It's Almost Supernatural

Fashionably Jewish

Are you a Jewish South African looking for some attention by publicly denouncing Israel? Do you wish to flaunt the courage it takes to step beyond mortality and into the gates of otherwordly righteousness?

If the answer is yes and you have 2 or more friends who share your Godlike consciousness then write a group letter denouncing Israel to the Mail & Guardian today and have it published this Friday! Go on, rise above the silently sinful Jews in this country who stay loyal to the dreadfully repellent, apartheid, Nazi and colonialist state of “Israel”.

Go on…hold on to your humanity!

Opinion piece published in this week’s Mail & Guardian (no link at www.mg.co.za)

We reject Israels violations of international law As Jews and South Africans, we have noted with deep concern the report of John Dugard, the Special Rapporteur on the situation of Human Rights in the Palestinian Territories occupied since 1967. The report, published on January 29 2007, is currently under discussion within the United Nations Human Rights Council (the council that has only passed 8 resolutions, all of them directed against Israel). It reveals substantial rights abuses by the Israeli government that we find abhorrent, particularly in the light of the painful past of both the South African and Jewish people. We believe these abuses are indefensible and that there is an urgent need for Jews and all South Africans to speak out against these rights violations […] We call on our government to speak out against the continued violations of international law perpetrated by Israel and to use what-ever diplomatic means possible to pressure Israel to desist. Secondly we believe that it is the particular responsibility of members of the Jewish community in whose name Israel purports to act, to reject Israel’s unlawful conduct and to act to seek an end to these abuses. Vanessa Barolsky, Paul Berkowitz, David Bruce, Erica Emdon, Adrian Friedman, Daniel Friedman, Steven Friedman, Sue Goldstein, Alan Horvaitz, Dämon Kalvari, Lee Klawansky, Lara Simone Koseff, Lance Levitas, Heather Jones Petersen, Rebecca Sher, Michal Singer, Raymond Suttner, Shereen Usdin.

I was at John Dugard's talk at Wits University last week and even he acknowledged that his report was biased because of his restricted mandate (his mandate precluded an investigation of any Palestinian violations of human rights abuses). This of course does not factor in the black-and-white blinkered world of these conscientious and upright Jews.

This is the kind of stuff the Mail & Guardian loves and unfortunately we have seen it all before.

Double Standards

One of the problems with opponents of Israel is the way they single out only Israel for castigation on issues where Muslim states fare far worse.

Writing in the Business Day Weekender, Simon Kuper laments the tragic fate of the Arab footballers in the Israeli national team.

Israel vs England will be a tough evening for Israeli Arabs. Before kick off the Hatikva will be played, the national anthem that hymns "the Jewish soul" and "land of Zion and Jerusalem." Arab fans are expected to stand; Arab players, to sing along. Inevitably many Arabs feel ambivalent about the team.

I have never read an article bemoaning the plight of the Christians in Saudi Arabia whose anthem contains the line “My country, may you always live, The glory of all Muslims!”

No complaints about how Christians in Pakistan can ever feel part of the Pakistani cricket side when their national flag contains the Islamic crescent and star.

If Simon Kuper wants to investigate prejudice in Football perhaps he should start here.