MORE NEW EUROPEAN ANTI-SEMITISM

Rabbosai, there are two things which I would bring to your attention.

One is that opposition to Israel is growing among the intelligentsia of Europe, the other is that the media is eagerly showcasing organizations that present themselves as being more politically correct versions of Jewishness.
[Well, you already knew that, didn't you?]



THE DUTCH, THE BRITISH, AND THE JEWS

The Dutch, as I already noted previously, are in the forefront of both of these trends. Already a substantial number of Netherlanders believe that Hamas and Hezbollah are legitimate resistance organizations, the US is a fascist entity, and that Israel's (continued)existence is due to Jewish power, Jewish racialism, and continued Jewish brutality towards the Palestinians.
It should be no secret that they are not alone among the Europeans in thinking so - the French have certainly not hidden that opinion (and it was one of their diplomats who refered to Israel as "that shitty little country", and said that they were a danger to the world), nor have the Germans or the Scandinavians.


Britain, with well over three hundred thousand Jews, is also part of this growing phenomenon. With many British citizens openly and venomously biased against Jews and Israel, it should come as no surprise that well-adjusted and integrated Jews in England sometimes give in to societal pressures, and, perhaps seeking the approval of their fellow citizens, or perhaps affected by a version of Stockholm syndrome, start speaking out against Israel.

[One could also argue that these are often the least Jewish of Jews, being largely secular, or the most vulnerable of Jews, being largely blended-in and dependent upon their Gentile peers for validation and networking, or in fact merely a loud contrarian minority which instinctively tilts at windmills. All of this would be valid. But in that the media and intelligentsia give so much attention to these people, in order to validate and justify their own biases and bigotries against Jews and Israel, it is perhaps better to highlight the issues they have raised rather than to discuss their issues which require therapy.]



NRC HANDELSBLAD ARTICLE

Underneath is an article about a new British organization (the IJV) from the NRC Handelsblad, which is the mainstream Dutch newspaper that tends toward a more balanced and nuanced view of politics and business, and which is in consequence characterized by the extreme left in the Netherlands as the 'voice of the rightwing and fascist-imperialist-hegemonist classes' (yes, I am very familiar with old-style Marxist polemics).


My translation is in square brackets underneath each segment.


Note several things.
Firstly, it is a puff-piece, superficial and clearly favourable about the IJV.
Three well-known Jews are mentioned as supporting the organization (creating the impression that thoughtful intellectuals are behind it).
Mention of AIPAC is in a biased form, and is immediately followed by mention of a 'Jewish financier' (can you say old-fashioned trope?).
Israel is presented as inflexible, unco-operative, and militaristic.
There is almost no hint even that the Palestinians and their behaviour are part of the problem, nor mention of attacks or Arab support for violence.

[Oh heck, read it yourself. You'll undoubtedly see how it seeks to incline the reader favourably towards the IJV as a more legitimate voice than any pro-Israel group. ]


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


‘Kritiek op Israël geldt meteen als verraad’
["Criticism of Israel counts immediately as betrayal"]

Britse organisatie gaat zich beijveren voor een onafhankelijk joods geluid
[British organization will exert itself for an independent Jewish voice]


In Londen vond gisteren de eerste bijeenkomst plaats van een joodse organisatie die niet zomaar de koers van Israël wil varen. De organisatie moet vooral argwaan overwinnen van andere joden.

[In London the first meeting of a Jewish organization which aims at not blindly supporting Israel took place yesterday. The organization needs to especially counter the distrust of other Jews.]


Door onze correspondent Floris van Straaten
[By our correspondent Floris van Straaten]



Londen, 20 febr. Louter kritiek op Israël en geen kwaad woord over de Palestijnen. „Het is onthutsend", vindt Neil Singer, een van de vele Britse joden die het woord nemen op de eerste publieke bijeenkomst van de Onafhankelijke Joodse Stemmen (IJV) in Londen. „Of jullie het accepteren of niet, Israël vecht ook voor jullie", houdt hij de volgepakte zaal voor.

