The Phoneys at "J" Street

J Street’s Spiritual Conceit
By: David M. Weinberg
Oct 24, 2009

The pious spiritual claptrap that characterizes J Street’s conference in Washington this week is both a conceit and a new form of Jewish apostasy. Conference speakers earnestly broadcast their “profound” Jewish and “spiritual” identities in order to besmirch the mainstream Jewish community and engender a distancing in US-Israel relations. This certainly does not fool the American Muslim leaders who are speaking at the conference. They know and appreciate exactly what J Street is up to.

It was the Buddhist seders that tipped me off to the real conceit behind J Street. The sensitive “progressive” types behind the new Washington lobby are deeply concerned, it seems, for the morality and soul of Israel.

Gee, thanks.

A love for Buddhist seders, a penchant for avant garde poetry (including a ballad entitled The Queer Intifada), and an abiding concern for Israel’s spiritual quintessence – all while being intermarried down to nearly the last Jewish soul among them — is how The New York Times recently characterized the founders and key staff members of J Street. They seek, you see, justice and holiness and Jewish meaning in the world. Especially in the Arab-Israel conflict.

This explains the preponderance of numerous, vaporous spiritual types at this week’s big J Street hug-in in Washington. Rabbi Sharon, Rabbi Amy, Rabbi Tirzah, Rabbi Jennie, Rabbi Julie, Rabbi Toba and Rabbi Melissa are among the prominent speakers. They are “diversity facilitators,” “spirituality counselors,” and “interreligious leaders” at places called Neve Kodesh, Brit Tzedek, Dorshei Tzedek and Just Vision.

So much “Tzedek”! So much “Kodesh”! So much overflowing of honey, holiness and justice! At a political lobby conference, no less. Perhaps the organization should be renamed Spiritual Street.

You know that all this righteousness just needs to be exported – through tough love, if necessary — to Israel. To repair the Middle East. To spiritually save Israel in spite of itself. Or at least to salve the sacred American Jewish soul.

Well, enough, I say, of this misty, sentimental and self-serving gobbledygook. All this soft spiritual urgency, supposedly on “behalf of” Israel, belies a triple conceit; or should we say, a great deceit.

Firstly, J Street is peddling the nutty notion that spirituality has anything to do with Mideast peace. The latent chutzpa is the insinuation that authentic identification with the Jewish prophets and morality dovetails with the dovish side of the political map. If only American Jews and Israelis were more religiously dovish and in touch with the forgiving and compassionate side of their Jewish souls – we would do the “left” thing and concede more generously to the Palestinians. Then, lo and behold, peace would come to the Mideast.

The second conceit is that such J Street-peddled nonsense – along with J Street support for talks with Hamas, opposition to military action against the Hamas, and opposition to sanctions or military action against nuclear Iran — represents the majority of American Jewry. Hogwash. Patently false.

The third conceit is that, if only Israel were to change – and it is J Street’s job to get America to force Israel to change – then peace would come to the Mideast. As if Israel was the party unwilling to compromise. As if Israel hasn’t already offered the Palestinians at Oslo and Camp David and Taba and Annapolis just about everything they want of post-67 Israel. As if the Palestinians have compromised on their demands one wit since the great handshake on the White House lawn. But it is Israel that needs to be pressured, say the J Street moral oracles.

J Street is a new form of Jewish apostasy. Its adherents hasten to embrace their Jewishness (even if they don’t really know much about authentic Jewish tradition and morality) in order to besmirch Israel and the mainstream Jewish community. They earnestly declare how “profoundly” Jewish they are, in order to engender a distancing in US-Israel relations.

I guess that’s why J Street has spent most of its resources bashing long-standing supporters of Israel – calling them extremists and right-wingers and accusing them of a ’silencing’ – and listing things that Israel must be made to do. All this, instead of calling out the dangers of Iranian nuclear weapons or Palestinian genocidal anti-Semitism. That’s why they fret over the Jewish soul instead of working to save and protect the physical Jewish State of Israel.

The only people clearly not fooled by all this spiritual mumbo-jumbo are Salam al-Mayarati, Ziad Asali, Trita Parsi and other leaders of the American Muslim Public Affairs Council, American Task Force on Palestine and the National Iranian American Council – all of whom are speaking — surprise, surprise — at the J Street Jewish soul jamboree this week. They undoubtedly see past the pious claptrap, and know – and appreciate – exactly what J Street is up to.

* Originally published in The Jerusalem Post on October 23, 2009.

The Gaza War and Anti-Semitism

Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism

No. 79, 1 April 2009 /7 Nissan 5769

The Gaza War and the New Outburst of Anti-Semitism[1]

Anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli manifestations reached post-Second World War highs during Israel's recent Gaza campaign. Attacks came from many directions. They included strong condemnations of Israeli actions by several governments as well as partly violent demonstrations in a number of countries. Furthermore, there were physical attacks on Jewish individuals as well as institutions. There was also much hate speech.
A number of new hate thresholds were crossed. There were much-increased public organizations, had planned these events well in advance.
A number of actions by various independent Muslim bodies in several Western countries manifested their desire to conquer the public square and, at the same time, remove Jewish and Israeli identities from it. This development is relevant not only to Jews but also to the general public. Those who want to impose themselves in the public domain today at the expense of Jews, are likely to do so tomorrow at the expense of others.
The Gaza war has shown once again that Israel can cope with the many military challenges it faces. On the other hand, the problems of the asymmetric verbal war conducted against it by circles from the United Nations, several Western political parties, media, academe, NGOs, and many others have never been properly analyzed by the Israeli authorities. Understanding how this anti-Israeli propaganda functions, and internally interacts, is necessary for gradually building adequate defenses in this area as well.
INTRODUCTION

During Israel's Operation Cast Lead in the Gaza Strip, which lasted from 27 December 2008 to 18 January 2009, anti-Semitic and anti-Israeli manifestations reached post-Second World War highs. One indicator of the growth in expressed hate is that during this period the number of anti-Semitic incidents in Britain increased eightfold to 220 compared to the same period a year earlier.[2] Estimates of the Coordination Forum for Countering Anti-Semitism put the worldwide increase of anti-Semitic incidents at 300 percent.[3] Hate emails to the umbrella body of the Jewish community in Germany were up 40 percent. They now stand at 200-300 per week.[4]
Attacks came from many directions. Several governments strongly condemned the Israeli military actions; some Western media were harshly negative toward Israel despite the fact that it was facing a terrorist movement that promotes genocide in its charter. There were accusations from many sides, several of which later turned out to be false. NGOs charged Israel with a variety of alleged violations of international law such as "crimes against humanity" and "war crimes."[5] There were some decisions as well as attempts at anti-Israeli boycotts.
Muslims formed the majority of the participants in anti-Israeli demonstrations in numerous countries. Often there were shouts of "Death to the Jews" or similar slogans. Equations of Israel with Nazi Germany were frequent. Several such protests turned violent. There were also pro-Israeli demonstrations, a number of which were violently attacked.
Among the physical attacks on Jewish individuals, the worst occurred in Denmark where two Israelis were shot. There were arson and vandalism attempts against synagogues in countries such as France, Belgium, Sweden, Britain, Italy, and the Netherlands. There were also attacks on cemeteries, kosher restaurants, and other Jewish businesses.
The number of actions and incidents is so major that no complete picture can be obtained at this time. The information below, however, provides a strategic overview of the issues at stake. It should be noted, though, that little attention has been given to the Arab and Muslim world where demonization of Israel and Jews is often an ongoing phenomenon.
Although the scope of events mentioned below is sizable, one should not conclude that a majority of people in all Western countries are against Israel and the Jews. A determined group of anti-Israelis and anti-Semites, however, can create an atmosphere that makes it appear to be so, partly due to readiness for violence. This is even further exacerbated by the distortion of the facts and context of the conflict by many media.
I. GOVERNMENT REACTIONS
Anti-Israeli Government Declarations and Actions
Among the countries that condemned Israel severely were Iran, Syria, Venezuela, and Cuba. A major new development was the Turkish leadership's alignment with these countries. Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdoğan called Israel's actions "crimes against humanity" and said Israel was using "disproportionate force."[6] This was one of the frequent false claims against Israel.
Dr. Dore Gold, a former Israeli ambassador to the United Nations, explained during the war that "from a purely legal perspective, Israel's current military actions in Gaza are on solid ground. According to international law, Israel is not required to calibrate its use of force precisely according to the size and range of the weaponry used against it. (Israel is not expected to make Kassam rockets and lob them back into Gaza.)"[7]
Erdoğan, however, stated while addressing his parliament: "They say my criticism is harsh, I assume it is not as harsh as phosphorus bombs or fire from tanks.... I am reacting as a human and a Muslim." The Turkish prime minister was extremely vocal against the Israeli operations in Gaza. Regarding the international community he said that "those who will remain silent to this aggression will give its account in front of history." He also claimed that "the dignity of humanity is being killed in Gaza."[8] Erdoğan has never used similar language concerning genocidal intentions and murderous behavior in the Muslim world. According to the working definition of the European Union, the use of such double standards is anti-Semitic.[9]
Referring to Erdoğan's remarks about Israel, Soner Cagaptay wrote in the Wall Street Journal that "Mr. Erdogan's rhetoric, meanwhile, has reached Islamist fever pitch."[10] Some of the Turkish prime minister's statements contained classic anti-Semitic motifs. For example, when speaking to the Turkish parliament on 13 January 2009 he accused Jews of "controlling the media and intentionally targeting civilians." He also asserted that the "media outlets supported by Jews are disseminating false reports on what happens in Gaza, finding unfounded excuses to justify targeting of schools, mosques and hospitals."[11]
Erdoğan's outburst against Israel is not unique and has to be seen in the context of his efforts to slowly Islamize Turkey.[12] His rhetoric toward the Israeli democracy casts additional doubt on Turkey's suitability to join the European Union. In implicitly taking the side of Hamas, which the EU defines as a terrorist organization, Turkey's attitude is far more severe than that of even the European countries most critical of Israel.
Erdoğan also created an incident at the World Economic Forum in Davos, storming off the stage after the moderator, Washington Post columnist David Ignatius, cut him short as he was responding to Israeli president Shimon Peres's speech defending the Israeli operation in Gaza.[13]
Erdoğan's behavior was applauded by Iranian authorities. Yahya Rahim Safavi, security adviser to Supreme Leader Ali Khamenei, said that "Erdoğan's ...courageous actions at the Davos summit against the war crimes of the Zionist regime...are evidence of the Islamic awakening among the Turkish people-a result of the influence of Iran's Islamic Revolution."[14]
Countries Break Relations
The president of Venezuela, Hugo Chavez, also strongly criticized Israel. He claimed that "the Holocaust, that is what is happening right now in Gaza."[15] He added that both the president of Israel and the president of the United States should be brought before the International Criminal Court (ICC). Chavez also expelled all Israeli diplomats from Caracas and cut diplomatic ties with Israel.[16]
Following Chavez's decision, Bolivian president Evo Morales decided to cut ties with Israel as well. He announced that he would seek genocide charges against top Israeli officials at the ICC and even recommended stripping Peres of his Nobel Peace Prize.[17]
On 5 January, Mauritania, the only Arab country besides Jordan and Egypt that has official relations with Israel, ordered its ambassador in Tel Aviv to return for consultations.[18] On 17 January, Mauritania decided to freeze political and economic ties.[19] In early March it asked Israel to close its embassy in Nouakchott.[20]
Qatar, the only Gulf Arab state that has some ties with Israel, asked Israel to close its trade office in Doha and remove its staff until the situation improved. Qatar also closed its trade office in Israel.[21]
European Reactions
The attitudes of governments of EU countries toward the conflict diverged greatly. Countries such as Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, the Czech Republic, and Hungary showed great understanding for Israel's actions and described them as self-defense. They put the blame for the war unequivocally on Hamas.[22]
During the Gaza campaign the presidency of the EU changed. On 1 January 2009, the Czech Republic assumed this position from France. In the week after the ground operations in Gaza began, two EU diplomatic delegations visited Israel and other Middle Eastern countries. At that time, French president Nicolas Sarkozy called for a forty-eight-hour humanitarian ceasefire but Israel rejected this. The European delegation, headed by Czech foreign minister Karel Schwarzenberg, came without any specific proposals; he mentioned that there was great diversity of views in the group.[23]
The most critical voice among EU governments was that of Irish foreign minister Micheál Martin. He condemned the Israeli air strikes as "devastating" and said they were offensive operations. Martin also condemned the firing of rockets into Israeli territory.[24] He described the Israeli ground operation as "indiscriminate attacks" and stated that the continuation of the operation "cannot be justified in any way and must now be brought to an immediate end."[25]
Martin had told the members of the Dáil, the Irish parliament, that "prior to any conflict, the government and I had consistently condemned the Hamas rocket attacks in southern Israel." However, an article by Bruce Arnold in the Irish newspaper Independent revealed that throughout the whole of 2008, when rocket attacks were taking place, none of the minister's or his predecessor's press statements on the Middle East mentioned Hamas. As Arnold wrote: "There has been no 'consistent condemnation,' indeed no condemnation at all."[26]
Sweden was the other EU country whose overall position was condemnatory of Israel. Foreign Minister Carl Bildt described the Israeli air strikes as a "serious continuation of the escalation of the tension." He acknowledged, however, that before the war erupted Hamas had refused to renew the ceasefire, stating that "although this ceasefire did not live up to expectations-particularly with regard to alleviating the Israeli blockade of Gaza-it would have been better for everyone if it had continued to be respected." He also described Israel's policy of isolating Hamas-run Gaza as "counterproductive."[27]
The government of Norway, a non-EU country, was also generally negative toward Israel. Foreign Minister Jonas Gahr Støre said, among other things, that "The Israeli ground offensive in Gaza constitutes a dramatic escalation of the conflict. Norway strongly condemns any form of warfare that causes severe civilian suffering, and calls on Israel to withdraw its forces immediately." He added that "Gaza is the world's most densely populated area, and the effects of a ground invasion on a long-suffering civilian population that has endured a strict closure regime for many years, and now many days of military attacks, will be extremely grave."[28]
In his eagerness to condemn Israel, Støre repeated a frequently used fallacy. The Gaza Strip is far from being the world's most densely populated area. Singapore, Hong Kong, or even the Tel Aviv metropolitan area are more crowded.[29]
II. DEMONSTRATIONS

