Following my lead letter in yesterday’s Sydney Morning Herald, the following letters appear in response today (under the headline, “Define reasonable, Mr Loewenstein”):
Antony Loewenstein says “not many Jews” agree that the 2001 UN conference against racism in Durban was an anti-Semitic hatefest (Letters, July 23).
I was a delegate and I don’t remember Mr Loewenstein being there when hundreds of Palestinians and Muslims were screaming in our faces “death to the Jews”. Nor when Palestinians and members of the Arab Lawyers League were handing out leaflets saying that if Hitler had done his job properly, there would have been no Israel and no Palestinian problem.
More importantly, he misses Anne Bayefsky’s key point, which is that Western values of free speech and support for open interfaith dialogue are threatened, rather than supported, by the UN Human Rights Council.
Alan Gold Leura
The headline on Antony Loewenstein’s letter, “Israel the aggressor must accept reasonable and unbiased criticism” could have been more appropriately worded “Israel must accept reasonable criticism”.
Each of us brings our bias, our opinion weighted with life experience, when we enter into conversation. As a Jew, I recognise mistakes have been made on both sides of the conflict in the Middle East. But to argue as Mr Loewenstein does that the “Palestinians are the eternally demonised people, occupied, starved and killed with impunity by Israel” only presents another “biased” perspective, not reasonable criticism.
In the past week, Israel has mourned the losses of soldiers Eldad Regev and Ehud Goldwasser, while Hezbollah and Mahmoud Abbas, the leader of the Palestinian Authority, have praised the release of the murderer Samir Kuntar. I hope Mr Loewenstein, in his ardent pursuit of human rights, would not condemn Israel while its neighbours dance in the street when murderers go free.
Reasonable criticism and a pursuit of human rights will come only when we acknowledge the mistakes of both sides. But when one nation mourns and others celebrate a vigilante with seemingly no respect for human life, I reserve my right to be reasonably biased.
Paul Jacobson Bondi
A few comments are in order. The issue of human rights in the Middle East is indeed a fraught one, but far too many Jews seem able to convince themselves that Israelis are on the side of angels and only Arabs are the terrorists. Hardly. The occupation of Palestinian land is a daily attack on dignity. Until the Western world understands the reality of Arab resistance to Zionist designs on the region, conflict will continue.
It’s amazing, in the letters above, how I’m chastised for not appreciating the Jew-hatred of the “enemy.” I’m well aware of it, having travelling around the Middle East a number of times. But Zionists refuse to acknowledge their responsibility for creating anti-Semitism, defending the occupation or remaining silent about it.
As always Antony, you attempt to blame the victim. It’s a disgrace you state that “Zionists refuse to acknowledge their responsibility for creating anti-Semitism, defending the occupation or remaining silent about it.”
Let’s consider that. When Israel was engaged in peace negotiations with the Palestinian Authority throughout the 1990s, even at the height of the peace process, the PA was still disseminating vehemently anti-Jewish material throughout its media.
Even in 2000, when Israel offered the Palestinians a state which included approximately 95% of the West Bank, all of Gaza and a capital in East Jerusalem, Arafat refused to make peace. This could have ended the so-called occupation once and for all but instead all Israel received in return were suicide bombers and even more hatred inculcated amongst Palestinian children.
In 2005, Israel withdrew from Gaza completely, dragging out every last Jew. What did they receive in return? More violence and rockets from Hamas, a group dedicated to Israel’s destruction.
Therefore, despite whether they’re in the West Bank, Gaza or not and even when they’ve tried to negotiate with the other side, it doesn’t work. Anti-semitic attitudes seem to be there despite everything they do and this isn’t just limited to the Palestinians. As we’ve seen with Iranian President, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, a man who’d like to wipe Israel off the map, this attitude goes far and wide.
Even China, who has occupied Tibet, and who haven’t really attempted to make peace or promote the rights of Tibetans, hasn’t been subject to as much hate and vilification as Israel has been.
Hence, it’s inaccurate and unfair for you to say that “Zionists refuse to acknowledge their responsibility for creating anti-Semitism…”. Honestly, do you believe that even if Israel were to fall over and die tomorrow that Hamas, Hezbollah, Islamic Jihad and Ahmadinejad would cease being anti-Semitic? Don’t think so.
I hope you print my comment but given your track record of censoring dissenting comments, I don’t expect to see it here. Have a great day.
S Perry,
Blow it out your *John Howard*.
You can keep repeating this trite nonsense, but you might have noticed that less and less people on this planet are willing to pretend to believe it.
What is your long-term solution, given that you seem to think that rabid anti-Semitism is going to prevail across the Middle East no matter what Israel does?
Hello Gandhi.
As for a long-term solution, here’s one: for the Palestinians to stop inculcating and teaching hatred to its children. This is clear if you even take a cursory glance at their media, newspapers and television. Here’s one such example: http://www.memritv.org/clip_transcript/en/1679.htm
The Palestinians will need to stop committing acts of terrorism against Israel as well as its own people, in how they continue to indoctrinate them with the idea that destroying the Jewish state is their only hope for survival.
This is a good start. Once they realise that trying to destroy Israel is not only unachieveable but an insane and unworthy thing to aspire to, then this will produce a profound and long overdue psychological shift necessary for peace.
Cheers.
And do you really, seriously think they will teach their children to love Israel while Israelis continue to treat them like untermenschen? Would you?
Your entire premise of thought is worse than childish, it is either intellectually dishonest or profoundly stupid.
Untermenschen? Nice word.
Trying to make comparisons or parallels with how Israel defends herself against murderers with how the Nazis treated the Jews during World War Two is a prime example of being intellectually dishonest and profoundly stupid. Well done.
