Palestinian flags being waved at Britain’s annual Labour Party conference in Liverpool on Tuesday. It is not a foreign policy conference. The flags of no other countries were waved, not even the British one. Labour have a good chance of forming the next government of the UK, a permanent member of the UN Security Council.
I attach a TV interview with me from last night, and an article published today, in which I unearth a quote from 1854 about Jerusalem.
How many of you will correctly guess who said it?
-- Tom Gross
TV INTERVIEW ABOUT EVENTS AT THE LABOUR PARTY CONFERENCE
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C9H5V3Hn1U8
THERE WERE NO BRITISH FLAGS TO BE SEEN
The TV pictures with the interview above don’t show the sea of Palestinian flags at the Labour party annual conference yesterday. You can see them here
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OexGCL4O6CE
Or here: https://www.bbc.com/news/uk-politics-45634379
At this week’s Labour conference, there were no mass flag wavings for the Kurds or Tibetans or Baluchis or Catalans or Abkhazians or South Ossetians or Western Saharans or Nagorno-Karabakh Azeris, or Chechens or Papuans, or the more than 100 other independence movements throughout the world.
(In case the BBC forgot to report on it, over 500,000 Papuans have been killed, and thousands more have been raped, tortured and imprisoned by the Indonesian military in the last 50 years.)
There were no mention of Syria or Yemen, where millions of children are starving.
There were no British flags anywhere to be seen among delegates (below).
WHO WROTE THIS IN 1854 ABOUT JERUSALEM?
Does Corbyn know who wrote this about Jerusalem?
By Tom Gross
The Jewish Chronicle (London)
September 27, 2018
https://www.thejc.com/comment/comment/does-corbyn-know-who-wrote-this-about-jerusalem-1.470356
In the main annual (British) Labour Party conference hall in Liverpool on Wednesday it seemed there were more Palestinian flags being waved than at a Hamas rally in Gaza, or at the opening session of the Palestinian Parliament at Ramallah.
The vote by party members to debate Palestine was the fourth most popular after housing, schools, and justice for the Windrush generation. The subject of “Palestine” gained more votes (188,000) than the issues of Brexit, and the National Health Service.
The chanting by Labour activists included the Hamas and Islamic Jihad slogan “From the river to the sea, Palestine shall be free” (i.e. from the river Jordan to the Mediterranean sea, including Tel Aviv, all of Israel should be destroyed).
One of the many lies told about Israel among left-wing Labour activists is that there were almost no Jews there before The Holocaust.
But I wonder how many of them (including Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn himself) know who wrote the following in 1854?
“The sedentary population of Jerusalem numbers about 15,500 souls, of whom 4,000 are Mussulmans [Muslims] and 8,000 Jews. The Mussulmans, forming about a fourth part of the whole, and consisting of Turks, Arabs and Moors, are, of course, the masters in every respect, as they are in no way affected with the weakness of their Government at Constantinople.
“Nothing equals the misery and the sufferings of the Jews at Jerusalem, inhabiting the most filthy quarter of the town, called hareth-el-yahoud, the quarter of dirt, between the Zion and the Moriah, where their synagogues are situated – the constant objects of Mussulman oppression and intolerance, insulted by the Greeks, persecuted by the Latins, and living only upon the scanty alms transmitted by their European brethren.”
That was Karl Marx, writing in the New York Daily Tribune, in 1854. Does Corbyn know this? Does he care?
Marx was part of a small fringe of anti-Semitic self-hating (or self-loving depending how you look at it) Jews, who have attached themselves to anti-Semites throughout history, of the kind that Corbyn likes to associate himself with today.
To cite one example of Marx’s anti-Semitism, in an article in 1856, he wrote: “We find every tyrant backed by a Jew … if there were not a handful of Jews to ransack pockets. Here and there and everywhere, there is ever one of these little Jews ready to … place a little bit of a loan.
“Thus do these loans, which are a curse to the people, a ruin to the holders, and a danger to the governments, become a blessing to the children of Judah.”
Marx was not alone among anti-Semitic Jews. The spiritual father of the fanatical incitement that led to the Spanish inquisition was Abner of Burgos, a Jew who converted to Christianity. Abner wrote “the Jews must be deprived of the easy livelihoods … they must be deprived of their autonomy and that they must be terrorized and subjected to harsh laws. Only then would they merit redemption.”
There were even some deranged Jews who supported Hitler and Stalin.
And there are still some today, including Britain’s leading Holocaust denier, Paul Eisen, with whom Corbyn has shared a platform (and even reportedly donated money). (Eisen’s brother is Israeli.)
At this week’s Labour conference, there were no mass flag wavings for the Kurds or Tibetans or Baluchis or Catalans or Abkhazians or South Ossetians or Western Saharans or Nagorno-Karabakh Azeris or Chechens or Papuans, or the more than 100 other independence movements throughout the world.
(In case the BBC forgot to report on it, over 500,000 Papuans have been killed, and thousands more have been raped, tortured and imprisoned by the Indonesian military in the last 50 years.)
There were no mention of Syria or Yemen, where millions of children are starving.
There were no British flags anywhere to be seen.
So the questions is: for a party that claims it does not want to be thought of across the world as the most anti-Semitic mainstream political party in Europe today, why do they keep promoting those that wish to kill Jews?
This is not helpful for the promotion of Middle East peace, as Britain’s first MP of Palestinian descent, Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, told the BBC earlier this month in regard to other anti-Israel slogans plastered on London bus stops by left-wing Corbyn supporters.
“I’m a Palestinian,” she said “The fact that this has come from a group that purportedly is speaking for Palestinians, I take great offence at myself, because I think it is blatantly anti-Semitic.”
(Tom Gross is a former Jerusalem correspondent for the Sunday Telegraph.)
* You can also find other items that are not in these dispatches if you “like” this page on Facebook www.facebook.com/TomGrossMedia
Pyotr Verzilov (right) of the Russian pro-democracy group Pussy Riot, who was poisoned earlier this month, with Tom Gross (left). Item below
IN HER NOVEL, J.K. ROWLING WARNS AGAINST ANTI-ZIONISM/ANTI-SEMITISM
[Note by Tom Gross]
As I noted earlier this year, in a series of posts to her 14.4 million Twitter followers, Harry Potter author J.K. Rowling has stepped up her warnings about the dangers of anti-Semitism in Britain, as Jeremy Corbyn and his allies have taken increasing control over the British Labour party.
She already felt strongly about the subject even before that, co-signing this letter that I helped draft and organize in 2015.
Now she has extended her warnings to her new novel titled “Lethal White,” part of her Cormoran Strike mystery series which she writes under the pen name Robert Galbraith.
The villain in her new book is a leftist political activist, Jimmy Knight, who advocates conspiracy theories about “Zionists” (i.e. Jews).
“I wouldn’t trust him if it was anything to do with Jews,” Knight’s ex-wife tells a detective in the book. “He doesn’t like them. Israel’s the root of all evil, according to Jimmy. Zionism: I got sick of the bloody sound of the word. You’d think they’d suffered enough,” she says of Jews.
A poll this month found that nearly 40 percent of British Jews would seriously consider emigrating if Corbyn became prime minister.
These other items concern human rights in general. (I already posted them on Facebook a few days ago.)
IS 1984 HERE?
Perhaps everyone should read this article about impending total state control in China, using modern technology.
Is this coming soon to your country too?
CRIMES UNDER THE LEADERSHIP OF A NOBEL LAUREATE
I also think we owe it to the two brave local Burmese Reuters journalists, Wa Lone and Kyaw Soe Oo, who earlier this month were jailed for seven years in Myanmar for daring to report on a massacre of Rohingya Muslims, to read their remarkable report here:
https://www.reuters.com/investigates/special-report/myanmar-rakhine-events/
The US, Canada, Australia and the European Union have all condemned their jailing.
More than 700,000 Rohingya have fled Myanmar to bordering Bangladesh after a campaign of rape and murder by the Myanmar government, which is led by Aung San Suu Kyi, a Nobel peace laureate.
A year ago I criticized the western media – in particular the BBC, The Financial Times, The Economist and The New York Times – for either not covering what was going on or burying the news on inside pages.
