Posted on 04/23/2002 5:44:30 AM PDT by DTA
ON JEW-HATRED IN EUROPE
By Oriana Fallaci April 17, 2002
Originally published in Corriere della Sera. Translation by Chris and Paola
Newman.
I find it shameful that in Italy there should be a procession of
individuals dressed as suicide bombers who spew vile abuse at Israel, hold
up photographs of Israeli leaders on whose foreheads they have drawn the
swasitka, incite people to hate the Jews. And who, in order to see Jews
once again in the extermination camps, in the gas chambers, in the ovens
of Dachau and
Mauthausen and Buchenwald and Bergen-Belsen et cetera, would sell their own
mother to a harem.
I find it shameful that the Catholic Church should permit a bishop, one
with lodgings in the Vatican no less, a saintly man who was found in
Jerusalem with an arsenal of arms and explosives hidden in the secret
compartments of
his sacred Mercedes, to participate in that procession and plant himself in
front of a microphone to thank in the name of God the suicide bombers who
massacre the Jews in pizzerias and supermarkets. To call them martyrs who
go
to their deaths as to a party.
I find it shameful that in France, the France of
Liberty-Equality-Fraternity,
they burn synagogues, terrorize Jews, profane their cemeteries. I find it
shameful that the youth of Holland and Germany and Denmark flaunt the
kaffia
just as Mussolini's avant garde used to flaunt the club and the fascist
badge. I find it shameful that in nearly all the universities of Europe
Palestinian students sponsor and nurture anti-semitism. That in Sweden they
asked that the Nobel Peace Prize given to Shimon Peres in 1994 be taken
back
and conferred on the dove with the olive branch in his mouth, that is on
Arafat. I find it shameful that the distinguished members of the
Committee, a
Committee that (it would appear) rewards political color rather than merit,
should take this request into consideration and even respond to it. In hell
the Nobel Prize honors he who does not receive it.
I find it shameful (we're back in Italy) that state-run television stations
contribute to the resurgent antisemitism, crying only over Palestinian
death
while playing down Israeli deaths, glossing over them in unwilling tones. I
find it shameful that in their debates they host with much deference the
scoundrels with turban or kaffiah who yesterday sang hymns to the slaughter
at New York and today sing hymns to the slaughters at Jerusalem, at Haifa,
at
Netanya, at Tel Aviv. I find it shameful that the press does the same, that
it is indignant because Israeli tanks surround the Church of the Nativity
in
Bethlehem, that it is not indignant because inside that same church two
hundred Palestinian terrorists well armed with machine guns and munitions
and
explosives (among them are various leaders of Hamas and Al-Aqsa) are not
unwelcome guests of the monks (who then accept bottles of mineral water and
jars of honey from the soldiers of those tanks). I find it shameful that,
in
giving the number of Israelis killed since the beginning of the Second
Intifada (four hundred twelve), a noted daily newspaper found it
appropriate to underline in capital letters that more people are killed in
their traffic accidents. (Six hundred a year).
I find it shameful that the Roman Observer, the newspaper of the Pope--a
Pope
who not long ago left in the Wailing Wall a letter of apology for the
Jews--accuses of extermination a people who were exterminated in the
millions
by Christians. By Europeans. I find it shameful that this newspaper denies
to the survivors of that people (survivors who still have numbers tattooed
on their arms) the right to react, to defend themselves, to not be
exterminated again. I find it shameful that in the name of Jesus Christ (a
Jew without whom they would all be unemployed), the priests of our
parishes or Social
Centers or whatever they are flirt with the assassins of those in Jerusalem
who cannot go to eat a pizza or buy some eggs without being blown up. I
find it shameful that they are on the side of the very ones who inaugurated
terrorism, killing us on airplanes, in airports, at the Olympics, and who
today entertain themselves by killing western journalists. By shooting
them,abducting them, cutting their throats, decapitating them. (There is
someone in Italy who, since the appearance of Anger and Pride, would like
to do the same to me. Citing verses of the Koran he exorts his brothers in
the mosques and the Islamic Community to chastise me in the name of Allah.
To kill me.
Or rather to die with me. Since he is someone who speaks English well, I'll
respond to him in English: "Fuck you.")
