The Telegraph reports that Britons are “furious” that Israeli president Shimon Peres said that the U.K. is anti-Israel. (By the way, the Telegraph reports that he said the U.K. is anti-Semitic. That’s not what he said.)
Let us examine the evidence.
Last week, Britain’s prime minister called Gaza a prison camp while sucking up to the Turks.
- The British-born Catherine Ashton, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security Policy for the EU, reguarly ignores the facts in Gaza and accuses Israel of starving the Palestinians, even as she shops in goods-laden stores (and the Gazans open a luxury mall).
- British labor unions regularly try to boycott Israeli goods.
- There is a law on the U.K. books that prevents Israeli military and political leaders from traveling to the U.K. for fear of being arrested for “war crimes” (there are no warrants out for Hamas rocketeers or terrorists, of course).
- The British press is so anti-Israel that it has spawned websites that monitor anti-Semitic comments in their websites.
- The BBC refused to release a report that stated they carry a huge anti-Israel bias.
- Ken Livingstone
- George Galloway
- Record highs in anti-Semitic attacks in the U.K.
And if that isn’t enough, I give you Exhibit A: The Telegraph’s own reporting of this story. Read deep into the article, and you will find this paragraph:
Benny Begin, a cabinet minister whose father Menachem was prime minister and before that leader of Irgun, the group that killed 91 people in an attack on Jerusalem’s King David Hotel in 1946, said: “Peres? I simply can’t believe he said that.”
Explain to me, please, what Menachem Begin‘s membership in the Irgun has to do with a story on Shimon Peres claiming the British are biased against Israelis (and Jews). Also, please note the juxtaposition: Prime Minister and before that, member of the Irgun—as if they happened one right after another, when it was actually 31 years prior to Begin’s premiership. And as if the Irgun had not been disbanded since 1948. Why, I wonder, didn’t the Telegraph point out that Begin was one of the architects of the peace agreement with Egypt?
Because that would portray Israel in a positive light.
Methinks the Telegraph doth protest too much.
” ‘They abstained in the [pro-Zionist] 1947 UN partition resolution … They maintained an arms embargo against us in the 1950s … They always worked against us. They think the Arabs are the underdogs.’ ”
Why exactly did the Telegraph see the need to insert “pro-Zionist” before Peres’ mention of the UN partition plan? Wasn’t the whole idea of partition to provide a fair division between both sides?
So it’s not enough to include biased political commentary in a news article — now they’re inserting it into direct quotes.
Thank you for posting this. I am an American Christian who is largely sympathetic to Israel and her cause. I never cease to be amazed at the anti-Israel venom spewed by the Brits on the Internet. It is nuts, really, given that the Muslims are busily choking British civilization out of existence (on the British Isles, no less!) — with an assist from the UK authorities, no less. So, I suppose that the current manifestation of British anti-Semitism is perhaps an example writ large of frustrated cowards’ “kicking the dog.”
You didn’t mention Baroness Jenny Tonge who, while she was spokeswoman for the Liberal Democrats in the House of Lords, called for an investigation into the claim that Israel had sent its medical team to Haiti only so it could harvest the organs of dead Haitians. Nick Clegg, the party leader, removed her from her official position but rejected calls for her to be excluded from the Lib Dem caucus on the grounds–I’m not making this up–that the Likud was very sensitive about criticism.
If this isn’t the blood libel it’s as close as makes no never-mind and not only did her party not toss her out, but what used to be called informed opinion in the UK didn’t quite condone her statement (which is not her only one on Israel, just her most disgusting) but didn’t seem especially outraged. I recall one or two people saying the allegation probably wasn’t true but should be investigated.
Of course, even if the Israelis were doing such a thing, the organs thus harvested would have been useless for transplants. But you know, where are you going to find a Jewish doctor?
I look forward to Shimon Peres’s next speech, in which he informs us that the “there has always been something deeply” pro-Jewish and anti-Muslim about “establishment” views in the United States, then going on to point out the existence of “several million” Jewish voters in that country, and “for many members” of Congress “that’s the difference between getting elected and not getting elected”.
As I have said in my own blog (see link), being anti-Israeli does not make you anti-semitic; many jews criticise the behaviour of Israel eg Neturei Karta. Israel has frequently broken international law.
There may also be a minority of Brits who racially abuse jews, but they do not represent the views of the whole country.
So yes, Britain may be anti-Israel, but we are by no means racist or anti-Semitic.
As a British Christian I humbly submit that Shimon Peres is absolutely correct with reference to his comments about anti-Semitism in our nation. The rising flood of anti-Semitism under the pseudo guide of ‘legitimate’ criticism of Israel is raging unabated throughout the Western world, not least in this country.
There has been indignation on the part of many, however hostile to the Jews, at being painted with the anti-Semitic ‘brush’. Hitler gave anti-Semitism a bad name and there is widespread reluctance on the part of even the most severe critics of the Jews to accept this label.
Criticism of Israel, like that of any other nation, is quite normal as long as it is comparative, contextual, and fair. However, when the Jewish nation is the only party criticized for faults, often obsessively, that are far worse among other peoples, then such criticism crosses the line from being acceptable to being blatantly anti-Semitic.
Although often cloaked in the more socially acceptable political/humanitarian euphemisms of anti-Israelism or anti-Zionism, it doesn’t much effort on the part of a honest individual to see the basic hatred which underlies such comments.
George, the Neturei Karta are a tiny minority of the world’s Jews. They are not “many.” And if Britain is by no means racist or anti-Semitic, please explain the record numbers of attacks on British Jews this past year. Jews aren’t attacking themselves.
