It's Almost Supernatural

We’re All Going on a Zionist Witch Hunt

In a typically vile article, the Media Review Network (a South African Islamist advocacy group) has come out in support of the now discredited Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) and has accused the international Zionist lobby of deliberately suppressing debate on Israel in South Africa. The MRN article entitled ‘Kasrils Censorship takes new turn: Witch-hunt of Freedom of Expression Institute’ fingers the South African Zionist Federation, the South African Jewish Board of Deputies, Israeli Newspapers (Maariv and the Jerusalem Post) and a ‘Zionist Web log’ (It's Almost Supernatural of course) as the main culprits.

While the other members of the international Zionist lobby were accused of only trying to ban criticism of Israel, we are charged with the far worse crime of attempting to rebut the anti-Israel propaganda of Kasrils & co. The article has this to say about us and our readers:

Since the story broke about the censorship imposed upon Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils, by the editor of the weekly Jewish Report, lots of debate on the concept of free speech has emerged. Of course, expectedly, lots of muck has also appeared on Zionist web blogs parading as “intelligent” attacks upon the person of Kasrils and others associated with their solidarity activism for Palestine.

The force must be truly strong with us. It is no simple Zionist mind trick to parade muck as an intelligent attack.

As satisfying as the reference to ‘Zionist web logs’ was, my favourite part of the piece is it dramatic conclusion. It states,

‘Media freedom in South Africa came at a great cost. So did all of the freedoms enshrined in the constitution after decades of struggle. It therefore will be a sad day if these freedoms are sacrificed at the altar of Zionist lobbies.’

To claim that South Africa’s miraculous democratic transformation is threatened by 2 Israeli Newspapers, the Board, the Fed, the Jewish Report and this blog is laughable. So laughable is the accusation and the metaphor in fact that I decided to compose an incantation that we could all chant as we sacrifice South Africa’s freedoms one by one on our Zionist alter hidden away in the depths of Beyachad.

"Eye of Nasrallah and toe of Assad, Wool of Fisk and tongue of Ahmadinejad, Chavez' fork and Kasrils' sting, Yassin's legs and Arafat's sling, For a charm of powerful trouble, Like a hell broth boil and bubble, Double, double toil and trouble, Fire burn and cauldron bubble."

(Hopefully Shakespeare will not raise too many objections to my Zionist adaptation of his famous Macbeth scene. But even if he does, my Zionist colleagues on the other side will make sure that no-one is the wiser.)

SA Jewish Board Speaks Out

In a scathing 4 page letter sent to the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) and CC'd to major newspapers around South Africa, the Jewish Board of Deputies denounced the FXI as prejudiced against Israel and the institutions of the South African Jewish community.

Echoing our criticism of the FXI last week, the Jewish Board’s letter states

‘Over the past five years, the SA Jewish Board of Deputies has noted with mounting concern the consistently partisan and selective statements being issued by the Freedom of Expression Institute. We believe - and the evidence since at least 2002 bears us out - that however noble the motives of its founders might have been, your organisation has de facto evolved into a propaganda platform for those holding radical anti-Israel, anti-American and pro-Islamist viewpoints.’ … ‘An especially deplorable aspect of the FXI's anti-Israel campaign is how Jewish communal institutions, specifically the S A Jewish Board of Deputies, the SA Zionist Federation and, most recently, the S A Jewish Report, have been singled out for special attack. By contrast, the FXI's silence on cases where Muslim organisations and activists have suppressed freedom of expression has been truly deafening.’

The letter then details numerous instances over the past 5 years where Israel or the institutions of the South African Jewish community has been unfairly targeted by the FXI. From its response to the violent demonstration outside the Shimon Peres talk (a example raise previous by a reader on this blog); to the Broadcast Monitoring Compliance Commission hearing against ETV for its unashamed endorsement of John Pilger's documentary 'Palestine is still the Issue'; the South African Jewish Board’s legal battle against radio 786 for broadcasting blatant anti-Semitic hate speech and of course this latest SAJR-Kasrils saga, the FXI has constantly demonstrated its bias.

