UK: Jewish Voice for Labour secretary Glyn Secker tells pro-Palestine rally that Jews are ‘in the gutter’

Via Jewish Chronicle:

A leading member of the fringe pro-Corbyn Jewish Voice for Labour group has been filmed by the JC issuing a chilling “warning” to Jewish leaders opposing antisemitism in Jeremy Corbyn's Labour Party suggesting: “You are part of the problem.”

Accusing the same “Jewish leaders” of “turning a blind eye to the extreme right”, Glyn Secker, JVL's secretary, told a Labour-backed pro-Palestinian march in central London at the weekend: “What on earth are Jews doing in the gutter?”

Dulwich and West Norwood Constituency Labour Party (CLP) member Mr Secker was loudly cheered by around 3,500 pro-Palestinian activists as he delivered his inflammatory speech at the start of the National Demonstration for Palestine in Portland Place, central London.

He said: “Here's a warning to the Jewish leadership.

“While you foment your campaign of allegations of antisemitism against Corbyn and the left to silence Israel's critics while you cry wolf, month after month, year after year in the Labour Party and remain blind to the explosion of the far-right and Islamophobia, you are not part of the solution - you are part of the problem.”

Mr Corbyn and his shadow chancellor John McDonnell had openly supported the march on which there were regular calls for the destruction of Israel, the “right of return” for “seven million Palestinian refugees” and claims by one speaker that Israel, America, Australia and India are “despicable settler colonial states.”

Three counter-demonstrators - two of whom raised an Israeli flag while another professed “love for both Israel and Palestinian - needed protection from around ten Metropolitan Police officers on Regent Street after a succession of visibly seething activists attempted to lunge at them.

(...)

When confronted later by the JC over his remarks, Mr Secker claimed not to have spoken of “Jews”.

In a statement on Twitter, JVL suggested he had directed his comments towards “these Jews” - those who had allegedly aligned themselves with the far-right. The audio recording however shows no use of the word “these”.

Mr Secker - a former member of the far-left anti-Zionist Socialist Workers Party - has previously been the subject of complaints from Jewish members of his local Labour Party about his hostile comments.

He was also a member of the Palestine Live Facebook group which was littered with antisemitic remarks.

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UK: Labour AM 'deeply sorry' over comments on Cardiff's Jewish community

Via Wales Online:

Cardiff Central Labour AM Jenny Rathbone is facing a call for her to resign or be expelled in the wake of controversial reported comments about Jews and anti-Semitism.

She will meet with a local rabbi to apologise and will refer herself for “equalities training”.

The Jewish Chronicle released a recording in which she appears to link anti-Semitism to Israeli actions in the Palestinian territories and argue that Jews in this country have a responsibility to promote peace.

In the recording, she is told that a synagogue in the Cyncoed area of Cardiff has had to “install bulletproof glass” but she suggests that “siege mentalities are also a part of this”

The AM compares the Welsh synagogue to a “fortress” and says it is hard for her to judge “how much of it is for real and how much of it is in their own heads”.

Her comments, made in 2017, have triggered alarm among Jewish groups and a call for her to quit.

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UK: Shocking film shows attendees of far-left 'antisemitism' talk making antisemitic statements

Via Jewish Chronicle:

Attendees of a far-left event on the subject of “Corbyn, antisemitism and justice for Palestine” were filmed making comments such as “the Jewish people do not exist”, and “if you walk around expecting to be treated like Jewish ‘scum’, that’s what’s going to happen to you.”

The event, which was held on Tuesday night at London’s Conway Hall, featured speakers such as Tariq Ali, Ben Jamal, the director of the Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and Richard Kuper of Jewish Voice for Labour.

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Poland honors satirist who said Jews create antisemitism

Via Jerusalem Post:

A Polish satirist who in 2016 made anti-Semitic jokes on television and later accused Jews of fomenting hatred against themselves was awarded his country’s highest distinction for artists.

Ryszard Makowski, 62, was awarded the Gloria Artis Medal for Merit to Culture on Thursday along with 20 others by Culture Minister Piotr Gliński in Warsaw, the w Polityce news website reported. Makowski won the bronze medal, the lowest of three categories in the distinction awarded annually to artists by the ministry.

