G’day. A number a readers have complained about a line in On the road again in response to a query from Tim and Anna-Maria Stephens:
“Hi Margo. Please see below our e-mail to Minister Downer today concerning Australia’s vote in the UN General Assembly on the West Bank wall. This one has really slipped under the radar. Why, we can all ask, was there no public debate about this? (Margo: Because the fundamentalist Zionist lobby controls politics and the media in the US and Australia. A chapter in my book by Antony Loewenstein includes an indictment of the tactics of these people by Bob Carr.)
As you know, I routinely publish complaints about my work, of which there were many during last year’s debate on the Ashrawi affair (for example, see Ashrawi leaves behind a fresh air debate on the Israel Palestine question and More than two sides to Ashrawi fallout story.)
But this time, most complaints were marked ‘not for publication’ and went straight to the editor, demanding that I be sacked for “anti-Semitic Jew baiting” and “incitement to racial hatred”. I was also accused of “the kind of language and views that I might expect to find in some diatribe by Goebbels”. Another complainant said that my “comments come straight out of Czarist Russia”.
A number of colleagues at the Sydney Morning Herald also wrote to me privately expressing their distaste for my remarks. The suggestion that “the fundamentalist Zionist lobby controls politics and the media in the US and Australia” was “not true now – and nor was it true when a secret group of “fundamentalist” Russian Jews, who planned to set up a Jewish world state, were alleged to have declared that “the Press, with a few exceptions, is already entirely in our hands”.
The only complaint not marked NFP was from Paul Williams, who wrote: “Well done Margo, straight from the annals of Nazi propaganda. Tell me, do the Jews control the banks and international finance as well?”
Obviously, I did not mean what many people believed I meant. I am not anti-semitic, and I thought what I wrote was a statement of fact. Is there a language problem here? So I read more about Zionism, its history and its various meanings at Wikipedia and corresponded with two Jewish Australians of my acquaintance to work out where I’d gone wrong.
One, who wishes to remain anonymous, wrote that my comment was “a bit rich – it’s harking back to classic anti-semitic stereotypes.” I responded: “I admit I’m at a loss to understand the anti-semitic charge. Is it the use of the ‘Zionist’ lobby? After all, there are Zionist Federations everywhere. Or is it the suggestion that this lobby controls politics and silences the media on the Israel issue? I’d really appreciate your advice on this – it seemed so uncontroversial when I wrote it – I suppose because I mix largely with left wing Jewish Australians. Is there another form of words which won’t offend people but makes the same point?”
He replied: “It’s the second suggestion: that Zionist groups control politics and the media i.e. that they are lumped into one intangible network, with a power so great that it is by nature malignant. By analogy, it’s akin to lumping all muslims into one one umbrella, and assigning to all muslims the aims and activities of just some. I also think using the adjective ‘fundamentalist’ is not quite right. It implies a religious fundamentalism and the religious intolerance (no brooking of difference in values) that goes with that. I suspect you were alluding to the political intolerance (ie no brooking of dissent). There’s a difference.”
I still couldn’t quite work it out, because “Fundamentalist Zionism” was not a description of all Jewish people, but of some Jewish and some fundamentalist Christian people in a political movement which support the actions of Sharon and his Likud party without question. In that regard, on the recommendation of a reader I read Israel’s apartheid: roots in ‘Revisionist Zionism’ (July 23). It reads:
When Ariel Sharon became Prime Minister of Israel, the picture on the wall was not that of Theodore Herzl, the secular and worldly European Jewish journalist whose book ‘The Jewish State’ launched the movement to create a modern-day nation-state tied to historical Judaism. Rather the picture on the wall was that of Vladimir Jabotinsky, the Jewish militant who was for many years the arch-nemesis of the Zionist establishment led by David Ben-Gurion and the Labor Party.
Jabotinsky was in fact declared a fascist by his opponents for espousing what today can be easily recognized as a kind of racist ‘ethnic-cleansing’ philosophy. He was so controversial that the leaders of Israel refused to even let him be buried in the Jewish State until the late 1970s after the first victory of his followers when Manachem Begin became Prime Minister.