Demonstrations against Israel spread rapidly. Extreme Muslim and left-wing bodies had seen the Gaza campaign coming. Several Jewish community leaders believe that the anti-Israelis were well organized and much better prepared than the Jewish community and its allies.
Prof. Dina Porat, head of Tel Aviv University's Stephen Roth Institute for the Study of Contemporary Antisemitism and Racism, asserted that the reactions to Operation Cast Lead proved that Muslims in Europe had "prepared in advance a public campaign against Jews and Israel, which they see as one and the same" and that they "were waiting for a signal or a pretext to launch this campaign and the Nazism comparison." According to Porat, this Nazism association was most effective when left-wing Europeans cooperated with Muslims.
She commented that "Europeans are burdened by the Holocaust, and accusing the victims of being like the Nazis helps distribute some of the burden and guilt." Porat made these statements at a gathering of the World Jewish Congress on the eve of International Holocaust Remembrance Day.[30]
There is confirmation of this collaboration from an Arab source. Dr. Kemal Helbawy, former spokesman of the International Organisation of the Muslim Brotherhood in Europe, stated that there was coordination between the Brotherhood and Jewish organizations, such as the Israeli Committee against House Demolitions and Jews against Zionism, to organize demonstrations in London.[31]
In London, major anti-Israeli demonstrations took place and some of them turned violent. At one, six hundred demonstrators scuffled with police outside the Israeli embassy.[32] On 3 January, five thousand demonstrators broke off from a larger group of twelve thousand, organized by the Stop the War coalition. They burned Israeli flags and hurled projectiles including fireworks at police officers.[33] A week later, another protest was organized by the same group that once again became violent. According to the Metropolitan Police twenty thousand people attended, but the BBC estimated that there were fifty thousand. Some protesters smashed the windows of a Starbucks cafe and three police officers were injured as people threw projectiles.[34]
London was the location of one of Europe's largest pro-Israeli demonstrations as well. On 11 January, according to the organizers' estimates, fifteen thousand people showed their support for Israel under the banner "Peace in Israel, Peace in Gaza." Speakers included Chief Rabbi Jonathan Sacks, Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor, and a number of British MPs.[35]
Paris was another place where major demonstrations took place. An initial anti-Israeli rally with 1,400 participants was peaceful.[36] On 3 January, the largest anti-Israeli protest in France was attended by twenty-one thousand demonstrators, of whom five hundred became violent. They threw objects at the police, burned Israeli flags, torched cars, and vandalized several shops. Ten police officers were injured in the clashes and twenty protesters arrested.[37] A day later, a pro-Israeli rally was attended by twelve thousand people according to the organizers and four thousand according to police estimates.[38]
There were many anti-Israeli demonstrations in Germany as well, including in Düsseldorf, Frankfurt, and Berlin. In Berlin, Hamas and Hizballah were saluted and an Israeli flag was burned. [39] After many decades, the slogan "Death to the Jews" came back to Berlin, this time shouted mainly by Muslims.[40] During a pro-Palestinian march in Duisburg, the police removed two Israeli flags from the balconies of private apartments.[41] Pro-Israeli demonstrations were held in Berlin, Frankfurt, and Munich; altogether two thousand people took part.[42]
During the Second Lebanon War in summer 2006, anti-Jewish incidents in Norway included shooting at the synagogue in Oslo, which was the most severe incident in Europe.[43] This time Norway pioneered a new manifestation of anti-Israeli hate. It was the only country where a government minister, Finance Minister Kristin Halvorsen, leader of the Socialist Left Party, marched against Israel in a demonstration where shouts of "Death to the Jews" were heard-though this was largely ignored by the Norwegian media. An Israeli daily, however, published the story, which also mentioned that the Israeli embassy had protested.[44]
During a demonstration in Oslo in which an estimated forty thousand people participated, rocks and eggs were thrown at policemen when a smaller group refused to leave after it was announced that the demonstration was over.[45] On 8 January, one thousand pro-Palestinian protestors came to a pro-Israeli rally organized by the opposition Progress Party armed with knives, baseball bats, and Molotov cocktails.[46] The police prevented them from attacking the Israel supporters, but the hooligans then started attacking the police and smashed shop windows on a major Oslo street. Six people were wounded, including five policemen. The twenty-six people arrested were of thirteen nationalities, including Pakistani, Palestinian, Turkish, Moroccan, Iranian, Jordanian, Somali, Iraqi, and Afghan immigrants.[47]
Johan Fredriksen, chief of staff of the Oslo police, remarked that "you have to go back to the early 1980s to find a similar situation in Norway."[48] After she addressed a pro-Israeli gathering, Siv Jensen, leader of the Progress Party, had to have permanent bodyguards because of the many threats she received.[49]
There were large anti-Israeli demonstrations in Sweden as well. Thanks mainly to Swedish bloggers, it is known that prominent members of the Social Democrats-the country's largest party-took part in hate demonstrations against Israel. Mona Sahlin, the party's leader, participated in a rally in Stockholm[50] where Hizballah and Hamas flags were flown and an Israeli flag was burned.[51] Jan Eliasson, the former foreign minister,[52] and Wanja Lundby Wedin, chair of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation,[53] also took part in that event.
In Norrköping, another senior Social Democrat, Lars Stjernkvist, spoke at a demonstration with a Hizballah flag as well as swastikas in the background. A blogger captured this with his camera.[54] When it became news, the local Social Democrat newspaper Folkbladet criticized the blogger for making an item out of it.[55] In Göteborg, white cloths with Israeli symbols were burned. In Malmö, another Social Democrat parliamentarian, Luciano Astudillo, spoke as someone next to him held up a picture of Hizballah leader Hassan Nasrallah.[56]
Also in the Netherlands there were a number of anti-Israeli marches. In Amsterdam, two parliamentarians of the extreme-Left Socialist Party, Harry van Bommel and Sadet Karabulut, joined with other demonstrators in shouting "Intifada, intifada, Palestine free."[57]
Bram Moszkowicz, a well-known Dutch lawyer, filed a complaint with the attorney-general against the two politicians for incitement to hate, discrimination, and violence. He said they were both leaders of this demonstration, where shouts of "Hamas, Hamas, Jews to the gas" could be heard in the background. According to Moszkowicz, since the two parliamentarians did not dissociate themselves from these calls, they should be considered as identifying with them.[58] Among the thirty bodies that had sponsored this demonstration were several Muslim organizations, including the Turkish Milli Görüs and the Council of Moroccan Mosques of the Netherlands, as well as the International Socialists (an extreme left-wing group), the Dutch Palestine Committee, and a small anti-Zionist Jewish group, Ander Joods Geluid.[59]
One banner at the demonstration proclaimed that "Anne Frank is turning in her grave."[60] The abuse of Anne Frank's memory to support Palestinian society, which is heavily permeated with calls for the genocide of Jews, has occurred on various occasions in the Netherlands.[61] These are typical cases of Holocaust inversion.[62]
On 11 January, there was a large demonstration in Brussels where Israeli flags were burned and children carried effigies of dead and bloodied babies.[63] On 16 February, the umbrella body of Belgian Jewish organizations, CCOJB, submitted a formal complaint concerning racism, anti-Semitism, and xenophobia to the Center for Equal Opportunities and the Fight against Racism. The CCOJB made accusations against three of the Wallonian parties-the Socialist PS, the Christian CDH, and the Green Ecolo-as well as trade unions and eighty-six NGOs that had organized the demonstration.[64]
The CCOJB noted that this supposedly "peaceful" demonstration had turned into a major outburst of anti-Semitism on the streets of Brussels. Banners showed Jews as devils, or equated them with Nazis; others referred to the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Yet other signs compared Gaza to Auschwitz. The CCOJB stated that these were both morally and legally condemnable.[65]
In Athens, three thousand demonstrators marched and threw rocks at the Israeli embassy.[66] They also threw firebombs at police officials.[67] The demonstrations came after weeks of major unrelated unrest that erupted after a teenager was killed by police.[68] In Nicosia, demonstrators attacked "riot police with rocks, sticks, shoes, and oranges near the Israeli embassy."[69] In Rome, thousands marched carrying signs that "showed swastikas superimposed on the Star of David."[70] There were demonstrations in Milan, Turin, and Venice as well.[71] One of the most impressive pro-Israeli demonstrations took place on 14 January in Rome. More than a hundred parliamentarians from different parties participated.[72] In Barcelona, thirty thousand people marched against Israel "carrying bloodstained blankets and mock dead bodies of children."[73] In Madrid, according to the estimates of the organizers, 250,000 people took part in a pro-Palestinian demonstration. One of the speakers claimed that the Gaza Strip was a concentration camp.[74]
Probably the largest anti-Israeli demonstrations took place in Turkey, where hundreds of thousands of protesters marched in various locations. An estimated two hundred thousand participated in a demonstration organized by a minor Islamist party in Istanbul. There were also sizable demonstrations in the southeastern province of Diyarbakir and in other places as well.[75]
In the United States, there were numerous demonstrations against Israel. The participants were mainly Arabs and other Muslims.[76] There were also demonstrations in Australia and New Zealand. In Sydney, a Jewish man was attacked at a pro-Palestinian rally.[77] In Wellington, New Zealand, a Catholic priest, Father Gerard Burn, sprinkled red paint, mixed with a drop of his own blood, on the memorial monument to Yitzhak Rabin.[78] On 14 January, in South Africa, Deputy Foreign Minister Fatima Hajaig told a pro-Palestinian rally that "the control of America, just like the control of most Western countries, is in the hands of Jewish money." She later apologized for her remarks.[79]
In Argentina, after a demonstration a leader of an extreme-Left group called Jews "rats" on a major radio channel.[80] Some participants marched on the building of the Jewish AMIA organization wearing T-shirts of Hizballah, which an Argentinean court accused of bombing that building in 1994, killing eighty-five and wounding hundreds. The head of the National Institute against Discrimination (INADI) remained silent about the many anti-Semitic manifestations in the country.[81]
III. ANTI-SEMITIC INCIDENTS