But even more telling is the FXI’s silence and even, at times support, for radical Islamist attempts to suppress views they find unpleasant. The letter cites the FXI’s hypocritical support for the censorship of the Mohammed cartoons in South Africa and its silence on the intimidation of Muslim moderates in South Africa (something that has since led to the emigration of such eminent clerics and academics as Ebrahim Moosa and Faried Esack). More recently, the FXI has failed to condemn the brazen attempt by its former chairman Salim Vally to prevent the Pogrund-Salem Palestinian-Israeli coexistence lecture tour.

This public condemnation from the umbrella body of the South African Jewish community has exposed the FXI for what they are—a propaganda vehicle for those with a transparently pro-Islamist and anti-Israel (as well as a general anti-Western) agenda.

Jane Duncan and the FXI have up until now have not responded to any of our criticism. We did and continue to extend to them an invitation to debate these issues with us on this blog.

Click Continue Reading to view the Jewish Board's letter.

Correction:
A reader has pointed out an error we made. We incorrectly said that former Minister of Transport Dullah Omar had emigrated when in fact he passed away in 1999 after suffering from cancer. He held his Minister of Transport post until the day of his death.

Pogrund Silenced In South Africa, Again

Veteran anti-Apartheid journalist and Israeli-Palestinian coexistence campaigner, Benjamin Pogrund, has called off his speaking tour of South Africa in the wake of threats from the anti-Israel lobby, the Mail and Guardian reported last week. This is not the first time that those committed to hatred and intolerance in South Africa have attempted to use intimidation to silence Pogrund. In an effort to discourage Pogrund from further exposing Apartheid repression, the previous regime put him on trial several times, imprisoned him once and had his passport removed.

Pogrund together with Palestinian peace activist, Walid Salem, were scheduled to speak in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Cape Town and Durban to promote their latest joint initiative “Shared histories, A Palestinian-Israeli dialogue”.

Progund is the director of the Yakar Centre for Social Concern while Salem heads up Panorama (the Palestinian Centre for the Dissemination of Democracy and Community Development).

Salem was imprisoned by Israel a number of times in the 1970s and 80s. But after the initiation of the Oslo process Walid joined Panorama, and has since conducted joint studies and activities with Israeli academics and peace groups. He also conducts training sessions in democracy, non-violence and civil-society building with Palestinians. He is a strong advocate of non-violence.They have already spoken together in Jerusalem, The Hague, Krakow and Amman.

But notorious South African anti-Israel activist, Salim Vally, together with his Palestinian Solidarity Committee launched an intimidation campaign that has resulted in the lecture tour being cancelled. The Mail and Guardian quoted an email sent by Vally on November 1, which threatened that

if any public event featuring Panorama and Yakar does go ahead in Gauteng we will be demonstrating outside. We also call on our comrades and friends in other parts of South Africa to take similar action.

Given the extreme nature of previous PSC protests this is no idle threat. But the intimidation did not stop there. Addressing Walid Salem, Vally writes.

Dear Walid we suggest that you would not appreciate the embarrassment of facing a demonstration or picket. Perhaps the best option would be for you to cancel this trip  completely. Certainly your speaking on the same platform as a Zionist like Benjamin Pogrund will not endear you to the vast majority of Palestinian solidarity activists and other social justice activists in South Africa who support the Palestinian cause.

Perhaps it is not surprising that Salim Vally and his PSC, who are associated with rejectionist groups like the PFLP, Hamas and Hezbollah, would attempt to silence in South Africa all Israeli and Palestinian voices that promote peace and reconciliation. But what is surprising is that such a man was previously the chairman of that bastion of Free Speech in South Africa the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI).

We call on Jane Duncan, the current Executive Director of the FXI and avid IAS reader (but not yet a fan) to distance the FXI from Vally and to denounce this brazen attempt to stifle free speech in South Africa.

