The war against the Jews

When people see a Jewish prime minister treated badly by an American president, they see a more isolated Jewish state.

We live in a world where there is an ongoing war against the Jews. For the first decades after Israel’s founding, this war was conventional in nature. The goal was straightforward: to use military force to overrun Israel. Well before the Berlin Wall came down, that approach had clearly failed.

Then came phase two: terrorism. Terrorists targeted Israelis both home and abroad – from the massacre of Israeli athletes at Munich to the second intifada.

The terrorists continue to target Jews across the world. But they have not succeeded in bringing down the Israeli government – and they have not weakened Israeli resolve.

Now the war has entered a new phase. This is the soft war that seeks to isolate Israel by delegitimizing it.

The battleground is everywhere: the media, multinational organizations, NGOs. In this war, the aim is to make Israel a pariah.

The result is the curious situation we have today: Israel becomes increasingly ostracized, while Iran – a nation that has made no secret of wishing Israel’s destruction – pursues nuclear weapons loudly, proudly, and without apparent fear of rebuke.

For me, this ongoing war is a fairly obvious fact of life. Every day, the citizens of the Jewish homeland defend themselves against armies of terrorists whose maps spell out the goal they have in mind: a Middle East without Israel. In Europe, Jewish populations increasingly find themselves targeted by people who share that goal. And in the United States, I fear that our foreign policy sometimes emboldens these extremists.

THERE ARE two things that worry me most. First is the disturbing new home that anti-Semitism has found in polite society – especially in Europe. Second is how violence and extremism are encouraged when the world sees Israel’s greatest ally distancing itself from the Jewish state.

When Americans think of anti-Semitism, we tend to think of the vulgar caricatures and attacks of the first part of the 20th century.

Today it seems that the most virulent strains come from the Left. Often this new anti-Semitism dresses itself up as legitimate disagreement with Israel.

Back in 2002 the president of Harvard, Larry Summers, put it this way: “Where anti-Semitism and views that are profoundly anti-Israeli have traditionally been the primary preserve of poorly educated rightwing populists, profoundly anti-Israel views are increasingly finding support in progressive intellectual communities. Serious and thoughtful people are advocating and taking actions that are anti-Semitic in their effect if not their intent.”

Mr. Summers was speaking mostly about our university campuses. Like me, however, he was also struck by alarming developments in Europe.

Far from being dismissed out of hand, anti-Semitism today enjoys support at both the highest and lowest reaches of European society – from its most elite politicians to its largely Muslim ghettoes. European Jews find themselves caught in this pincer.

We saw a recent outbreak when a European Commissioner trade minister declared that peace in the Middle East is impossible because of the Jewish lobby in America. Here’s how he put it: “There is indeed a belief – it’s difficult to describe it otherwise – among most Jews that they are right. And it’s not so much whether these are religious Jews or not. Lay Jews also share the same belief that they are right. So it is not easy to have, even with moderate Jews, a rational discussion about what is actually happening in the Middle East.”

This minister did not suggest the problem was any specific Israeli policy. The problem, as he defined it, is the nature of the Jews. Adding to the absurdity, this man then responded to his critics this way: Anti-Semitism, he asserted, “has no place in today’s world and is fundamentally against our European values.”

Unfortunately, we see examples like this one all across Europe. Sweden, for example, has long been a synonym for liberal tolerance. Yet in one of Sweden’s largest cities, Malmo, Jews report increasing examples of harassment. When an Israeli tennis team visited for a competition, it was greeted with riots. So how did the mayor respond? By equating Zionism with anti- Semitism – and suggesting that Swedish Jews would be safer in his town if they distanced themselves from Israeli actions in Gaza.

You don’t have to look far for other danger signs: The Norwegian government forbids a Norwegianbased, German shipbuilder from using its waters to test a submarine being built for the Israeli navy.

In the Netherlands, police report a 50 percent increase in the number of anti-Semitic incidents.

According to one infamous European poll a few years back, Europeans listed Israel ahead of Iran and North Korea as the greatest threat to world peace.

In Europe today, some of the most egregious attacks on Jewish people, Jewish symbols, and Jewish houses of worship have come from the Muslim population.

Unfortunately, far from making clear that such behavior will not be tolerated, too often the official response is what we’ve seen from the Swedish mayor – who suggested Jews and Israel were partly to blame themselves.

When Europe’s political leaders do not stand up to the thugs, they lend credence to the idea that Israel is the source of all the world’s problems – and they guarantee more ugliness. If that is not anti-Semitism, I don’t know what is.

That brings me to my second point: the importance of good relations between Israel and the United States.

Some believe that if America wants to gain credibility in the Muslim world and advance the cause of peace, Washington needs to put some distance between itself and Israel. My view is the opposite. Far from making peace more possible, we are making hostilities more certain. Far from making things better for the Palestinian people, sour relations between the United States and Israel guarantees that ordinary Palestinians will continue to suffer.

The peace we all want will come when Israel feels secure – not when Washington feels distant.

Right now we have war. There are many people waging this war. Some blow up cafes. Some fire rockets into civilian areas. Some are pursuing nuclear arms. Some are fighting the soft war, through international boycotts and resolutions condemning Israel. All these people are watching the US-Israeli relationship closely.

This is an important message to send to the Middle East. And when people see a Jewish prime minister treated badly by an American president, they see a more isolated Jewish state. That only encourages those who favor the gun over those who favor negotiation.

Back in 1937, a man named Vladimir Jabotinsky urged Britain to open up an escape route for Jews fleeing Europe. Only a Jewish homeland, he said, could protect European Jews from the coming calamity.

