Jews are not responsible for what Israel does
JVL Introduction
“It is racist – antisemitic, if you prefer – to hold Jews, individually or collectively, accountable for Israel’s crimes,” writes Jonathan Cook.
We are all agreed.
But does that absolve those – Jews and non-Jews alike – who actively aid and abet Israel in committing those crimes, or seek to silence support for Palestinians by dishonestly demonising and falsely alleging antisemitism, from bearing some responsibility for the fact that the Israeli regime feels free to act illegally with impunity?
We expect howls of outrage at the very suggestion. We would urge critics to deal with Jonathan Cook’s carefully measured – though passionate – presentation of the argument and the evidence, and not simply scream “antisemitism”.
But we suspect those whose arguments Cook is engaging with are, by the very form in which they present them, impervious to any reasoning about them.
This article was originally published by Jonathan Cook's blog on Sat 22 May 2021. Read the original here.
Jewish groups that aid Israel’s war crimes can’t deny all responsibility for those crimes
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“Very obviously, it is not the fault of Jews that Israel commits war crimes, or that Israel uses Jews collectively as a political shield, exploiting sensitivities about the historical suffering of Jews at the hands of non-Jews to immunise itself from international opprobrium.”
And its not the fault of Palestinians that there are degenerates going around being antisemitic, supposedly under the banner of being ‘pro-Palestinian’. Not only are those people being harmful to the Jewish community, but also to Palestinians. Police should release names of antisemtic offenders, and make them apologise to the Jewish community and Palestinians.
Of course genuine incidents of antisemitism are real and need to be condemned by all, but as Jonathan describes so well, there has been an undeniable campaign to use false, or exaggerated, allegations of antisemitism to silence legitimate criticism of Israel’s illegal acts against Palestinians.
This was successful in contributing to the electoral defeats of the veteran human rights supporter Jeremy Corbyn (according to a CAA officer) and to the unfair demonisation of Labour members, 99.7% of whom over 5 years internet trawling, never faced a single allegation of antisemitism.
In fact, the antisemitism index of supporters of Boris Johnson in the CAA’s 2019 survey, was almost twice that of supporters of Jeremy Corbyn. The real motive for such attacks on the latter seems more linked to support for Palestinian equal rights, and criticism of Israeli policies, than genuine antisemitism.
Bernie Sanders has noted a similar pattern in the USA, and said allegations were not to do with antisemitism, but were clear attempts to silence needed debate on Israel and Palestine.
Academics and journalists have also fallen victims to such smear campaigns, with employers contacted to dismiss them.
Naturally not all Jewish people participate in such dishonest tactics, and not all of the people who do are Jewish, but I believe those that have may certainly have encouraged Netanyahu to think he could continue to commit brutal and illegal acts, some say recently for personal political gain, with impunity.
This needs to be recognised and confronted on both sides of the Atlantic, and elsewhere, for it impedes the finding of an equitable solution for all sides.
Disgusted by the fake outrage of MPs and their staging an ’emergency debate on antisemitism’ at the very moment that Gaza was being bombed without mercy. Creepy vote-catching letters from some of these MPs in our local newspaper too. Hassan, maybe you have the right to be angry at a few shouters being seen to discredit the Palestinian cause, but surely the disproportion is what is so striking? I continue to refuse the idea that it is antisemitic to ask other Jews in the diaspora to express horror at what is being done to Gaza, and voice support for the Palestinians on strike in Israel. The young observant members of Na’amod have been calling on their communal leaders to take a moral stand. If this had happened and their call had been answered, could I suggest that the guys driving up Finchley Road calling out insults might not have been so motivated to assume that all Jews support the Israeli military?
Collective responsibility – as I recall, it was Israel which promoted this idea in the 1970s and 80s.
A major trigger for the ‘unrest’ was the annual pogrom (Yom-al Jerusalayim) march by Jewish chauvinists through East Jerusalem -the worst of the Orange marches and the neoNazi parade through Skokie Illinois pale by comparison; it is more reminiscent of the KKK (see Stetson Kennedy’s After Appomattox for the evidence – U P Florida 1995). The Chief Rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, has participated in such marches and urged British Jews to take part. Is it not incumbent on those Jews who are represented by the Board of Deputies to distance themselves from such a pogromist? Not ‘guilt by association’ – that association leads to the guilt.
