Where is the outcry from the Jewish World?
FEBRUARY 09, 2011. - This coming March, organisers of the annual international Israeli Apartheid Week (IAW) will be clamouring to celebrate their 7th annual festival of antisemitic claptrap and hate mongering diatribe against the Jewish nation. Piggybacking on the current Arab revolutionary mentality of protest for political change, we shall see IAWs agenda of propaganda and lies expand by leaps and bounds. Things couldn't get any better for them. They have been handed a golden opportunity on a plate to expand their cause, namely the elimination of the State of Israel.
In fact it has already started. This year the organisers have stated that, "Due to the popularity of Israeli Apartheid Week we have extended the 'week' to allow campuses, organizations and regions on different schedules to participate."
And participating they are with events in Amsterdam, Beirut, Bethlehem, Berlin, Bogota, Bologna, Boston, Cape Town, Caracas, Chicago, Dundee, Edinburgh, Edmonton, Glasgow, Houston, Johannesburg, London, Madrid, Melbourne, Minneapolis/St.Paul, Montreal, New York City, Oxford, Pisa, Pretoria, Providence RI, Rome San Francisco, Seattle, Toronto, Utrecht, Vancouver, Winnipeg, etc., etc., etc.
In addition, this year more than in previous years, we will witness the power and use of social media in IAWs agenda to delegitimize Israel. Social media will be the key in spreading misinformation about Israel and diaspora Jews.
To quote Melanie Phillips, the British journalist and author, "Israel is completely outclassed and outmanoeuvred on a battleground that it doesn't understand it is on." To which I might add, with reference to IAW, "so is the Jewish diaspora."
As pointed out by Israel's Meir Amit Intelligence and Terrorism Information Center:
"Examination of IAW themes in previous years clearly shows that these are well-organized events taking place in various sites worldwide, whose aim is to undermine the legitimacy of the State of Israel by portraying it as a racist country and associating it with the South African apartheid regime. The security fence is referred to as the “Israeli apartheid wall” to reinforce the image of Israel as an “apartheid state”. The false branding of Israel as an “apartheid state” is motivated by an attempt to smear Israel as racist, as well as an effort to spread the message that the Zionist model is doomed to collapse just like the apartheid regime in South Africa, clearing the way for the establishment of a Palestinian country on the entire territory of “Palestine”.
"In addition to focusing on the comparison between Israel and the apartheid regime, the IAW has been used in recent years to spread other messages aimed to delegitimize, slander, and isolate Israel, turn it into a pariah state and promote the vision of its collapse. Such messages include bringing up the claim that Israel commits “ethnic cleansing” against the Palestinians (associating it with Serbia, whose leaders were accused of war crimes); demanding that all Palestinian refugees be granted the right to return to the places they left in 1948 (knowing that the realization of the “right of return” would spell the end of Israel as a Jewish and democratic state); calling for an economic, social, and cultural boycott of Israel; and demanding to end the “occupation” and “colonization” of "all Arab territories" (i.e., the elimination of the State of Israel, whose territory is considered as Palestinian/Arab land)."
IAWs declaration that Israel not exist has been well documented. Hazem Jamjoum, from Ramallah, is one of the organizers of the 2010 IAW events. Giving an interview to Al-Jazeera, when asked if he would agree to a two-state solution, Jamjoum said he is not interested in a two-state solution but in the establishment of a single state (i.e., a Palestinian state) (Al-Jazeera TV, March 4, 2010). Furthermore, IAWs current website shows a map of Greater Palestine. Israel is no where to be seen.
Throughout the history of the world, the most abused, kicked-around race of people have been the Jews. Unfortunately, we continue to live in an age where numerous antisemites, hate-mongers, far left, far right loonies and IAW proponents of this world, demand to rule the day. To these people I say again, "Va te faire cuire un oeuf!" These IAW racists, who profess to be utterly convinced that their knowledge of Middle East modern history is correct, coupled with their convoluting conspiracy theories, are unshakable in their hatred of Jews.
And from where I sit, very little is being done on an international level to contradict these harebrained miscreants. As Jews, why have we become obsessed as individuals into keeping our mouths shut, while allowing these idiots to spread their words of hate and intolerance? Enough! What makes us so insecure? Why do we, as individuals, remain silent?
What does it take for Jews to stand up as one and be counted and to vigorously express ourselves against the perpetrators of hideous comments? Israeli Apartheid Week has to be held accountable for their actions. As Jews we must respond. No one will do it on our behalf.