But since then there has been much more substantial coverage in these news outlets, though still not really outstanding on-the-ground reporting of the kind we have see on Britain’s Sky News, for example.
A BRAVE MAN IS POISONED
I wish a swift and full recovery to Pyotr Verzilov, who was flown to Germany earlier this week for specialist medical treatment. Pyotr made a pro-democracy protest in the recent World Cup football final in Russia in July. He was poisoned in Moscow eight days ago, partially losing his sight, speech and ability to walk. He remains critically ill.
Pyotr is a central activist in the Russian pro-democracy group and band Pussy Riot, and is the former husband of lead Pussy Riot singer Nadya Tolokonnikova, who was previously imprisoned in Siberia.
I’ve had dinner with Pyotr Verzilov in the past, and found him to be charming, upbeat, committed, bright and brave.
He is being advised that he may be killed if he returns to Russia, and may now move to Canada, which has previously granted him citizenship.
* You can also find other items that are not in these dispatches if you “like” this page on Facebook www.facebook.com/TomGrossMedia
A Russian Air Force Ilyushin Il-20 of the kind that was downed by Syria’s Assad regime while both Israel and France, and possibly Britain, were conducting military operations over Syria’s Mediterranean coast last night
RUSSIA THREATENS ISRAEL WITH MILITARY RESPONSE AFTER SYRIA DOWNS RUSSIAN PLANE IN FRIENDLY FIRE
[Note by Tom Gross]
I attach five official Russian reports from the Tass news agency, from mid-morning, lunchtime and early afternoon today, threatening military retaliation against Israel after a Russian military Ilyushin-20 jet was shot down overnight by Syria’s Assad regime in what appears to be an act of friendly fire. The fifth and most recent report (from 2 pm Moscow time) also blames France, although this is Tass quoting a Russian military expert, not the Russian military itself.
The Russian military claims Israel used the Russian jet as cover while hitting Syrian-Iranian-Hezbollah chemical weapons producing facilities in Syria.
Russia alleges that an Israeli plane swooped in to hit chemical weapons facilities without sufficient warning to give Russia time to get their aircraft out of the line of Syrian anti-aircraft fire.
“A hotline warning was received less than one minute before the strike, which left no chance for getting the Russian plane to safety,” reports Tass.
Defense Ministry Spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov told Tass:
“We view these provocative steps by Israel as hostile. Due to the Israeli military’s irresponsible actions 15 Russian servicemen were killed. This is absolutely against the spirit of the Russian-Israeli partnership. We reserve the right to take adequate tit-for-tat steps.”
ISRAEL: OUR PLANES WERE IN ISRAELI AIRSPACE
The IDF has responded as follows on twitter:
https://twitter.com/IDFSpokesperson/status/1042016251596496896?s=19
2. When the Syrian Army launched the missiles that hit the Russian plane, IAF jets were already within Israeli airspace.
3. During the strike against the target in Latakia, the Russian plane that was then hit was not within the area of the operation.
RUSSIAN MILITARY NEEDS TO BLAME SOMEONE FOR ITS ERROR, CHOOSES ISRAEL
In its official statements, Russia’s Ministry of Defense not only blamed Israel for attacking Syria, but also claimed that a French naval vessel sailing near Syria’s coast had fired missiles. France denied any involvement in the downing of the Russian Ilyushin Il-20, but did not deny launching missiles last night.
According to reports, British Royal Air Force aircraft were also involved off Syria’s coast last night.
Last month France, Britain and the United States warned Syrian President Bashar Assad that they would use military force if they had evidence that Assad and his Iranian allies were once again preparing to use chemical weapons against Syrian civilians, this time in their upcoming campaign in the breakaway province of Idlib, home to over three million internal Syrian refugees.
The five Tass reports are somewhat repetitive but I attach them all below, for the record. After that I attach a more substantive analysis published this afternoon by the Israeli paper Haaretz, which says:
“Whatever the causes, Israel may have to limit itself in the upcoming weeks and months. The Russians know the truth [that they and their Syrian allies screwed up], but in public have to blame someone [Israel] for their high-profile setback and human tragedy. They can’t blame their Syrian allies.
“Israel will have to take the rap in public, but if the close relationship between Netanyahu and Putin is anything to go by, they’ll find a way to get over this and Israeli aircraft will again be striking Iranian targets in Syria in the not-too-distant future.”
PUTIN MOVES TO CALM TENSIONS WITH ISRAEL
Tom Gross adds:
Russia may also wish to stop its Iranian allies from bringing in arms shipments to Syria of the kind Israel was hitting.
Assad’s S-200 anti-aircraft missiles that shot down the Russian military jet were supplied by the Russian military themselves to the Syrians.
Russian President Vladimir Putin, seeking to calm tensions with Israel, has in the last few minutes distanced himself from the threats of his military officials.
In remarks to reporters, Dmitry Peskov, spokesman for Putin, stopped short of blaming Israel for the incident, which the Russian military and the defense minister have done.
ARTICLES
SYRIA DOWNED RUSSIA’S PLANE BECAUSE ISRAELI F-16S USED IT AS COVER – RUSSIAN TOP BRASS
Syria downed Russia’s plane because Israeli F-16s used it as cover – Russian top brass
The bombing raid was not far from France’s frigate The Auvergne
September 18, 11:12 UTC+3
http://tass.com/defense/1022031
MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. A Russian military Ilyushin-20 aircraft was shot down by Syria’s air defense over the Mediterranean Sea because Israel’s F-16 fighters used it as cover, Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Igor Konashenkov told the media on Tuesday.
French military deny their involvement in incident with Russia’s plane in Syria – reports
“By using the Russian plane as cover the Israeli air pilots made it vulnerable to Syrian air defense fire. As a result, the Ilyushin-20, its reflective surface being far greater than that of the F-16, was downed by a missile launched with the S-200 system,” Konashenkov said.
Konashenkov said four F-16s from the Israeli Air Force carried out a strike with guided air missiles against Syrian facilities in the area of Latakia at about 22:00 on September 17. The fighters approached the target from the Mediterranean at a low altitude.
The Israeli planes deliberately created a dangerous situation for surface ships and aircraft in that area, he stated.
“The bombing raid was near the French frigate The Auvergne and in close proximity to the Ilyushin-20 plane from Russia’s Aerospace Force that was about to land,” Konashenkov said.
He pointed out that the Israeli command centers and the F-16s’ pilots “could not but see the Russian plane, which was approaching the runway from an altitude of five kilometers.”
“Nevertheless they deliberately staged this provocation,” he stressed.
According to Konashenkov, Israel had issued no warning to the command of the Russian military group in Syria of the forthcoming operation.
“A hotline warning was received less than one minute before the strike, which left no chance for getting the Russian plane to safety,” he added.
RUSSIAN MILITARY VOW RETALIATION AGAINST ISRAELI HOSTILE STEPS FOLLOWING JET’S CRASH
Russian military vow retaliation against Israeli hostile steps following jet’s crash
The general said a search and rescue operation was underway near the Il-20
jet’s crash site
September 18, 12:32 UTC+3
http://tass.com/world/1022036
MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Moscow views Israeli steps, which led to the downing of Russian military jet Il-20 over the Mediterranean Sea, as hostile and reserves the right to retaliate, Defense Ministry Spokesman Maj.-Gen. Igor Konashenkov said on Tuesday.
“We view these provocative steps by Israel as hostile. Due to the Israeli military’s irresponsible actions 15 Russian servicemen were killed. This is absolutely against the spirit of the Russian-Israeli partnership,” Konashenkov said.
“We reserve the right to take adequate tit-for-tat steps,” he stressed.
The general said a search and rescue operation was underway near the Il-20 jet’s crash site.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, on September 17 at about 23:00 Moscow time (GMT + 3) contact was lost with the crew of a Russian Il-20 plane over Syria’s Mediterranean Sea coast that was returning to the Hmeymim airbase. The ministry said that the Il-20 jet vanished off the radars during the attack of four Israeli F-16 planes on Syrian facilities in the Latakia Governorate.