In 1923, a generation after Herzl wrote ‘The Jewish State’, Jabotinsky wrote ‘The Iron Wall’. The roots of what has become Israeli Apartheid and now the widely-condemned nearly 500 kilometer long “Wall” are in this approach to the Palestinians long known as “Revisionism Zionism” and long the underlying philosophy of those who today rule Israel and attempt to speak for American Jewry. This telling excerpt from Jabotinsky’s ‘The Iron Wall’:
“There can be no discussion of voluntary reconciliation between us and the Arabs, not now, and not in the foreseeable future. All well-meaning people, with the exception of those blind from birth, understood long ago the complete impossibility of arriving at a voluntary agreement with the Arabs of Palestine for the transformation of Palestine from an Arab country to a country with a Jewish majority. Each of you has some general understanding of the history of colonization. Try to find even one example when the colonization of a country took place with the agreement of the native population. Such an event has never occurred.
The natives will always struggle obstinately against the colonists – and it is all the same whether they are cultured or uncultured. The comrades in arms of [Hernan] Cortez or [Francisco] Pizarro conducted themselves like brigands. The Redskins fought with uncompromising fervor against both evil and good-hearted colonizers. The natives struggled because any kind of colonization anywhere at anytime is inadmissible to any native people.
Any native people view their country as their national home, of which they will be complete masters. They will never voluntarily allow a new master. So it is for the Arabs. Compromisers among us try to convince us that the Arabs are some kind of fools who can be tricked with hidden formulations of our basic goals. I flatly refuse to accept this view of the Palestinian Arabs.
They have the precise psychology that we have. They look upon Palestine with the same instinctive love and true fervor that any Aztec looked upon his Mexico or any Sioux upon his prairie. Each people will struggle against colonizers until the last spark of hope that they can avoid the dangers of conquest and colonization is extinguished. The Palestinians will struggle in this way until there is hardly a spark of hope.
It matters not what kind of words we use to explain our colonization. Colonization has its own integral and inescapable meaning understood by every Jew and by every Arab. Colonization has only one goal. This is in the nature of things. To change that nature is impossible. It has been necessary to carry on colonization against the will of the Palestinian Arabs and the same condition exists now.
Even an agreement with non-Palestinians represents the same kind of fantasy. In order for Arab nationalists of Baghdad and Mecca and Damascus to agree to pay so serious a price they would have to refuse to maintain the Arab character of Palestine.
We cannot give any compensation for Palestine, neither to the Palestinians nor to other Arabs. Therefore, a voluntary agreement is inconceivable. All colonization, even the most restricted, must continue in defiance of the will of the native population. Therefore, it can continue and develop only under the shield of force which comprises an Iron Wall through which the local population can never break through. This is our Arab policy. To formulate it any other way would be hypocrisy.”
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This was the sense in which I used the phrase “Fundamentalist Zionism”. Could a reader advise another form of words to describe this subset of Zionism which does not offend? As to my belief that powerful members of this subset control politics and the media, I thought this was stating a fact (see, for example, Shifting sands and awakening public and Senator Hollings Is Right: it’s all about Israel). I thought it was well known that in the US no politician wanting re-election would speak out about the excesses of current Israeli policy. I thought the relentless intimidation of the media by Australia’s AIJAC was commonly accepted. Clearly neither of these suppositions were true. My apologies.
I also asked Jenny Green, a long time Webdiarist and Jewish Australian, to help me understand where I went wrong. She replied:
“A nasty one. I clocked that when I read Webdiary last week and thought “Oh no, she’s going to get yelled at….”. I don’t believe or support some of the stuff I’m about to say, I’m just going to try to explain it.
No, it’s not anti-semitic, but I may be saying that because I know exactly what you’re referring to by the fundamentalist Zionist lobby. I think it could all be cleared up by defining the terms in which you’re talking – for instance, the fundamentalist Zionist lobby (at least in the US) is not exclusively Jewish, but also comprises many scary Christians, who believe (for various reasons) that the establishment of the state of Israel is necessary for the second coming. (No, I’m not joking! And there are LOTS of them.) Israelis are a bit divided on this issue – some of them welcome the support, while most of them deeply mistrust it.
It may also help if you define why Zionist is not synonymous with Jew. It may also help if you spell out that not all Jews have the financial clout and political power you write of. I know this must feel a little precious, but I can explain – a bit – why comments such as this get are getting an increasingly strong reaction.