[London, 20 February. Only criticism of Israel but not a bad word about the Palestinians. "It is disconcerting", opines Neil Singer, one of the mainy British Jews speaking at the first public assembly of Independent Jewish Voices in London. "Whether you accept it or not, Israel is also fighting for you", he insists to the packed auditorium.]



Dat is nu precies wat de oprichters van IJV, een groep Brits-joodse intellectuelen, bestrijden. Zij ergeren zich al langer aan de wijze waarop de Israëlische regering er voetstoots van uitgaat dat ze namens alle joden in de wereld kan spreken. Hun geduld was op, toen premier Ehud Olmert afgelopen zomer tijdens de omstreden interventie tegen Hezbollah in Libanon verklaarde: „Ik geloof dat dit een oorlog is die door alle joden wordt gevoerd."

[But that is precisely what the founders of IJV disagree with. They have long been upset that the Israeli government presumes to speak for all of the world's Jews. Their patience came to an end last summer, when prime-minister Ehud Olmert declared during the controversial intervention against Hezbollah in Lebanon "I believe that this is a war waged by all Jews everywhere".]



Ook de huns inziens slaafse wijze waarop de belangrijkste Britse joodse organisatie, de Raad van Afgevaardigden van Britse joden, zich steeds achter de Israëlische regering schaarde was hun een doorn in het oog. Daarom publiceerden ze deze maand een manifest, waarin ze ervoor pleiten ook andere geluiden te laten horen „zonder beschuldigingen op te lopen van verraad".

[And further, the in their eyes slavish way in which the most important organization of British Jews, the Board of Deputies of British Jews, always supports the Israeli government, was a thorn in the eye. So they published a declaration this month in which they argue that other voices should be heard "without there being accusations of betrayal".]



De vredesonderhandelingen met de Palestijnen dienen zo snel mogelijk te worden hervat. „We verzetten ons tegen elke poging van de Israëlische regering om haar eigen oplossingen op te leggen aan de Palestijnen", aldus de opstellers van het manifest. „De lessen die we hebben geleerd uit onze eigen geschiedenis dwingen ons ons uit te spreken."

[Peace talks with the Palestinians need to be immediately recommenced. "We resist every attempt by the Israeli government to impose their own solutions upon the Palestinians", according to the composers of the manifesto. "The lessons we learned from our own history force us to speak out".]



De IJV kreeg meteen warme steun van veel joodse prominenten onder wie toneelschrijver Harold Pinter, acteur Stephen Fry en historicus Eric Hobsbawn. In de Jewish Chronicle, een weekblad dat kritisch staat tegenover het IJV-initiatief, vroegen sommige lezers zich echter smalend af wie dit groepje intellectuelen nu eigenlijk vertegenwoordigt. Ze betwistten ook dat er in de bestaande organisaties geen ruimte is voor kritiek op Israël.

[The IJV immediately received enthusiastic encouragement from many prominent Jews, among them playwright Harold Pinter, actor Stephen Fry, and historian Eric Hobsbawn. In the Jewish Chronicle, a weekly paper that is critical of the IJV initiative, some readers wondered sneeringly who this little group of intellectuals actually represent. They also dispute that there is no scope within existing organizations for criticism of Israel.]



Toch is duidelijk dat er iets broeit in de joodse diaspora, niet alleen onder de 350.000 Britse joden maar ook elders. In de Verenigde Staten wordt met steun van de financier George Soros gewerkt aan een lobbygroep, die tegenwicht kan bieden aan AIPAC, een machtige lobby-organisatie die de Israëlische regering bijna onvoorwaardelijk steunt. In Australië zijn joodse ‘dissidenten’ bezig zich te organiseren uit onvrede met de manier waarop bestaande organisaties opereren. En in Nederland werd begin 2001 Een Ander Joods Geluid opgericht.

