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Shimon Peres was wrong: if anything, Britain has the strongest philo-Semitic tradition in Europe
The Daily Telegraph (UK) ^ | Aug 2, 2010 | Daniel Hannan

Posted on 08/02/2010 11:44:11 PM PDT by propertius

I’m glad Shimon Peres has retracted his claim that the British Establishment is motivated by anti-Semitism. It was a silly and unpresidential thing to say and, more to the point, it was inaccurate. No doubt it can be frustrating to deal with FCO mandarins; but, wrong as our officials are about most things, they are rarely anti-Semitic. It’s true that our diplomats tend to emphasise Britain’s relations with its former Arab protectorates, notably Jordan and the Gulf monarchies. Nothing wrong with that, of course, though you can see why it makes some Israelis uneasy. It’s true, too, that many FCO officials are Euro-federalists. Committed as they are to supra-nationalism, they subliminally resent the country which represents the world’s greatest vindication of the national principle. For 2000 years, Jews were stateless and scattered, but they never abandoned their dream of a homeland: “Next year in Jerusalem!” Then, against all the odds – providentially, we might almost say – they fulfilled it, thereby refuting the EU’s ruling doctrine, namely that the nation-state has no special legitimacy. So, are British civil servants unsupportive of Israel? Yes, sometimes. But the idea that anti-Semitism is unusually prevalent in Britain is wretchedly ahistorical. I suggest President Peres reads Paul Johnson’s History of the Jews. Johnson argues convincingly that, prior to the opening up of North America, England was the securest and freest place to live if you were Jewish.

(Excerpt) Read more at blogs.telegraph.co.uk ...


TOPICS: Editorial; Foreign Affairs; Israel; United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: antisemitism; israel; peres
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To: Yehuda
Read your OT ever?

I've read my OT many times. I don't deny Israel has a right to the land. My point is that Irgun Stern gang and co - THEIR campaign was about power, not legitimacy. They are a stain on the honor of Israel.

Arafat called, he say to crawl back into his grave and pick up your check.

So your justification for the atrocities of Israeli terrorists is that Arafat was a terrorist? Do you really believe that makes it alright? Have you read your OT?Wanton murder of civilians is wrong. Period. It doesn't matter who does it. If Arafat and Fawzi El Kutub do the same, shame on them. I'll be the first to condemn them. I admit they are far worse. But that is no justification for things like the Deir Yassin massacre.

101 posted on 08/05/2010 4:27:23 AM PDT by Vanders9
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To: Yehuda
I think my interpretation of history stands up well, espcially against the opinions of someone who thinks it would have been a good idea to have dropped a nuclear bomb on Moscow at the end of WW2.

One last thing. I have not defended "jihadist squatters" (actually I back Israel's position). My "crime" is not total subservience to everything Israel. Well I got news for you. If they do something wrong, I call them on it. If you think that makes me "anti-semitic", then I'm anti-semitic. Actually I think it makes me a better friend.

102 posted on 08/05/2010 4:37:45 AM PDT by Vanders9
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To: Yehuda
Ok to clarify. The original point to the thread was that Shimon Perez said that the British Establishment was motivated by anti-semitism, a charge he has withdrawn. Which is good, as he was wrong. They're not.

The second point was that Daniel Hannan alleged that Britain had the "strongest philo-Semitic tradition in Europe". My answer to that would be: If that is true (and it might be) its not saying much. Even if it is, who cares?

103 posted on 08/05/2010 4:49:12 AM PDT by Vanders9
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To: Yehuda

Writing in CAPS can make SOMEONE seem a little UNHINGED


104 posted on 08/05/2010 8:04:13 AM PDT by propertius (Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscripti catapultas habebunt)
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To: Yehuda

Writing in CAPS can make SOMEONE seem a little UNHINGED


105 posted on 08/05/2010 8:05:05 AM PDT by propertius (Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscripti catapultas habebunt)
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Comment #106 Removed by Moderator

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To: propertius

Israel did not arise full grown from Lord Balfour’s head. Jews during WW I performed great services for the UK, and in exchange a promise of a Jewish homeland in the only logical place for it was made. The promise was empty. The “trickiness” of which you speak was planned from the outset as follows: Incite the Arabs against the Jews. Then the Jews will stay away in droves, and those already in this nominal homeland will come to the British for protection, just as the Arabs will come to the British to keep the Jews out. It worked perfectly, except the Jews refused to take the bait. There was this little brouhaha in Europe called the Holocaust, and the Jews living in the homeland got wind of it and revolted against this cynical and bloody manipulation by the British. “Tricky situation,” was it? Sure. It’s always tricky convincing an entire people to let themselves either be annihilated wholesale, or else let the Arabs kill them retail.


