Notes from the moral maze
Published
by
Richard Kuper
JVL Introduction
We recently linked to the BBC’s Moral Maze, episode on Antisemitism.
Here contributor Robert Cohen comments on the limitations of the format of the programme, reprises some of his arguments, strongly recommends listening to Adam Sutcliffe’s contribution, and lays down markers for how he would, given more time, widen his penetrating analysis.
This article was originally published by Pantheos on Thu 1 Aug 2019. Read the original here.
The BBC debated antisemitism, but who got ‘muddled’, Melanie Phillips or Robert Cohen?
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Brilliant and intelligent. Thank you Robert and JVL for defending the real Palestinian history in context and our shared experiences of thousands of years of living peacefully together before the West ripped apart our communities and ethnically cleansed the Palestinians from their lands. This is what the cruel Israeli lobby like M Philips try to hide and smear others using the anti semitism smear campaign as a political weapon for their own selfish agenda.
Thanks for this and all you do Robert. I particularly like the suggestion for a Palestinian contribution. There is a danger that their systematic and brutal oppression gets buried by the relentless accusations of antisemitism. Perhaps that is the purpose.
I always thought that the format of the ‘Moral Maze’ gave the panel authority as both judge and jury, without any comeback from those interviewed. Many years ago my husband and I would listen to the programme, both of us feeling highly indignant.
well done
I listened to the programme as it was broadcast live and I concluded it was – apart from Phillips’ usual hysterical outbursts – fairly well balanced.
Matthew Taylor’s contributions – as a non-religious person – were, I thought, very good.
Overall, there was a calmness and a level of objectivity to the programme which is normally absent from the usual discussions on this matter.
Phillips claim that ‘Zionism didn’t start as a response to antisemitism in Europe’ is clearly wrong.
Theodore Herzl came to the conclusion – after witnessing events surrounding the Dreyfus trial in Paris – that anti-semitism was something which was natural among non-Jewish communities.
He obviously decided to take no notice of the movement led by Emile Zola to get Dreyfus cleared on the charge of treasonous activities.
Instead, Herzl – in the same year as Zola was accusing the French system of bias and treachery towards Dreyfus – organised the first World Zionist Congress in Basel in 1897.
Part of the ;problem when dealing with the likes of Melani Phillips is they are historically ignorant, which is how they end up holding such rigid views and beliefs.
Theirdeliberate ignorance costs lives, not only of Jews and Palestinians but of others too. Just think of the King David hotel bombing – among many others.
Anyone interested in this issue should watch the Intelligence Squared debate on the subject of Anti-Zionism is Anti-Semitism at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=K1VTt_THL4A&feature=youtu.be&fbclid=IwAR19QQm-QrB95tAGE1_bljXwwAC4kra0ryjj8_ysh17wKKtrHsxKQBCPPfk.