Switzerland: Arab-Israeli MK calls to "do away with Zionism and the Jewish state"

Hanin Zoabi's idea to destroy the Jewish state was presented at the Swiss Palestine Association in Bern and was received approvingly by the audience.

Via Hamodia (h/t Elder of Ziyon):

United Arab List MK Hanin Zoabi is a staunch believer in the two-state solution...with one state for Palestinians, and the other a “a secular democratic state of all its citizens,” with the concept of a Jewish state banned altogether.

If the two states decided to unite into one at some point, that would be fine, she added. “My vision is justice and liberation,” she said. “The exact formula – one state or two – is a technical question, as far as I am concerned. But neither of them can be a Jewish state. My party advocates a two-state solution – one a democratic state of all its citizens, with a Palestinian state next to it.” The “right of return” for the descendants of Arabs from within the Green Line would apply as well, she added.

“If these two states build relations and eventually decide to unite, that would be possible,” she said. “But we cannot have one state under the current circumstances with the settlers remaining in the West Bank. We must do away with Zionism and the Jewish state, and then we can decide how to set up the states – one or two of them, I personally don’t care.”

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UK: Corbyn aid asked to remove traditional Hebrew greeting from Passover message, for fear it might be seen as 'Zionist'

Joshua Simons @ The Guardian (h/t Adam Levick):

After six months working as a policy adviser for Jeremy Corbyn, it was clear to me that the way Corbyn and those around him think about Jewish people is shaped by a frenetic anti-imperialism, focused on Israel and America. Without a hint of irony, one senior aide asked that I remove the greeting “Chag Kasher VeSameach” from Corbyn’s Passover message, for fear that Corbyn’s supporters might think the use of Hebrew “Zionist”.

In modern Britain, it is no longer true that intellectuals are ashamed of antisemitism. In the eyes of the leaders of the British far left, Israel’s occupation – for some, even Israel’s existence – offers a firm moral basis for antipathy towards Jews in Israel or, more ambitiously, towards Jews everywhere.

Antisemitism among the British left continues to be about capitalism too. The familiar image endures of the Jew as the master of usury, the sedentary banker and financier, the archetypal neoliberal even. This persistent trope of Jews as the ultimate capitalists reinforces the view of those on the left who resent capitalism per se – rather than, say, unrestrained markets – and feel that Jews cannot be victims because they have money and they have Israel.

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UK: How antisemitism picked me

David Aaronovitch @ the JC:

But there was one problem and you'll all have guessed what it was. I could cherry-pick the Jewishness, but the antisemitism picked me. Not I'll-kill-you-Jewboy antisemitism but the myriad assumptions and attributions that a majority makes about a minority of whom it feels nervous or envious.

It first cropped up when I was 24. I was National Secretary of the National Union of Students and we were having a problem with the goons that Saddam Hussein's regime had sent to Britain to police Iraqi students. So I "derecognised" the National Union of Iraqi Students.

Within weeks, a two sided document had been circulated to student unions purporting to be copies of letters of encouragement to me from the Communist Party (which I had plenty to do with) and the Israeli embassy (which I didn't).

There it was. Name equals Jew. Jew equals tribal conspiracy. But what amazed me was how many ordinary British students bought into it.

Since then it, or something like it, has happened over and over and over again. And the only people who have understood, by and large, have been Jews. Their comprehension has, perhaps, become my Jewish dream. I hope so, because otherwise I really don't know what to say.

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France: Antisemitic policeman ensured the protection of a Jewish leader

Source: CRIF

Le Point has reported that an antisemitic policeman has until recently ensured the protection of a leader of the CRIF (Representative Council of Jewish Institutions).

The officer is a member of the Protection Service (SDLP), in charge of the safety of members of the government and individuals whose functions might put them at risk.

The officer is a convert to Islam.  His proselytising gave cause for concern and his behaviour was reported to the Directorate General of Internal Security (RPS).

A Google search proved fruitful.  The investigators found the officer's name on a private list of friends of Egalité et Réconciliation, a website run by well known antisemite Alain Soral, a friend of Dieudonné.