There were a large number of anti-Semitic incidents in many places, far more than during the Second Lebanon War. Once again, the most severe case occurred in Scandinavia. In a shopping mall in the Danish town of Odense, two Israelis were shot and wounded. A Danish suspect of Lebanese origin with Palestinian parents was arrested.[82]
In terms of the quantity of anti-Semitic incidents, France and Britain led the way. In France, there were numerous attacks against synagogues. A burning car was rammed into the gates of a synagogue in Toulouse.[83] In Villeneuve-St-Georges near Paris, a synagogue door was torched, while in another suburb a young man was stabbed four times when two men recognized a Jewish symbol on his necklace.[84]
In Lingolsheim, Alsace, the front door of the synagogue was sprayed with "Assassins!" and "Long Live Israeli Democracy." In Metz, during a pro-Palestinian march, two hundred youths approached the synagogue but were kept back by police. In Toulon, a car was set on fire in the parking lot of the synagogue. In Villeurbanne, near Lyon, the windows of a synagogue were broken. In Paris, a yellowish liquid was thrown at a synagogue. In another incident, posters with the slogan "Get out of Gaza" were stuck to the walls of a synagogue. In Sedan, the windows of a synagogue were broken and a cross was sprayed on the wall. In St. Denis, near Paris, Molotov cocktails were thrown at a synagogue and the windows were broken. The same occurred in Schiltigheim in Alsace.[85] On 13 January, in Lille, a swastika and ZOG (Zionist Occupation Government) were painted near the door of the synagogue. On 14 January, in Mulhouse, Alsace, slogans such as "Death to Israel," "Long live Palestine," and "F--k France" were scrawled on the wall of the synagogue.[86]
The Community Security Trust, a British Jewish defense organization, reported a selection of the many incidents suffered by the community. These included an arson attack on a synagogue in North London, two assaults on visibly Jewish men by pro-Palestinian supporters, anti-Israeli daubings on synagogues and other Jewish buildings, and anti-Semitic graffiti in areas known for their Jewish communities.[87] The Sun, reported that an Islamic extremist website had posted a list of prominent British Jews to target; it included singer Amy Winehouse, Foreign Secretary David Miliband, and lawyer Anthony Julius.[88]
There were also many other anti-Semitic incidents elsewhere. In Italy, eggs filled with red paint were thrown at a synagogue in Pisa[89] while an explosive device was found near the entrance of the Chabad House in Florence.[90] In Belgium, a petrol bomb was hurled at a synagogue in Brussels, the windows of the synagogue in Charleroi were broken,[91] a public menorah was set on fire, and swastikas were painted on Jewish-owned shops.[92] In Istanbul, a bomb exploded near the Israeli Bank Pozitif and anti-Semitic billboards, notices, and graffiti were widespread in the city as well. In Izmir, "We will kill you" was written on the door of a synagogue.[93] In Ankara, a basketball game between the Turk Telekom and Israeli Bnei Hasharon teams was canceled after Turkish fans stormed the court shouting "Allahu Akbar" and "Death to the Jews."[94]
There were several anti-Semitic attacks in Sweden. In Helsingborg, the staircase at a Jewish center was set on fire. In Stockholm, the Israeli embassy was covered with graffiti proclaiming "Crush Israel, you broke the ceasefire!" and other imprecations such as "Die!" and "Murderers" were visible. [95] In Malmö, a Jewish burial chapel was attacked three times.[96]
The president of the Jewish community in Venezuela, Abraham Levy Ben Shimol, told the participants of a World Jewish Congress conference that swastikas had been sprayed on the walls of a Caracas synagogue and added that "where we live, the anti-Semitism is sanctioned; it comes from the president, through the government, and into the media. Since the government is very involved in the day-to-day lives of its constituents, its influence is much more effective."[97]
IV. ACCUSATIONS AND CALLS FOR ACTION AGAINST ISRAEL
Media
As on previous occasions, various media played a major role in distorting the news. A few examples will illustrate this. France 2 has come under heavy criticism over the past few years regarding its role in the Al-Dura affair. French media analyst Philippe Karsenty claimed that the images shown by France 2 of the killing of the child Muhammad al-Dura at the beginning of the Second Intifada in autumn 2000 were staged. When France 2 sued Karsenty, an appeals court found that he had every right to express his doubts about the authenticity of the report.[98]
During the recent Gaza campaign, France 2 aired an amateur video that was filmed during a 2005 incident involving Gaza civilians killed in an explosion caused by "militants." The executives called the mistake an "internal malfunction" and formally apologized. France 2's head of news reporting, Etienne Leenhardt, said the footage was "intended to illustrate the war of images on the Internet. The people who put it together worked too fast."[99]
The Dutch-Israeli media-watch group Israel Facts undertook a detailed analysis of how the Dutch state-subsidized television news service NOS reported on the Gaza campaign. Based on all the NOS primetime news shows' material throughout the campaign, the report claimed there was a pattern of omission, distortion, and manipulation. Images shown were mainly coverage by a local Gaza broadcaster. Ninety percent of all footage released dealt with the suffering of the Gaza population. Israel Facts noted that not a single official Israeli spokesman had found his way into the NOS reporting. The report also pointed out that the first time the Israeli side was mentioned was on New Year's Eve, four days after the campaign began; at that time most of the Dutch were busy with festivities. A further point was that Israel was not given the right of reply to accusations by NGOs and Palestinians.[100]
The Guardian, for its part, published an obituary for Nizar Rayan, a Hamas terrorist leader who had sent his twenty-two-year-old son on a suicide mission in which two Israelis were killed. The article, which called him a political leader, was subtitled "Senior Hamas Leader and Cleric Considered a Hero on the Streets of Gaza."[101]
Historian and media analyst Richard Landes has pointed out that international media have largely played into the hands of Hamas, whose strategy was both to maximize and exaggerate Palestinian casualties so as to gain the world's sympathy and, thereby, to marshal international pressure on Israel to halt its military operations before it could achieve its goals. He observed that the phenomenon of intentionally causing the enemy to inflict casualties on one's own civilian population is almost unknown outside the world of jihad.[102]
An incident at the UNRWA-run Ibn Rushd Preparatory School for Boys in the Jabaliya refugee camp provides an example of the media's irresponsibility as described by Landes. Headlines such as "Israeli Shelling Kills Dozens at UN School in Gaza"[103] or "Massacre of Innocents as UN School Is Shelled"[104] were all over the news after Israel responded to rocket attacks by Hamas with artillery fire. On 7 January, the Situation Report of the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA) also claimed that the UNRWA school had been shelled.[105] Yet when Patrick Martin, Middle East correspondent for the Canadian Globe and Mail, conducted an investigation, it revealed that no one inside the school building had been killed.[106] On 5 February, OCHA finally published a clarification confirming that the Israeli shells landed outside the school.[107] Martin describes clearly how the media helps put pressure on Israel:
News of the tragedy traveled fast, with aid workers and medical staff quoted as saying the incident happened at the school, the UNRWA facility where people had sought refuge. Soon it was presented that people in the school compound had been killed. Before long, there was worldwide outrage.
The news shocked the world and was compared to the 1996 Israeli attack on a UN compound in Qana, Lebanon, in which more than 100 people seeking refuge were killed. It was certain to hasten the end of Israel's attack on Gaza, and would undoubtedly lead the list of allegations of war crimes committed by Israel.[108]
There are other indications that media frequently distort information. For instance, they may characterize demonstrations as passing peacefully. Eyewitnesses, however, tell that in some cases shouts of "Death to the Jews," the burning of Israeli flags, and banners calling equating Jews with Nazis go unmentioned. For instance, Levi Salomon, a representative of the Berlin Jewish community, has given examples of such deficient reporting.[109]
Lawfare and Accusations of War Crimes
Lawfare, the exploitation of international law by various organizations and individuals, is an important element of the attacks on Israel. Israeli officials are harassed with civil lawsuits and criminal investigations. NGOs issue hundreds of statements accusing Israel of "indiscriminate attacks," "disproportionate use of force," "collective punishment," and "war crimes."
NGO Monitor explains that this tactic was adopted at the NGO Forum of the 2001 Durban conference in order to demonize and delegitimize Israel. NGO Monitor writes that "the NGOs calling for lawfare base their allegations on faulty legal premises, factual distortions, and unreliable 'eyewitness' testimony. These NGOs do not possess the military or other factual information necessary to level their charges."[110]
Two major NGOs, Amnesty International and Human Rights Watch, accused Israel of war crimes claiming that the IDF indiscriminately used white- phosphorous munitions in densely populated areas of Gaza.[111] Ninety organizations, most of them French pro-Palestinian ones, seek to have the International Criminal Court indict Israel for war crimes in Gaza.[112] Several hundred human rights groups were planning to ask the ICC to investigate Israel's "war crimes" as well.[113]
The United Nations
As usual, a number of UN officials came out against Israel in various ways. Richard Falk, the anti-Israeli UN Human Rights Rapporteur in the Occupied Territories, claimed Israel had violated international law, citing "collective punishment," "targeting civilians," and "disproportionate military response."[114]
UN General Assembly President Miguel d'Escoto Brockmann of Nicaragua, who had hugged Iranian president Ahmadinejad at the UN plenary a few months earlier, described the situation in Gaza as "genocide."[115]
The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, Navi Pillay, said Israel may have committed war crimes in Gaza, specifically mentioning an incident in the town of Zeitoun where approximately thirty people were killed in a single house as a result of Israeli shelling.[116] It is well known that the UN Human Rights Council and its predecessor, the UN Commission on Human Rights, have systematically ignored the crimes of the major human rights violators such as Sudan, Iran, and others.[117]
John Ging, head of UNRWA, also claimed that the killing of innocent civilians in Gaza could be a war crime.[118]
Boycotts
Boycott campaigns have been a major tool of Israel's enemies in the new century. The Gaza offensive led to renewed calls of various types. Some concerned Israeli produce,[119] others were for academic, cultural, or sports boycotts, while some were general.
Individuals and bodies who had come out against Israel in the past were active once again. For instance, left-wing members of the British National Union of Journalists-the NUJ-Left-again discussed the possibility of promoting a boycott of Israel.[120] At its annual meeting in 2007, the NUJ voted for a boycott of Israeli goods as a protest against the Second Lebanon War. After opposition mounted, however, this motion was overturned by a large majority at the 2008 conference.[121]
Some campaigns went as far as to call for the boycott of Jews. The most publicized case was that of the Italian Flaica-CUB Union, a small, independent leftist union in the retail services and food sector. Its leader, Giancarlo Desiderati, had told reporters that a list of Jewish shops was being drawn up. In reaction the mayor of Rome, Gianni Alemanno, went to shop in a Jewish-owned clothing store and noted that such calls in the 1930s were the precursors of the Fascist anti-Semitic laws in 1938. Other politicians also condemned the boycott.[122]
In some other countries such as Argentina, there were calls for boycotting Jewish shops in certain cities.[123] An anonymous email made the rounds in South Africa calling for the boycotting of Jewish businesses. However, a group of more than a hundred Muslims condemned this message.[124]
Ingalill Bjartén, who holds a senior position in the Swedish Social Democrat Women's Association, compared Israel to the Nazis. She also called for the cancellation of the Swedish Davis Cup tennis match against Israel in March Parliamentarian Hans Linde, foreign policy spokesperson of the Left Party, joined this call and also called for a cultural boycott of Israel.[125] An Israeli taekwondo team was advised to cancel its participation in the Swedish championship at Trelleborg because of threats by a Swedish Muslim organization.[126]
Sometimes boycott calls simply spread by rumor. Messages were sent to many in Dutch Muslim immigrant communities calling to boycott the German supermarket chains Aldi and Lidl. The origin of this campaign, which falsely claimed that the two chains were donating part of their profits to Israel, is not clear. There were similar calls all over Europe and the Middle East to boycott such businesses as McDonald's, Pepsi Cola, and Kentucky Fried Chicken. The American coffee shop chain, Starbucks, admitted that the boycott had affected their business.[127]
The union of Turkish cooperatives, which is associated with the Turkish Agricultural Ministry, announced that it would embargo the financing of purchases from Israel. Since the union offers subsidies to farmers, the embargo means Turkish farmers are likely to prefer to buy their agricultural supplies from other countries.[128]
The South African Transport and Allied Workers Union boycotted an Israeli ship in Durban. However, the goods were later unloaded by nonunion workers.[129]
There were some announcements of academic boycotts as well. Early in January, Sid Ryan, president of the Ontario branch of the Canadian Union of Public Employees (CUPE), called to boycott Israeli academics unless they condemned Israeli military action, after an appeal had been made by the Palestinian Federation of University Professors and Employees.[130] The call was a reaction to the bombing of the Islamic University in Gaza. The targets there included two laboratories that served as research and development centers for Hamas's military wing, where explosives were developed under the auspices of university professors. The university was used for storage of rockets and explosives as well.[131]
On 22 February, CUPE Ontario adopted a resolution that "encourages research into military connections between Ontario and Israeli universities, and calls on Ontario universities to refuse to conduct research that benefits the Israeli military."[132] Although this was a step back from the original call, it still singles out Israel. The president of CUPE National came out with a statement that the national organization does not support CUPE Ontario's resolution and that it "does not represent CUPE National policy."[133]
The Role of Anti-Israeli Jews
As in many earlier cases, this time as well there was a small number of Jews whose statements were among the most extreme against Israel.[134] Of some, it is known that they are Jewish even if they do not stress it themselves. Others use the fact that they are Jewish and/or exploit the suffering of their families during the Holocaust as a weapon in their attacks on Israel. Some small Jewish groups helped organize or participated in anti-Israeli hate demonstrations.
Naomi Klein, a Canadian antiglobalization activist, proposed a strategy for boycotting Israel in The Nation.[135] Sir Gerald Kaufman, a British Labour parliamentarian, compared Hamas in Gaza to Jewish resistance fighters during the Second World War. He said the Israeli government "ruthlessly and cynically exploit the continuing guilt among gentiles over the slaughter of Jews in the holocaust as justification for their murder of Palestinians." He added that "My grandmother, who was shot dead by the Nazis, did not die to provide cover for Israeli soldiers murdering Palestinian grandmothers in Gaza."[136]
Alexei Sayle, a British comedian, said at a rally in London that "as a Jew, it's very moving to see so many people who are so outraged at Israel's actions," and that "Israel is a democratic country that is behaving like a terroristorganization."[137]
In a post on his website, titled "Deutschland Uber Alles," Norman Finkelstein juxtaposes images of the Holocaust with claimed Israeli atrocities. The article is subtitled "the grandchildren of Holocaust survivors from World War II are doing to the Palestinians exactly what was done to them by Nazi Germany"[138] Needless to say, if that were the case most Palestinians would have been killed long ago.
Interrupting Dialogue
Dialogues take place between Muslim and Jewish organizations in a number of countries. During the war, some Muslim groups interrupted these because the Jewish side was not willing to condemn the Israeli action in Gaza. This was a hypocritical demand because the Muslim parties have rarely if ever condemned Palestinians or specifically Hamas for their multiple acts of terror against Israel. Nor have they come out against the calls for genocide in the Muslim world.
In France all the Muslim representatives resigned from the dialogue with CRIF, the umbrella body of the French Jewish community. This dialogue took place within the framework of the Amitié judéo-musulmane de France (AJMF).[139] A Tunisian imam named Hassen Chalghoumi, who had been involved in a dialogue project, said it had seemingly come to a standstill. Whereas according to CRIF 95 percent of French Jews support Israel's actions in Gaza, most Muslims feel solidarity with the Palestinians. Chalghoumi affirms that "reconciliation [between French Muslims and Jews] will take time."[140] Another country where the dialogue was affected was the Netherlands.
These incidents should provide an opportunity for Jewish participants in these dialogues to rethink their approach. Often these dialogues have resulted from Jews "courting" the Muslim side. This has enabled Muslims, on a number of occasions, to criticize Israel while Jewish dialogue partners, at best, defend it. It would have been far more logical to point out in response the large number of murders and major human rights abuses in Muslim countries, among them Iraq, Afghanistan, Sudan, and Somalia. In addition, it is worth stressing the multiple calls for genocide by senior religious and political leaders in the Muslim world and the rabid anti-Semitism prevailing there.
There are other aspects to this as well. For several reasons the image of Muslim communities has deteriorated in Western Europe. The dialogue with the Jewish community gives some dialogue partners an increased respectability. Some authorities may reason that if the Jews, who are seen as being on the other side of the political fence, are willing to talk to these Muslims, why shouldn't they? The combination of helping groups of Muslims and then being attacked by them is not in the Jewish interest.
Yet another aspect is the instrumentalization of Jewish-Muslim relations by the authorities. There have been numerous attacks, hate speech, and other abuse of Jews by Muslims in various European countries during the Gaza campaign, and to a lesser extent, over the past few years. It is inconvenient for the authorities to say that aggression comes only from the Muslim side. If ever there is an incident where Jews attack Muslims, this helps the authorities distort the nature of the overall aggressions. This was the case after an incident where Jews attacked Muslim high school students at the Lycee Janson-de-Sailly in Paris.[141]
At some point, Interior Minister Michèle Alliot-Marie spoke about tensions between the communities.[142] This was a clear misnomer in view of the asymmetric character of the conflict in France. On 14 January, in a speech in Orléans, Sarkozy said "I will not tolerate that the conflict of the Middle East will be exploited by some in order to create inter-community tensions in France.... Anti-Semitism and Islamophobia will be condemned with equal severity."[143] From this one could easily and falsely conclude that both Muslims and Jews are importing violence into France; actually, anti-Semitism and Islamophobia are generally very different in nature.[144]
The Battle for the Public Square
Actions by various independent Muslim bodies amount to an effort to conquer the public square and at the same time remove Jewish and Israeli identities from it. This began, in part, at the beginning of this century when Muslims attacked individual Jews in various European countries. Initially France was a particularly severe case.[145] Later such attacks became a common phenomenon in some other countries as well.
The problem became so serious that some Jewish communities started to advise their members not to wear kippahs on the street. Former French chief rabbi Joseph Sitruk has made this admonition a number of times.[146] On various occasions people wearing Stars of David were also advised to tuck them into their shirts.
Pessy Hollander, a Norwegian Jew, said he knows of many people in the Norwegian Jewish community who are afraid, as there have been death threats as well. An Orthodox family he knows no longer dares to go to the synagogue because they stand out in the street.[147] As many visitors to major West European cities have noticed, at the same time many Muslims, through their mode of dress, increasingly emphasize their religion in the public domain.
During the Gaza war, the attempt to dominate the public square became more overt. Muslims attacked pro-Israeli demonstrations and Jews in the streets. There were arson attempts against Jewish institutions. After some anti-Israeli demonstrations, Muslim prayer services were held in public places-for instance, in Fort Lauderdale in the United States.[148]
In Milan, a Muslim prayer session was held on the major square in front of the cathedral. This message can be interpreted in several ways. For instance: the Catholics pray inside, but the street, the public square, is for Muslim prayer. Or, the cathedral is empty, the street is full, and ultimately the cathedral will be a mosque. Many Italians understood the message; Interior Minister Roberto Maroni forbade future demonstrations in front of religious buildings. Later the Muslim organizers apologized to the cardinal of Milan.[149]
Sometimes the authorities assisted this process. The aforementioned removal of the Israeli flags in Duisburg by local police is one example. The dispersion of an authorized pro-Israeli demonstration in Malmö was another.
This battle for the public square is not only relevant to Jews but to the public at large. Those who currently want to impose themselves on the public square at the expense of the Jews are likely to do so in the future at the expense of others.
V. AFTER THE END OF THE CAMPAIGN