Stop Press: Annan Criticises UNHRC for Disproportionate Focus on Israel

A SAPA-AP report last week dropped a real bomb-shell: Annan warns top human rights body that it has a duty to probe abuses by all countries.

The UN Human Rights Council should broaden its focus beyond the Palestinian-Israeli issue to avoid being accused of being one-sided, UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan has said. Speaking here for the last time before he steps down as head of the UN, Annan said the council’s preoccupation with Israel’s actions in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories while ignoring the situation in Darfur had led some people to wonder whether it had "a sense of fair play". "(The council members) have tended to focus on the Palestinian issue and, of course, if you focus on the Palestinian-Israeli issue without discussing Darfur and other issues, some wonder, `What is this council doing?`" The 47-member council has been criticised by some countries for moving four times to condemn Israel, while not taking up human rights violations in Myanmar, North Korea and Sudan. Annan’s remarks coincided with the release of the council inquiry’s findings on Israel’s actions during its offensive against Hezbollah in Lebanon. The inquiry, instigated by members of the Organisation of the Islamic Conference, was not mandated to look at the conduct of Hezbollah during the conflict.

A Reuters report on the very same inquiry accusing Israel of “flagrant violations of human rights” managed to spin for the Palestinians by neglecting to inform readers that

• The inquiry was instigated by the Organisation of the Islamic Conference
• The inquiry was mandated only to consider Israel violations – violations by Hizballah were not to be investigated.
• The inquiry triggered criticism by Kofi Annan questioning the council’s "sense of fair play" because they have tended to focus on the Palestinian issue neglecting other issues such as Darfur.
• The council has been criticised for moving four times to condemn Israel, while not taking up human rights violations in Myanmar, North Korea and Sudan.

Here’s the Reuters report

A UN commission of inquiry yesterday day accused Israel of "flagrant violations" of international human rights law in its month-long war with Hizbollah Islamist fighters in Lebanon. A team of three legal experts, sent to Lebanon by the UN`s Human Rights Council, said Israel was guilty of "excessive, indiscriminate and disproportionate use of force" in the conflict. "The commission has formed a clear view that, cumulatively, the deliberate and lethal attacks by the IDF (Israel Defence Forces) on civilians and civilian objects amounted to collective punishment", they said in a report on the council`s website. The team was made up of Joao Clemente Baena Scares, a former secretary-general of the Organisation of American States, Mohamed Chande Othman, a judge on Tanzania`s Supreme Court, and Stelios Perrakis, a professor at Panteion University of Social and Political Sciences in Athens, Greece.

Don’t Reuters consider even some of this information relevant?

Zion in the Looking Glass: Israeli Film Festival at RHCC

There is an excellent mini Israeli film festival running at the Rabbi Cyrill Harris Community Centre, screening titles that are unlikely to be seen in cinemas in South Africa. Most of the films being screened have picked up major awards at festivals around the world. Films are in Hebrew/ Russian/French/ Arabic with English subtitles.

The festival began on Wednesday November 22nd and will run for a week.

Immanuel Suttner will be introducing each film, and facilitating a discussion afterwards.

PROGRAMME (subject to changes)

Sat night Nov 25 - Stones (Avanim) - 20:30 Sun afternoon Nov 26 - Stones - 15:00 Mon night Nov 27 - Live and Become -19:30 Tues afternoon Nov 28 - The Band (HaLehaka) - 14:30 Tues night Nov 28 - Oriental, plus selection of short films by Israeli filmakers - 19:30 Wed afternoon Nov 29 - Oriental, plus selection of short films by Israeli filmakers - 14:30 Wed night Nov 29 - Ushpizin - 19:30 Thurs afternoon Nov 30 - Ushpizin - 14:30 Thurs night Nov 30 - Live and Become - 19:30

I think the pick of the bunch is 'Live and Become'.