“It is an expression of thanks by Poland for your creativity and for your commitment, for your talent – that is always augmented with work, perseverance, creative courage,” Gliński said in presenting the award.

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UK: Far-left paper pulls op-ed blaming Israel for anti-Semitism

Via JTA:

A far-left British newspaper that regularly features articles by Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn apologized for running an op-ed linking rising anti-Semitism to “Israel’s crimes.”

On Wednesday, The Morning Star pulled offline an article titled “Rising Anti-Semitism Cannot be Tackled without Addressing Israel’s Crimes.”

“This article has been removed from the website as it crossed a line in attributing anti-Semitism to the policies of the Israeli government and made demands on the ‘Jewish diaspora’ and ‘Jewish community’ as if these were responsible for Israeli policy or obliged to account for it,” the paper said in explanation.

John Elder, which some Labour activists said is a nom de plume, wrote the op-ed.

“The Morning Star deeply regrets publication of the article, which was submitted by an external contributor and which we failed to vet with the care necessary on a subject of such importance,” the paper said.

Once affiliated with Britain’s Communist Party, The Morning Star is popular with many members of Momentum, the movement within Labour of Corbyn.

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Italy: Hotel tells Israeli customers they're the reason Nazis are returning to Europe

Via Ynet News:

A Jewish couple that accidentally gave an Italian hotel a low rating received in response anti-Semitic mail, saying that “Jews are never satisfied” and that they should not complain if Nazis return to Europe.

Bella and Boris Nudelman, together with two other couples, stayed in the Hotel Ristorante Italia in the Certosa di Pavia, and had only positive feedback after their one-night stay.

“The hotel was really nice and we enjoyed it there. When we left, we received from the booking website “Booking.com” a request to rate our stay there. It was at the same time as we were driving and by accident, without paying attention, I gave the hotel five out of ten stars,” Bella said.

A short while later, the hotel responded with hateful outrage to the rating.

“You Jews are never satisfied! Don’t complain when Nazis and fascists return to Europe. There is a reason for it … You!” the abusive email written in English said. 

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UK: Israel to blame for rise in antisemitism, left wing veteran Tariq Ali declares

Via Jewish Chronicle:

The veteran left-wing activist Tariq Ali has insisted the Israeli government was to blame for the recent rise in antisemitism.

In a speech at a pro-Palestinian rally outside Downing Street in response to the violence on the border of Gaza, he attacked what he claimed was a “vile and grotesque” campaign against Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn.

Describing Mr Corbyn as his “old friend and comrade”, Mr Ali – who founded the Stop The War movement – said that he wanted to begin his remarks by speaking about “antisemitism that we are told has swept the Labour Party, that we are told is a big problem for the left.”

He accepted there was prejudice against Muslim, Jew and gay people, but added: “If you were to ask me what is a bigger problem in Europe and north America – is it antisemitism, or is it Islamophobia?

“The answer is very clear, it is Islamophobia.”

Mr Ali said the attacks on Jeremy Corbyn were “disgusting” but were targeted at him because he broke the mould on attitudes to Britain’s foreign policy and was an anti-war politician.

“I predict this vile, grotesque campaign charging him of being soft on antisemitism will collapse. It’s already on the retreat. People don’t believe it.”

On Israel, Mr Ali said: “Many people deep down in their hearts may be scared to say it in public given the strange atmosphere that exists, but it needs to be said.

“The purveyors of antisemitism today, those who have encouraged antisemitism are the Israeli government.

“Killing Palestinians the way that they do it, targeting children as they have done; this is what produces a crude form of antisemitism.

“And the support given to this by right-wing Zionist organisations in Europe and America doesn’t help challenging antisemitism either.”

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Netherlands: Amsterdam kosher restaurant vandal apologizes; blames anger over Israel

The authorities are not treating this incident as an antisemitic hate crime.

Via NL Times:

Saleh A., a 29-year-old man who broke the windows of kosher restaurant Ha Carmel in Amsterdam while carrying a Palestinian flag on December 7th, apologizes to the owner of the restaurant and the Dutch people, his lawyer said in court on Wednesday. He attacked the restaurant out of anger about the situation in Israel, the man told the court, the Telegraaf  reports.