Incidents continued at a lesser pace after the campaign ended. An authorized pro-Israeli demonstration in Malmö was attacked by unauthorized anti-Israeli protesters. Rather than protecting those who were exercising their right, the police dispersed both groups.[150] Ted Ekeroth, a blogger, showed how another pro-Israeli demonstration in the same city was attacked by a group who hurled pipe bombs and projectiles at them.[151] The Israeli ambassador to Sweden, Benny Dagan, had a shoe thrown at him during his speech at the University of Stockholm.[152]
In Amsterdam, the location of a lecture for Jewish organizations, a hotel, had to be changed after it received emailed threats. Shoes were thrown at the speaker, Ron Edelheit of the IDF Spokesman's Unit.[153] Subsequently, Liberal Party MP Paul de Krom asked the Dutch government what it intended to do about the apparent spread of anti-Semitism in Amsterdam and the calls for violence in pro-Palestinian protests.[154]
Due to threats and for political reasons, the left-wing-majority Malmö city council decided to hold the Davis Cup tennis match between Sweden and Israel behind closed doors. The decision was made despite the fact that police had announced earlier that fans could be admitted.[155] Six thousand demonstrated outside the stadium against Israel. About two hundred demonstrators pelted the police with stones, fireworks, and paint bombs.[156] The Israeli team won the match. Abraham Cooper and Harold Brackman of the Simon Wiesenthal Center published an op-ed listing a selection of Swedish anti-Semitic acts, noting: "Over-the-top vilification anti-Israel rhetoric is a hallmark of a large swathe of the Swedish political establishment."[157]
On 23 January, Bert Anciaux, a minister in the Flemish government, compared on his personal blog the Gaza operation to a murder at a Belgian nursery where two infants and a caretaker were killed by a twenty-year-old man.[158] The Belgian Foreign Ministry distanced itself from Anciaux.[159] A few days later the entire Flemish government, including Anciaux, agreed that the two issues had no relation to each other.[160]
On Friday night, 30 January, a synagogue in Caracas was defaced with anti-Semitic graffiti and its interior room where the Torah is kept was vandalized.[161] President Chavez condemned the attack; he accused his political opponents of committing it.[162] A few days later, eleven people were arrested, among them seven policemen. The attack was then presented as perpetrated by a gang rather than an anti-Semitic one.[163] On 27 February, an explosive device went off outside a Jewish center in Caracas.[164]
NGOs
NGO actions against Israel continued. Amnesty International published a report condemning both Hamas and Israel and proposing an arms embargo of Israel. Abraham Foxman, national director of the Anti-Defamation League, strongly criticized this report and stated that "Amnesty denies Israel the right to self-defense-an internationally accepted right of every sovereign nation."[165]
NGO Monitor analyzed the Amnesty document and concluded that it "exploits the façade of a 'research report' to make baseless accusations, misrepresent international law, and promote an immoral and indefensible equivalence between Hamas and Israel." It added that "Officials of Amnesty International responsible for abusing human rights claims in preparing this publication should resign."[166]
A Palestinian NGO, Al-Haq, has started legal proceedings against the British government to compel it to impose sanctions on Israel. The British Foreign Office responded that such claims against British ministers "are wholly inapt for resolution in domestic legal proceedings."[167]
Boycotts
On 22 January, a group of American professors launched the U.S. Campaign for the Academic & Cultural Boycott of Israel. Two weeks later they claimed to have obtained 205 endorsements, of which 155 were by Americans.[168]
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions (ICTU) announced that they would launch a boycott of Israeli goods in response to the Gaza campaign. In Belfast, the capital of Northern Ireland, they were praised for this by Sinn Fein president Gerry Adams. Parliamentarian Robin Newton of the Democratic Unionist Party reacted to the announcement by saying, "I can only wonder about the attitude of the ordinary member of a trade union who witnesses the senior members of their union traipsing around the Middle East delving into complex problems when the employees of local firms are facing redundancy, cutbacks or at least very challenging times."[169]
There is likely to be an increasing number of renewed attempts at lawfare, boycotts, and embargoes. Draft resolutions for the upcoming Durban II conference, which will take place in Geneva on 20-24 April 2009, indicate that it is likely to be an anti-Semitic hate-fest similar to the first conference.[170]
VI. CONCLUSION