Live and Become Director: Radu Mihaileanu Country: Israel France Language: Hebrew & Amharit & French w/ English subtitles Running Time: 140 min Year: 2005 The epic story of an Ethiopian boy who is airlifted from a Sudanese refugee camp to Israel in 1984 during Operation Moses. Shlomo is plagued by two big secrets: He is neither a Jew nor an orphan, just an African boy who survived and wants, somehow, to fulfill his Ethiopian mother’s parting request that he “go, live, and become.” Buoyed by a profound and unfaltering motherly love – both in his memory, in the arms of his adoptive mother and eventually of his ashkenazi wife – he ultimately finds an identity and a happiness all his own. Awards - Audience Award, European Cinema Award and Ecumenical Award Berlin Film Festival 2005 - Golden Swan (Best Film) and Best Screenplay Copenhagen International Film Festival 2005 - Most Popular Film, Vancouver Film festival, Three awards from Israeli Film Academy

COST: R50 including refreshments. Pensioners and Students get in for just R30.
VENUE : Clive M Beck Auditorium, Rabbi Cyril Harris Community Centre (RCHCC) - cnr Glenhove Rd & 4th Street Houghton East of the M1
BOOKING: Hazel or Rene (728 8088/8378) After Hours (728 8378)
email: [email protected] [email protected]

Should We Be Taking a Leaf From the Palestinians?

Reports in the past week seem to indicate that Fatah and Hamas are inching closer to agreement on the formation of a Palestinian unity government. Indeed, the groups are now discussing portfolios. One of the key features of the proposal is the fact that each group is entitled to nominate unaffiliated technocrats for many of the key posts, including the position of Prime Minister, which is to be filled by an academic.

While the independence of these technocrats is yet to be tested, it seems to me that in this strategy, the Palestinians are one step ahead of Israel; making merit the criteria for a cabinet position. Indeed, it leaves me wondering, on the anniversary of the creation of Kadima, whether we should not take a leaf out of the Palestinian book for once?

What has led me to this conclusion is the sheer incompetence (originally portrayed as freshness) of our political leaders and government officials. First and foremost, our Prime Minister. With Kassam rockets falling in droves on Sderot, and weapons being amassed on our Northern border by Hizballah and on our Western border by Hamas et al, Olmert has graciously announced that he is still ready for territorial compromises. While he does not "expect his enemies to be wonderful guys" he is willing to negotiate with them if they come to the table with clean hands, (a huge hurdle for Hamas, Hizballah and the like) halt terror, recognize Israel and agree to abide by all previous diplomatic agreements (all of which are seemingly very unlikely given recent statements by Hamas that they will not recognize Israel even in a unity government).

While Olmert sits and waits in his office for this to occur (and I can guarantee him that the wait will be long) many Israelis are ruing the day that he and Kadima were voted into power; and wondering what it would take to prove decisively to Kadima that unilateral withdrawal simply has not been and will not be successful. Indeed, one wonders whether anything would alter the government's unblinking commitment to this policy. The fact that in a statement last week Olmert said that he doubts the policy and essentially questions its success, does not inspire much confidence in the fact that he is nevertheless willing to continue after a war in the North, post withdrawal, and constant rocket barrage from Gaza, also following complete withdrawal!

Behind our deep thinking Prime Minister stands a row of equally incompetent individuals. Just to mention a few; our Defense Minister, who led the debacle of a campaign in Lebanon, this week telephoned Abbas in an attempt to reach a ceasefire in a ten minute conversation….I think that this says it all about the man's simplistic worldview and lack of understanding of the situation on the ground. To have this military novice heading our Ministry of Defense could actually have been a punch line at a recent Comedy Night I attended in Jerusalem last week, if it were not true…Shouldn't some military background be a prerequisite for what is arguably one of the most important jobs in Israel?

And Ms Livni, don’t we all wish that just one day Israel would actually have an English speaking Foreign Minister who can communicate with the outside world effectively? After all, as well as she may speak in Hebrew, it is her job to talk to the world, not Israelis.