I find it shameful that almost all of the left, the left that twenty years
ago permitted one of its union processionals to deposit a coffin (as a
mafioso warning) in front of the synagogue of Rome, forgets the
contribution made by the Jews to the fight against fascism. Made by Carlo
and Nello Rossini, for example, by Leone Ginzburg, by Umberto Terracini,
by Leo
Valiani, by Emilio Sereni, by women like my friend Anna Maria Enriques
Agnoletti who was shot at Florence on June 12, 1944, by seventy-five of the
three-hundred-thirty-five people killed at the Fosse Ardeatine, by the
infinite others killed under torture or in combat or before firing squads.
(The companions, the teachers, of my infancy and my youth.) I find it
shameful that in part through the fault of the left--or rather, primarily
through the fault of the left (think of the left that inaugurates its
congresses applauding the representative of the PLO, leader in Italy of the
Palestinians who want the destruction of Israel)--Jews in Italian cities
are
once again afraid. And in French cities and Dutch cities and Danish cities
and German cities, it is the same. I find it shameful that Jews tremble at
the passage of the scoundrels dressed like suicide bombers just as they
trembled during Krystallnacht, the night in which Hitler gave free rein to
the Hunt of the Jews. I find it shameful that in obedience to the stupid,
vile, dishonest, and for them extremely advantageous fashion of Political
Correctness the usual opportunists--or better the usual parasites--exploit
the word Peace. That in the name of the word Peace, by now more debauched
than the words Love and Humanity, they absolve one side alone of its hate
and bestiality. That in the name of a pacifism (read conformism) delegated
to the singing crickets and buffoons who used to lick Pol Pot's feet they
incite people who are confused or ingenuous or intimidated. Trick them,
corrupt them, carry them back a half century to the time of the yellow
star on the
coat. These charlatans who care about the Palestinans as much as I care
about the charlatans. That is not at all.
I find it shameful that many Italians and many Europeans have chosen as
their standard-bearer the gentleman (or so it is polite to say) Arafat.
This
nonentity who thanks to the money of the Saudi Royal Family plays the
Mussolini ad perpetuum and in his megalomania believes he will pass into
History as the George Washington of Palestine. This ungrammatical wretch
who when I interviewed him was unable even to put together a complete
sentence, to make articulate conversation. So that to put it all together,
write it,
publish it, cost me a tremendous effort and I concluded that compared to
him even Ghaddafi sounds like Leonardo da Vinci. This false warrior who
always goes around in uniform like Pinochet, never putting on civilian
garb, and
yet despite this has never participated in a battle. War is someth
has always sent, others to do for him. That is, the poor souls who believe
in him. This pompous incompetent who playing the part of Head of State
caused the failure of the Camp David negotiations, Clinton's mediation.
No-no-I-want-Jerusalem-all-to-myself. This eternal liar who has a flash of
sincerity only when (in private) he denies Israel's right to exist,
and who as I say in my book contradicts himself every five minutes. He
always plays the double-cross, lies even if you ask him what time it is, so
that you can never trust him. Never! With him you will always wind up
systematically betrayed. This eternal terrorist who knows only how to be a
terrorist
(while keeping himself safe) and who during the Seventies, that is when I
interviewed him, even trained the terrorists of Baader-Meinhof. With them,
children ten years of age. Poor children. (Now he trains them to become
suicide bombers. A hundred baby suicide bombers are in the works: a
hundred!). This weathercock who keeps his wife at Paris, served and revered
like a queen, and keeps his people down in the shit. He takes them out of
the shit only to send them to die, to kill and to die, like the eighteen
year old girls who in order to earn equality with men have to strap on
explosives and disintegrate with their victims. And yet many Italians love
him, yes. Just like they loved Mussolini. And many other Europeans do the
same.
I find it shameful and see in all this the rise of a new fascism, a new
nazism. A fascism, a nazism, that much more grim and revolting because it
is conducted and nourished by those who hypocritically pose as do-gooders,
progressives, communists, pacifists, Catholics or rather Christians, and
who have the gall to label a warmonger anyone like me who screams the
truth.
I see it, yes, and I say the following. I have never been tender with the
tragic and Shakespearean figure Sharon. (I know you've come to add another
scalp to your necklace, he murmured almost with sadness when I went to
interview him in 1982.) I have often had disagreements with the Israelis,
ugly ones, and in the past I have defended the Palestinians a great deal.