The Public Prosecutor is charging A. with vandalism and burglary. The court suspended the trial for three months while further investigation is done.

A. several times said that he is like a volcano on the point of eruption due to pent-up grief and anger. "I came here to the Netherlands to get papers and return", he said to the court. "But that idiotic Trump made me so angry." He undoubtedly referred to American president Donald Trump recognizing Jerusalem as the capital of Israel and announcing that the U.S. embassy will be moved there. The attack on Ha Carmel happened shortly after this announcement.

On the question on whether he is willing to use violence, A. responded: "No, I want a world in peace." He's been seeing a psychologist for several months. "But I am not crazy", he said.

The probation service would like A. to undergo further examination because there are concerns that he may be paranoid, or suffers from psychoses, according to the newspaper. A. feels this is not necessary, but he added that he will "do everything" the Dutch government asks of him. 

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UK: The Independent blurs victim and perpetrator in pro-Palestinian violence

Via UK Media Watch:

Though most news outlets we surveyed covered the story fairly, the Independent again demonstrated its characteristic anti-Israel, pro-Palestinian bias by blurring victim and perpetrator in both their headline and lead sentence.

Here’s the headline of the Oct. 29th article by Rachael Pells.:

Now, here’s the opening sentence:

Police were called to an event at University College London after violent clashes between pro-Palestinian protesters and members of a pro-Israeli group.

Though the strap line and quotes provided in the body of the article provide some clarifying information about the incident, the headline and opening sentence falsely suggest to readers that both parties were to blame. 

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UK: Speakers at Pro-Palestinian event in House of Lords blame Zionists for Holocaust

The whole post is worth reading, if you can stomach the hatred.

Via David Collier:

Yesterday there was an event at the House of Lords, put together by the Palestine Return Council (PRC). The evening was hosted by Jenny Tonge.

(...)

At a certain point in the evening, four ultra-orthodox Jews from the Neturei Karta showed up. As relevant to Judaism as some esoteric Christian sect is to Christianity, yet these same handful are at the front of every anti-Israeli action in the UK. When one came to talk, it is difficult to overstate the bile that came from his mouth.

First, he compared Israel to ISIS. “Isis is a perversion of Islam just as Zionism is a perversion of Judaism.” Then he continued:

“One of the main Zionists in America, Rabbi Stephen Wise,  a reform, a heretic, so called Rabbi,  he spoke in the New York Times in 1905, there are six million, note the number, bleeding and suffering reasons to justify Zionism.”

I cannot stress strongly enough the implication of the instruction to ‘note the number’. This is from a holocaust denial script. The suggestion used on neo-Nazi sites is that this quote is evidence that the Jews had already decided on the six million figure 40 years before the holocaust. Therefore, the holocaust is a hoax.  You can read an example here (NOT SAFE FOR WORK). Why else mention it?  If you Google Rabbi Stephen Wise and six million, almost every site on the page is one to avoid.

Not done with regurgitating the holocaust hoax argument, the man then continued:

 “And thirty years later, he made the boycott on Germany, the economic boycott on Germany which antagonised Hitler, over the edge, to then want to systematically kill Jews wherever he could find them. As opposed to ‘Judenrein’, to make Germany free of Jews, a Jew free land. Which is enough, but that is noted by one of our Rabbis, that is what pushed him over the edge. His personal secretary Ribbentrop was in Nuremberg trials, he said to Rabbi Wise(?), this is what, he became a madman after this boycott, Judea declares war on Germany. In Manhattan they had 100, 000 people marching in the economic boycott in 1935, it was the same heretic rabbi who caused that.”

This places the blame of the holocaust squarely onto the Zionists.  Unlike Livingstone, this isn’t even an accusation of a life-saving deal, this is saying that the Zionist actions caused Hitler to go mad and kill Jews.  Good Jews, bad Zionists.  If you want to read more of this type of thought, you can find it on neo-Nazi sites such as Rense or Stormfront.  The one other place where such thought is entertained is on the Satmar website.