The British are so anti Israel that the most outrageous accusations are given credence by their press and media. I like what Peres had to say “In England an anti Semite is said to be one who hates the Jews more then necessary”. The Neturei Karta are a bunch of lunatics who are allied with Iran. Citing them is pathetic George.
Meryl, neither are the number of people that attack jews in Britain ‘many.’ Can you provide figures to prove that they are in any way representative of the entire population?
I would also like to say that the Labour party, Britain’s second largest party in electoral support and in membership numbers is having a leadership contest. The two front-runners are both jewish brothers; David and Ed Miliband. Their parentage is not an issue and they are both very popular.
And, how dare you right of a ‘British muslim problem’ in your blog post ‘Anti-Semitism at record highs in the U.K., no one is surprised.’ Do not accuse our country of racism when you write such racist generalisations yourself. That is no different from Hitler’s talk of ‘the jewish question.’
Yes, there is some anti-Israel sentiment in Britain. But isn’t that a sign of a community that tolerates different viewpoints? Unions *try* to boycott goods but very seldom succeed – perhaps because their membership is against such a blanket measure. There was a report in the Sunday Times after the incident with the Turkish flotilla that actually gave Israel’s side of the story very well. Moreover, those in the Jewish community who feel that their support of Israel comes as much from their faith or their racial heritage as from their politics – which is fair enough, and up to them – shouldn’t see anti-Israel comments as having a dark veneer of anti-Semitism, because by and large, at least in the UK, they don’t. We’re not a country that tolerates anti-Semitism.
Much criticism of Israel, in sum, is surely just the same as criticism of other states (which happens all the time, as is natural in a liberal democracy whose laws attempt to enshrine free speech). It is criticism of the state’s POLICIES AND ACTIONS, often in very specific contexts, rather than some especially-dangerous attack on the state’s very foundations.
There may be a minority of Brits who racially abuse jews, something I’ve never witnessed myself, but they do not represent the views of the whole country. Britain may be anti-Israel, but we are by no means racist or anti-Semitic. The problem is we see Israel has the evil country that ignores international law, has a large arsenal of nuclear weapons which is happily accepted by their partners in crime the United States. Weapons which they continue to threaten Iran with. A country that is no threat to the US or the west. But the United States and israel will get their war soon enough, more innocent lives lost at the hands of the two most evils nations on this earth….
And now George has invoked the Godwin rule. Yes, talking about a Muslim population in the U.K. that has successfully pulled off two terrorist attacks, killing 56 and injuring 700, is just like saying that all Jews should be killed. Why, I’m such a racist for pointing out that Muslim British citizens are calling for Sharia law and the deaths of Jews (and infidels) in the streets of London. I’m just like Hitler, which is, by the way, another form of anti-Semitism: Comparing Jewish actions to Nazis.
Please note Mike’s comment, which is a perfect example of anti-Semitism that pretends to be anti-Israelism. In fact, the only U.K. commenter whose words don’t have the whiff of anti-Semitism is Emma, who honestly thinks that Israel is not held up to a different standard than other nations. Emma, you would be correct, if only criticism of Israel were fair and honest. Please take note of your fellow citizens’ easy lapse into what is not criticism of the state and policies, but of the religion/race of the people who live in the state of Israel. I wish I thought that the Emmas of the U.K. were in the majority, but having followed the news about Israel for the past eight years and reported it on my blog, I have to say she is the rare sober voice. And that she is, sadly, wrong. Criticism in the U.K. of Israel is not what you think it is, Emma. I wish you were right. But you’re not.
Meryl, Emma’s sober voice is far from rare in my country. What are rare in Britain are muslims who pull off terrorist attacks or call for sharia law and the deaths of others. The only person who has lapsed from criticism of a state and its policies into criticism of race and religion is you with your hyperbolic suggestion that all muslims are extremists.
Comparing jewish actions to those of Nazis would be a similar criticism of race and religion, however I did not do that. I merely wrote a personal criticism of your ant-muslim rhetoric. Please do not suggest that you represent all jews; I know plenty of other jews who would be offended by what you just wrote.
And now here’s your chance to say good riddance. I won’t visit this blog again. You take a closed off and hypocritical viewpoint; complaining of anti-semitism while stereotyping all muslims; complaining of Israel bashing while openly engaging in Britain bashing and putting words into your critics mouths by suggesting that we have been racist. Fair enough, I have read your comments policy; you don’t have to be an objective journalist, but if you were in any way interested in honour or integrity, you would take more care in writing well researched and well constructed arguments (i.e. the truth).
I will fully understand if you take this comment down and ignore it (you don’t care what I have to say…), but you will be a worse person for it.
As you are utterly unable to understand anything I have written, don’t let the door hit you in the ass.
I never once tarred all Muslims with the extremist brush. That’s you putting words into my mouth.
Moron.
<>
I take it then, Meryl, that it wasn’t you who wrote: “talking about a Muslim population in the U.K. that has successfully pulled off two terrorist attacks, killing 56 and injuring 700, is just like saying that all Jews should be killed”?
I did, and that was a very bad way to put it, Stephen. I should have said “Muslim population of extremists”. But the U.K. has a significant number of Muslim extremists, and denying that is simply hiding your head in the sand. Go read Harry’s Place for the best coverage of British “mainstream” Muslims calling for Sharia law, for the end to Israel, and the end of freedom of religion (laws calling for punishment of blasphemy? How 15th century of them!).
Let’s not forget that we have Muslim extremists in the U.S. trying to murder civilians as well. We’ve been very lucky so far on that account, but they’ve successfully murdered soldiers here and overseas.