The man is an admirer of Léon Degrelle who was a major figure of the Belgian far right. Degrelle founded and headed the pro-fascist movement Rex. He also admires Julius Evola, a racist and antisemitic Italian writer who has many supporters in neo-Nazi circles.

read the article in in French

Germany: Erfurt synagogue vandalized with red graffiti

Via Thüringen24 (h/t Honestly Concerned):

A small synagogue in Erfurt's histroic district was vandalized with red graffiti.  In a possibly related case, a group of four people were spotted nearby shouting "Heil Hitler".

UK: Brian Eno refuses to let Israeli dance company use his music

Via The Guardian:

The composer and producer Brian Eno has denied permission for one of Israel’s most critically acclaimed dance companies to continue using his music for a series of performances in Italy after he discovered that the Israeli embassy was sponsoring the event.

Eno, 68, who started his career with Roxy Music but has latterly become known for his ambient music compositions, said he had not been aware his music was being used in a piece by the Batsheva dance company.

Eno, a prominent supporter of the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions (BDS) campaign aimed at Israel’s occupation of the Palestinian territories, wrote to the dance company last month to deny them permission to use his music.

Eno is also one of 1,200 artists who have signed the Artists’ Pledge for Palestine, refusing funding from or cultural contacts with Israel’s government.

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Belgium: Major Jewish organisation invites two Israel-bashers

The CCLJ is the largest of the many francophone Jewish organisations - it is secular.  There are about 20,000 French-speaking Jews in Belgium and most do not consider that the CCLJ represents them or share the CCLJ very negative view of Israel.  In contrast, Flemish Jewish organisations (Forum, Joods Actueel) are careful not to be associated with Israel-bashers and do not engage in the systematic criticism of Israel and its internal politics - they operate along the lines of the CRIF (France), CIDI (Netherlands), the Jewish Chronicle (UK), CICAD (Switzerland).

The CCLJ recently hit the headlines for publicly criticising, on the basis of anonymous accusations, Serge Rozen, the president of the CCOJB, an umbrella organisation of Jewish groups.  The article was written by Nicolas Zomersztajn, but it certainly got the approval of the board.  Mr Rozen has since resigned.  A healf-hearted apology was issued. 

The CCLJ will be hosting next week a conference on the collaboration in Flanders during the war - Nicolas Zomersztajn will be chairing the debate.  The two speakers are known for their hostility towards Israel. This does not seem to bother the CCLJ and the conference blurb doesn't mention this fact. 

One of the speakers is Flemish historian Bruno De Wever who signed a petition calling for the academic boycott of Israel.  He is the brother of politician Bart De Wever who is very sympathetic towards the Jewish community and is not on record as making political capital by criticising Israel and being in favour of BDS.

The other speaker is Luc Beyer De Ryke, a  former politician and journalist.

In a recent interview, he accused Jean Gol, a Jewish head of the liberal party (present-day MR) and minister, who died in 1995, of having destroyed his career to placate the minuscule Jewish electorate.

Luc Beyer explained that he was a Euro MP in Strasbourg for ten years. His career came to a very nasty end. It was shattered by Jean Gol. He alleged that Jean Gol was unhappy that he had reported to the European Parliament the findings of a fact-finding mission he had carried out in Palestine by exposing the repression Israel exerted against the Palestinians.

According to Luc Beyer, the report caused a huge stir. The European Parliament asked Israel to allow Europe to trade with the Palestinians. Jean Gol did not appreciate this stand because "it did not suit the Jewish electorate".  He was demoted and expelled from the liberal party.  "That was the end of my political career. A very difficult time", he concluded.

This accusation  is extraordinary because many European MPs harshly criticise Israel and have had very successful careers.  In many instances it has boosted their careers.

"J'ai ensuite siégé à Strasbourg pendant dix ans. Cela s'est, malheureusement, très mal terminé. Ma carrière politique a été brisée par Jean Gol. En fait, j'ai effectué une mission en Palestine. A mon retour, j'ai rendu compte devant le Parlement européen de la répression israélienne envers les Palestiniens. Ce rapport a fait grand bruit. Le Parlement européen a demandé à Israël de permettre à l'Europe de commercer avec les Palestiniens. Jean Gol n'a pas du tout apprécié cette prise de position qui ne convenait pas à l'électorat juif. J'ai été relégué à une place de suppléant puis banni du parti libéral. Ce fut la fin de ma carrière politique. Un moment très difficile…" http://www.francophonie.be/ndf/main/fr/pgarfr/arfr481.html

German-wide teachers union says BDS anti-Semitic

From the Jerusalem Post:

The teachers’ union in Oldenburg, Germany, has formally apologized for its publication of a pro-boycott Israel article in its September magazine.