S Perry either that or the Israelis and people like yourself who support everything this state does unconditionally should acknowledge that in 1948 Jews marched onto land that was inhabited by other people and kicked people from their homes and stole their land. They should acknowledge that these aggressive actions ilicited a half hearted response by the Arab nations into “protecting” these indigenous inhabitants. They should also acknowledge that the way they have treated these people for so long since has contributed to their “hatred” by the occupied people. To suggest that they are just irrational people who just hate Jews because its a fashionable thing to do or taught to hate for the sake of being taught is intellectually dishonest and profoundly stupid. I guess youve been taught by your elders to mouth the rhetoric you mouth.
S Perry, you just dont get it do you?
You can sit and write around this issue for as long as you like, but the truth will be there for all (or anyone prepared to look) to see. Allow me to explain….
(1) Israel is the aggressor in this story. Full Stop!
(2) Zionists claimed land that did not belong to them. Thats right, people from Europe who came to Palestine with the moral authority of “the chosen people” cannot be considered as having a territorial right over people living on land for centuries.
(3) I dont hate Jews, I dont hate anyone, but I sure as hell can see that the Palestinians have been & continue to be wronged by Israel.
(4) Israeli civilians commit hate crimes against the Palestinian population. Its not reported in the Western news as widely as the hate crimes committed upon Jews by Palestinians.
(5) Israeli civilians are just as indoctrinated in the hatred of Arabs - I have heard their stories, I have seen their actions. So please, lets have a balanced debate about who hates more? Jews or Arabs?
(6) There are monsters within the Israeli military. These monsters are allowed to carry weapons and detain people at their whim. Just in case you needed proof, I have just watched a video of an Israeli ‘hero’ shoot a Palestinian youth in the leg at point-blank range with a ‘rubberised’ bullet - what a hero, you should be so proud to have people like that representing the virtuous one in the Middle East. Just imagine the unspeakable acts that are/have been committed by Israel in ‘closed military zones?’ Does anyone remember Jenin?
(7) Palestinians have (surprise, surprise) formed para-military groups to fight back against Israel’s barbaric policies. Remember the true heroes of Warsaw, they rightly formed groups in an attempt to defend themselves.
(8) Dont paint Israel as the victim here.
(9) Dont paint the Palestinians as the bad guys either.
(10) Stop lying about the so-called generous offer made to Arafat at Camp David. That old one has been debunked on numerous occasions - so lets drop the charade.
(11) The PA and Israel have been ‘talking peace’ for nearly 30 years. What has the process provided the Palestinians - nothing! The whole dammed thing is a charade.
Mike, as for being kicked from their homes, this isn’t entirely accurate. Many Arabs fled on orders from Arab leaders from the neighbouring countries who told them to get out so they could go in and push the Jews into the sea. Others left because they didn’t want to get caught in the firing line as the Arab countries were planning to go in and kill the nascent Jewish state.
These Arab leaders went in to not “protect” anyone but to instead kill the Jews. Their intentions were declared by Azzam Pasha, Secretary-General of the Arab League: “This will be a war of extermination and a momentous massacre which will be spoken of like the Mongolian massacres and the Crusades.” Don’t think they were trying to protect anyone there mate.
Isn’t it surprising that even though the Jews were pushed around, killed and slaughtered by the Nazis (a good 6 million of them), that they didn’t teach their children to go blow up German civilians and wipe Germany off the map?
As we well know, the Jews have experienced endless discrimination, killings and pogroms for hundreds of years. Despite this, the Jews haven’t decided to whine, complain and hate other peple but instead they get on with their lives, decide to survive and build a better life for their future offspring. Throughout all of this they’ve still managed to contribute an enormous amount to humanity over the centuries. And they’ve managed to build a great state despite immense internal and external pressures. Pretty impressive you might say.
S Perry,
Very well said. When all around you spewed tumah emotionalism you responded with respect and maturity. Your emotional development and your logical and rational arguments wow I find them both motivating and inspiring. Thank You.
Many Arabs fled on orders from Arab leaders from the neighbouring countries who told them to get out so they could go in and push the Jews into the sea. Others left because they didn’t want to get caught in the firing line as the Arab countries were planning to go in and kill the nascent Jewish state.
I think you need to read up oin Dier Yassin and stop swallowing propoganda - is this rubbush taught to israeli children?
Do they learn about the terrorist Begin?
There are none so blind as those who will not see.
Dear S Perry,
You don’t need to hark back to 1948 to discuss Arabs being pushed out of their homes. Its 2008 and Palestinians are still politely asked to leave their homes by the nice Israeli State, just before they bulldoze it to the ground (with or without the inhabitants).
Given that its 2008, and there are no Arab armies ‘ordering them’ from their homes, Israel has come up with new reasons for pushing Arabs out of their homes. Here are a few that I have heard/read about recently (please add to the list if you feel it’s inadequate in any way);
• Your related to a terrorist;
• Your home is in our security posts line of fire;
• Your home is in the way of the 18 foot concrete wall we would like to erect through your village;
• You don’t have the correct papers for erecting a house here;
• Our new Jewish settlement needs to be built nearby, and you, your olive grove and your house needs to be removed in order to build a brand new Settler only road.
In my opinion, your point of view attempts to blur the contribution of Jewish individuals with the actions of the Israeli State. I for one applaud the excellent contribution Jewish people have made in the various facets of history – truly remarkable stuff, but please don’t use this positive to justify the injustices carried out by the State upon the Palestinians (primarily).
Mr/Ms Perry, the ‘jig’ is up for people like you.
I suggest that you concentrate spewing your pro-Israeli bias on the likes of The Australian and The Age readers. I think the audience of Anthony’s website are a little bit more knowledgeable of the facts on the ground with respect to the incredibly bad situation in Palestine.