Another comment from the audience:

 “Chaim Weizmann did a confidence trick back in 1917/1918. He made the British establishment think that world Jewry had power that it just didn’t have. The trouble is, 100 years on, I am not talking about world Jewry, I am talking about ‘that segment’ which we call the ‘Zionist movement’ has that power, and it has it over our own parliament”.

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UK: Senior Labour activist claims Israel has “inflicted” and “exploited” the Holocaust

Via Campaign Against Antisemitism:

Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi, Vice Chair of the Chingford branch of the Chingford and Woodford Green Constituency Labour Party, and the founder of Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods, has taken to the airwaves to say that Israel has “inflicted” the Holocaust on other people and “they use and exploit” the Holocaust for political ends.

She said: “When it comes to the Holocaust, of course, there must never be any minimisation of that horror. It’s inflicted on other people in the sense that apologists for Israel use the suffering of Jews to excuse the suffering of Palestinians. I hear it all the time: ‘Oh, they’ve suffered so much, let them get on with it.’ I’m not saying that Israel is committing a Holocaust. I’m saying they use and exploit the fact of the Holocaust to justify what are, in some cases, crimes against humanity…So the mass slaughter of Jews in Europe should never be inflicted on others. That’s my view and that includes Palestinians. But for that, I’m called a self-hating Jew.”

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Spain: Police tell Jew targeted for harassment to be 'less visibly Jewish'

The following was posted by a Spanish Jew:

So this morning I found this in the corner of my garage door. When I called the police they just told me it were probably just a random act of kids but just in case I should try to be “less visibly jewish” (not wearing a magen David/ hamsa, not having my name in the mailbox) and not tell people that I’m Jewish…

“Do your neighbours know you’re Jewish?”

Ukraine: Man who participated in anti-Roma pogrom explains Jews deserved it too

Via Times of Israel:

When asked to compare Gypsy pogroms in today’s Ukraine to the Jewish pogroms that took place here 100 years ago, a 39-year old Loshchynivka resident who participated in the pogrom (he did not give his name because he feared for his safety), said that the pogroms against Jews and Gypsies “have a lot of similarities,” because “the problems were the same.”

According to him, that’s because the victims of the pogroms were not honest people.

“The reason for the pogroms was not ethnic but economic,” he alleged. “A person can’t live without working. It means that he is a thief.”

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Belgium: Charity boss says "pro-Israel circles" inflate anti-Semitism problem to distract from Palestinian issue

Belgium doesn't have an antisemitism problem.  It's all the Zionists fault.

Via JTA:

An employee of a Belgian state-funded charity who was denied entry into Israel said Israel’s supporters were “inflating” Belgium’s anti-Semitism problem to distract from the Palestinian issue.

Brigitte Herremans, who works as a Middle East expert for the Catholic groups Pax Christi and Broederlijk Delen, made the assertion Monday during a radio interview about her Aug. 9 experience at Ben Gurion Airport, where she was leading a group of activists seeking to “experience” life in the West Bank.

Noting her co-authorship of a book on the causes of anti-Semitism, she said on Radio 1: “When you sometimes hear criticism from certain pro-Israel circles, also in Belgium, then I think that mostly they try to vastly inflate this business to distract from the heart of the matter: Israel tolerates no criticism and wants to do only as it pleases in the Palestinian territories.”

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Czech Republic: Social Democratic MP posts Holocaust-denial video

Via romea (h/t CFCA):

The weekly Euro in the Czech Republic reports that Stanislav Huml, an MP for the Czech Social Democratic Party, has published a video denying the Holocaust to his Facebook profile. The video, which Huml called "brutal and [politically] incorrect" but "inspiring", is a sort of criticism of the "ethnomasochism" of Western civilization, defined as a feeling of guilt for the historical injustices of colonialism, slavery, etc., including what the video terms the "alleged" Holocaust.

The producers of the video say they refuse to accept the blame for this history. They call on Europe to "stop apologizing" for its previous actions.

What's more, the video says the Jews are "to blame" for the Holocaust, not that they were its victims. Huml said that it is not essential to him that the Iron Dawn YouTube channel, from which he shared the video, has also posted video footage of NSDAP conventions, footage of the occupation of Ukraine by the Nazis, or videos promoting the "healthy lifestyle" of the Nazi Third Reich.