Almost every conversation that I have with Israelis ends with the same point being made – that they feel that if there were elections held today there would be no one to vote for. I could not agree with them more….Kadima is incompetent, Labour is as shortsighted as ever, squabbling internally distracted from the threats Israel faces, and almost everyone I speak to thinks that Netanyahu is sly and corrupt….What seems clear to me is that a major revamp is called for in Israeli Politics. There is a desperate need for qualified people to run the government. It seems to me that the Palestinians may have realised this. When will we?

Diane

'We Are Not Here on Sufferance'

The recent controversy surrounding the SA Jewish Report’s (SAJR) refusal to publish a loathsome article by Intelligence Minister Ronnie Kasrils has finally hit the Israeli press. Yesterday the story was reported in the Hebrew daily Maariv, and today there is a lengthy report in the Jerusalem Post: South African Jewish weekly in eye of storm

One aspect of this story not yet covered is the Jewish community’s reaction to this saga. Whilst I would estimate that 90% of South African Jewry support Israel in some form the support for SAJR editor Geoff Sifrin over this matter is difficult to determine. The public support at least, has been limited.

Even many ardent Zionists argue that by angering Kasrils Sifrin has only given him more of a platform to spit his anti-Israel propaganda (and it is propaganda) and has therefore worsened the situation.

I disagree with this view. I think that by refusing to publish the article Sifrin has brought much needed attention to what Kasrils is actually saying. Sifrin has stood up high and proclaimed that it is not alright to compare us to the most evil force that has ever menaced the world.

Kasrils has accused the SAJR of bowing to pressure from the SA Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD), an allegation strongly denied by Sifrin. I find the allegation laughable. Members of the SAJBD such as High Court Judge Dennis Davis are at the forefront of sophisticated and intellectual Zionist self criticism. Davis’ recent column in the SAJR even criticised members of the community for slamming Ronnie Kasrils in letters to the media.

If anything I believe the SAJBD strongly opposed Sifrin’s decision.

I get the uneasy feeling that Sifrin has almost been hung out to dry. This issue has hit the print, television and radio press. To date I haven’t heard any notable members of the community come out in his defence even though it provides a perfect opportunity to publicly slam the hateful views of Kasrils.

The Jerusalem Post story touches on an uncomfortable subject in quoting from some ‘unnamed Jewish leaders’.

Despite his anti-Israel stance, it is thought that Kasrils has been providing protection from terrorist threats to South Africa's Jewish community, several Jewish leaders, who asked not to be named due to the sensitivity of the matter, told the Post.

This statement reaches amazing depths of mendacity. It is the responsibility of the South African government to provide protection to all of their citizens from all possible threats. This is something that we should expect; it is not a service that we need to pay for. Furthermore, any terrorist threats that his intelligence office may protect us from are no doubt related to anti-Israel hatred. And Kasrils’ wild propaganda is fomenting this hatred. The Post went on to confirm this creepy relationship.

Kasrils, in an e-mail exchange with the Post, confirmed that he does use his office to protect South Africa's 80,000-strong Jewish community, but would not go into specifics. Asked if he thought his comments could inflame anti-Jewish sentiment, he replied in the negative.

Does the Jewish community ‘owe’ Kasrils for this? Should we be paying additional taxes for this protection (like the Jizya of Shariah law)?

Contrast this with the position of a country like Sweden. The newly elected government has pledged to pay $424,000 of the Swedish Jewish community’s $707,000 security bill (almost 2/3). The British government is also looking into reducing the exorbitant security costs borne by Anglo Jewry.

The South African Jews need to stop behaving like Dhimmis. Tony Leon, the leader of DA (the official opposition), put it best in a speech to the SAJB Cape Council in December 2004 when he explained that ‘Neither the Jewish community nor any other need ask the government for favours. We are not here on sufferance. It is the government’s role and duty to live up to the obligations and ideals of the Constitution. That, I believe, is what the Board should demand—that, and nothing less.’

The South African Jewish community would do well to internalize this advice from one of its most integrated sons.

