MA: Cambridge University Press, 2004, p. 590.)
The Arab National Committee in Jerusalem, following the March 8, 1948, instructions of the Arab Higher Committee, ordered women, children and the elderly in various parts of Jerusalem to leave their homes: “Any opposition to this order... is an obstacle to the holy war... and will hamper the operations of the fighters in these districts.” The Arab Higher Committee also ordered the evacuation of “several dozen villages, as well as the removal of dependents from dozens more” in April-July 1948. “The invading Arab armies also occasionally ordered whole villages to depart, so as not to be in their way” (Middle Eastern Studies, January 1986; See also Morris, pp. 263 & 590-592)
.….In his memoirs, Haled al Azm, the Syrian Prime Minister in 1948-49, also admitted the Arab role in persuading the refugees to leave: “Since 1948 we have been demanding the return of the refugees to their homes. But we ourselves are the ones who encouraged them to leave. Only a few months separated our call to them to leave and our appeal to the United Nations to resolve on their return” (The Memoirs of Haled al Azm, Beirut, 1973, Part 1, pp. 386-387)
.....The Secretary of the Arab League Office in London, Edward Atiyah, wrote in his book, The Arabs: “This wholesale exodus was due partly to the belief of the Arabs, encouraged by the boastings of an unrealistic Arabic press and the irresponsible utterances of some of the Arab leaders that it could be only a matter of weeks before the Jews were defeated by the armies of the Arab States and the Palestinian Arabs enabled to reenter and retake possession of their country” (Edward Atiyah, The Arabs, London: Penguin Books, 1955, p. 183).
6. Hajo Meyer: Look, what the Nazis were for the Jews are the Palestinians for the Nazi Jews – and the Nazi Jews that, that are the Zionists.
It seems to me that Hajo got a little mixed up in his anti-Israel screed, but what he meant to say is that Zionists are Nazi Jews, who are treating the Palestinians in a similar fashion to what the Nazis did to the Jews.
In short, this is pure racist propaganda that easily fails Natan Sharansky’s 3D Test of Anti-Semitism. Meyer is blatantly demonizing and delegitimizing the Jewish State. Alan Dershowitz is spot on when he writes that “Holocaust metaphors should be used sparingly and never, ever with regard to Israel. Any such comparison is obscene, ahistorical, anti-Semitic and despicable.”
Here are two short summaries about the rise of the use of Holocaust imagery at anti-Israel rallies.
7. Hajo Meyer: Political Zionism in contrast to pre World War Two Judaism is colonialist, racist, separatist.
Truly disturbing, however, not surprising coming from Meyer. Once again I bring the words of Chaim Herzog’s address to the UN on November 10th, 1975:
Zionism is the name of the national movement of the Jewish people and is the modern expression of the ancient Jewish heritage. The Zionist ideal, as set out in the Bible, has been, and is, an integral part of the Jewish religion. Zionism is one of the most dynamic and vibrant national movements in human history. Historically it is based on a unique and unbroken connection, extending some four thousand years, between the People of the Book and the Land of the Bible.
8. Hajo Meyer: One thing the Jews are not, they are not a people.
As ElderofZiyon notes: “There is no controversy over the existence of the Jewish people. The Jews have been recognized as a nation by the entire world for some 3000 years. (Here’s an example from 1850, and an anti-Semitic example from 1743.) The Koran seems to say it as well. It is simply a fact.”
During the question and answer session, someone asked Meyer about his claim, at which point Meyer began to voice his support for Shlomo Sand, author of The Invention of the Jewish People. Like Sand, Meyer pushed the theory that Jews are descendants of Khazars. In short, anyone who pushes this myth has no academic integrity. I am not going to deal with Sand’s argument at length as others have done so already - Yaacov Lozowick, Anita Shapira, Israel Bartal, Hillel Halkin. I also suggest you read these two pieces by ElderofZiyon. CHALLAH & CHALLAH.
9. Hajo Meyer: The one thing which Israelis feel most of the BDS campaign is the boycott of Israeli universities and the boycott of Israeli artists. Because they may not be the most cruel country in the world but I know one thing for sure. They are the world champion in the discrepancy between the pretension of being civilized and cultured, and the raw nature of everyday practice.
This really sums up the height of the racist paranoia of the anti-Israel left. Meyer admits that Israeli society is actually quite liberal, yet at the same time sees this as a nefarious plot to carry out genocide against the Palestinians. In this world view, no matter what concessions Israelis are willing to make, no matter how much they try to alleviate the disparity among Arab and Jewish citizens of the state, and to alleviate the plight of the Palestinians, their intentions will always be disingenuous at best.
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