108 posted on 08/05/2010 10:12:30 PM PDT by Eleutheria5 ( Two-state solution: A bad idea whose time has gone.)
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To: Vanders9

In that case, he was fabricating. There never was such a design. 20% of the population of Israel West of Judah and Shomron are Arabs and enjoy full citizenship, as the Irgun promised them. Nobody lifted anyone up or dumped anyone anywhere. The massive exodus from Israel was a panicked reaction to the extravagant lies being told about Deir Yassin, and was entirely voluntary.

As for what actually occurred at Deir Yassin, see Revolt!, introduction (only read it in the original Hebrew, so don’t ask me what page to find the passage in the English translation).


109 posted on 08/05/2010 10:17:07 PM PDT by Eleutheria5 ( Two-state solution: A bad idea whose time has gone.)
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To: Yehuda
well at least you admit you’re dealing with an OPINION instead of facts.

All facts are interpreted.

So you think it was a good thing America allowed the Sovs to dominate Eastern Europe?

I certainly dont think it would have been a good idea to launch an aggressive pre-emptive nuclear strike on an ally (as the Soviet Union was at the time) costing thousands and thousands of lives. The USA would have been condemned worldwide for such a blatant power-grabbing atrocity.

Really, with leftist propoaganda BS like “massacred whole villages with machetes and so on.”?

Yes really, in spite of things like that (its not leftist BS..it happens to be true). Because I know that not all Israelis did that, or agreed with it. I also know that a much larger proportion of Arabs are perfectly prepared to do even worse.

No one want your “subservience”.

Could have fooled me. Total support seems to be demanded.

Get over yourself and stop copying from sites with “88” and “Save Palestine” in their names.

I have no idea what you are talking about. I have never visited any such site. I have never even heard of them.

With friends like you...

Fine. But you can hardly complain about "all the world being against you" when you insist on pushing people away. Honey catches more flies than vinegar.

110 posted on 08/06/2010 3:40:58 AM PDT by Vanders9
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To: Eleutheria5

I think he was referring to the FEAR of forcible eviction, not its actual happening.


111 posted on 08/06/2010 3:45:27 AM PDT by Vanders9
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To: Yehuda
That depends on whether you consider the international red cross to be a "legitimate non-leftist arab butt licking source". I kind of suspect that you wouldn't. In fact, I have a suspicion that every source that doesn't say exactly what you passionately believe to be true would be classified as a "leftist arab butt licking source", which kinda makes this whole exercise pretty much pointless.

As for the keyboard, you keep your depraved sexual fetishes to yourself.

113 posted on 08/07/2010 4:21:10 AM PDT by Vanders9
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To: Yehuda

Tony’s doing well. Sends his love to you and your fellow Kahanist fascists...


114 posted on 08/07/2010 7:50:34 AM PDT by propertius (Cum catapultae proscriptae erunt tum soli proscripti catapultas habebunt)
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To: Yehuda
I'm not the one who's being exposed. You are being shown as someone who is so convinced his belief system is right he will disregard all evidence to the contrary, on the grounds that it is being produced by "the enemy". It is a circular argument. What you are effectively saying is that I believe in A, and any evidence for B must be wrong because it doesn't say A.

I think your mind is closed and your heart is full of hate, and I pity you for that. Stop thinking that everyone is your enemy! There's no need to hurl invective like "camel lover", and "ignorant useful infidel" around. You feel free to call other people names - can't you see that in most people that kind of behaviour encourages retaliation - which no doubt would be promptly siezed upon as evidence of "antisemitism".

Looking over the "Deir Yassin massacre" I see now that it is a political hot potato, with people from all sides minimising/exagerating/distorting/confusing what happened to support their own agenda. Pretty much what you are doing actually. Its certainly evident that there was a battle there and that the Irgun and the Stern gang had gone in very hard. Now, civilians get caught in the crossfire in war. It's unpleasant but it happens. However, Jacques de Reynier, head of the the IRC commission, said in his memoirs that he saw israeli irregulars wielding "blood stained cutlasses", and he testified that some of the casualties had been "finished off" with knives. Certainly the Jewish commission in Palestine, the Haganah and the Palmach (REAL soldiers) all condemned the Irgun and the Stern Gang.

I'm quite sure none of this will convince you.

117 posted on 08/09/2010 1:47:19 AM PDT by Vanders9
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