KREMLIN COMMENTS ON RUSSIAN MILITARY PLANE INCIDENT IN SYRIA
Kremlin comments on Russian military plane incident in Syria
Peskov refrained from making any comments or speculations regarding the
likely effects on Russia’s relations with Israel
September 18, 12:34 UTC+3
http://tass.com/politics/1022051
MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. The Kremlin promises to analyze the shooting down of Russia’s Ilyushin-20 plane and expresses concern, Russian presidential spokesman Dmitry Peskov has told the media.
“As for our plane that has been shot down, I can only say that the Kremlin is extremely worried in connection with this incident,” Peskov told the media.
He added that “the full evaluation of the incident is available in the Defense Ministry’s statement.”
Peskov refrained from any comments or speculations regarding the likely effects on Russia’s relations with Israel.
“The situation is being analyzed. The first comments have been offered in the Defense Ministry’s statement. The evaluation was unequivocal and the actions were described as provocative,” Peskov said. “There is no need for adding anything to the clear statement made by our Defense Ministry. Everything else will follow later.”
Asked if there were any plans for President Vladimir Putin’s telephone conversation with the Israeli leadership, Peskov said he had “nothing to add to what I’ve already said about the presidential timetable.”
RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTRY’S STATEMENT
Russian Defense Ministry spokesman Igor Konashenkov told the media on Tuesday that at about 22:00 on September 17 four Israeli F-16 fighter jets attacked Syrian facilities in the area of Latakia, Syria with guided bombs. The planes approached the targets from the Mediterranean at a low altitude.
“The Israeli jets used the Russian plane as a cover, thus exposing it to Syrian air defense fire. As a result, the Ilyushin-20, its reflective surface being far greater than that of Ilyushin-20, was shot down by a missile launched with the S-200 system.”
“We regard these provocative actions by Israel as hostile,” Konashenkov said. “As a result of irresponsible actions by the Israeli military 15 Russian military servicemen were killed. This by no means agrees with the spirit of Russian-Israeli partnership. We reserve the right to a proportionate response,” he added.
RUSSIAN DEFENSE MINISTER BLAMES ISRAEL FOR DOWNING MILITARY PLANE OVER MEDITERRANEAN
Russian defense minister blames Israel for downing military plane over Mediterranean
According to the Russian defense minister, the irresponsible actions by the
Israeli Air Force led to a tragedy, which claimed the lives of 15 Russian
military personnel
September 18, 12:40 UTC+3
http://tass.com/world/1022058
MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu has held a telephone call with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman, stating that Israel is solely to blame for the downing of Russia’s Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea, the Russian Defense Ministry said on Tuesday.
“The responsibility for the downing of the Russian aircraft and the death of its crew lies solely with Israel. The Russian Defense Ministry used various communication channels on numerous occasions to urge Israel to refrain from conducting airstrikes in Syria, which threaten the security of Russian military personnel,” Shoigu said.
According to the Russian defense minister, the irresponsible actions by the Israeli Air Force led to a tragedy, which claimed the lives of 15 Russian military personnel, “despite all existing agreements on preventing dangerous incidents.”
“The Russian military command [in Syria] had been notified [of the attack] one minute before the Israeli F-16 jets conducted airstrikes,” Shoigu pointed out.
“The Israeli Defense Ministry’s actions are not in the spirit of Russian-Israeli partnership so we reserve the right to take retaliatory steps,” the Russian defense chief stressed.
DOWNING OF IL-20 AIRCRAFT
Russian Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov told reporters earlier on Tuesday that around 22:00 Moscow time (19:00 GMT) on September 17, four Israeli Air Force F-16 fighter jets had carried a guided aerial bomb attack on Syrian targets near the city of Latakia. They started they target run at a low altitude from the Mediterranean Sea. “Using the Russian aircraft as a cover, Israeli pilots put it in the line of the Syrian air defense’s fire. As a result, the Il-20 plane, which has a far wider effective reflective area compared to the F-16 jets, was downed by a missile launched from an S-200 complex,” he added.
“We consider Israel’s provocative actions as hostile,” Konashenkov said.
The incident killed 15 Russian military personnel.
FRANCE PARTLY TO BLAME FOR RUSSIAN PLANE’S CRASH, SAYS MILITARY EXPERT
France partly to blame for Russian plane’s crash, says military expert
By launching cruise missiles, the French Navy’s frigate only complicated the
situation in that part of the Mediterranean Sea, says expert
September 18, 13:58 UTC+3
http://tass.com/defense/1022076
MOSCOW, September 18. /TASS/. France is partly to blame for the crash of Russia’s Ilyushin Il-20 aircraft in Syria and the death of Russian military servicemen, military expert Mikhail Khodaryonok told reporters.
Russian defense minister blames Israel for downing military plane over Mediterranean
“The French Navy’s frigate, The Auvergne, did not make the best contribution to the air situation, creating additional difficulties for Syrian air defense teams,” he said, adding that “the French frigate was in the wrong place at the wrong time.”
“By launching cruise missiles, the French Navy’s frigate only complicated the situation in that part of the Mediterranean Sea, which is already difficult. This is why the Russian Il-20 aircraft crash is partly France’s fault,” the Russian expert stressed.
According to the Russian Defense Ministry, at about 23:00 Moscow time (20:00 GMT) on September 17, contact was lost with a Russian Il-20 aircraft flying over the Mediterranean Sea back to the Russian Hmeimim air base in Syria. The ministry said the aircraft had disappeared from radar during an airstrike carried out by four Israeli F-16 fighter jets on targets in the Syrian province of Latakia.
French military deny their involvement in incident with Russia’s plane in Syria — reports
On Tuesday morning, the Russian Defense Ministry stated that the Il-20 aircraft had been accidently downed by Syrian air defenses as the Israeli F-16 jets had been using it as a cover. According to Defense Ministry Spokesman Major General Igor Konashenkov, Israeli pilots “could not but see the Russian plane, which was approaching the runway from an altitude of five kilometers.” The ministry added that it considered such actions by Israel to be hostile.
Later in the day, Russian Defense Minister Sergei Shoigu held a telephone call with his Israeli counterpart Avigdor Lieberman, stating that Israel was solely to blame for the downing of Russia’s Il-20 aircraft over the Mediterranean Sea. “The Israeli Defense Ministry’s actions are not in the spirit of Russian-Israeli partnership so we reserve the right to take retaliatory steps,” the Russian defense chief stressed.
ANALYSIS: IN RUSH TO BLAME ISRAEL FOR DOWNED PLANE NEAR LATAKIA, RUSSIA MAY BE CONDUCTING FACE-SAVING OP
In Rush to Blame Israel for Downed Plane Near Latakia, Russia May Be Conducting Face-saving Op
Something strange was definitely in the air over Syria on Monday night, with British and French forces both reportedly present – but Israel may now have to lay low for a while and let Russian pride recover
Analysis
By Anshel Pfeffer
Haaretz
September 18, 2018
The events of Monday night over Syria’s Mediterranean coast are still unclear. What is known is that a target near the city of Latakia was attacked, Syrian anti-aircraft missiles were launched against the incoming missiles and attacking aircraft, and a Russian electronic-intelligence plane flying offshore was hit and crashed into the sea, with the loss of 15 crew members.
Israeli leaders have previously acknowledged carrying out frequent attacks in Syria against Iranian-linked targets, to prevent the buildup of Iran’s Quds Force in Syria and the transfer of advance weapons system to Hezbollah. However, Israel rarely acknowledges specific attacks, and this one seems different on a number of counts from airstrikes attributed to it by foreign media.
First, it was against a target near Russia’s main base in Syria – Khmeimim air base. While such attacks aren’t entirely unprecedented, they are rare.
Second, Russia’s Ministry of Defense released official statements blaming not only Israel for attacking Syria, but also claimed that a French naval vessel sailing near Syria’s coast had fired missiles. France denied any involvement in the downing of the Russian Ilyushin Il-20, but, interestingly, did not deny launching missiles.
On August 21, France joined the United States and Great Britain in warning Syrian President Bashar Assad that it would use military force if it had evidence of any use of chemical weapons by his regime in its upcoming campaign against the rebel enclave of Idlib.
Something was obviously going on Monday night. Not only Russian and (allegedly) Israeli and French aircraft and missiles were in the air. Civilian radar also tracked British Royal Air Force aircraft, which, unusually, had switched on their transponders and gone into holding patterns – most likely to avoid being somehow involved in the exchange of fire over Latakia. The Ilyushin Il-20 was not so fortunate.