FXI: ‘We are Not Mindless Bubble-Heads’

‘We are independent, but we also have views. We are not mindless bubble-heads’ protested Jane Duncan of the Freedom of Expression Institute (FXI) in her response to a list of questions sent to her by the man who triggered this saga and regular IAS reader Anthony Posner. She has graciously given permission to publish their correspondence on this blog.

Ms Duncan’s claims notwithstanding, the FXI is anything but independent or objective. It has demonstrated an erratic defence of ‘freedom of speech’ in South Africa usually to promote their Leftist (and possibly Islamist) agenda. Thus for example the FXI argued for the censorship of the Mohammed cartoons in South Africa (by editors not the courts), regarding them as hate speech. But at the same time, they support ‘the right’ of people to deny the Holocaust.

Further confirmation of their rabid anti-Zionist/anti-Western world view can be found in the complete Press Release on the Kasrils-SAJR saga now published on their website. Ms Duncan concludes by stating that

‘If a government Minister can be treated in such a censorious manner, then we wonder what chance ordinary members of the Jewish community have to be heard if they voice dissent against the Israeli state's policies of forced colonial occupation of Palestinian land.

But Ms Duncan is not the only member of the FXI with a biased view of the Israeli-Arab conflict. A reader has brought to my attention that one Na’eem Jeenah is the head of the FXI’s access to information programme. Jeenah is a major player in the pro-Palestinian lobby in South Africa. I encourage readers to check out his blog. Interestingly in an article there on Zionism he too promotes the Israel-behaves-like-the-Nazis libel.

I can say for sure that when it comes to the Arab-Israeli conflict, the FXI is certainly not independent. But on the question of them being ‘mindless bubble-heads’, I will leave that for you to decide.

Note:
In her correspondence with Posner, Duncan mentions that she has been following the latest Kasrils saga on this blog with ‘great interest’. She writes ‘in time, I may even become a fan! Unfortunately, at the moment time does not permit me to respond to many of the issues raised …’

I am glad Ms Duncan is an IAS reader (fan or no fan) and would invite her to comment on this blog in her personal or professional capacity whenever she wishes. IAS is committed to debating all issues about the Arab-Israeli conflict out in the public space.

Islamic Jihad: Security Fence Stifling Terror Activities

Islamic Jihad leader Ramadan Shalah has revealed in an interview to Hizballah's Al-Manar Television that Israel’s security fence is a significant obstacle to the Palestinian terrorist organizations.

The Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs reports

He asserted that suicide bombing attacks are the Palestinian people’s “strategic choice” and are meant to “create a balance of force and deterrence” in the campaign against a superior enemy. Shalah said the terrorist organizations have every intention of continuing suicide bombing attacks, but that their timing and the possibility of perpetrating them from the West Bank depends on other factors. “For example,” he said, “there is the separation fence, which is an obstacle to the resistance, and if it were not there the situation would be entirely different.” The last few years have witnessed a constant decrease in the number of suicide bombing attacks. This is the result of a number of factors, including the ongoing construction of the security fence, which hinders attempts by the terrorist organizations to infiltrate suicide bombers into Israel -- although they continue to search for the fence’s weak spots.

It's a pity that most of the local media repeatedly fail to view the barrier as a last ditch measure to prevent Israelis from being systematically murdered - a non-lethal defence mechanism that has produced a significant reduction in succesful terrorist attacks. In South Africa minds seem to have snapped shut on this issue. The language of the terrorists is adopted - its a separation/apartheid wall and that's that.

Mind you...whilst the majority of the local intelligentsia refers to it as an apartheid wall, the Islamic Jihad leader seems to have described as a fence.

A Dictator In Need

...is a friend indeed.

Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (R) welcomes his Zimbabwean counterpart Robert Mugabe during an official welcoming ceremony in Tehran November 20, 2006.

Mugabe: Both nations will defend each other's national integrity against any aggression.

Previously at IAS: Mugabe Blames the Jews