At the Durban NGO conference in 2001, the idea emerged of a systematic, extended program of delegitimizing Israel. The South African NGO committee SANGOCO played a key role, and closely collaborated with Palestinians. The eight-point program that was developed included the launching of an educational program to create worldwide solidarity against Israel, the use of all legal mechanisms against Israel, discrediting the Law of Return, reinstituting the Arab boycott, imposing embargoes on Israel, and promoting the rupture of all diplomatic relations with Israel. This was meant to be realized over a period of five years. Thereafter, a second five-year program was supposed to be initiated against the United States.[171] The anti-Israeli program was intended to be implemented through the involvement of churches, universities,[172] Internet service providers, the United Nations, and NGOs.[173]
While all these efforts are clearly recognizable in the period since the Durban conference, there is no single driving force behind the multiple attacks on Israel and the Jews. Many anti-Israeli advocates, while unaware of the SANGOCO program and its aims, play into this strategy by their actions. A fragmented postmodern society offers many conduits for propagating anti-Israelism and anti-Semitism, operating in the framework of what can be described as a postmodern "total war." All actions combine into a system that functions as if coordinated by invisible hands.[174]
The anti-Israeli campaign in the West comes from many directions. The major aggressors were already active against Israel long before the Gaza war, but exploited the occasion to increase their efforts. Among these are Muslim governments and many Muslim-immigrant bodies in the West. They frequently collaborate with the extreme Left, which often includes green parties and other politicians, mainly but not only socialists, who systematically discriminate against Israel. Self-hating or anti-Semitic Jews and Israelis also play an important role. While their numbers may not be large, they often act as initiators of anti-Israeli actions and are used by gentile haters of Jews and Israel in their campaigns.
The frequent ideological justification offered by many socialists who take often highly discriminatory anti-Israeli positions is that they identify with the weak. They do not distinguish between underdogs and defeated criminals. Their positions sometimes make them allies, or de facto accomplices, of a genocide-promoting organization such as Hamas. This was evident when several prominent socialists demonstrated against Israel together with those who shouted "Death to the Jews" or held up signs equating Israel with Nazi Germany.
A major role is also played by many media that emphasize Palestinian suffering without putting matters in context. Hamas's genocidal charter is often ignored or obfuscated. Nor is it stressed that the Palestinians, in a partly democratic process, elected this mass-murder-promoting movement.
UN bodies and NGOs also wage lawfare against Israel through one-sided positions. Delegitimization of Israel takes place on various fronts in parallel. Positions emphasized by the media create an overall hostile atmosphere for Israel and Jews. At the same time, much less attention is paid to the prominent genocidal attitudes in the Muslim world and the weak or absent reactions to this from moderates.
The Gaza war has shown once again that Israel can cope with the many military challenges it faces and its defense establishment is notably flexible. On the other hand, the problems of the asymmetric war conducted against Israel by the abovementioned actors has never been properly analyzed to a significant degree by the Israeli authorities. Such understanding is an absolute necessity for gradually building adequate defense systems in this area as well.

