As ever, The Australian Jewish News (AJN) tackles the big issues and chastises those who dare not to:
Jews like to call themselves the People of the Book, but lately, there are more than a few Australian Jews discomfited by the actions of one of their own particularly bookish people – Louise Adler.In the space of 12 months, Melbourne University Press, of which Adler is the chief executive, published two stridently anti-Israel books, Jacqueline Rose’s The Question of Zion and Antony Loewenstein’s particularly notorious My Israel Question.
Both books have more holes than a block of Swiss cheese and it’s not just Jewish critics that have been lining up to slam these titles – even mainstream, non-aligned commentators have exposed the flawed logic and basic errors in both these publications.
As any decent publisher should, Adler has gone to bat for her authors and she has been particularly strident in her support for Loewenstein, predictably (and odiously) dismissing his critics as stooges of the Zionist establishment. But if she has already alienated mainstream Jews with her previous two titles, what would happen if she gets her way and publishes the story of David Hicks, whom she is starting to portray as Australia’s Nelson Mandela?
Hicks has been found guilty of providing material support for terrorism. Yes, he was the victim of a major and unacceptable miscarriage of justice, being imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay for close to five years without any formal charges being laid.
But, as has been pointed out in these pages before, he is clearly no friend of the Jews, allegedly telling fellow recruits at his al-Qaeda training camp of his desire to “go back to Australia and rob and kill Jews”.
Adler has forged a fine reputation as one of Australia’s leading book publishers and as a champion of the arts. But she has also made some questionable judgment calls as to who she publishes. Rose, Loewenstein and Hicks might make a fashionable triumvirate for her fellow left warriors, but her fellow Australian Jews would hardly feel the same way.
The “controversy” created by Adler is a storm in a tea-cup, designed by those loitering in the “war on terror” waiting room. Hicks, the “convicted terrorist”, may well be an anti-Semite, and he’s probably no hero, but why not publish his thoughts? Many will want to read how an average Australian man ended up in Afghanistan and beyond. For the Jewish community, publishers should clearly only publish books with a “sense of morality”. In other words, nothing that trashes Israel, Jews, America, the West, the IDF, Howard, Bush, Blair…The list would be scintillating, of course. Just imagine the thought. Courageous tales of Mossad agents killing evil Arabs in Hebron. Or IDF soldiers murdering dozens of unarmed Palestinians in Nablus. Yes, Adler needs to really reassess her priorities.
And, finally, I wasn’t aware that my book was “particularly notorious.” Maybe for the handful of loudmouth Zionist bullies who hate the fact that they can’t shut us up, and continue to publish “non-stories” week after week about some faux controversy or another. But keep it coming, ladies and gents. It’s all wonderful for sales (and most importantly, shows how out of touch mainstream Zionism has become.) Our aim is simple: to expand the public debate and reveal the real Israel to Australia and beyond. And that’s what we’ve been doing now for years.
David Hicks is an “average Australian”, Antony?
Put it this way Dylan,
The article itself is a swiss cheese of holes, starting with the lam that:
This is patently false. Hicks agreed to a plea bargain in exchange for his freedom. No evidence against him was presented. His options were simple. After 5 years in isolation, he either pled guilty to an innocuous charge, or remain incarcerated for the rest of your life.
While accepting that “he was the victim of a major and unacceptable miscarriage of justice, being imprisoned at Guantanamo Bay for close to five years without any formal charges being laid”, their fall back position is that he deserves punishment regardless for not being a friend of the Jews.
I will ask you once again Antony: How many copies have you sold?
[ashamed silence]
Enough to pay a week’s rent? Why won’t you tell us? I mean, you constantly bang on about how it’s a “best-seller”. Surely you would be screaming the sales numbers from the rooftops no?
Good of you also to graciously congratulate the winner of the Gleebooks prize in the NSW Premier’s Literary Awards. That is – not Loewenstein.
Who was it? The grand Jewish conspiracy? The Zionist Lobby Stooges? Tim Blair maybe? Surely it’s somebody’s fault, I mean, it couldn’t be just that your book is poorly written and, what was that? With “more holes than a block of Swiss cheese”.
Maybe Andre can tell us about the Mossad’s new literary directorate.
The silence continues, as predicted.
Antony the Silenced, has done a good job silencing himself eh?
The silence is deafening!