EYCH NASHIR ET SHIR ADONOI AL ADMAT NECHAR?

According to an article in Arutz Sheva ('channel seven' - an Israeli news source with a pronounced settler bias), things have heated up a bit in Golus (exile).

Arutz Sheva specifically mentions Britain, Australia, and Canada.

Judging by the venom I have been reading in Dutch for the past several weeks [examples: "rassenzuivering" (ethnic cleansing) "pure haat" (pure hate) "een brute oneerlijke strijd" (a brutal dishonest military campaign) "gelegaliseerd terrorisme" (legalized terrorism) "Haat-hebbende Joden" (hateful Jews)], I suspect that the main reason Arutz Sheva mentions Britain, Australia, and Canada, is because these are English speaking nations and reports from these areas are more transparent - and that there will be similar reports from the rest of 'civilization' once the data percolates out of Dutch, French, German - all the other European languages.



Here in the Bay Area (bastion of liberalism and all that good stuff) I've been told that "there has been bloodshed in the Middle East as long as there have been Jews", and "it's always about Jews, isn't it - not even one percent of the world's population, but every day it's you people". And other sweet things.

Bear in mind that I am cautious about whom I talk to, and what I talk about.

The past month and a half have been incredibly bad PR.

The perception is that 'big bad Israel brutally picked on poor tiny defenseless Lebanon, barely recovered from the Lebanese civil war which was caused by Israel'.
[Never mind that size-wise Israel is tiddly, Hezbollah started the fracass and had been supplied by and was a front for Syria and Iran, Lebanon's civil war was caused by the PLO, and Syria pulls most of the strings in Lebanon - facts and publicity are, alas, not the same thing.]

During the height of recent hostilities, a poll in the Netherlands showed that only one third of the Dutch supported Israel, and nearly one fifth supported Hezbollah.

Let me repeat that: In a country which had been firmly pro-Israel, only one out of every three people are still pro-Israel (probably the older generation), and one out of every five people now back a terrorist organization that has killed 241 Americans, several thousand Christians, several thousand Muslims, and several hundred Israelis. One out of every five dumb-ass Kaaskoppen hopes that a bunch of murderous thugs will triumph.


Okay, I realize that that is typical emotional "enlightened" backing of a perceived underdog, combined with absolutely gut-wrenching ignorance.

I doubt that knowing that will be much comfort to many Dutch Jews. Or Dutch supporters of Israel.

There is too much gleeful (or is baleful a better word) borrowing from old habits and ideas when speaking about Jews and the Middle-East. Too much hateful idiocy.

The phrase "Falastin baladna w'al Yahud kalabna" (Palestine is our land, and the Jews are our dogs) showed up on the weblog of a Dutch member of parliament in July (in the comments, but Anja Meulenbelt removes comments she disagrees with - it was still there several weeks after people had complained and she was apprised of its meaning).

[Note I: The comment mentioned above on the weblog of Anja Meulenbelt is the fourth one underneath the posting here: http://anjameulenbelt.sp.nl/weblog/2006/07/16/bij-elkaar-in-woede/#comments.
Anja Meulenbelt's blog is here: http://anjameulenbelt.sp.nl/weblog/. Most of it is in Dutch, most of it is pro-Palestinian propaganda.
What can I say? The Dutch left-wing is anti-Semitic (yes, I know all the hackneyed old assertions that one should be able to criticize Israel without being accused of anti-Semitism - I've heard you folks for years, and I no longer accept that crap), the Dutch Socialist Party is utterly reprehensible in that regard, and Anja Meulenbelt is monumentally frustrated that not everyone worships her gand, so she's getting rid of her bile in the only way she can - by squawking and scratching.]

[Note II: That phrase was first recorded when the mobs rampaged through the Jewish quarter in Hebron in 1929. It cropped up periodically since then, especially in the circles of the Mufti and his followers. It has resurged. I have heard it yelled during demonstrations, and applauded by Berkeleyites.]

The discourse, such as it is, is diseased.

I really have to wonder if much of the rest of the "civilized world" has managed to avoid infection, whether there is a difference between urban Europe and the small towns and villages, and whether any of the European governments has come right out and said that they will not tolerate extremist positions or anti-Semitism.

Being a pessimist, I rather fear not.


Extract of article below, plus link.

----------------------------------------

Anti-Semitic Hate Wave Rolls Across Britain and Australia Wednesday, September 6, 2006 / 13 Elul 5766

The month of July was one of the worst, in terms of anti-Semitism, in both England and Australia. In Canada, as well, Jewish leaders are concerned.

TheAge.com in Australia reports that anti-Semitism is on the rise across university campuses in the country. Grahame Leonard, the president of the Executive Council of Australian Jewry, says July had the most anti-Semitic incidents - no fewer than 141 - since records began in 1945. Never before had there been more than some 90. The July attacks included phone calls, hate e-mails and graffiti, as well as violent incidents - with the big jump being on campuses in Victoria.

-------[cut]-------

In Britain, as well, The Times of London reports that attacks on Jews have soared, and that even the national government has taken notice. On Thursday, an all-party parliamentary inquiry will state that anti-Semitic violence has become endemic in Britain, both on the streets and university campuses. The report will call for urgent action from the Government, the police and educational establishments.

-------[cut]-------

There have been several attacks in various Jewish neighborhoods in London of late. In one incident last month, a Jewish restaurant in Golders Green was targeted by two young men who threw chairs, punched workers and threatened to kill the owner, Ruth Cohen, with a knife. In Hampstead Garden Suburb, swastikas and the words "Allah" and "Kill all Jews" were daubed on the house and car of a local Jewish doctor.

More recently, a 12-year-old Jewish girl was stomped upon and brutally kicked on a public bus in London. Accosted and asked if she was Jewish, she replied, "I'm English." Unimpressed, four girls, accompanied by three boys, then pushed her to the floor, stomped on her face and repeatedly kicked her.

http://www.israelnationalnews.com/news.php3?id=111514

----------------------------------------
----------------------------------------

APPENDIX:

Anja Meulenbelt is not the only anti-Semitic Harpy in the Netherlands, surely you remember Mrs. Gretta Duisenberg?

Let me refresh your ire, by quoting the woman.

Gretta, talking about the abduction of the soldiers: "Ik keur die ontvoeringen goed. Dit is hun (Hezbollah) enige manier om gevangenen vrij te krijgen. Wat me razend maakt is dat Nederland nu geen troepen wil sturen omdat ze bang zijn een jood te raken."
[Translation: 'I approve of the abductions, this is the only way to get prisoners released. What infuriates me is that the Netherlands doesn't want to send troops now because they're scared of hitting a Jew'.]

Gretta, talking about Hamas notable Osama Hamdan: "Wat een vriendelijke man, hè? Je hoort gewoon dat hij meent wat hij zegt. Israeli’s daarentegen liegen altijd. Dat zie je aan die koppen. Schoften zijn het."
[Translation: 'What a friendly man, eh? You can just hear that he means what he says. Israelis, on the other hand, always lie. You can tell that from their heads - they're scum. ']


Lest you think that it is only neurotic swamp-trull gorgons getting their soiled knickers in a twist or spewing slime, here's ex-ambassador Jan Wijenberg talking about the recent conflict: "...Israel is een terreurstaat en dit is het bewijs".
[Translation: 'Israel is a terrorist state, and this is proof'.]


Both Mrs. Duisenberg and ambassador Wijenberg are leaders in the PPMS, a Dutch pro-Palestinian organization.