[Evenso it is clear that something is afoot in the Jewish diaspora, not only among the 350,000 British Jews, but also elsewhere. In the US, with the support of financier George Soros, a lobby is being formed to counterbalance AIPAC, (which is) a powerful Lobby that supports the Israeli government almost unconditionally . In Australia Jewish dissidents are busy organizing because of their dissatisfaction with the manner in which existing organizations operate. And in the Netherlands a Different Jewish Sound (Een Ander Joods Geluid) was founded in the beginning of 2001.]



Maar de zaak ligt uitermate gevoelig, zoals gisteravond in Londen bleek. Ook de meeste critici van Israël ontkennen niet dat het land een wezenlijk bestanddeel vormt van de joodse identiteit. Maar betekent dat dat joden in het buitenland altijd de Israëlische regering moeten steunen? Hartstochtelijk betoogden aanhangers van de IJV dat Israël moet aankondigen dat het bereid is de Westelijke Jordaanoever te ontruimen. „Het geweld zal pas stoppen wanneer de bezetting eindigt", aldus een van hen. „Je kunt net zo goed meteen de hele boel overdragen aan Hamas", roept een ander woedend. „Als Israël ook maar één centimeter toegeeft, vragen de Arabieren meteen de volgende", roept weer een ander.

[But these are extremely sensitive issues, as became evident yesterday evening in London. Even the majority of the critics of Israel do not deny that the country is a significant component of Jewish identity. But should that mean that Jews outside of the country always have to support the government? Hangers-on of the IJV passionately urge that Israel announce that it is ready to leave the West Bank. "The violence will only end when the occupation ends", according to one of them. "You might as well give the entire shebang to Hamas", another yells furiously. "If Israel conceds even one centimeter, the Arabs immediately demand another", yet another one screams.]



Even valt de zaal stil wanneer een voormalige piloot van de Israëlische luchtmacht het woord neemt. Hij legt uit dat hij op een gegeven moment tot de conclusie kwam dat hij Israël geen dienst bewees door bommen op doelen in de Gazastrook te gooien. „Ik werd ontslagen en ben nu tuinman hier in Engeland", zegt hij. „Het belangrijkste probleem ligt bij onszelf. Wanneer je je uitspreekt word je meteen als een verrader beschouwd."

[For a moment the hall falls silent as a former pilot of the Israeli Airforce speaks. He explains that at a given moment he came to the conclusion that he gave no service to Israel by dropping bombs on targets in the Gaza Strip. "I was discharged, and am now a gardner in England", he says. "The most important problem lies with ourselves. When you speak out you are immediately considered a traitor".]



Dat laatste irriteert de oprichters van IJV in hoge mate. Brian Klug, die filosofie doceert aan St Benet’s Hall in Oxford, noemt het „een gotspe" te suggereren dat joden die buiten de bestaande joodse organisaties om van zich laten horen „marginale joden" zouden zijn. Zijn collega-oprichter Jacqueline Rose maant de joden in het algemeen zich niet altijd als slachtoffer te blijven zien.

[That last bit hugely irritates the founders of IJV. Brian Klug, who teaches philosophy at St. Benet's Hall in Oxford, calls it a chutzpah to suggest that Jews who express themselves outside of existing organizations are "marginal Jews". His colleague and co-founder Jacqueline Rose urges Jews in general to not always continue seeing themselves as victims.]



Sommige sprekers toonden zich niet zo zeer teleurgesteld over de standpunten van de IJV als wel over het gebrek aan duidelijkheid omtrent de missie van de nieuwe organisatie. Ze raakten hiermee een zwakke plek. De oprichters bleken meer concrete ideeën te hebben over de vraag hoe het vredesproces in Israël weer op gang kan worden gebracht dan over manieren hoe ze hun eigen organisatie verder gestalte kunnen geven.

[Some speakers showed themselves disappointed not so much by the points (aims) of the IJV as the lack of clarity regarding the mission of the new organization. With this, they touch upon a weakness. The founders turned out to have more concrete ideas regarding the resumption of the peace proces in Israel than about ways to further develop their own organization.]