The Russian statements were unusually detailed and quick to apportion blame – to the Syrians for actually shooting down their plane. And to Israel for “intentionally creating a dangerous situation” that allowed it to happen, and for warning them about the impending attack only “one minute” in advance.
There is little reason to doubt the basic details. Israel likely carried out the airstrike (France’s involvement remains an intriguing and still undeciphered element); Russia was given advance warning (whether or not this was sufficient will remain the sticking point); and the Ilyushin plane was almost certainly caught in the line of fire of Syrian anti-aircraft missiles.
But the Russian accusation seems, on the face of it, rather disingenuous.
At all levels of the Israeli political and military establishment – from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu downward – great care has been taken to avoid any friction with the Kremlin and Russian forces operating in Syria since September 2015. The “deconfliction” process between the Israeli and Russian air forces, including a hotline between Russia’s operation centers at the Khmeimim air base and Israel Air Force headquarters in Tel Aviv, has been in place for three years and by all accounts has worked well. Misunderstandings have been quickly resolved in private.
It is hard to imagine Israel risking its arrangement with Russian President Vladimir Putin, which has allowed it free rein to operate against Iranian targets in Syria. Russian forces have been given advance warning of airstrikes, and they have kept clear. It could be that this specific target and its location warranted jeopardizing that arrangement, but this seems highly unlikely. And there are other, more likely causes for the Ilyushin’s loss.
The Syrian and Russian air forces and air-defense batteries work together, in joint operation rooms and air-traffic control centers. The Syrians use Russian-made aircraft and missiles. The Ilyushin would have been equipped with IFF (identification, friend or foe) transponders and both militaries will have procedures to prevent “friendly fire” incidents. A Syrian anti-aircraft missile, made in Russia, should not have shot down a friendly Russian aircraft.
The incident could have been caused in part by (intentionally) late notification by Israel – but it certainly was a screwup between the Russian and Syrian allies. The British aircraft in the area seemed to be prepared to keep out of trouble, so why not the Russians?
The speed with which Russia rushed to blame Israel, before a proper operational investigation of Monday night’s events could be held, points to a screwup of the kind Russia never likes to admit to in public.
The military professionals on either side will know the truth, though. Was Israel slower than usual in notifying its Russian counterparts? Or was the main cause of the Ilyushin loss a technical glitch or faulty procedures on the Syrian or Russian side? It could have been a combination of factors.
Whatever the causes, Israel may have to limit itself in the upcoming weeks and months. The Russians know the truth, but in public have to blame someone for their high-profile setback and human tragedy. They can’t blame their Syrian allies.
Israel will have to take the rap in public, but if the close relationship between Netanyahu and Putin is anything to go by, they’ll find a way to get over this and Israeli aircraft will again be striking Iranian targets in Syria in the not-too-distant future.
* You can also find other items that are not in these dispatches if you “like” this page on Facebook www.facebook.com/TomGrossMedia
A villa belonging to one of the more wealthy Palestinians on the West Bank
HAMAS: WE MAY BE READY TO ACCEPT INTERIM PALESTINIAN STATE ON 67-BORDERS
[Note by Tom Gross]
I attach three articles below.
The first was posted yesterday on Hamas’s website, which I monitor sometimes. It is a further indication that Hamas may be about to agree to a long-term ceasefire with Israel.
This is partly the result of Israel’s robust military defense against Hamas’ attacks earlier this year (for which many people criticized Israel) and partly a result of the Trump administration making massive financial donations to the Palestinians much more contingent on their agreeing to enter peace talks with Israel.
On the other hand, Hamas makes clear in its statement that it would only be a ceasefire, and it has not abandoned its aim of destroying Israel.
Nevertheless, such a ceasefire may eventually morph into a much longer-term (hopefully, indefinite) cessation of hostilities.
US GOVERNMENT MOVES TO PUSH BACK AGAINST AMERICAN COLLEGE ANTI-SEMITISM
The second piece, from the New York Times, reports on an important decision by the Trump administration that mirrors the discussion in Britain around the IHRA definition of anti-Semitism.
However, true to form, the New York Times reporting is very slanted in this news article and does not properly explain the issue.
The Times writes:
The new head of civil rights at the Education Department has reopened a seven-year-old case brought by a Zionist group against Rutgers University, saying the Obama administration, in closing the case, ignored evidence that suggested the school allowed a hostile environment for Jewish students…
The move by Kenneth L. Marcus, the assistant secretary of education for civil rights and a longtime opponent of Palestinian rights causes, signaled a significant policy shift … that targets opponents of Zionism, and it explicitly defines Judaism as not only a religion but also an ethnic origin…
In so doing, the Education Department embraced Judaism as an ethnicity and adopted a hotly contested definition of anti-Semitism that included “denying the Jewish people the right to self-determination” by, for example, “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “applying double standards by requiring of” Israel “a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.”
Tom Gross adds: The New York Times fails to inform its readers that this is the IHRA definition, almost universally accepted around the world (except by some extreme left wing anti-Semites in Britain and by neo-Nazis elsewhere).
Tom Gross writes: Many, if not most Jews in the world regard their identity as ethnic and cultural as much, if not more so, than religious.
The NYT then adds this extraordinarily misleading sentence:
“In effect, Arab-American activists say, the government is declaring the Palestinian cause anti-Semitic.”
A reader (JH) writes: “Arab-American activists say, the government is declaring the Palestinian cause anti-Semitic” and in so doing outing the Palestinian cause for what it is. Until it becomes a cause for mutual recognition and peace it is a racist bigoted movement.
The third below piece is by President Erdoğan of Turkey, writing in the Wall Street Journal about Syria. For once, I generally agree with him.
ARTICLES
“HAMAS NEW CHARTER IS REFLECTIVE OF DEVELOPMENT”
Hamas new charter is reflective of development
11 September, 2018
http://hamas.ps/en/post/1532/hamas-new-charter-is-reflective-of-development
Hamas expressed its natural intellectual development over the past 30 years in the Document of Principles and Policies, former Chief of Hamas Political Bureau Khalid Meshal stated.
In a televised interview with Al-Jazeera TV Channel on Monday evening, Meshal confirmed that the Hamas new charter highlighted a specific era; it was composed to reflect the movement’s intellectual and political advancement.
Meshal clarified that the movement did not repudiate its original charter, but rather adhered to its principle, and furthermore, expressed its change with new principles in the new document.
Not like others, Hamas would never alter its core principles, Mesahl added.
Intellectual development
Meshal stressed that political development of Hamas came as a fruit of the movement’s reaction to the status quo ahead of Arab Spring and this was highlighted through the Document of Principles and Policies, exactly as the movement has done at different situations and periods when it had expressed its stances about them.
He emphasized that there is no contradiction in the new charter, but that the points of contentions appeared due to the diverse viewpoints and readings of others is a natural phenomenon.
The Hamas’ leader demonstrated that the new document was not a strategic or tactic change, it is ‘a natural and mature change’ based on balanced principles, rather.
Interim Palestinian state on 67-borders
Meshal confirmed that Hamas had not made any concessions regarding the interim Palestinian state on pre-1967 boundaries, but it put forward this proposal to pave the ground for national consensus, noting that the movement had adopted the option of resistance to restore the Palestinian lands and rights.
If an interim Palestinian state on 67-borders was established, he explained, Hamas would not waive the Palestinians’ claim or the rest of their occupied territories or recognize the Israeli Occupation as a state.
He added that the Israeli Occupation would not grant the Palestinians their territories or sovereignty unless it is forced to do so, as what happened when the resistence derived it out the Gaza Strip in 2005.
“The new document highlighted the cumulative development of Hamas’ political performance without waiving the national constants,” Meshal added noting that his movement had reacted positively to the status que.
He stated that Hamas would not normalize ties with any side at the expense of its national constants.
Hamas had entered into indirect negotiations with the Israeli Occupation to hammer out a ceasefire agreement and a new ‘prisoner swap deal’ through Arab and foreign mediators, he continued.
Meshal stressed that legitimacy is not granted by the international community or the Israeli Occupation, but through the polls in a clear reference to Hamas’ triumph in the 2006 parliamentary elections.