“With the publication of this article from the field of the so-called BDS campaign, we made a big mistake,“ Heinz Bührmann, chairman of the of Education and Science Workers’ Union (GEW) in Oldenburg, wrote on Monday. The local union’s parent-teacher organization termed BDS “anti-Semitic” on its Twitter feed.

After The Jerusalem Post first reported on Saturday that the GEW’s paper advocated BDS, the union reversed its position and removed a statement from its website that suggested a defense of the publication of the article.

The monthly paper was sent to the GEW’s 1,200 members in the area of Oldenburg in the state of Lower Saxony.

“Not one member of the Oldenburg GEW district executive board is... racist or anti-Semitic,“ said Bührmann, claiming the BDS “campaign was, for us, completely not known as problematic. Our lack of knowledge is to blame.“ The union leader said the executive board did not author the article, but was responsible for its publication.

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Moldova: Jewish cemetery in Balti vandalized

Via CFCA: Six tombstones were smashed in the Jewish cemetery in Balti.

Sweden: Malmö launches campaign to tackle anti-Semitism

Via The Local:

A new campaign launched in southern Swedish city Malmö hopes to fight anti-Semitism by encouraging thousands of school students to talk about the issue.

The project, a combined effort between the Jewish Community of Malmö and the City of Malmö, will focus on creating dialogue about anti-Semitism by exploring the shared experiences between the city’s Jews and many of its young people.

“We are actually quite similar in our experiences. Many Jews here are children or grandchildren of refugees who fled war and came to Sweden,” Jewish Community of Malmö chairman Fredrik Sieradzki told The Local.

“That’s the great thing about this new education programme, it uses that shared experience and it makes it easier to talk.”

The project will use movies, exercises and discussion materials on the topics of anti-Semitism, racism, and seeking refuge to help encourage discussions, with 288 teachers receiving special training.

When the materials were tested among different school groups, the result was that adolescents with similar experiences started to get more involved in discussions.

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Belgium: Antisemitic government official forced to resign after media discovers he's also racist

Note that he didn't resign because he called Jews terrorists and Nazis.  He resigned because he posted other racist and hateful statements.

As too often happens, bigots get a pass on antisemitism, but have to resign when discovered that's not their only vice.

Via JTA:

A Belgian official who compared Israel to Nazi Germany and the Islamic State is no longer employed as a minister’s adviser on tolerance.

Youssef Kobo, the adviser on diversity for the minister in charge of equal opportunity in the regional government of Brussels, offered to resign after finding he could no longer fulfill his duties, a ministry spokesperson told the HLN news website on Monday.

Last month, Kobo apologized for his vitriol against Israel, which he said was a modern Nazi Germany and “an identical twin” of the Islamic State terrorist group.

The Muslim official said he was “young and stupid” when he wrote the Facebook posts in 2014, which Kobo said he “regrets,” the La Capitale daily reported. The newspaper had contacted Kobo, 28, following criticism by the Belgian League Against Anti-Semitism.

However, in recent days the Belgian media discovered earlier tweets in which Kobo proposed to slaughter activists working to prevent the ritual slaughter of animals.

“What if we compromise on slaughtering Gaia-activists instead of sheep?” he wrote, later dismissing the post as an inappropriate joke. Gaia is the mythological spirit of Earth.

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While Netanyahu is protested in the Netherlands, a Hamas leader freely accesses Parliament

From Elder of Ziyon:

There was an uproar earlier [7 Sept.] today when Prime Minister Netanyahu visited the parliament in the Netherlands and one of the MPs refused to shake his hand.

Many people protested Netanyahu's visit because, you know, he is just so immoral.

One of the protesters is Amin Abu Rashid [...] . Rashid is a major Hamas figure in the Netherlands.

And as this video shows, he has full access to the parliament, with no protests.  [...]

Yet he can walk into the parliament without anyone batting an eye.

The Dutch are in serious trouble.

read more and watch other videos
 

UK: Corbyn defends £20,000 payment for Iranian TV appearances

Press TV is an antisemitic channel.  Corbyn thinks they raise "human rights issues".