* * *
Notes

[1] The authors thank Rachel Bresinger for her assistance with the research for this article.
[2] Community Security Trust, "Antisemitic Incidents and Threats to British Jews Arising from the Gaza Crisis," Update 4, 21 January 2009.
[3] "Report: Expect Sharp Rise in Anti-Semitism," JTA, 25 January 2009.
[4] "Holocaust-Gedenken ohne Zentralrat der Juden," Die Welt, 27 January 2009. [German]
[5] NGO Monitor, "The NGO Front in the Gaza War: Exploitation of International Law," 21 January 2009.
[6] Herb Keinon, "Jerusalem: No International Pressure to End Op," Jerusalem Post, 28 December 2008.
[7] Dore Gold, "Did Israel Use 'Disproportionate Force' in Gaza?" Jerusalem Issue Brief, Vol. 8, No. 16, JCPA, 28 December 2008.
[8] "PM Erdoğan Says Words Not Harsher than Bombs," Hurriyet, 14 January 2009.
[9] "Working Definition of Antisemitism," www.eumc.europa.eu/eumc/material/pub/AS/AS-WorkingDefinition-draft.pdf.
[10] Soner Cagaptay, "Is Turkey Still a Western Ally?" Wall Street Journal Europe, 22 January 2009.
[11] Haviv Rettig Gur, "Erdoğan's Remarks Aid Anti-Semitism," Jerusalem Post, 29 January 2009.
[12] Annette Grossbongardt, "Less Europe, More Islam; Turkey in Transition," Spiegel Online, 11 February 2006.
[13] "Turkish PM Storms Off in Gaza Row," BBC News, 29 January 2009.
[14] Fars (Iran), 4 February 2009, as quoted in MEMRI, Special Dispatch No. 2248, 17 February 2009.
[15] "Venezuela's Chavez Calls Gaza Attack 'Holocaust,'" Reuters, 6 January 2009.
[16] "Chavez Condemns Caracas Synagogue Attack," Ynetnews, 2 February 2009.
[17] "Bolivia Cuts Ties with Israel, Seeks Genocide Charges against Israeli Officials," Haaretz, 14 January 2009.
[18] "Mauritania Recalls Ambassador from Israel in Wake of Gaza Offensive," Haaretz, 5 January 2009.
[19] "Qatar, Mauritania Freeze Israel Ties over Gaza," Ynetnews, 17 January 2009.
[20] Barak Ravid, "Mauritania Expels Israeli Ambassador," Haaretz , 7 March 2009.
[21] Ibid.
[22] Tamas Berzi, "European Reactions to Israel's Gaza Operation," Jerusalem Issue Briefs, Vol. 8, No. 20, JCPA, 29 January 2009.
[23] Ibid.
[24] "Minister for Foreign Affairs Condemns Israeli Air Strikes against Gaza," Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland, 28 December 2008.
[25] "Minister for Foreign Affairs Condemns Latest Atrocity in the Gaza Conflict," Department of Foreign Affairs, Ireland, 6 January 2009.
[26] Bruce Arnold, "Ireland Remains One of the Two Least Stable European Countries in Its Relations with Israel," The Independent, 24 January 2009.
[27] "Carl Bildt: Break the Isolation of Gaza," Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Swedish Government Offices, 29 December 2008.
[28] "Israel Must Withdraw Its Troops from Gaza," Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Norway, 3 January 2009.
[29] Stephen Pollard, "Gaza Is Not Too Crowded," The Spectator, 24 April 2008.
[30] Cnaan Liphshiz, "Summit on Holocaust: Gaza War Legitimized Equating Jews with Nazis," Haaretz, 27 January 2009.
قيادى سابق بالتنظيم الدولى يكشف عن تنسيق «الإخوان» مع «حركات يهودية» فى «مظاهرات غزة» [31]
(A Former Leader of the International Organization [of the Muslim Brotherhood] Exposes Coordination between the Muslim Brotherhood and Jewish Movements in [organizing] the Gaza Demonstrations )
Al-Masry al-Youm, Egypt, 1 February 2009. [Arabic]
[32] "Gaza Attacks: Israeli Strikes Spark Protests across the World," The Telegraph, 30 December 2008.
[33] Tracy McVeigh and Ben Quinn, "Gaza Protest March Ends in Violence," The Observer, 4 January 2009.
[34] "UK Protesters Call for Gaza Peace," BBC News, 10 January 2009.
[35] Will Pavia, "Thousands Gather in Trafalgar Square to Protest over Gaza," Times Online, 12 January 2009.
[36] "1,400 Protest in Paris over Gaza Fighting," Ynetnews, 28 December 2008.
[37] "European Protestors Urge End to Attacks on Gaza," International Herald Tribune, 3 January 2009.
[38] "Pro-Israeli Rally Draws Thousands to Paris," Ynetnews, 4 January 2009.
[39] "Demonstrators in Berlin Salute Hamas, Hezbollah," JTA, 18 January 2009.
[40] "Antisemitismus in Berlin und Duisburg," Kontraste, Rundfunk Berlin-Brandenburg, video, 15 January 2009. [accessed: 2 March 2009] [German]
[41] Yassin Musharbash, "Police Remove Israeli Flag during Islamist Protest March," Spiegel Online, 13 January 2009.
[42] "Major Cities Stage Fresh Protests over Gaza," AFP, 11 January 2009.
[43] Ilan Moss, "Anti-Semitic Incidents and Discourse in Europe during the Israel-Hezbollah War," European Jewish Congress, 2006.
[44] Itamar Eichner, "Geluchei rosh wesarat haotsar," Yediot Achronot, 14 January 2009. [Hebrew]
[45] Rolleiv Solholm, "Anti Israel Demonstrations," Norway Post, 6 January 2009.
[46] "Norwegian Police Detain 27 in Clashes over Gaza," Reuters, 8 January 2009.
[47] Jostein Ihlebæk and Arild M. Jonassen, "Kun én palestiner ble tatt under opprøret i Oslo," Aftenposten, 9 January 2009. [Norwegian]
[48] Ibid.
[49] Tori Chiefetz, "Norway's Pro-Israel Opposition Leader under 24-Hour Guard," Jerusalem Post, 28 January 2009.
[50] Per Gudmundson, "Mona Sahlin, hakkorsen och Hamasflaggorna," Gudmundson, 15 January 2009 http://gudmundson.blogspot.com/. [Swedish]
[51] "Israelska flaggan brändes," Dagens Nyheter, 10 January 2009. [Swedish]
[52] Per Gudmundson, "Rödflaggat," Gudmundson, 13 January 2009, http://gudmundson.blogspot.com/. [Swedish]
[53] Per Gudmundson, "Swedish Leading Social Democrats in Rally with Hezbollah Flags," Gudmundson, 10 January 2009, http://gudmundson.blogspot.com/.%5BSwedish]
[54] Erik Svansbo, "Folkbladet uppmärksammar 'bloggkupp,'" Svansbo, 14 January 2009, http://blogg.svansbo.se/. [Swedish]
[55] "'Extrema yttringar - tack vare Svansbo,'" Folkbladet, 14 January 2009. [Swedish]
[56] Per Gudmundson, "Rödflaggat," Gudmundson, 13 January 2009, http://gudmundson.blogspot.com/. [Swedish]
[57] Theo Koelé, "Van Bommel ergert Kant met oproep tot intifada," 5 January 2009. [Dutch]
[58] "Moszkowicz doet aangifte tegen SP-Kamerleden," de Volkskrant, 14 January 2009. [Dutch]
[59] "Demonstratie tegen Israël," AD, 3 January 2009. [Dutch]
[60] "Europeanen demonstreren tegen aanval op Gaza," Trouw, 3 January 2009. [Dutch]
[61] Alvin H. Rosenfeld, "Exploiting Anne Frank," Weekly Standard, 23 June 2008.
[62] Manfred Gerstenfeld, "Holocaust Inversion: The Portraying of Israel and Jews as Nazis," Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism, No. 55, 1 April 2007.
[63] "Cities across the World Become Platform for Hundreds of Thousands of Protesters against Gaza Fighting," Daily Mail, 11 January 2009.
[64] Comité de Coordination des Organisations Juives de Belgique (CCOJB), "Dépôt de plainte pour la manifestation du 11 janvier 2009," press release, 17 February 2009. [French]
[65] Ibid.
[66] "Gaza Attacks: Israeli Strikes Spark Protests across the World," The Telegraph, 30 December 2008.
[67] Tracy McVeigh and Ben Quinn, "Gaza Protest March Ends in Violence," The Observer, 4 January 2009.
[68] Mark Tran, "Greece Riots: Timeline," The Guardian, 8 December 2008.
[69] "European Protestors Urge End to Attacks on Gaza," International Herald Tribune, 4 January 2009.
[70] "Explosive Device Found at Florence Chabad," JTA, 18 January 2009.
[71] "Gaza: Manifestations anti-israéliennes à Milan et Turin," Le Monde, 10 January 2009. [French]
[72] "Una piazza che no ci saremmo aspetati," www.fiammanirenstein.com/articoli.asp?Categoria=11&Id=2085. [Italian]
[73] "Thousands in Europe Protest Gaza Violence," International Herald Tribune, 10 January 2009.
[74] "Cities across the World Become Platform for Hundreds of Thousands of Protesters against Gaza Fighting," Daily Mail, 11 January 2009.
[75] "Hundreds of Thousands Protest in Turkey against Israeli Offensive," Hurriyet, 4 January 2009.
[76] "Widespread Protests in US against Gaza. Attack Israel Still at It in Gaza," Pakistan Tribune, 1 January 2008.
[77] "Anti-Semitic Incidents Cross Australia," JTA, 8 January 2009.
[78] "NZ Priest Smears Blood on Rabin Memorial," Jerusalem Post, 6 January 2009.
[79] Amir Mizroch, "S. African Deputy FM Apologizes Again for 'Jewish Money' Comment," Jerusalem Post, 7 February 2009.
[80] Uki Goni, "Argentina Deports a Holocaust-Denying Bishop," Time, 23 February 2009.
[81] Sergio Dattilo, "Israel violó reglas y eso se le vino contra," Ambito Financiero, February 2009. [Spanish]
[82] Jonny Paul, "Gaza-linked Attacks on Jews Sweep Europe," Jerusalem Post, 6 January 2009.
[83] "Car Rams Gates of Toulouse Synagogue," Jerusalem Post, 6 January 2009.
[84] "Arson, Stabbing in Paris," JTA, 18 January 2009.
[85] "Une nouvelle attaque contre un lieu de culte juif," L'Express, 12 January 2009. [French]
[86] "Sarkozy: 'Zero Tolerance' for Anti-Semitic Attacks," National Post, 16 January 2009.
[87] Community Security Trust, "Antisemitic Incidents and Threats to British Jews Arising from the Gaza Crisis," Update 4, 21 January 2009.
[88] "Report: Islamist Site Compiling List of U.K. Jews to Target over Gaza Op," Haaretz, 7 January 2009.
[89] "European Synagogues Targeted," JTA, 14 January 2009.
[90] "Explosive Device Found at Florence Chabad," JTA, 18 January 2009.
[91] "Wave of anti-Semitic acts hit Belgium," JTA 7 January 2009.
[92] Community Security Trust, "Antisemitic Incidents and Threats to British Jews Arising from the Gaza Crisis," Update 2, 6 January 2009.
[93] Barry Rubin, "Turkey: Antisemitism Gets Out of Control," Global Politician, 12 January 2009.
[94] Ehud Kohanim, "Turkish Fans Blow Israeli Team's Game in Ankara," Ynetnews, 7 January 2009.
[95] David Landes, "Jews in Sweden under Increasing Threat," The Local, 7 January 2009.
[96] Peter Vinthagen Simpson, "Jewish Burial Chapel Attacked in Malmö," The Local, 13 January 2009.
[97] Nir Hasson, "'In Venezuela, Anti-Semitism Is Endorsed by the Government,'" Haaretz, 26 January 2009.
[98] Manfred Gerstenfeld, "The Muhammad Al-Dura Blood Libel: A Case Analysis," interview with Richard Landes, Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism, No. 74, 2 November 2008.
[99] Stephanie L. Freid, "Critics Say French TV Network Broadcast Fabricated Footage in Gaza, Again," Fox News, 12 January 2009.
[100] Elan Lubliner, "Dutch News Show Slammed for Anti-Israel Bias," Jerusalem Post, 23 February 2009.
[101] Trevor Mostyn, "Nizar Rayan: Senior Hamas Leader and Cleric Considered a Hero on the Streets of Gaza," The Guardian, 3 January 2009.
[102] Richard Landes, presentation at JCPA, 19 February 2009.
[103] Chris McGreal, Rory McCarthy, and Mark Tran, "Israeli Shelling Kills Dozens at UN School in Gaza," The Guardian, 7 January 2009.
[104] Donald Macintyre and Kim Sengupta, "Massacre of Innocents as UN School Is Shelled," The Independent, 7 January 2009.
[105] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, "Situation Report on the Humanitarian Situation in the Gaza Strip-No. 5," 7 January 2009.
[106] Patrick Martin, "Account of Israeli Attack Doesn't Hold Up to Scrutiny," The Globe and Mail, 29 January 2009.
[107] United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs, "Situation Report on the Humanitarian Situation in the Gaza Strip-No. 20," 5 February 2009.
[108] Ibid.
[109] "Berlin Arrests 8 in Israel Protest," JTA, 4 January 2009.
[110] NGO Monitor, "The NGO Front in the Gaza War: Lawfare against Israel," 2 February 2009.
[111] "Amnesty Accuses Israel of Crimes over White Phosphorus," Reuters, 19 January 2009.
[112] Elise Barthet, "Gaza: des organisations portent plainte pour 'crimes de guerre' devant la CPI," Le Monde, 13 January 2009. [French]
[113] "Rights Groups to Ask World Court to Probe Israel 'War Crimes,'" AFP, 18 January 2009.
[114] Richard Falk, "Israel's War Crimes," The Nation, 29 December 2008.
[115] "Israel Accused of Gaza 'Genocide,'" Al Jazeera English, 14 January 2009.
[116] Rory McCarthy, "UN Human Rights Chief Accuses Israel of War Crimes," The Guardian, 10 January 2009.
[117] Jackson Diehl, "A Shadow on the Human Rights Movement," Washington Post, 25 June 2007.
[118] "Israel Rejects Suggestions of Gaza 'War Crimes,'" Reuters, 17 January 2009.
[119] "Boycotts Hurt Israeli Produce Industry," JTA, 18 January 2009.
[120] "NUJ Left Plans to Revive Israel Boycott," Harry's Place, 14 January 2009, http://www.hurryupharry.org/.
[121] Ronnie Fraser, "Trade Union and Other Boycotts of Israel in Great Britain and Ireland," Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism, No. 76, 1 January 2009.
[122] Ruth Ellen Gruber, "Italian Officials Condemn Jewish Boycott," JTA, 9 January 2009.
[123] Uki Goni, "Argentina Deports a Holocaust-Denying Bishop," Time, 23 February 2009.
[124] "South African Muslims Condemn Calls to Boycott Israel," JTA, 2 February 2009.
[125] "'Boycott Israel in Davis Cup': Social Democrat," The Local, 13 January 2009.
[126] "Sweden: Israeli Taekwondo Team Cancels Trip Due to Terror Threats," European Jewish Congress, 20 February 2009.
[127] Robert Chesal, "Gaza Assault Spurs Calls for Boycott," NRC Handelsblad, 14 January 2009.
[128] Ora Coren, "War Casts Pall on Israeli Business Overseas, Tourism," Haaretz, 16 January 2009.
[129] Haviv Rettig Gur and Tori Cheifetz, "Israeli Ship Cargo Unloaded in Durban despite Union Boycott," Jerusalem Post, 5 February 2009.
[130] Vanessa Kortekaas, "Ontario Union Calls for Ban on Israeli Professors," National Post, 5 January 2009.
[131] Yaakov Katz, "IAF Hits Islamic University Targets," Jerusalem Post, 28 December 2008.
[132] "Canadian Union Adopts Israel Boycott Resolution," JTA, 23 February 2009.
[133] "Statement from Paul Moist, CUPE National President," MSNBC, 24 February 2009.
[134] Manfred Gerstenfeld, "Jews against Israel," Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism, No. 30, 1 March 2005.
[135] Naomi Klein, "Israel: Boycott, Divest, Sanction," The Nation, 26 January 2009.
[136] Gerald Kaufman, House of Commons Hansard Debates for 15 January 2009. Transcript available on the website of the United Kingdom Parliament: http://www.parliament.uk/.
[137] "European Protestors Urge End to Attacks on Gaza," International Herald Tribune, 4 January 2009.
[138] Norman G. Finkelstein, "Deutschland Uber Alles," 16 January 2009, http://www.normanfinkelstein.com/.
[139] "Démission des musulmans de l'Amitié judéo-musulmane," Le Monde, 16 January 2009. [French]
[140] Robert Marquand, "Gaza Drives a Wedge in Paris Imam's Dialogue with Jews," Christian Science Monitor, 28 January 2009.
[141] "Agression de trois lycéens à Paris: enquête en cours," L'Express, 13 January 2009. [French]
[142] Stéphanie Le Bars, "Les autorités françaises redoutent des tensions entre les communautés juive et musulmane," Le Monde, 7 January 2009. [French]
[143] Discours De M. Le Président De La République, Voeux aux acteurs de la sécurité, Orléans, 14 January 2009. [French]
[144] Manfred Gerstenfeld, "Persecutors and Persecuted," Jerusalem Post, 17 December 2007.
[145] Manfred Gerstenfeld, "The Autumn 2005 Riots in France: Their Possible Impact on Israel and the Jews," JCPA, 2006.
[146] Jewish Agency for Israel, "Jewish Agency Chairman Sallai Meridor Wears Kippa during Visit to Paris Today,'' press release, 17 March 2005.
[147] Thomas Hornburg and Jenny Sandvig, "'Det er ingen tvil om at noe av raseriet mot Israelbaerer preg av joedehat,'" Aftenposten, 16 January 2009. [Norwegian]
[148] "Pro-Hamas Demonstration-Fort Lauderdale FL," YouTube, video, 30 December 2008. [accessed: 2 March 2009]
[149] "Manifestazioni vietate davanti le chiese Maroni annuncia direttiva ai prefetti," La Repubblica, 21 January 2009. [Italian]
[150] "Ägg och flaskor mot Israel- manifestation," 25 January 2009, http://ansiktsburk.blogspot.com. [Swedish]
[151] Ted Ekeroth, "Swedish Police Chief Allows Antisemitic Stonethrowing Mob to Attack Demonstrators," 25 January 2009, http://tedekeroth.wordpress.com/.
[152] Daniel Edelson, "Shoe Thrown at Israeli Ambassador in Sweden," Ynetnews, 5 February 2009.
[153] Max Socol, "Amsterdam: Reservist Pelted with Shoes," Jerusalem Post, 23 February 2009.
[154] www.cidi.nl/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=263&Itemid=1.[Dutch]
[155] "No Fans Allowed for Israel Tennis Match," The Local, 18 February 2009.
[156] "Anti-Israel Protest Staged at Sweden Tennis Match," Reuters, 7 March 2008, 27 January 2008.
[157] Abraham Cooper and Harold Brackman, "Sweden's Anti-Israel Apartheid Policy Is about More than Sport," Jerusalem Post, 9 May 2008.
[158] Bert Anciaux, "doodstil," 23 January 2009, http://www.bertanciaux.be/. [Dutch]
[159] Cnaan Lipshiz, "Belgium Slams Minister Statement Likening Gaza Op to Nursery Massacre," Haaretz, 27 January 2008.
[160] "Dendermonde en Gaza hebben niets met elkaar te maken," Gazet van Antwerpen, 30 January 2009. [Dutch]
[161] "Venezuela Synagogue Vandalized," CNN, 31 January 2009; Haaretz, 27 January 2009.
[162] "Chavez Condemns Attack on Synagogue," Associated Press, 1 February 2009.
[163] "Venezuela Holds Police, Guard in Synagogue Attack," Reuters, 8 February 2009.
[164] "Venezuela Rebuffs UC Criticism of 'Corruption' and 'Anti-Semitism'-As Bomb Rocks Jewish Center," Latin American Herald Tribune, 27 February 2008.
[165] Natasha Mozgovaya, "ADL: Amnesty Denying Israel the Right to Defend Itself," Haaretz, 24 February 2009.
[166] NGO Monitor, "Amnesty's Gaza 'Report' and Call for the Arms Embargo: Abolishing Israel's Right to Self Defense," 25 February 2009.
[167] Jonny Paul, "Palestinian NGO Sues British Government in Wake of Cast Lead," Jerusalem Post, 25 February 2009.
[168] Sharon Udasin, "Battle of the Professors," Jewish Week, 4 February 2009.
[169] "Trade Unionists Launch Boycott of Israeli Goods," Belfast Telegraph, 10 February 2009.
[170] Alfred H. Moses, "From Durban I to Durban II: Preventing Poisonous Anti-Semitism," Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism, No. 71, 1 August 2008.
[171] Manfred Gerstenfeld, "Anti-Semitism and Jewish Defense at the United Nations World Summit on Sustainable Development, 2002 Johannesburg, South Africa," interview with Shimon Samuels, Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism, No. 6, 2 March 2003.
[172] For an overview of anti-Israeli actions in the university world, see Manfred Gerstenfeld, Academics against Israel and the Jews (Jerusalem: JCPA, 2007).
[173] Manfred Gerstenfeld, interview with Shimon Samuels.
[174] Manfred Gerstenfeld, "The Twenty-First-Century Total War against Israel and the Jews; Part One," Post-Holocaust and Anti-Semitism, No. 38, 1 November 2005.
* * *
Dr. Manfred Gerstenfeld is chairman of the Board of Fellows of the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He is an international business strategist who has been a consultant to governments, international agencies, and boards of some of the world's largest corporations. Among the fourteen books he has published are Europe's Crumbling Myths: The Post-Holocaust Origins of Today's Anti-Semitism (JCPA, Yad Vashem, WJC, 2003) and Behind the Humanitarian Mask: The Nordic Countries, Israel and the Jews (JCPA and Friends of Simon Wiesenthal Center for Holocaust Studies, 2008).
Tamas Berzi is project coordinator of the Institute for Global Jewish Affairs at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs. He holds an MA in international relations from Corvinus University of Budapest and an MA in political science from the Hebrew University of Jerusalem.