National Unity
Meshal stressed that taking the Palestinian decisions should be made jointly and this requires achieving the Palestinian unity. The movement had made everything possible to bring about reconciliation, but the PA met these concessions with sanctions on the Gaza Strip.
The PA’s leadership in Ramallah committed a grave mistake when it imposed the sanctions on the beleaguered strip, and they had paved the way for “the deal of the century” by doing so, Meshal concluded.
EDUCATION DEPT. REOPENS RUTGERS CASE CHARGING DISCRIMINATION AGAINST JEWISH STUDENTS
Education Dept. Reopens Rutgers Case Charging Discrimination Against Jewish Students
By Erica L. Green
The New York Times
Sept. 11, 2018
The new head of civil rights at the Education Department has reopened a seven-year-old case brought by a Zionist group against Rutgers University, saying the Obama administration, in closing the case, ignored evidence that suggested the school allowed a hostile environment for Jewish students.
The move by Kenneth L. Marcus, the assistant secretary of education for civil rights and a longtime opponent of Palestinian rights causes, signaled a significant policy shift on civil rights enforcement — and injected federal authority in the contentious fights over Israel that have divided campuses across the country. It also put the weight of the federal government behind a definition of anti-Semitism that targets opponents of Zionism, and it explicitly defines Judaism as not only a religion but also an ethnic origin.
And it comes after the Trump administration moved the American Embassy in Israel from Tel Aviv to Jerusalem, moved to cut off aid to the Palestinian Authority and announced the closing of the Palestine Liberation Organization’s office in Washington.
In a letter to the Zionist Organization of America, obtained by The New York Times, Mr. Marcus said he would vacate a 2014 decision by the Obama administration and re-examine the conservative Jewish group’s cause not as a case of religious freedom but as possible discrimination against an ethnic group.
In so doing, the Education Department embraced Judaism as an ethnicity and adopted a hotly contested definition of anti-Semitism that included “denying the Jewish people the right to self-determination” by, for example, “claiming that the existence of a State of Israel is a racist endeavor” and “applying double standards by requiring of” Israel “a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.”
In effect, Arab-American activists say, the government is declaring the Palestinian cause anti-Semitic.
Liz Hill, a spokeswoman for the Education Department, said that although the Office for Civil Rights does not have jurisdiction over religious discrimination, the office “aggressively enforces” civil rights law, “which prohibits discrimination on the basis of race, ethnicity or national origin.”
Education Secretary Betsy DeVos “has made clear that O.C.R. will look at the specific facts of each case and make determinations accordingly,” Ms. Hill said. “The facts in this case, many of which were disregarded by the previous administration, are troubling.”
A spokeswoman for Rutgers said the university had not received official notification from the Education Department yet, but “as always, we would certainly cooperate with the Department of Education should they decide to review the decision.” The letter is dated Aug. 27 but received no public notice.
When the initial complaint was filed in April 2011, the school had been trying to address brewing tensions over the B.D.S. movement — which advocates boycotting, divesting from and sanctioning Israel — that was roiling college campuses.
That month, the school hosted Omar Barghouti, a founding member of the Palestinian Campaign for the Academic and Cultural Boycott of Israel, and after his speech, in which he called for the university to distance itself from Israel, the school issued a statement assuring the college’s Hillel group that it would not, according to published reports.
And when the complaint was filed, a spokesman told the New Jersey Jewish News that the claims in the complaint by the Zionist Organization of America were “contrary to the true values of Rutgers University and are not supported by the facts.”
Mr. Marcus, who was confirmed in June, was tapped to lead the Office for Civil Rights from his job leading the Louis D. Brandeis Center for Human Rights Under Law, a nonprofit advocacy organization that Mr. Marcus used to pressure campuses to squelch anti-Israel speech and activities.
The organization advocated revocation of federal funding from Middle East studies programs that are said to have an anti-Israel slant, and it urged colleges and universities to discipline students who are part of the B.D.S. movement.
When Mr. Marcus was nominated, Palestinian and human rights organizations protested his confirmation on the grounds that he would use his position at the Education Department to further his pro-Israel cause, and that first on his list would be pushing to adopt a definition anti-Semitism to target schools for civil rights violations. Middle Eastern studies programs at universities around the country have braced for action from Washington against perceived bias.
“This is exactly what we feared would happen — he has a long track record of pressuring universities and government bodies to trample on free speech,” said Rahul Saksena, senior staff attorney at Palestine Legal, a Palestinian rights group. “You would think that the O.C.R. would have their hands full these days, and instead they’re using their limited resources” to reopen a case “that the Education Department spent years investigating, and had been closed.”
Mr. Marcus conceded that his department did not have the authority to weigh in on religious or political disputes. But he made the case that the Rutgers case is neither.
“An individual’s pro-Israel viewpoint itself — or, for that matter, any viewpoint on the policies of the State of Israel, the Israeli-Palestinian conflict or related issues — is not protected by” federal civil rights law, he wrote. However, he added, “discrimination on the basis of actual or perceived shared ancestry or ethnic characteristics — which may include discrimination against Jewish or Muslim students — is.”
Mr. Marcus’s decision took current and former investigators at the Education Department by surprise, as Ms. DeVos has gone to great lengths to limit civil rights enforcement to stringent interpretations of federal law.
But in a previous stint leading the Office for Civil Rights, Mr. Marcus indicated that he was willing to interpret the law more broadly. In 2004, he issued a guidance letter telling schools that the department would include in its enforcement “national origin discrimination, regardless of whether the groups targeted for discrimination also exhibit religious characteristics.”
“Thus, for example, O.C.R. aggressively investigates alleged race or ethnic harassment against Arab Muslim, Sikh and Jewish students,” the letter continued.
The Zionist Organization of America called the reopening of the case a “groundbreaking decision.”
In a statement, the organization’s national president, Morton A. Klein, and Susan B. Tuchman, the director of its Center for Law and Justice, emphasized that Mr. Marcus’s notification that the Education Department had adopted the expansive definition of anti-Semitism was particularly noteworthy.
“It took a leader like Kenneth Marcus to finally decide the ZOA’s appeal and to also make it clear that O.C.R. will finally be using a definition of anti-Semitism that makes sense and that reflects how anti-Semitism is so frequently expressed today, particularly on our college campuses,” they wrote. “Hate groups like Students for Justice in Palestine try to convince others that their attacks on Zionism and Israel are legitimate political discourse. But as the State Department definition of anti-Semitism recognizes, these attacks are often a mask for Jew-hatred, plain and simple.”
Mr. Marcus informed ZOA that he would specifically be reviewing one of the three allegations made in its 2011 complaint, which said that a liberal, pro-Palestinian group, Belief Awareness Knowledge and Action, imposed an admissions fee on Jewish and pro-Israeli students who attended an event called “Never Again for Anyone.” The Zionist group said an email proved that an organizer wrote that the group began charging only after it observed “150 Zionists” who “just showed up.”
But according to an account from Palestine Legal, fees were charged for the event only after Rutgers Hillel, a local synagogue, and other Jewish groups sent alerts to mobilize their members to protest the event. The group said that pro-Israel protesters physically assaulted event volunteersand called them “towel heads” and “suicide bombers,” and that a Jewish volunteer was called a “traitor.”
The organizers — who were not students — said they were forced to charge a last-minute fee to cover costs mandated by the university, including an increased price to rent the space and to cover security to manage the protests.
In dismissing the case in 2014, the Education Department determined that the host of the event advertised a $5 to $20 donation, and began charging last-minute fees because the event drew more attendees than anticipated, including many nonstudents.
In their findings letter, department investigators wrote that they had discovered no evidence that Jewish and non-Jewish attendees were selectively charged fees. They said the email that said “150 Zionists” had shown up — which was presented as evidence of the intended discrimination — was heavily redacted, and they could not verify whether that information was credible. The department said it determined from witness statements that all attendees were required to pay for the event if they were not a volunteer. The department also found that Rutgers promptly investigated complaints of bias filed by students.
“Regardless of whether or not it was appropriate to begin charging the admissions fee, O.C.R. did not find sufficient evidence to substantiate that any individuals were treated differently, based on national origin, with respect to imposition of the admissions fee,” the findings letter said.