A good example of the Zionists’ hypocrisy and double standards is the Editor’s Letter which Stephen Pollard of the Jewish Chronicle writes each week. This week he wrote:
‘Quite why people going about their daily lives in parts of North London should be linked to Israeli military action is something which lies in the mind of the Jew haters and their fellow travellers.’
This from someone who spent the past 5 years demonising Jeremy Corbyn and Labour Party members for ‘antisemitism’ for the crime of supporting the Palestinians.
However if Pollard was writing in good faith then I would point him to the Board of Deputies statement on the latest blizkrieg by Israel:
https://www.bod.org.uk/bod-news/joint-statement-on-the-escalation-of-violence-in-israel-by-the-board-of-deputies-jewish-leades-the-jlc-and-ujia/
“We are deeply concerned and saddened by the escalation of violence, and the seemingly unremittent rocket fire against Israeli civilians by Hamas in Gaza.”
Not a solitary mention of the 230 Palestinians killed by Israel’s bombing nor even the 65 children who were murdered.
And what is the claim of the Board of Deputies? It proudly proclaims that ‘We are the voice of the UK Jewish community’ on its main web page. Well if that’s true then presumably they claim to speak on behalf of the same North London Jews who they say are suffering from anti-Semitism.
Is it any wonder that a handful of idiots chose to take the Board at their word and target North London Jews with a convoy spouting anti-Semitic nonsense? The real blame for any rise in anti-Semitism lies firmly with the Board of Deputies, the CST and the so-called Campaign Against Antisemitism
Great article by Jonathan Cook again. What it exposes, is just how ingenuous people like David Rich are when it comes to any discussions on the state of Israel, Palestinian rights and antisemitism.
Very well thought out and explained, the UK is not the only country to have a poor leader.
Jonathan Cook shows his customary, calm, analytical and cogent approach to identify what most of us have understood but not been able to express nearly so well. He also shows a significant courage by expressing his observations so clearly, since, by his own model of how things work, he will surely be labelled as “antisemitic”.
‘However, criticism of Israel similar to that leveled against any other country cannot be regarded as antisemitic’ IHRA
Jonathan Cook’s analysis is as accurate as usual and is borne out by my own experience here in Nottingham.
I spoke at the good-sized demonstrations held locally both yesterday and the previous Saturday and began last week by saying one of the many reasons I was there was because I was Jewish and I thought it important to show that many Jews don’t support the Israeli government. I got a massive cheer for that – and another one yesterday for saying it had been the first time I’d been cheered for saying I was Jewish!
After my first contribution, I was approached by many Muslims who wanted to thank me and shake my hand – one woman praised me for being “so brave”. Yesterday, I emphasised that all racism was equally obnoxious and that we all needed to support each other to stamp it out, whoever it was directed at. There were no signs whatsoever of antisemitism at either demo.
Those supporting the Israeli bombing are right to be worried – there are signs that the fate of the Palestinians is finally getting some traction in the UK mainstream. We need to do everything possible to encourage that and to look beyond the defunct two-state solution to the best option for a long-term settlement: one democratic state between the river and the sea. Check out the Palestinian-led One Democratic State Campaign on google.
British people in general may feel more personally involved in the Palestinians’ struggles for their “rights” because they think a British Prime Minister (Balfour) facilitated their” wrongs”.
Balfour, I believe, promised the land on which Israel / Palestine sits to both the Zionists and the Arabs. That’s like me promising to give my house to two different sets of relatives – a disgustingly dishonest deed that sets up long-lasting trouble between both parties.
I’ve often wondered WHY Balfour behaved so badly. Was he so racist as to assume promises he made to Jews and Arabs didn’t have the same standing as those he made to the major European and US states?
Repeat ad nauseum that Israel is not a Jewish state, call for the Chief Rabbi to resign, he’s no man of God
Call for vexatious claims of anti semitism to be treated as hate crimes and prosecuted
Support for the ICC from the Jewish Community would send a strong message
Keep on keeping on