Via Times of Israel:

Controversial British Labour Party leader Jeremy Corbyn on Wednesday defended receiving £20,000 ($26,285) for a series of appearances on Iranian TV.

(...)

Corbyn told a Pink News Q&A on Wednesday that the payment for five appearances on Iranian state TV between 2009 and 2012 — revealed in the UK parliament’s register of members’ financial interests — was “not an enormous amount.”

Challenged over his Press TV appearances in light of Iran’s policy on the LGBT community — homosexuality is a crime punishable by prison, corporal punishment and execution in the country — Corbyn said the appearances enabled him to “raise a number of human rights issues.”

“I presented other programs in which I was able to raise a number of human rights issues, not just in Iran but other countries as well – and the money I was paid, which wasn’t an enormous amount actually, went on my constituency office,” he said.

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Serbia: Air Serbia passengers to Tel Aviv told they're flying to "Palestine"

Via Ynet News:

Land crew at Serbia's Nikola Tesla International Airport in Belgrade has recently informed Air Serbia passengers flying to Tel Aviv that boarding had begun for the flight to "Palestine."

The incident, which occurred on August 29 ahead of Air Serbia's JUO 816 night flight from Belgrade to Tel Aviv, created uproar at the airport, with Israeli passengers refusing to get on the plane until the correct announcement was made. The airline representatives explained to passengers that "the flight is to Tel Aviv, not to Israel."

One of the Israeli passengers recounted the incident: "To our surprise, one of the airport employees asked over the PA system that 'passengers for flight 816 with service to Palestine please come to gate C3.' She repeated this several times."

"I couldn't hold back when I heard it. At first I thought that I didn’t hear the announcement correctly, and I asked a few other people if they heard them say 'Palestine' over the PA system," he continued.

The passenger approached the airline's desk at the gate. "I was joined by a man from Rosh Pina. I asked them to announce that the flight was going to Israel and not to Palestine," he said.

The manager responded that the flight was to Tel Aviv, not Israel.

"I told her that the flight was also not to 'Palestine' and requested they announce that the flight was going to Israel or even Tel Aviv. We told them they need to announce it three times, and told them that we would refuse to board the plane otherwise," he said.

"After the staff discussed the matter amongst themselves in Serbian, they indeed announced that the flight was going to Tel Aviv three times. The manager of the desk personally took us to gate C3 and apologized to us several times." 

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UK: Livingstone repeats Hitler claims: Board of Deputies calls for his expulsion from Labour

Via Jewish Chronicle:

The Board of Deputies has called on Labour to expel Ken Livingstone immediately, after he reiterated his views on Hitler and Zionism on live radio, using Yad Vashem to support his claims.

Five month ago, during an interview on Vanessa Feltz’s BBC London radio show, Mr Livingstone claimed that Hitler had backed Zionism, insisting that this had been a key policy when the dictator stood for elections in 1932.

He was suspended from the Labour Party following outrage at the remarks.

Today, the former London mayor, 71, returned to Ms Feltz’s popular breakfast show and repeated his claims.

Still waiting to learn whether he will be expelled from the Labour Party, Mr Livingstone said that he had strong public support – as well as considerable evidence to support his views.

He told Ms Feltz: “After I did the interview with you and I got suspended I couldn’t walk down the street for people stopping me and saying ‘we know what you said is true – don’t give in to them’.

“It’s going to be very difficult for them to expel me from the Labour party when I’ve got this whole sheaf of documents and papers which shows that what I said was true.

“The fact that during the 1930s Hitler collaborated with the Zionists and supported them because he believed that a solution to his problem – the Jews – was that they should all move to Palestine. Then in the 1940s that changed and he decided on genocide.

“And that’s the point I made on your programme. I’m just surprised that people didn’t check that it was true before they started screaming ‘Nazi apologist’.”

In response, Ms Feltz asked whether he was not simply drawing on just one book for his evidence.

Mr Livingstone said: “If you go to the Holocaust Memorial at Yad Vashem in Israel, one of the pamphlets they sell to tourists there is one that talks about the deal that was done between Hitler and the Zionists in the 1930s. If you are being given that at the Holocaust Memorial I think you might suspect it’s true.”

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