ERDOGAN: “THE WORLD MUST STOP ASSAD”
The World Must Stop Assad
If the Syrian regime attacks Idlib, the result will be a humanitarian and geopolitical disaster.
By Recep Tayyip Erdoğan (president of Turkey)
The Wall Street Journal
Sept. 11, 2018
Across Turkey’s southern border, Bashar Assad’s criminal regime has for seven years targeted Syria’s citizens with arbitrary arrests, systematic torture, summary executions, barrel bombs, and chemical and conventional weapons. As a result of the Syrian civil war, which the United Nations Human Rights Council calls “the worst man-made disaster since World War II,” millions of innocent people have become refugees or been internally displaced.
Turkey has gone to extraordinary lengths to alleviate suffering of the Syrian people, hosting some 3.5 million refugees—more than any other country in the world. At the same time we have become the target of terrorist organizations operating next door: the so-called Islamic State and the PKK. Neither the heavy cost of humanitarian efforts nor security concerns have weakened our resolve.
As Turkey faced those challenges, it made diplomatic efforts to find a political solution. We have brought the Syrian opposition to the negotiating table in Geneva and launched the Astana process alongside Russia and Iran. Consequently, Turkey was able to broker cease-fires, create de-escalation zones, and evacuate civilians from areas under regime attack.
Today we find ourselves at a critical juncture again, as the Assad regime, with the help of its allies, prepares to launch a massive offensive against Idlib, which is home to some three million people and one of the few remaining safe havens for internally displaced Syrians. In an attempt to prevent the assault, my government contributed to the creation of a deconfliction zone and set up 12 observation posts to document and report cease-fire violations.
The Assad regime seeks to legitimize its imminent attack on counterterrorism grounds. Make no mistake: No country appreciates the need to combat terrorism better than Turkey, which has suffered severely from terrorist attacks since the Syrian conflict began exporting insecurity throughout the region. But Bashar Assad’s solution is a false one. Innocent people must not be sacrificed in the name of fighting terrorism. This will only create new hotbeds of terrorism and extremism. The rise of ISIS was an outcome—not the cause—of what was happening in Syria. The international community must contain such violence to stop terrorism from taking root.
In Idlib, we face similar challenges. Certain designated terrorist organizations, including Hayat Tahrir al-Sham, remain active in this area. Yet those fighters account for a fraction of Idlib’s population. In order to eliminate terrorist and extremist elements in Idlib and to bring to justice foreign fighters, a more comprehensive international counterterrorism operation is necessary. Moderate rebels played a key role in Turkey’s fight against terrorists in Northern Syria; their assistance and guidance will be crucial in Idlib as well.
Preventing the assault on Idlib need not set back counterterrorism efforts. Turkey has succeeded in fighting terrorist groups, including ISIS and the PKK, without harming or displacing civilians. In order to restore some level of stability to affected areas, dozens of Turkish servicemen and servicewomen have lost their lives. Turkey’s ability to maintain order in Northern Syria is proof that a responsible approach to counterterrorism can win hearts and minds.
All members of the international community must understand their responsibilities as the assault on Idlib looms. The consequences of inaction are immense. We cannot leave the Syrian people to the mercy of Bashar Assad. The purpose of a regime offensive against Idlib would be indiscriminate attacks to wipe out its opposition—not a genuine or effective campaign against terrorism. A regime assault would also create serious humanitarian and security risks for Turkey, the rest of Europe and beyond.
It is crucial for the U.S., which has concentrated on chemical attacks, to reject its arbitrary hierarchy of death. Conventional weapons are responsible for far more deaths. But the obligation to stop the next bloodshed is not the West’s alone. Our partners in the Astana process, Russia and Iran, are likewise responsible for stopping this humanitarian disaster.
Idlib is the last exit before the toll. If the international community, including Europe and the U.S., fail to take action now, not only innocent Syrians but the entire world stands to pay the price. Turkey has done everything in its power to stop the bloodshed next door. To ensure that we succeed, the rest of the world must set aside narrow self-interest and throw its weight behind a political solution.
* You can also find other items that are not in these dispatches if you “like” this page on Facebook www.facebook.com/TomGrossMedia
Cartoon from the Daily Telegraph
I posted all these items on my public Facebook page over the last few days but feel that most American and other international media are not properly covering dangerous developments in the UK and hence include them here.
MP OF PALESTINIAN DESCENT CONDEMNS CORBYNITE POSTERS AS “BLATANTLY ANTI-SEMITIC”
[Notes by Tom Gross]
(This is a follow-up to last Thursday’s dispatch Times cartoon targets former Guardian opinion editor (& London bus stops plastered with hate ads)
***
Britain’s first MP of Palestinian descent told the BBC that the defacing of London bus-stops with “Israel is a racist endeavour” posters was “blatantly anti-Semitic”.
Layla Moran, the Liberal Democrat MP for Oxford West and Abingdon, said: “I’m a Palestinian. The fact that this has come from a group that purportedly is speaking for Palestinians, I take great offence at myself, because I think it is blatantly anti-Semitic.”
Moran was responding to comments by Labour Shadow Chancellor and key Corbyn ally John McDonnell who had told the BBC “It is not at all anti-Semitic to describe Israel as a state as racist.”
The posters were meant to mock the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance definition of Jew-hate, which says that comparing Israel to Nazi Germany or singling out only one country, Israel, and calling it “a racist endeavor” are examples of modern anti-Semitism.
MUSLIM MAYOR OF MONDAY CONDEMNS ANTI-ISRAEL POSTERS
Sadiq Khan, the mayor of London, condemned the “Israel hate” posters on the city’s bus stops as “offensive” and said that any posters found would be rapidly removed.
https://www.politicshome.com/news/uk/political-parties/labour-party/news/98018/excl-sadiq-khan-condemns-offensive-anti-israel-bus
JOURNALIST WHO DAUBED ANTI-SEMITIC GRAFFITI ON WARSAW GHETTO INVITED TO ADDRESS LABOUR CONFERENCE EVENT
The Sunday Times (of London) reports that a Polish-British journalist who spray-painted anti-Semitic graffiti in huge letters on one of the last surviving walls of the Warsaw ghetto has been invited by key supporters of Jeremy Corbyn “to speak at a Momentum event alongside the British Labour Party conference this month”.
Ewa Jasiewicz caused outrage with her desecration of the site, where an estimated 92,000 Jews died and 300,000 more were held in appalling conditions before being transported to death camps.
The Momentum festival, The World Transformed, will take place in parallel with Labour’s conference in Liverpool. Other speakers will include Jeremy Corbyn and John McDonnell, the shadow chancellor.
JASIEWICZ CALLED FOR ISRAELI MPS TO BE KILLED
And in a fresh report today The Times says that in an email in 2002 Jasiewicz called for “activists” from the notorious terrorist group the PFLP to “bump off” more Israeli MPs. She said this in the wake of the PFLP assassination of the Israeli tourism minister in a Jerusalem hotel. (She later apologized for the remark after her email was leaked, but went on to spray the Warsaw ghetto with hate graffiti instead.)
The PFLP (the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine) is banned by the European Union as a terrorist organisation
Euan Philipps, a spokesman for Labour Against Antisemitism, told The Times: “Jon Lansman [founder of Momentum] and Jeremy Corbyn must personally intervene to ensure that Ms Jasiewicz is removed from the schedule for the Momentum Conference.”
JASIEWICZ REFUSED RE-ENTRY TO ISRAEL
Tom Gross adds: Jasiewicz previously worked as a journalist in Israel and (in a very rare case of a journalist being expelled) was refused a visa to re-enter Israel in 2004 on national security grounds after she was believed to be aiding and abetting terrorist groups who were then engaged in a wave of suicide attacks.
The Polish language version of Wikipedia says her “reports from Iraq and Palestine were published, among others in The Guardian, The Daily Telegraph, The Independent and Le Monde Diplomatique.”
https://pl.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ewa_Jasiewicz
***
A reminder of the actual Gaza, not the Labour / BBC propaganda version: here from Al Jazeera.
And here from Turkish TV.