Maybe more than they deserved. But I stand with Israel, I stand with the
Jews. I stand just as I stood as a young girl during the time when I fought
with them, and when the Anna Marias were shot. I defend their right to
exist to defend themselves, to not let themselves be exterminated a second
time.And disgusted by the antisemitism of many Italians, of many
Europeans, I am
ashamed of this shame that dishonors my Country and Europe. At b
not a community of States, but a pit of Pontius Pilates. And even if all
the inhabitants of this planet were to think otherwise, I would continue to
think so.
Views expressed by the author do not necessarily reflect those of an
israeli insider.
Who was (is) the bishop with the arsenal in his Mercedes?
Maybe it is time to arrange a trade. We'll take all of Europe's Jews, since the Eurotrash apparently now want to finish what Hitler left undone. Oriana and the handfull of decent people who think like her are welcome to come over, too. In exchange we'll send them all of our limosine liberal demosocialists -- they think that Europe is a better place to live than the US anyway, so let's just do them a favor.
Then retarget our warheads. WWIII will end up being between the EU and the US -- just wait and see.
Moral clarity bump.
Why do you think that, cornelis? Would you please cite an example of what you mean? I've liked this writer in the past. What has she gotten wrong? This is not a "challenge" -- it's a request for further information. If I've been deceived by Ms. Fallaci, then I'd like to understand the deception. Thanks, c. All my best, bb.
That is probably the better advice on this thread. A counter-polemic such as this is, saying little more than finding things "shameful" inevitably creates a second reality after legitimizing its opposition through skillful depiction of shameful acts. We say nothing of the title, which is not what this insipid diatribe is about.
Actually it was l;istenting his rant about "the Jews" in America and Israel.
I was so thunderstruck by his anti-Semitism (buried under a veneer of PC pseudo-sophistication) that I actually said "Seig Heil."
This is from the Middle East Digest, 1997:
Capucci ...[said] ... "the Muslim people of Iran are revolutionary standard-bearers of humanitarian and moral values" and praised them for their support of "the just struggle of the Palestinian people". A long-time supporter of the PLO, Capucci was sentenced to 15 years' imprisonment by Israel for smuggling weapons for the PLO in his church-registered vehicle in 1974. After serving a third of the sentence, he was freed following strong pressure from the Vatican...
I see your point, cornelis. Polemics, however, cannot be polemics without the invocation of strong emotions and sentiments. I see the heavy load of the latter in this essay.
But a critical reader must be aware that when he reads or hears polemics, he is cognitively engaging a most passionate form of speech. So he must distance himself from its emotional appeal sufficiently to be able critically to evaluate the evidence cited in the argument; its place in the overall context; its relevance, coherence, and sufficiency to support the overall argument.
Then the question becomes: Is the argument rational? And finally, is it just? At the end of the day, even polemics has to pass the rationality test.
I thought the author's portrait of Arafat was masterful -- very true to life as to known particulars, and a brilliant evocation of the malign, cynical, and utterly narcissistic character of the man. I cannot claim to know anything about the fate of her Jewish friends in WWII Italy. But she "got Arafat right," so maybe I'll trust her on the veracity of that evidence.
I could have done with a little less breast-beating; but in the main, I concluded this is about as substantial a piece of polemics as I have ever seen. It has the ring of truth to my ear.
Anyhoot, polemics is polemics, not a doctoral dissertation. The "rules of fair play" are different. Reader beware!
Cornelis, what did you mean by "legitimizing ... opposition through skillful depiction of shameful acts?" How does one legitimize an opponent by successfully characterizing him as shameful? If you make the guy look like a bum, then how does he correspondingly grow in legitimacy? Thanks for writing, cornelis. Please write again. best, bb.
The art of legitimizing the bums is FR staple. It is an art that neo- and paleo-cons have perfected to the point of nausea. All prose has been thralled in the service of bums. But I must remind you, notwithstanding the masterful portrait of Arafat (she excels!) this article's argument is not about Arafat. The argument is "I am ashamed." There is nobody who is ashamed of Arafat. Besides, true modesty dares not speak the evil that is done in secret.
And before we eclipse all: "Whatsoever things are true, whatsoever things are honest, whatsoever things are just, whatsoever things are lovely, whatsoever things are of good report; if there be any virtue, and if there be any praise, think on these things." (The ol' bum St. Paul is a fuddy duddy)
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