An Immoral March – Ha’aretz editorial
Published
by
Richard Kuper
JVL Introduction
As Haaretz’s lead editorial makes abundantly clear, in advance of today’s ultra nationalist march in Jerusalem, we are facing a racist provocation, reminiscent of Mosely’s attempted fascist march down Cable Street in October 1936.
It says:
- The annual Flags March has always been a blatant, insolent and provocative show of force, aimed at harming local Palestinians and their property and humiliating them under the auspices of the authorities. The march was launched by nationalist rabbis immediately after the Six-Day War and greatly expanded over time. For years the march has been characterized by racist chants, hateful songs and violent assaults on Palestinian passers-by and property.
We endorse Ha’aretz’s call for the march not be allowed to enter the Old City’s Muslim Quarter.
And we are waiting for the Board of Deputes of British Jews, so ready to speak out on issues concerning Israel, to condemn racism on the streets of Jerusalem.
This article was originally published by Ha'aretz on Mon 10 May 2021. Read the original here.
Haaretz’s lead editorial: | An Immoral March
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The world is watching. Israel should not be allowed to avoid facing the consequences of it’s relentless ethnic cleansing and flouting of international law. We need to build a movement against British complicity with the rogue state of Israel.
As is said, it was the same in N Ireland, the victory marches by the Protestants were provocative and raised the tension to boiling point, often causing violence. What is worse about these marches in Jerusalem is, the steady invasion of Palestine is on going, with no sign of even slowing down. As far as I can see is , until the US stops supporting Israel, this will never change.
To his shame, former British Chief Rabbi, Jonathan Sacks, participated in, and encouraged others to participate in, the Jerusalem Day March of the Flags, described by the Israeli journalist as Bradley Burston as “an annual, gender-segregated extreme-right, pro-occupation religious carnival of hatred, marking the anniversary of Israel’s capture of Jerusalem by humiliating the city’s Palestinian Muslims […] marchers vandalized shops in Jerusalem’s Muslim Quarter, chanted “Death to Arabs” and “The (Jewish) Temple Will Be Built, the (Al Aqsa) Mosque will be Burned Down,” shattered windows and door locks, and poured glue into the locks of shops forced to close for fear of further damage”: https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/.premium-why-this-year-for-jerusalem-day-i-took-down-the-israeli-flag-on-our-roof-1.5392783.
Sacks ignored a plea from a group of British Jews living in Jerusalem to withdraw from the march; https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdIu7T6K4xKbyndXYl9g02N-XeicFAMO1LQryP2sqZep8XQDQ/viewform?c=0&w=1; https://www.haaretz.com/opinion/rabbi-sacks-why-are-you-cheerleading-for-anti-palestinian-provocateurs-1.5473150.
Sacks was one of the leading voices calling Jeremy Corbyn a racist (antisemite).
We are witnessing an attempt to crush the resistance of the colonised Palestinians by the Israeli coloniser.Are the commentators on our MSM blind? Are they too scared to denounce Israeli violence? Vacuous calls for de escalation and a two state solution from the British Establishment conveniently avoids dealing with the source of palestinian oppression. They prioritise support for the settler colonial regime over the just demands of the Palestinians.