How the IHRA antisemitism definition became a pro-Israel cudgel
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JVL
JVL Introduction
We have previously published an article based on Jamie Stern-Weiner’s report “The Politics of a Definition“ by Al Jazeera’s Investigative Unit .
Here, writing for Mondoweiss, Jonathan Cook places the report a wider context.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance, Cook believes, “has risked damaging its Holocaust work by colluding with Israel partisans, first, in promoting their highly controversial antisemitism definition and then in misrepresenting the decision of its own delegates”.
This article was originally published by Mondoweiss on Tue 27 Apr 2021. Read the original here.
How the IHRA antisemitism definition became a pro-Israel cudgel
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With or without the IHRA definition and its examples, ‘anti-semitism’ would have been weaponised against Jeremy and the left membership. My point being that had the IHRA definition and examples never existed, all that has happened in respect of the A/S black op smear campaign during the past five years or more would have happened regardless.
Anyway, in the following JC article from October 2014 headlined ‘Ex-Tory minister attacks ‘extremist’ Israeli settlements’, it finishes thus:
Concentrating on British Jews’ support for political parties, he said people should not confuse the community “with the Israeli lobby” or as a single “homogenous” block.
“We need British Jews for the Conservative, Labour, or other UK parties; not the Israeli lobby for any party. The time has come to make sure above any doubt that the funding of any party in the UK is clearly decoupled from the influence of the Israeli state.”
Needless to say, if Jeremy Corbyn had said something akin to what Alan Duncan said, he would have been blasted as an anti-semite, but as you will see if you read through the article, there were no quotes/condemnations of Duncan by any of the Jewish organisations – ie the BoD or the CST or the newly founded Campaign Against Anti-semitism etc.
https://www.thejc.com/news/uk/ex-tory-minister-sir-alan-duncan-launches-stinging-attack-on-extremist-israel-1.59317
And I wonder – but for the Aljazeera undercover investigation/documentary – what would have happened to Duncan???
PS And I should add that I am in no way contradicting anything Jonathan says in his article, which is brilliant, as always!
PS And I should add that I am in no way contradicting anything Jonathan says in his article, which is brilliant, as always!
I also came across the following article (from December 1st, 2014) when I did a search on the Jewish Chronicle’s website earlier:
‘MPs call for economic sanctions on ‘apartheid’ Israel’
It doesn’t actually name any of the MPs in the article who likened Israel to S. Africa, but yet again I make the point that there were no quotes from any of the Jewish organisations such as the BoD and the CST condemning said MPs for ‘anti-semitism’.
Anyway, I just found the debate in question via the Parliament UK website, and I had little doubt that Jeremy made a contribution, and he did of course. But whilst I was skimming through the debate – the page – looking for Jeremy’s contribution (which is quite near the end of the debate/page), I just happened to spot the name Gerald Kaufman, so I paused for a moment to see what he had to say (I think it was an intervention he was responding to), and he begins by saying the following, which no doubt got a few chuckles:
My hon. Friend is absolutely right. You cannot appeal to the Israelis’ better nature, because they do not have one.
When I have the time I’ll peruse the whole debate, apart from anything else so as to determine which MPs likened Israel to S.Africa, but if anyone wants to check out Jeremy’s contribution it’s at column 37WH:
https://hansard.parliament.uk/Commons/2014-12-01/debates/14120118000001/details