The Jerusalem Post’s crack reporter, Khaled Abu Toameh, interviewed the family of the Palestinian that is the centerpiece of the Aftonbladet story accusing the IDF of harvesting organs from dead Palestinians. And the family says they never said anything about their son missing his organs. In fact, they say, they never even spoke to the reporter.
Jalal said that he and other villagers recall that a Swedish photographer was in the village during the funeral and that he managed to take a number of pictures of the body before the funeral. “That was the only time we saw this photographer,” he recounted.
Ibrahim Ghanem, a relative of Bilal, said that the family never told the Swedish photographer that Israel had stolen organs from the dead man’s body.
So the story is made up from whole cloth. The family admits it. And yet, in true Israel Derangement Syndrome fashion, they’re quite willing to believe the story.
Jalal and other members of the family said that “rumors” about Israel killing Palestinians to steal their organs have been circulating for a long time.
“I can’t tell you if these rumors are true or not,” the brother said. “But in light of the investigative report in the Swedish newspaper, we are demanding an international commission of inquiry into the case.”
Meantime, someone in Sweden invoked their “racial agitation” law and reported the Aftonbladet. Not that they care. Their CYA excuse? They didn’t say “Jews.” They said “Israelis.” And note the quote: Reporting rumors is now “solidarity,” not reporting.
“I think it is a shame that whenever solidarity is shown for the Palestinians and criticism is directed again Israel, someone cries anti-Semitism.”
“One has to have the right to ask questions,” Linderborg replied when asked if she or the newspaper regretted publishing the article.
Nils Funcke, one of Sweden’s leading experts on legislation pertaining to freedom of speech, said he expected the Chancellor of Justice to reject the case.
“The article can hardly be construed as racial agitation. There is no ethnic group targeted; the article focuses on the Israeli army, and Israel is not made up solely of Jews,” Funcke told The Local.
Nothing will come of this. And in spite of Sweden’s Jews insisting that if only Israel hadn’t made such a fuss, this would have passed without notice in much of the world, I’m with Yaacov on this one: The reporter is an antisemite, the paper is antisemitic, and this issue is a modern retelling of the blood libel. Even worse, it’s been proven false, and the paper is publishing more articles with the same lies. But it’s anti-Zionism, not antisemitism. Really.
Funcke forgot or didn’t know that the IDF is 99% Jewish.
why would anyone want arab organs????
If I remember correctly the swedes couldn’t condemn their journalistic brothers in denmark quick enough during the Mohamed cartoon fiasco but now they are into “freedom” of the press. Freedom of the press is a great defense if they actually did some reporting instead of propagating spurious rumors. They could have written a great article about arab paranoia but that does not fit their narrative. If the narrative happens to dovetail seamlessly with centuries old canards well that’s your problem. These reporters are not anti-semetic. They loves Jews and their best friends are Jews. I would be surprised but after reading your blog for a couple of years this is all too common in Europe.
I think what I am trying to say is we need more cat pics.
Hi Meryl,
I very much hope that you will not consider this spamming, but I want to alert you and your readers to a new pro-Israel blog that is devoted to monitoring Daily Kos I-P.
It is Daily Kos Watch.
http://dailykoswatch.blogspot.com/
We are a small group of Daily Kos members (and former members) who are generally horrified at the state of the discussion around Israel – Palestine on that blog which, as I assume you know, is the largest left-liberal political blog in the United States, if not the world.
The degree of hatred that gets expressed toward Israel is alarming and so we are tracking the discussion.
I very much hope you might consider adding us to your blogroll and would like to invite anyone interested to drop by and contribute.
Cheers!
Myackie, that is the sort of comment that I don’t want to see here. Unless I missed a sarcasm tag, that’s a pretty offensive statement.
With all the spleen being vented here, who needs to steal organs?!!!
The Pal family is now getting notoriety, direction, and possibly cash for their interviews, no wonder they want an investigation to continue their 5 minutes of fame!
No doubt when the charges are proven false, no retraction, or apology will be forthcoming from the Swedes, Pals, or their sympathizers.
Basic logic would indicate that if any organs were taken, the body would not have been returned, but then again, no logic is ever used when condemning Israel or the Jewish people.
The story is made up of whole cloth and no retraction? Yes, that’s antisemitism.
@Earl of Salsa: Thanks for the laugh.
Of course, since the body had not been autopsied, and was returned unopened, the Jooos must have discovered how to teleport the organs out of the body. Since the relatives never talked to the reporter and the body was wrapped in the grave cerements, he must have been using the telescopic, magic, X-ray camera.
i have no idea why you guys always think everyone that ever critises Israel and its stance against anyone is automatically branded an ani-semite. Maybe if you put your case forward in a logical manner rather than hysteria people would be prepared to listen to you. Oh and by the way I am a believer in God with a capital “G” and have no support for either party. I do however believe the constant bickering between both the Israeli and Palastinians is putting the whole world in a state of constant threat. Isn’t it time you guys put your differences aside and settle what Abraham started with his two sons (Isaac and Ishmael) over his inheritance all that time ago?
Mo, criticism of Israel is not the issue here. The reporter is not criticizing the IDF’s behavior. He is making up absolute lies about the IDF participating in a conspiracy to kill Palestinians and steal their organs.
Show me where that is criticism of Israel. It is not. It is sheer fabrication, and evil fabrication at that, that is reminiscent of the lies that Christians told in the middle ages that Jews kidnapped Christian children to drain their blood to use in religious rituals. That is why we are calling this a modern blood libel.
It never fails to amaze me that people think Israel’s reacting to propaganda like this is the same as Israel reacting to people who say that checkpoints are humiliating. There is no factual basis for the organ-stealing story. Not one shred of evidence has been raised outside of rumors. Isn’t it time YOU guys put on your critical thinking caps and actually thought about what you’re reading and reacting to?
Mo,
In addition to Meryl’s comment, I point out that the whole war is driven by the action of Israel’s enemies. If they did not attack Israel, try to destroy the state and kill all its Jewish inhabitants, they would have nothing to fear from Israel. Egypt has had nothing to fear for the last 30 years since Egypt actually signed a peace treaty and observed it (rather coldly, but correctly). Israel, and the Jewish community of Mandate Palestine before 1948, has always made concessions and accepted compromises, from 1922 onward. It is Israel’s enemies who have been intransigent. If you don’t like the “bickering” (a nice word to use about the genocidal intentions of Israel’s enemies) get the Arabs to make peace with Israel. The initiative belongs wholley to them (and now Iran). There is nothing Israel can do to forward peace, and the lack of positive results to Israel’s unilateral concessions such as the Gaza withdrawal show this fully.
“Isn’t it time you guys put your differences aside and settle what Abraham started with his two sons (Isaac and Ishmael) over his inheritance all that time ago?”
Not when the key difference is that Israelis want to survive and Palestineans want all Israelis killed. One side or the other has to be completely eliminated in order for such a difference to be resolved, and I doubt I’ll ever be ready to commit genocide just to settle an argument.