LEADING BLACK ANTI-RACISM CAMPAIGNER: “LABOUR PARTY IS LED BY ANTI-SEMITES AND RACISTS”
The former head of Britain’s Equalities and Human Rights Commission, Trevor Phillips, whose parents emigrated from then British Guiana and who is a leading black anti-racism voice in the UK, said on Saturday about the Labour Party:
“It doesn’t help that one of our great parties, the one that I belong to, is led by anti-Semites and racists, who basically want to essentially eliminate anyone who disagrees with them.”
ARCHBISHOP OF CANTERBURY SLAMS LABOUR ANTI-SEMITES
The head of the Church of England, the Archbishop of Canterbury, has become the latest prominent person in British society to criticize the far left for its anti-Semitism.
In a thinly veiled criticism of Jeremy Corbyn and his allies who control the Labour Party, the Most Rev Justin Welby said the whole Labour Party needs to accept the internationally accepted definition of anti-Semitism “without any riders or caveats of any kind.”
In remarks to the Jewish community to mark Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish new year, the Archbishop of Canterbury said: “You’ve gone through in the last few months a very demanding, stressful time… with the increase in anti-Jewish attacks across the country, on synagogues, on cemeteries, on individuals and the unspeakable trolling through social media.”
More here from The Daily Telegraph.
REPULSIVE GUARDIAN CARTOON
On September 7, The Guardian published a cartoon that many feel sinks to the kind of fake news incitement that was found against Jews in Nazi Germany. According to the cartoon by Steve Bell, Jews are Zionists and Zionist ideology calls for “death to Arabs in our homelands” and Jews are “KKK klansmen” who demand that Corbyn yields to their “moral authority on every question”.
You can see it here if you wish: here.
CORBYN THUGS CONTINUE INTIMIDATION OF MODERATES
Constituency by constituency, extremist supporters of Jeremy Corbyn are employing threats and intimidation to take over local parties.
And here they attack Liberal Democrats and moderate Labour supporters in the northern English city of Newcastle, last week.
Rosie Duffield, who won the Canterbury constituency for Labour last June, yesterday became the latest moderate MP to be targeted for censure by Corbyn activists after calling for the party to clamp down on anti-Semitism. A motion accuses her of “showing her support . . . at a demonstration organised to groundlessly accuse the party of systematic antisemitism.”
Joan Ryan, another Labour MP who has condemned the party’s anti-Semitism (she is also a subscriber to this email list) was harassed in a constituency meeting in north London last week which was broadcast live on the Iranian regime’s notoriously anti-Semitic state propaganda channel Press TV.
TEACHER WHO USED ‘RACIST’ TERMS AGAINST JEWS ‘IS NOT ANTI-SEMITIC,’ UK REVIEW PANEL SAYS
In what is being described as an Orwellian decision, a British government ethics review panel has said that a teacher who it has suspended for attacking Jews “is not anti-Semitic.”
Harpreet Singh, 48, the head of the mathematics department at a school near London has been banned from teaching until 2021 after posting “offensive and racist” Facebook comments including “Billions are anti-Semitic and proud of it” and “of course we hate Jews”.
At the same time the Teaching Regulation Agency said in its review that it “accepted that Mr. Singh is not anti-Semitic” and “his remarks were an attempt to defend the Palestinians.”
Singh also wrote that “Israel should be wiped off the planet.”
More here.
* You can also find other items that are not in these dispatches if you “like” this page on Facebook www.facebook.com/TomGrossMedia
LONDON BUS STOPS PLASTERED WITH HATE ADS
[Notes by Tom Gross]
Supporters of Jeremy Corbyn plastered London bus stops yesterday afternoon with posters slandering Israel, a day after the Labour leader effectively gave encouragement to his supporters to launch such campaigns.
The posters went up in Westminster, Waterloo, Bloomsbury and other locations.
Critics took to twitter, some asking whether the notorious Nazi-era yellow star, with “Jew” in the centre, would be the next thing to posted up.
A Transport for London (TfL) spokesperson said: “These adverts are absolutely not authorized by TfL … it is an act of vandalism which we take extremely seriously. We have instructed our contractors to remove any of these posters found on our network immediately.”
The (London) Evening Standard reports that the Metropolitan police will launch an investigation. The posters may constitute a “hate crime” and encourage others in London to attack Jews.
More here.
Above, today’s cartoon from The Times of London.
Seamus Milne, who was previously the opinion editor at The Guardian, is now one of Corbyn’s chief advisors and thought to be responsible for helping Corbyn formulate his policies on Jews and Israel.
I have criticized Milne on many occasions for the hateful articles he regularly published about the Jewish state in The Guardian.
Corbyn has also cast doubt over whether Vladimir Putin or his chief aides had anything to do with the recent chemical poisoning in Salisbury.
Interpol has been put on red alert to detain two Russian agents for the attack.
LONDON POLICE TO INVESTIGATE POSSIBLE CRIMINAL CHARGES FOR ANTI-SEMITIC RACE HATE AND HOLOCAUST DENIAL AGAINST 45 LABOUR MEMBERS
The Times writes:
The document has details of 45 members of the party who are accused of antisemitism. It includes allegations that a Labour councillor inflicted “ten years of hell” on a child by calling him a “Jew boy”, while another member posted Facebook comments including: “we shall rid the Jews who are a cancer on us all” and “as for the Jews, red see ideal destination no need for gas chambers anyway as gas is so expensive and we need it in England”.
The dossier was leaked to the radio station LBC, which showed the documents to Mak Chishty, who until last year was in charge of hate crime at the Metropolitan Police. He said that 17 of the cases could be hate crimes that should be reported to the police.
Cressida Dick, commissioner of the Met, said that her force would investigate the dossier.
***
In a front page story, the (London) Evening Standard writes:
A leaked internal dossier detailing 45 allegations of anti-Semitism against Labour party members will be examined by Scotland Yard, Commissioner Cressida Dick said today.
The Met chief pledged to pass on the files — said to include vile messages such as “We shall rid the Jews who are cancer on us all” — to detectives to investigate whether they constitute possible hate crimes.
Among other messages in the leaked file is a serving councilor who is alleged to have used the term “Jew boy” on a child, and one member saying “Zionist MPs” were “about to get a good kicking”
Yesterday marked the 46th anniversary of the Munich massacre. In addition to the 11 athletes who were slaughtered, at least one of whom was castrated as the other athletes were forced to watch, the PLO terrorists also killed a German policeman.
Given this, Jerusalem Post Germany correspondent Benjamin Weinthal asks why German officials have remained on Jeremy Corbyn’s wreath-laying for the Munich Olympic terrorists.
Above, Israeli Arabs on the beach in Tel Aviv are a common site, contrary to the lies told by some journalists in the British media. Israeli Arabs work in virtually every area of Israeli life, as college professors, doctors, teachers, judges, members of parliament and so on.
Above, myself (Tom Gross) at one of my favorite Iranian-Israeli restaurants in south Tel Aviv this week. While shouts of “Death to Israel” are often heard in regime-organized protests in Iranian cities, in Israel Iranian flags are placed nicely alongside Israeli ones, and Persian is written alongside Hebrew.
(The next few items already appeared on my public Facebook page)
SUPPORTER OF AYATOLLAH KHOMEINI VOTED TO LABOUR’S NATIONAL EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE
Yasmine Dar was elected to Labour’s National Executive Committee on Tuesday with 88,176 votes.
The Daily Mail reports:
Ms Dar, 52, celebrated the Iranian revolution when hardline Ayatollahs took over the country, repressing freedom and human rights.
She has given speeches at an Islamist celebration of the Iranian revolution in Manchester for three years in a row.
The Iranian regime is known for its brutality. According to Amnesty International, torture is ‘common’, and ‘floggings, amputations and other cruel punishments’ are routinely carried out. Gay people are hanged from cranes.
The meeting took place at the Manchester Islamic Centre, in front of a huge portrait of Ayatollah Khomeini, still considered Iran’s spiritual figurehead.
Pictures and video celebrating Islamic rule in Iran here.
***
For Jeremy Corbyn’s links with the Iranian regime, please see this article I wrote earlier this year:
http://www.tomgrossmedia.com/mideastdispatches/archives/001752.html
Labour’s last prime minister Gordon Brown lashes out at current Labour leader Corbyn for the anti-Semitism he has encouraged. “It’s a stain that must be removed,” said Brown.
Video from Britain’s Channel Four News.