Brooklyn: Muslim enters synagogue and starts proclaiming jihad

March 10, 2009

Muslim enters synagogue and starts proclaiming jihad
Brooklyn. New York. The United States.

"Violent Intruders Attack Brooklyn Synagogues,"
by Nissan Ratzlav-Katz for Israel National News, March 10

For the second time in less than a week, a packed Brooklyn, New York, synagogue has been the target of threats of violence by intruders.

On Monday, according to Yeshiva World News, an Arab man in his mid-30s entered Boro Park's 'Sephardish Shul' and began making proclamations of jihad. Members of a Jewish volunteer security organization, the Shomrim, apprehended the threatening individual. They held him until police officers arrived at the scene, arresting the suspect. Detectives spoke with the "Middle Eastern man" at a station house near the synagogue....

Just two days earlier, a man wielding a butcher's knife burst into a Kerestir Chassidic synagogue in Williamsburg. He initially turned up unarmed and began throwing soda cans at the gathered worshipers, which hit one of them, and returned shortly thereafter with the bladed weapon.
The attacker was prevented from using the butcher's knife on anyone by a young man, described as a "friend" of the knife-wielding intruder, who then fled together with him.

The recent attacks come just over a month after Chabad-Lubavitch World Headquarters at 770 Eastern Parkway in Brooklyn was targeted in a series of English-language jihadist videos posted on the Internet. The videos and accompanying texts singled out "770," but also intimated that all Orthodox Jewish organizations were equally worthy of attack by Muslims. The threatening material included images of the 770 synagogue and study house, pictures of the police van out front, and indications of which parts of the building are crowded at what times.

The source of the thinly-veiled threats, a group called Revolution Muslim, is domestic to the United States.

STATE DEPARTMENT ATTACKS ISRAEL

STATE DEPARTMENT ATTACKS ISRAEL THROUGH CHICAGO TRIBUNE

by Emanuel A. Winston,

Mid East Analyst & Commentator

When the Arabist U.S. State Department goes into full attack mode against Israel and thus American Jews, one must look a little deeper for motive. Generally, when Israel is being set up to be manipulated within the next month or two, the propaganda machine in the bowels of the State Department starts calling in its IOUs from certain flagship journals to do a black bag job on Israel. Newspapers are the main venue and such papers as the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, Washington Post, LA Times, among others are the selected leakers.

Tuesday, October 2nd, the Chicago Tribune went way out of the way to bash Israel on an event that occurred 40 years ago on June 8, 1967 when Israel was fighting for her life against Egypt, Syria, Jordan and other attacking Muslim Arab armies who swore to annihilate the Jewish State. This incident was called the "Liberty Affair".