In prophetic words, he described the problem this way: “It is not the anti-Semitism of men,” he said. “It is, above all, the anti-Semitism of things, the inherent xenophobia of the body social or the body economic under which we suffer.”

The world of 2010 is not the world of the 1930s. The threats Jews face today are different. But these threats are real. These threats are soaked in an ugly language familiar to anyone old enough to remember World War II. And these threats cannot be addressed until we see them for what they are: part of an ongoing war against the Jews.

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In this regard, I was pleased to hear the State Department’s spokesman clarify America’s position last week. He said that the United States recognizes “the special nature of the Israeli state. It is a state for the Jewish people.”

In diplo speak that's not saying much at all. It's sort of like "Yes, Jews life in Tel Aviv." Nothing about "our special relationship with Israel" or anything even approaching it. In a world of shifting alliances and interests, England and Israel are about as close to permanent friends that America has in the world.

“profoundly anti-Israel views are increasingly finding support in progressive intellectual communities.”

And many of these “progressive intellectuals” are Jews!

They can say, with the Detroit Lions and Pogo, “We have met the enemy and he is us!”.

"In this regard, I was pleased to hear the State Department’s spokesman clarify America’s position last week. He said that the United States recognizes “the special nature of the Israeli state. It is a state for the Jewish people.”

It is the habit of liberals in general and this administration in particular to maintain their undying support and loyalty right up to the moment they stick the knife in your back and toss you under the bus.

So Israelis, Brits, Canadians all wish the Cowboy was back? I thought this clown president was their answer to America’s lust for power. Well now they have him.

RUPERT MURDOCH is correct in his assertion that anti-Israeli feelings are as strong in Europe today as anti-Jewish feelings were in the 1930s. The threats and tactics have changed but the attitudes have not.
<>
True, many “progressive intellectuals” are folks who have Jewish parents but that does not mean what you think. They are leftists first and foremost. They only use their Jewish heritage as a smoke screen to legitimize their anti-Israeli positions.

"Back in 2002 the president of Harvard, Larry Summers, put it this way: “Where anti-Semitism and views that are profoundly anti-Israeli have traditionally been the primary preserve of poorly educated rightwing populists, profoundly anti-Israel views are increasingly finding support in progressive intellectual communities. Serious and thoughtful people are advocating and taking actions that are anti-Semitic in their effect if not their intent.”

With this position held by Mr. Summers, it is something of a surprise that he lasted as long as he did in the OBAMA Regime.

His cheap shot at 'poorly educated rightwing populists' is reminiscent of OBAMA's speech to fellow travelers about those same folks clinging to their guns and religion. That is probably what got him the job in the first place.

This has been helped by 78% of American Jews voting for a Muslim. Murdoch’s business relationship with the Saudis who export Islam to the west and Murdoch’s support of Bliar who Islamified the UK through the Labour Party.

The pro-muslim Labour party now led by two Jewish brothers named Milliband.

And yet, American jews continue to dwell in the leftist camp.

They had best beware or they will be dwelling in another kind of camp.

You are correct about the UK. I had a recent disagreement about the UK eventually evolving into a Muslim Country with another FREEPER a few days ago. He says that the UK will never become a Muslim Country but I say it is only a matter of time. I explained to him that there does not have to be a Majority of Muslims in any country for that country to become effectively a Muslim one.

I can't say that I have fully understood what Rupert Murdoch is up to. He makes sense about Continental Europe but has a blind eye when it comes to the recent social and demographic developments going on in Great Britain.

“True, many “progressive intellectuals” are folks who have Jewish parents but that does not mean what you think. They are leftists first and foremost. They only use their Jewish heritage as a smoke screen to legitimize their anti-Israeli positions.”

Interesting. So being born to Jewish parents doesn’t make one a Jew?

"Interesting. So being born to Jewish parents doesn’t make one a Jew?"

It is a matter of your state of mind. It is not uncommon for a secular non religious person who was born to Jewish parents to consider themselves a Jew because of thousands of years of the treatment of Jews throughout the world. This treatment is still going on today to an extent. They may not practice the religion but they still identify with their Jewish heritage.

Joseph Stalin was born an Orthodox Christian and once studied to become a priest in that religion.

I would hardly expect that Joesph Stalin thought of himself as a Christian. Nobody else did either.

"..what's Murdock up to?"

In Europe today, some of the most egregious attacks on Jewish people, Jewish symbols, and Jewish houses of worship have come from the Muslim population.

But FWIW
In the US today, some of the most egregious attacks on Catholic people, Catholic symbols, and Catholic houses of worship have come from the Jewish population.

When you have the NYTs, ACLU, ADL, and Hollywood over the last couple of decades constantly pounding and ridiculing Catholicism, what else can you expect.

Murdock to his credit, IMO, with the WSJ is a ray of light.

More From the Times [in which Archbp Dolan resumes his battle with the NY Times]
http://blog.archny.org/?p=860

Thanks SJackson.

The battleground is everywhere: the media, multinational organizations, NGOs. In this war, the aim is to make Israel a pariah. The result is the curious situation we have today: Israel becomes increasingly ostracized, while Iran -- a nation that has made no secret of wishing Israel's destruction -- pursues nuclear weapons loudly, proudly, and without apparent fear of rebuke.

Seeing your incessant repetitive posts, it is now obvious that your rantings are nothing but the opportunistic expressions of an anti Semitic POS.

funny!

This has been helped by 78% of American Jews voting for a Muslim.
The most pro-Muslim president prior to Obama was George W Bush.

Murdoch’s business relationship with the Saudis who export Islam to the west and Murdoch’s support of Bliar who Islamified the UK through the Labour Party.
No disagreement.

The pro-muslim Labour party now led by two Jewish brothers named Milliband.
And in 2005, the Tories were led by<

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