[mobglob-discuss] anti-Semitism in all its forms

[Chris Shaw]

There is no suprise that Sharon is attacking Israeli peace groups. He is as 
true a fascist as Israel has ever produced (and there have been a number of 
these, including the ideological 'founder' of Likud/Herut). Sharon has a 
long history of brutality and murder of Palestinians and association with 
the Israeli right/extremist settler groups. His history is even more 
checkered than you may realize: his supporters have openly attacked (and in 
some cases killed) progressive Israelis, Jews and non-Jews alike.

Against this backdrop, there are a number of courageous Israelis in 
different organizations struggling to be faithful to their own progressive 
vision for Israel, which includes, not excludes, justice for the 
Palestinians.  Blowing up totally innocent Israelis does not advance any 
rational agenda for peace between Israel and Palestine any more than does 
the murder of innocent Palestinians.  The people who placed the bomb at 
Hebrew University were not striking against the IDF, they were not striking 
against Sharon, their sole goal was to kill Jews: Israeli Jews, foreign 
Jews, whatever, to advance their goals and to take revenge against Israel 
and Jews in general. Had this not been their goal they could have found a 
more suitable 'military target' than a university cafeteria.

The following is a simple test of moral consistency. You need to score 100% 
to pass:
Q1:
Blowing up a synagogue in some non-Israeli city, killing an orthodox Jew in 
Toronto, literature that openly calls for the death of Jews, is what?

Q2: Blowing up a restaurant in Jerusalem, killing Jewish civilians in Tel 
Aviv, openly calling for the death of Jews in Israel, is what?

A1: Anti-Semitism (among other things).
A2: Answer, same as the first.

Anti-Semitism (or any other form of bigotry, for that matter) is defined by 
who the victims are, not who the perpetrators are or what 'rationale' the 
perpetrators claimed for their crimes. Not all anti-Semites are white Anglo 
Saxons. Some Jews, now and in the past, were fascists. Anti-Semitism has 
never been the sole province of one group or '-ism'.  Anyone who pretends 
that it is, who turns a blind eye to it when the perpetrators come from a 
group they support, is in a morally bankrupt position.

Gush Shalom, Peace Now, the Women in Black, the anti-occupation 
soldiers/reservists,etc.  all deserve our support. However, they might find 
our support more valuable if, while calling for justice for Palestinians and 
Israelis, we also condemned as unjust, despicable, and frankly anti-Semitic 
the slaughter of Israel's innocents.










>From: Macdonald Stainsby <mstainsby at tao.ca>
>Reply-To: mobglob-discuss at resist.ca
>To: mobglob-discuss at resist.ca
>Subject: [mobglob-discuss] anti-Semitism in all its forms
>Date: Mon, 05 Aug 2002 15:30:58 -0700
>
>Sharon is attacking one of the better anti-Occupation groups in Israel,
>surely a cause for those who wish to fight anti-Semitism.
>
>Please check out Gush Shalom's ("Peace Now") call, below:
>
>http://redglobe.info/modules.php?name=News&file=article&sid=758
>
>Their brilliant slide show of Barak's "generous offers" is here:
>
>http://www.gush-shalom.org/media/barak_eng.swf
>
>Another reason for the continuing bombers? Perhaps...
>
>the group itself:
>www.gush-shalom.org
>
>-------------------------------------------
>Macdonald Stainsby
>http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/rad-green
>http://lists.econ.utah.edu/mailman/listinfo/leninist-international
>--
>In the contradiction lies the hope.
>                                      --Bertholt Brecht
>
>
>_______________________________________________
>mobglob-discuss mailing list
>mobglob-discuss at resist.ca
>http://resist.ca/mailman/listinfo/mobglob-discuss




Christopher A. Shaw, Ph.D
Associate Professor
Research Pavilion
828 W. 10th Ave.
Vancouver, British Columbia
Canada, V5Z 1L8
tel: 604-875-4111 (ext. 68375)
Fax: 604-875-4376
e-mail: csshawlab at hotmail.com


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