Many Jews – ordinary, Australian, often non-practising, non-political, non-shul attending Jews – feel that when Palestinians or Palestinian supporting groups make a public “complaint” about the whole debacle, their complaints are welcomed, published and supported – but when Jews, or Jewish-supporting groups complain about – SPECIFICALLY – suicide bombers, they are told that because they are members of a wealthy, influential zionist lobby they have no right to complain. This often feels close to the sort of all “all Jews have lots of money and are secretly trying to take over the world” scenario which has been all too familiar.
This feeds right into the other biggest fear – that by refusing to explicitly condemn suicide bombing, the old attitude of a Jew’s death being worth nothing is on the rise again. And the fact – which I noticed especially during the Ashrawi debate – that the description “Jew” is being used more and more often doesn’t help. You have to remember that that label has variously been a source of shame and fear and danger within the lifetime of my own grandparents.
Not all Jews are Zionists. Not all Jews are rich. Not all Jews have political clout. If fact, most do not. And the interests of all Jews are not covered by the activities of those Jews who DO have money and political power. So when my cousin gets killed in a suicide bombing in Tel Aviv and I demand some action to prevent this happening, and Ariel Sharon decides that that action will take the form of a wall (which I personally think is discraceful), I get really angry when “you” tell me that instead of taking action to stop my other loved ones being killed, I have to right to self defence because I have the money and standing to get whet I want anyway.
I’m not saying that you specifically are trying to do this, but do you get what I mean? Just define your terms. Even during the Ashrawi debate, some definition would have prevented much of the angst amd anger of some of the responses. I remember noticing that several people who took offence at some of the responses were actually saying the same thing but had just misunderstood each other.
By the way, I’m half Jewish and half Irish – not only do I have terrorists on both sides of the family, but if there is a book of Guilt then honey, I wrote it!
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To conclude, I sincerely apologise for any offence caused, and will be happy to publish reader discussion on the matter. The latest outbreak of hostilities is the decision by the Presbyterian Church in the US to consider divesting its assets in Israel: see haaretz.
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READERS ON THE WALL, AND ITS SUPPORTERS
A long time journalist who closely watches Middle East Politics
One thing that is such a telltale about Downer’s recent closeness to the Jewish right is his continued use of the expresion “suicide-homicide bomber”. There’s inherently nothing with it per se apart from the simple clumsiness of the expression, but the phrase has history. It was in the very far right in Israel and the US that the push came for this expression a couple of years ago, the argument being that even the expresion suicide bomber was unfair to Israel because it promoted the martyr and left out the victim. Totally one-eyed media watch groups like the hideoushonestreporting pushed its use as a matter of urgency, suggesting the use of “suicide bomber” was tantamount to supporting the act! Whatever the rather spurious merits of that argument, the expression became a real identifier of people from the “Israel right or wrong” side of politics.
So just watch how Downer is so absolutely careful to never use the expression “suicide bomber”, flagging his support behind – well behind Likud I guess.
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Grant Bar
You seem to think that Moir’s cartoon of 23/7 sums up the situation in the Middle East. Hardly surprising as you both seem to only be aware of (or pay attention to) the facts that support the conclusion that you have already reached – that is, Israel is bad and can do no right and the Palestinians are all peace loving people who, if given “back” the West Bank and Gaza would happily live in peace with Israel. Would that were true. Please find below the complete text of my letter to the editor regarding Moir’s cartoon:
Moir’s cartoon in today’s SMH demonstrates a complete lack of understanding of the Arab/Israeli conflict (or a deliberate attempt to ignore the facts). Israel was attacked in 1967 and in this defensive war captured the Gaza Strip from Egypt and the West Bank from Jordan (neither of whom created a Palestinian state when they occupied these lands).
UN Resolution 242 called for an exchange of “land for peace”. Israel has subsequently signed such peace agreements with these countries and they reclaimed all the land that they wanted. Neither wanted to take back control of the West Bank or Gaza even to immediately create a Palestinian state within these territories as it suited them to keep a thorn in Israel’s side.
These lands are now disputed territories. Israel offered Arafat 97% of this land in exchange for peace (with a territory exchanges to compensate for the 3%) in 2000. Arafat refused outright and unleashed a storm of terrorist attacks on Israeli civilians.
Israel is building a barrier to protect her citizens. When the Palestinian leadership is prepared to make peace a barrier can be moved but those murdered by terrorist bombs cannot be brought back to life.”
