Ilan Baruch, the Israeli ambassador to South Africa has written an excellent reply to the recent Kasrils "The Myths of Zionism" article.
Once again the Baruch response is only available to Mail & Guardian subscribers - even though the Kasrils article is freely available to everyone.
It may seem as if the Mail & Guardian are being fair in allowing Ilan Baruch to respond to the myths of Kasrils. But don't be naive.
The only time the M&G allow a pro-Israel article is when it is a defensive article responding to an attack from a previous column.
It's about time the M&G allowed a pro-Israel article that goes on the offensive.
In his response, Baruch makes a pertinent point.
| I acknowledge the fact that the article was written in Kasrils' personal capacity. However its educational value stems also from his position as a highly regarded political leader. In my view the article carries the message of an educator not a historian. One gets the impression that Kasrils has an angry urge to deliver a message; to teach us a lesson regardless of the extensive fabric of facts and at the expense of historical accuracy. |
Responding to Kasril's claim that Jews have always lived in peace under Arab rule Baruch writes
My parents in law grew up in the ancient Jewish quarter of Baghdad. Their fate was a far cry from what Kasrils describes as "symbiosis between Arabs and Jews". True in the Middle Ages Jews in Muslim kingdoms entertained a degree of safety provided they accepted a discriminatory social status as second class citizens along with Christians. In modern times however Jewish communities in the Arab world were exposed to intense hate and violence. Most of the Arab world Jewry were forced into exile with a huge loss of property and at times with traumatic consequences. |
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