20 februari 2007



Source:
http://www.nrc.nl/buitenland/article635398.ece/Kritiek_op_Israel_geldt_meteen_als_verraad


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Addendum: Independent Jewish Voices

The Independent Jewish Voices website:
http://www.ijv.org.uk/



The Independent Jewish Voices Org claims five lofty principles.


1. Human rights are universal and indivisible and should be upheld without exception. This is as applicable in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories as it is elsewhere.

[One can live safely and enjoy one's rights as an Arab in Israel, whereas a Jew in Palestinian towns, and most of the Arab world, enjoys few if any rights, and may actually be in mortal danger at all times. This alone would argue in favour of stressing the preservation of Israeli dominance in the former mandate territory. Until the Arab entities acknowledge the human rights of Israelis and Jews, it is pointless to speak of universal and indivisible rights. The first step, therefore, should come from the Arab side: acknowledge the State of Israel and recognize her diplomatically, remove the permanent state of war against Israel which has been legally maintained since 1949 and negotiate a cessation of hostilities, and remove the discriminatory statutes in place in the Arab states. From the Palestinians, what is required is full recognition of the legitimacy of Israel as a state in the former mandate territory plus dismantling of armed gangs and a cessation of race-hatred propaganda from Palestinian religious and educational institutions and agencies. These are not mere talking points, but absolute prerequisites to any actual negotiations.]


2. Palestinians and Israelis alike have the right to peaceful and secure lives.

[And it is right and good that the state of Israel do everything in its power to ensure peaceful and secure lives for her citizens in the face of constant threats and violent incidents directed towards them. How regrettable it is that many other states in that region are far less enthusiastic about their own citizens' rights to peaceful and secure lives. But rhetorical points aside, a good start would be for the Palestinians to take back their streets, mosques, and schools from the gangsters and racketeers that currently hold sway - unfortunately that includes the overwhelming majority of Palestinian organizations and civil institutions, which are little more than the fiefdoms of petty warlords and thieves.]


3. Peace and stability require the willingness of all parties to the conflict to comply with international law.

[There is not a single country in the world which allows international law to trump its own authority, and certainly there is no Arab country which adheres to international laws. This is a bogey, the only purpose of which is to place Israel at a disadvantage. It is particularly rancid that this argument shoud come from citizens of Great Britain, whose non-adherence to international standards during the days of empire was legendary, and which even now is in flagrant violation of much so-called international law.]


4. There is no justification for any form of racism, including anti-Semitism, anti-Arab racism or Islamophobia, in any circumstance.

[And it is fitting that one start by eliminating anti-Semitism from the public discourse, beginning with the British and European politicians who pander to their Islamic constituents by spewing anti-Israel and anti-Jew vitriol, and continuing with the more ignorant citizens of Britain who have so long been allowed to harbour hatred and bigotry. This is, for you English, so much closer to home than anything else that I am surprised that you do not consider it your primary mission. Please start by concentrating on your own society, and let the French worry about the Muslims.]


5. The battle against anti-Semitism is vital and is undermined whenever opposition to Israeli government policies is automatically branded as anti-Semitic.

[There is so much wrong with this thought that one scarce knows where to begin ripping it to pieces. Let it suffice to merely mention that the assertion that it is not anti-Semitic to criticise Israel assumes a priori that one MUST criticise Israel. Which gives undue attention to Israel, to such an extent even that criticism of other countries is far less voiced and far less heard - making clear that there is more to criticizing Israel than just speaking out; the point is to criticise Israel, not to speak out. Certainly opposition to Israeli government policies is not always anti-Semitic. But considering the circumstances of such criticism it is valid to consider all of it anti-Semitic unless clearly and contextually otherwise.]




Final note: The website of this new organization features links to several articles published on a Guardian website. The Guardian, as you undoubtedly realize, is one of the more stridently partisan rags in Great Britian, comparable to our own FOX in its biased reporting and opinionation, though on the opposite side of the spectrum. Any association with such a publication should serve to discredit the opinions in those articles from the get-go.
But never mind - the comment threads underneath those articles do so admirably.