What really happened at Labour’s anti-Semitism meeting on Tuesday:
https://www.theredroar.com/2018/09/what-really-happened-labours-crunch-meeting-on-antisemitism/
The Sun: “Two weeks ago Corbyn denied having dined with Hamas, but this video shows he was lying and he did dine with terrorists, who he heaped praise on in the video”:
https://www.thesun.co.uk/news/7170106/jeremy-corbyn-exposed-dining/
British Jewish grandmother, 82, tells how Jeremy Corbyn looked on as she was called ‘Zionist traitor piece of sh**’ by jeering anti-Semitic mob in Parliament.
“The grandmother’s family has lived in Britain for more than 150 years. Her husband was wounded fighting in Italy in WWII, after lying about his age to volunteer for the British army when he was 17. His father fought for Britain in WWI, and was left deaf by artillery shells.”
Photos and video here.
Responding to the Labour Party decision on anti-Semitism Tuesday, Labour Party Friends of Israel Director, Jennifer Gerber, said:
“It is appalling that the Labour party has once again ignored the view clearly and repeatedly stated by the Jewish community: that it should adopt the full IHRA definition without additions, omissions or caveats.
“The IHRA definition has been adopted in full by 31 countries, including the UK, as well as over 130 UK local councils, the police, the Crown Prosecution Service and the judiciary. A “freedom of expression on Israel” clause is unnecessary and totally undermines the other examples the party has supposedly just adopted.
“Labour appears determined to provide a safe space for antisemites. This decision is a sad reflection on Jeremy Corbyn’s leadership of the party and the culture it has instilled.”
FINANCIAL TIMES: “JEREMY CORBYN CASTS DOUBT ON HIS ABILITY TO LEAD BRITAIN”
Tom Gross adds:
The Financial Times editorial page doesn’t usually comment on matters such as anti-Semitism but even the FT has had enough, as is explained in this sensible editorial below.
(It is regrettable that even at the Financial Times, anti-Semitic comments were left online by readers under this editorial. They were removed by the paper.)
Jeremy Corbyn casts doubt on his ability to lead Britain
The opposition leader’s failure on anti-Semitism exposes wider flaws
By The editorial board
Financial Times
September 5, 2018
If Jeremy Corbyn were not so invested in his self-image as a life-long anti-racist campaigner, and therefore so convinced by his own sanctity, his dispute with Britain’s Jewish community would have been resolved long ago. Instead, surrounded by disciples rather than supporters, he has allowed the Labour party to be shamed by an indifference to anti-Semitism which would have staggered all his predecessors.
This week saw the Labour leader’s latest efforts to escape a mess entirely of his own making. Yet again he fluffed it. Labour’s ruling national executive committee met on Tuesday to adopt the International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance’s full definition of anti-Semitism with all its associated examples. His allies had originally blocked moves to adopt the full text, arguing that it would restrict legitimate criticism of Israel. But after months of tension, culminating in Jews protesting over the fears Labour now evokes in their community, Mr Corbyn has been forced to give ground.
The party has finally taken the obvious mainstream route by adopting the IHRA text. This is welcome, albeit long overdue. Even so Mr Corbyn could not bring himself to do so without qualification. A rider, protecting the rights of free speech on Palestine, was added after lengthy rows in which the Labour leader tried to further water down the very examples he had agreed to. The appendix was unnecessary: there is nothing in the IHRA’s definition that curtails legitimate criticism of Israel.
His approach will exacerbate the bad faith. It does not instil confidence in the new policy or the opposition leader’s commitment to policing it. Mr Corbyn has framed the debate as an attempt to undermine him for his decades-long support for the Palestinian cause. For the bulk of British Jews, it was about combating the clear and rising tide of anti-Semitism unleashed by Mr Corbyn’s accession and which he has, for too long, refused to tackle.
As an obscure backbench MP, the Labour leader marinated on the leftward fringes of British politics for over four decades. He was steeped in a world view that flirts with anti-Semitism, where criticism of international capitalism and Israel easily spills over into anti-Jewish rhetoric. He was undiscriminating in his choice of allies, too often attending events with Holocaust deniers and anti-Semites. Much of the party’s present travails stem from his own troubling past.
Mr Corbyn has always argued that his motivation is to bring peace to the Middle East. But his claim to be a peacemaker rings hollow; he has consistently engaged only with one side of the debate. More recently his own rhetoric has come back to haunt him. His remark that Zionists ”don’t understand English irony” crossed a line for many, raising questions about his own ability to judge anti-Semitism.
This speaks to the core of the dispute. A leader whose good faith towards the Jewish community was not in doubt would not have found himself in this position. But Mr Corbyn’s inability to see any failing on his part means there is little trust. Furthermore, his allies treat all criticism as politically motivated. A leader intent on solving this problem would include a consultation with community leaders and an apology for his insensitive remarks. His failure to offer either leads to the suspicion that he seeks only a political fix. He has shown himself to be inflexible, doctrinaire and lacking in empathy.
The issue is intertwined with Mr Corbyn’s suitability for high office. Last year’s election pointed to a mood for change in the UK. His radical policy programme spoke to that. But this row casts doubt on whether he is a suitable leader for the country. Judged on his response to the anti-Semitism crisis, the conclusion must be that he is not.
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BLACK SOUTH AFRICAN SPEAKS OUT AGAINST ISRAEL APARTHEID LIE
It is very much worth setting aside time to watch this 8 minute video:
Jamie Mithi of the South African think tank Africans for Peace, speaks out against the “Israel apartheid” lie propagated by many western journalists and academics, which he says not only distorts truth, but insults both Israeli Jews and the real suffering of South Africa’s Black population under the apartheid regime.
Mithi is interviewed by Muhammed Desai who constantly interrupts him when he wants to provide some facts. (In 2013, Desai defended shouts of “Kill the Jews” made by students an anti-Israel protest at Johannesburg’s Wits University.)
Tom Gross adds: Israeli Arabs vote, they serve in parliament, they can travel, they can sleep with whoever they want (providing it is consensual of course), they can be gay, they are represented in virtually every profession in Israel, and an increasing number serve in senior positions. For example, last month an Israeli Arab woman, Prof. Mona Khoury-Kassabri was appointed dean of the Hebrew University of Jerusalem’s School of Social Work, a major appointment for any woman in the Middle East.
(The Jewish-sounding South African Rebecca Mendelson who Desai quotes to Mithi in the TV clip to say Israel is a “fascist state” sounds like a made up “fake news” person, and I can’t find any reference to her in an internet search.)
The program aired on August 30, 2018.
JORDANIAN JOURNALIST ‘ASHAMED’ TO COMPARE TORTUROUS ARAB JAILS TO HUMANE ISRAELI PRISONS
(I placed this video on my YouTube channel shortly after it aired in June but didn’t mention it on this dispatch this list until now.)
Jordanian journalist Yousef Alawnah tells Saudi TV that his two years in prison in Israel (for explosives smuggling), was like spending time at an “institute of education,” where inmates were given “an opportunity to acquire culture, to read and to study many things, including in Arabic”.
“I am ashamed by [the comparison] between Israeli and Arab prisons [which are like] dungeons,” he said (June 12, 2018). “The prisoners held in the dungeons of the Syrian regime. Do you think that they have books?”
In Syria alone, according to Amnesty International, over 13,000 inmates have been killed in prison by the authorities in the last seven years. There is widespread torture in prisons throughout the Arab world and in Iran and Turkey.
In his interview, Alawnah also criticized Iran: “Consider what the Arabs have done to one another. If the Jews occupied Syria or Iraq, would they do all those things? Have the Jews killed as many Syrians, Palestinians, Egyptians, Jordanians, Lebanese, and others as Iran’s militias killed in Mosul or in Aleppo? No.”
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I don’t have time to write a full dispatch today, but for those following the scandals around Jeremy Corbyn, or interested in British humor, above is a letter from today’s Times of London.
Many hope no one will ever be in a position to say to Corbyn “Yes, Prime Minister”.
(Incidentally, Jonathan Lynn's maternal uncle was the famous diplomat Abba Eban)
Yes Prime Minister On the Arabs and Israel:
Another classic clip: Yes, Prime Minister - The need to know:
-- Tom Gross