"I don't concern myself with those details," Huml said in response to an query from a reporter with Euro. "The video has an actual basis in history extending back to the 15th century."

The MP then added this note to his Facebook post:  "P.S. for journalists - I actually do not approve of the Holocaust and I do not see it being approved of in the context of this video either." The video, published online on 9 August, was ultimately removed from the MP's public profile.

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UK: BBC rejects antisemitsm complains after reporter blames Israel for European antisemitism

A BBC interviewer justified terrorism against Jews by invoking Israel:

“We have to not to be afraid to say that the Jews, they are the target now,” she said.

The interviewer, Tom Willcox, interjected: “Many critics, though, of Israel’s policy would suggest that the Palestinians suffered hugely at Jewish hands as well.”

The flustered Chava proceeded to say that the two should not be conflated, when Willcox continued: “But you understand, everything is seen from different perspectives?”

The BBC cannot see what's wrong with that.   After all, Wilcox just quoted "many critics" and it is "factually based".  It is indeed a fact that many antisemites justify antisemitism by invoking Israel. 

Via Guardian:

The BBC’s governing body has rejected complaints about a BBC News interview in the wake of the Charlie Hebdo attacks in Paris in which the presenter said Palestinians “suffer hugely at Jewish hands as well”.

The live interview conducted by the BBC’s Tim Willcox with an Israeli-born Jewish woman was accused of being antisemitic and offensive after she was asked: “Many critics though of Israel’s policy would suggest that the Palestinians suffer hugely at Jewish hands as well.”

Critics included historian Simon Schama who described the interview as “appalling”.

(...)

The BBC Trust, in its ruling published on Thursday, described Willcox’s question as “clumsy” but rejected the complaints that it breached the BBC’s editorial guidelines.

It said it was not the presenter’s opinion but had been “clearly attributed to critics of Israel” and was “factually based”.

The interviewee had not made a formal complaint, it said, and there was “no evidence from the broadcast interview that she was surprised, upset, bewildered or offended by the exchange”.

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Belgium:Anti-racism activist blames Israel for Muslim hatred of Jews, compares Zionism to ISIS ideology

Dyab Abou Jahjah is an extremist antisemite.  He's also a minority-rights activist, a distinguished columnist in one of Belgium's top papers, and a respected partner for Belgium's anti-racism organizations.  The ones tasked with fighting antisemitism.

Belgians find it perplexing when Jews say he's antisemitic, because he only wants to kill all Jews in Israel (a sentiment he's shared quite a few times).   A decade ago he also organized pogroms in Jewish neighborhoods in Belgium, but apparently that doesn't make him an antisemite either.

Yesterday, Abou Jahjah posted a post in English on his Facebook in which he blamed Israel for Muslim and Arab antisemitism.  He then went on to compare Israel to Islamic State (also a recurring sentiment by him).  Except Israel is much worse, because most Jews support Israel, while only a fraction of Muslims support ISIS.
 

When young Arabs and Muslims express hatred towards Jews it is 99% of the time an echo of Israel portraying itself as the Jewish state and them believing it. This is very regrettable but it is not antisemitism. It is a lack of politisation and can only be remedied by explaining Zionism to them as a political racist movement that hijacks the identity of the Jews just like "Daesh" hijacks that of the Muslims.

With the clear difference that support for Israel and Zionism is unfortunately mainstream among jews. While support for Daesh is marginal among muslims. Not only that, Arabs and muslims are waging war against Daesh. But either way, yes young people say stupid uninformed things often out of emotionality.

I wrote about this Belgian hypocrisy in the past, but it's worth repeating. 

It is not surprising that a Hezbollah activist in Belgium hates Jews.  It's not surprising that he led riots in Jewish neighborhoods in which protesters burned Jews in effigy, or that he posted Holocaust cartoons accusing Jews of making it all up, or that he supports Holocaust deniers, or that he supports the genocide of Jews in Israel.

I really don't expect much from people like Abou Jahjah.