I was puzzled for a few minutes as to why the Chicago Tribune had devoted a front page with picture, headline, above-the-fold story, plus a full two page spread inside to an event that occurred 40 years ago. The title of the article was "New Revelation in Attack on American Spy Ship". As I read it, there were no new "revelations" but another dredging up of all the emotional interchanges of the time as if it happened yesterday.

The story was replete with carefully selected, provocative photos that the Trib is famous for which are selected to indict and convince the readers that what follows in loaded words must be true.

But, Why Now? Why was the Trib selected as first point media source to anger the American public and Congress against Israel?

THE MOTIVE: Lynching-of-Israel Conference "Middle East Summit" set for November 15th

To begin with I concluded that the timing was selected to build up a head of steam before the Lynching-of-Israel Conference "Middle East Summit" set for November 15th at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, Maryland. Its location was carefully selected so those who would protest would easily be kept out-of-sight and out-of-sound to the delegates.

Israel is set to be pilloried and forced to abandon more than half of Jerusalem to Arafat’s terrorists who are now in the hands of Arafat’s 40 year operations and bag man, companion and financier, Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen). During this "Lynching" Israel is also supposed to surrender a large stretch of her ancestral heartland, 100% of Judea and Samaria. This Land, given by G-d to the Jewish people in perpetuity, will shortly be converted into an excellent missile firing position as has been happening in Gaza since 16,000 Jewish men, women and children were evicted from their homes, farms, schools, synagogues and cemeteries two years ago. The targets will be the rest of Israel’s population, 80% of which resides in the crowded coastal areas - plus the Ben Gurion International Airport.

Then President Bush, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and James Baker III (former Sec. State) also want to reward Syria’s Bashar Al Assad by forcing Israel to abandon the Golan Heights where Israel carefully observes Syria’s army now - with sophisticated electronics. This is the same Syria which presently is acting as the doorway for Muslim Terrorists (euphemistically called "insurgents") to enter Iraq to kill American soldiers and Iraqi civilians and soldiers.

They want Israel to give up Israel’s current natural invasion barrier called the Jordan Valley. Japan has offered to assist by creating an agricultural, industrial Park (using Israel’s water) for the Muslim Arab Palestinians to grow desirable fruits and vegetables which will be shipped to Jordan who will then transship to the Arab States and Europe. Everyone benefits. The Arab Palestinians will have lucrative work; the Jordanians will benefit financially; the Arab States and Europe will get bumper early crops of garden foods and Israel will lose more of her scarce water resources, land for living and growing food and - the long natural invasion barrier that now protects her longest Eastern border.

This planned slicing up of the Jewish State may give you a partial idea of why the Trib may have been tasked by the State Department and White House to bash Israel at this particular time.

Clearly, the Tribune attack was in synchronization with the planned "Lynching" group assembled by Condi Rice. This November 15th Lynching Kangaroo Court consists of Israel’s most dedicated enemies. To complete the full picture, you must know who will act as the inquisitors in this Kangaroo Court, denials notwithstanding.

First, are the creators of the so-called "Quartet" who supposedly created George W. Bush’s "Road Map". In the Quartet is the "Captain", that is the pro-Arab U.S. State Department fronted by Rice with James Baker prompting from the background, with the highly likely Jewish advisors of Baker’s former team, telling him of the weak spots in the Jewish leadership. The U.S. State Department has always been known for trying to abort the birth of the State of Israel in 1947-8 and ever since, to manipulate its speedy demise.

Then there is the U.N. (United Nations) well known for continually voting condemnations of Israel but, never condemning the Terrorist Nations and those who support those hostile to the Western countries freedoms and democracy.

The E.U. (European Union) will be there and many of them have been known as those nations who collaborated with Adolph Hitler by turning their Jews over to the Nazi Gestapo for liquidation. Of course, Russia plays its role - but, its history cannot be hidden. Russia continually persecuted its Jews with pogroms, forcing the Jews to live in abject poverty with high taxes and in the "Pale of Settlement" on poor land. Now Russia is said to be arming Iran with nuclear technology and Syria with weapons.

Then you have the "Quartet" which while it contains the U.S. State Department, the U.N., the E.U. and Russia, it operates with its own agenda. In addition, this amalgam includes all the Arab Muslim nations whose oil riches control many of those other countries who might have been neutral and more fair without that manipulation. Here we must include U.S. and European vested interests plus the U.N. leaders who embezzled billions in the oil-for-food scam.

Tony Blair has been appointed by the Quartet to act a high manipulator, and IF you are aware of past British attitudes toward the Jews of Israel, you will understand his appointment.

The Arab League, Egypt, Syria and Saudi Arabia will be invited and will attend IF Rice can squeeze out "Pre-Concessions" from the weak, corrupt, craven Quisling Ehud Olmert, they too will come. Naturally, Abu Mazen, head of Fatah (including the Al Aksa Martyrs Brigades, Tanzim and other Terror organizations left over from Arafat’s days) will come.

All of the above band of cut throats are being assembled by Bush and Rice to hack Israel into smaller bits, denials notwithstanding.

THE LIBERTY AFFAIR: WHY NOW? WHAT DID THE TRIB LEAVE OUT?

As for the USS Liberty, the Trib and its author John Crewdson leave out a few major details. In June 1967 there was a violent life-and-death battle taking place all across the Sinai Desert, the Golan Heights and in Jerusalem after King Hussein (unwisely) attacked. Egypt’s Gamal Abdul Nasser and Syria’s Hafez al Assad had repeatedly threatened Israel with annihilation.

Many in the U.S. Arabist Section of the State Department didn’t want Egypt to lose the battle or, at least, they wanted to minimize Egypt’s defeat. All during this time an electronic spy ship was monitoring Israeli and Egyptian communication between tank forces and aircraft. That ship should not have been in a hot battle area because there was a significant risk to itself and crew. Sending unmarked surveillance teams into war zones is a risk nations take for whatever their own reasons and motives. They generally do not shout out their identity - mostly because all know an enemy can change flags and markings - depending on who they are trying to trick.

There was concern discussed at the time that this spy ship (the Trib does use that term right out front in its banner headline) was picking up battle information and positions in order to transfer them to Egypt. The claim then was that the Liberty looked like an Egyptian spy ship which was denied in follow-on arguments. Many of Israel’s "Friends and Enemies" knew that the plan was to defeat and occupy Israel with an accompanying slaughter. It was not anticipated that Israel could possible defeat Egypt, Syria and Jordan in a three-front war.

However, precautions were taken to insure that Israel’s adversaries would have the benefit of additional intelligence so they could maneuver and outflank Israel’s armored forces in the Sinai and Golan Heights. Betraying a friend and ally needed deep cover lest it became public knowledge, affecting politics back in the countries who decided that it would be better for all concerned if Israel were defeated by Muslim Arab countries and the Jewish State simply disappeared. Naturally, there was to be a highly publicized follow-on mission of rescue of those left alive in Israel. That’s called a "Win-Win" in Intelligence parlance. Israel was not supposed to win that war and, no doubt, disappointed her detractors at the State Department.

IF the spy ship was picking up Israeli battle plans and transferring them to Egypt, then they had clearly taken sides and would be viewed as a hostile force - regardless of who they were. The NSA (National Security Agency) was never asked to release its Intel tapes, if indeed they were receiving and transferring battle info to Egypt. Each side denied responsibility and its doubtful the real story will ever be told - except for a self-serving manipulation like the Tribune screed.

The hit on the Liberty was finally judged a mistake in identification and the matter was officially closed. However, there were those who dedicated their lives to keeping the matter alive - as seen in this Tribune blast which used statements from sailors on that ship who themselves were not ever in the intelligence loop of "need-to-know" information of the actual mission. No doubt, the argument of fault will continue but, the timing of the Chicago Tribune assault and the placement and date of the coming Mid East Summit is more than a little suspicious.

THE CHICAGO TRIBUNE ASSAULT

The Tribune assault has several roles to play. First, it is intended to frighten American Jews into silence before the November Lynch Party. The location of the Summit is the U.S. Naval Academy at Anapolis. Do you think that is a coincidence? I don’t.

Second, it must also silence AIPAC so that the American lobby for Israel will not lobby Congress to interfere with the disassembling of Israel. The process of shutting down AIPAC began a few years ago when a sting operation was approved by Bush and Rice regarding "transfer of information". The "sting" involved a so-called illegal leak to AIPAC about Iran's transfer of arms to Syria - something that the State Department apparently didn't want Israel to know.

Third, the timing: Simultaneous with the Jewish community’s biggest meeting of the year, the UJC (United Jewish Communities) General Assembly had already been scheduled for at least a year to be held on November 13-15th in Nashville, Tennessee. Simultaneity is not coincidental. American, Israeli and World Jewry will have to choose which event to attend. Presumably, the Bush Administration will be speaking at this forum to convince the Jewish attendees that giving up Jerusalem, ‘et al’ will somehow guarantee that the Muslim Arab Palestinian Terrorists, the Arab nations and the radical Islamists will cease terror. It is expected that, while Israel is being dissected in Maryland, the Jews attending their G.A. in Tennessee will be applauding the Bush speeches in Annapolis which will be promising "Peace in Our Time".

I have little doubt that we’ll see a sequence of other flag-ship journals and lesser lights picking up the story as it if were today’s hot news. I expect to see a lot of S..t. thrown against the wall to see what sticks before the November 15th lynching by Bush, Rice and Baker against Israel. As for the European Media, they never need a reason to bash Israel but, Condi’s Lynch Party will be attractive to up the condemnations.

The State Department seems to have pulled out all the stops to insure the victim (Israel) will, indeed, be lynched and left twisting in the wind at the November Surprise. That has been the State Department’s goal since 1947 and has not stopped or faltered a day since. While Rice is the "talking head" for Bush, look for James Baker as the "masked" arranger slightly off in the shadows advising Rice how to best get at the Jews - as he did in the failed "Road Map" plan.

I speculated as to whether this Tribune attack was the "Kick-off Campaign of Propaganda" but, then remembered CNNs Christiane Amanpour’s spectacular earlier series "The Warriors of God".which was aired twice in August 2007. Christiane, herself an Iranian, opened the series by positioning Israel as the baseless attacker of those poor innocent Palestinians. Perhaps the Amanpour series was the real "Kick-off" of State’s preparation to Lynch Israel. CNN is sort of like the New York Times of TV and well connected to State. Recall how CNN was allowed to stay in Iraq by Saddam Hussein in 1991 while all the other TV outlets were kicked out during the first Gulf War when Hussein attacked Kuwait.

They really pulled open the manhole cover to this sewer and the stink of managed news is smelling up to the ceiling.

###

1. "New Revelations in Attack On American Spy Ship: The Strike on the USS Liberty" by John Crewdson Chicago Tribune Tues. October 2, 2007