The myth of the “new anti-Semitism”, a discussion.
Showing all posts in June 2019
Little sympathy required
A side of the Jewish state all-too-rarely glimpsed in the West: A Jewish rabbi living in the West Bank has called on the Israeli government to use their troops to kill all Palestinian males more than 13 years old in a bid to end Palestinian presence on this earth. Extremist rabbi Yousef Falay, who dwells…
Spare us the rhetoric
The stark truth about Iraq courtesy of American intelligence agencies: A stark assessment of terrorism trends by American intelligence agencies has found that the American invasion and occupation of Iraq has helped spawn a new generation of Islamic radicalism and that the overall terrorist threat has grown since the Sept. 11 attacks. The classified National…
For “security” sake
Amira Hass, Haaretz, September 20: Six Palestinian churches in the West Bank and Gaza Strip suffered damage and arson attempts in reaction to the words of Pope Benedict XVI. Palestinian spokesmen of all stripes condemned these attacks and said that the Palestinian nation – Christians and Muslims alike – is one, and is united in…
Time for the media to offer the unvarnished truth
My following article appeared in yesterday’s Crikey newsletter: In the months before the 2003 Iraq invasion, the mainstream media nearly wholly swallowed the premise that Iraq had WMD and only invasion and occupation would alleviate the threat. More than three years later, the country is suffering a civil war and the US-sanctioned leadership is incapable…
Getting past ugly rhetoric
Iranian Jews are proud, discreet and active. Their country is full of contradictions: Despite the offence Mahmoud Ahmedinejad has caused to Jews around the world, bizarrely his office recently donated money for Tehran’s Jewish hospital. It is one of only four Jewish charity hospitals worldwide and is funded with money from the Jewish diaspora –…
Death strikes back
Patrick Cockburn, The Independent, September 22: The republic of fear is born again. The state of terror now gripping Iraq is as bad as it was under Saddam Hussein. Torture in the country may even be worse than it was during his rule, the United Nation’s special investigator on torture said yesterday. “The situation as…
Firing up the West
Hugo Chavez and the West, a recipe for renewal and welcome provocation (along with Chomsky book sales.)
Turning the other cheek
I recently attended the Brisbane’s Writer’s Festival and one of my papers discussed Israel and Zionism (Brisbane Writer’s Festival discussion paper – Loewenstein). I debated Melbourne academic and “left-winger” Philip Mendes (more on Mendes here), a man seemingly torn between critiquing Israeli occupation yet incapable of truly condemning it. His heart and head are hopelessly…