I am sure that the Palestinian people are suffering and I have sympathy for them but their suffering is as a direct result of the policies of their leaders. To focus on their suffering exclusively without putting this into the context of the Israeli suffering under constant terrorist attacks and the numerous attempts by Israel to make peace which have been spurned by the Palestinian leadership is to only consider part of the picture.
Australia’s vote against the International Court of Justice’s ruling on the barrier was a vote in recognition of a country’s right to defend herself against terrorism. The question is not why Australia voted against the UN resolution, but why more countries did not do the same.
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Allen Jay
First congratulations on the book – I bought it on release at Brisbane airport and read it on the way to Manila. Yes, we have to get rid of John but will Mark be radical enough to wind back all the damage? Bob Brown seems the only small light in a Dark Night.
Anyway onto the latest digusting bit – the pro Israel vote in the general assembly and Alexanders disgusting defense of it. He really is a pathetic excuse for a man – mind you Little John is not much better – and these are our representatives to the world, representing the ANZAC spirit?! God help us all.
This really is the rabid right wing Zioinists leading the US and Australia meekly tagging behind – this is like a mirror image of the NAZI plan, which given Lenni Brenner’s investigations into the early history of the Zionist leadership is not surprising. When Sharon come to power on the back of the assassination of a PM who made peace with the Palestinians promising to destroy that peace, should anyone be suprised at what he has been prepared to do to achieve that end?
I know Anthony Loewenstein would not agree and is sensitive to the comparison, but, how else can it but be compared in all its ruthlessness, illegality and arrogance to the master race in replay (see Rubenstein strikes again: Now Howard’s a champion of human rights!).
The real problem for all of us is to stop this nonsense before it really does come back to destroy us as well as the people we have already destroyed in Palestine, Afghanistan and Iraq.
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Andrew Price in Singapore
Good luck with going solo, I did it five years ago and have not looked back. I have lived in Singapore for 10 years but still logon to the SMH and Webdiary regularly. I thought you may be interested in my correspondence to the Australian High Commissioner in Singapore about this week’s vote against the UN resolution calling on Israel to dismantle its wall. As a Muslim convert, I wonder whether the Australian government has gone completely AWOL on its recent foreign policy decisions. It is hard to imagine any justification that could be given for the current route and location for this wall other than even more injustice for the Palestinians. Maybe that is why the Government voted against the UN resolution.
From: Andrew Price, July 21
Subject: Terrorism White Paper
Gary,
I received the White Paper today, thank you very much.
It is impressive in its research on the problem of extremism and the ideology behind the “Al Qaida” way of thinking. It was good to read in there that Australia understands well and appreciates the difference between the ideology of the terrorists and mainstream Islam, especially in SE Asia.
But on a separate note I was shocked to read that Australia was one of a handful of countries that voted yesterday against the UN General Assembly resolution to press Israel to remove its illegal wall.
It is hard to imagine how any justification could be given for Australia’s decision which of course will be viewed extremely badly in the entire Islamic world. To me, there is no greater injustice than that faced by the Palestinians living under an illegal occupation for nearly 40 years.
While Israel’s right to defend itself against terrorists is understandable, the big problem is the location of the wall, not the wall itself. If the wall was located along the so-called green line, there would be no cause for complaint. However, its present location is clearly designed to make life impossible for even more Palestinians and to put more pressure on them to leave and to assume even more of their land.
How is it possible for Australia to ignore the findings of the International Court of Justice about the illegality of Israel’s plans? The resolution calls on Israel to comply with the International Court of Justice’s advisory opinion issued July 9 and tear down the barrier. It even included a requirement on the Palestinian Authority to “undertake visible efforts on the ground to arrest, disrupt and restrain individuals and groups conducting and planning violent attacks”.
Australia’s one-sided support for Israel is becoming as absurd as the position of the United States itself.
Surely resolving the Israel/Palestine dispute must be one of the best ways of reducing the threat of global terrorism. I notice that the White Paper does not even mention the importance of this dispute to the level of frustration and embitterment felt by so many Muslims and others about the injustice suffered by the Palestinians. But to ignore this factor in order not to be seen as rewarding terrorists is a grave mistake, in my opinion.
I am at a loss to explain to my friends the logic of recent Australian foreign policy decisions.