What is surprising is that the Belgian establishment supports him, including those people whose job it is to protect Jews from antisemites.   The city of Ghent invited him to speak about racism, as did Amnesty International and the Belgian Human Rights League.   He also has a weekly column in De Standaard.

The Belgian Human Rights League got really upset at me for calling them out on their support of antisemites.  Because the people whose job it is to fight antisemitism in Belgium prefer to team up with a Hezbollah terrorist, rather than to listen to Jews who complain about it.

It really doesn't matter how many times Belgian politicians say that they are serious about fighting antisemitism.  As long as Belgian society and Belgian anti-racism organizations accept Abou Jahjah as one of their own and as an acceptable voice in society - they are sending a clear message to the  Jews in Belgium: You are on your own.

UK: BBC presenter blames Israel for antisemitism

In the April 30th edition of BBC Radio 4’s ‘Today’ programme, presenter Justin Webb blamed Israel several times for current-day antisemitism.

It seems to me that the 'root cause' of the modern problem, are people like Webb, who do not even realize that this is antisemitism par excellence

Via BBC Watch:

With no attempt to conform to standards of impartiality, Webb then appears to imply that Israelis are responsible for contemporary European antisemitism:

“Others suggest that the illegal settlement building on Palestinian land is the root cause of the modern problem. So how does it all look from the perspective of Israel – and the Palestinians? Our Middle East editor Jeremy Bowen is in Jerusalem and I asked him first what the generally accepted difference was between antisemitism and anti-Zionism.”

(...)

Webb then once again floats the notion that Israel is to blame for antisemitism.

“So when you come to modern times and to the existence of the State of Israel and the way that Israel is…set up, is it fair to say that there are things about Israel that fuel…err…well all of those things – both anti-Zionism and antisemitism?”

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UK: Activists 'hell-bent' on attacking Jewish Labour MP at constituency meetings

Attacks include Holocaust denial, conspiracy theories and blaming Israel for antisemitism.  Is the Labour party going to do anything to stop this?

Via Jewish Chronicle:

A veteran Jewish Labour MP has been targeted by activists who are “hell-bent” on attacking her at meetings of her constituency party.

The orchestrated campaign against Louise Ellman, MP for Liverpool Riverside, from within her own local branch has created an “intimidating and hostile” atmosphere for Jewish members, a councillor said this week.

The verbal attacks have taken place during the past two months at constituency meetings at which Mrs Ellman was present.

A small group of hard-left activists have attended the sessions to attack her, repeatedly asking questions about her position on Israel.

The JC understands that on at least three occasions, antisemitic remarks were made.

(...)

During one meeting in February, activists discussed Hamas tunnels being dug from Gaza into Israel. One member is said to have compared the tunnels to those created by Jews trying to escape Nazi persecution in the Warsaw ghetto.

At last Friday’s session, one attendee claimed Israel was backing Daesh terrorists and that the IDF was operating covertly among jihadis. Mrs Ellman was asked whether she regretted supporting British air strikes in Syria following the alleged death of Israelis in the conflict.

She is also said to have been challenged on her work to combat antisemitism, with Labour supporters claiming the global rise of Jew-hate was “down to the existence of Israel”.

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Catholic Church in Israel blames Jewish state for current Palestinian violence

The Pope speaks about fighting antisemitism.  Now's his chance to show he's serious.

Via Jerusalem Post:

The Latin Patriarchate of Jerusalem, which represents the Catholic Church in the region, accused Israel on Thursday of responsibility for the recent wave of Palestinian violence, saying Israeli policy has created despair and frustration among Palestinians leading them to carry out acts of terrorism.

The Latin Patriarchate spelled out its position in a statement of the “Commission for Justice and Peace” of its Assembly of Catholic Ordinaries, a panel of the leading Catholic clerics in Israel, the Palestinian Authority, Jordan and Cyprus.

It failed however to make any mention of incitement to violence within Palestinian society, on social media, or from PA officials , although the document did say that “Israelis who need security and tranquility.”

(...)

“It is the siege of Jerusalem and the Judaization of the city, the sending away of its Palestinian inhabitants. It is the all-inclusive accusation of terrorism against all Palestinians and the collective punishment that results from it,” observed the Commission for Justice and Peace. 

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