It's Almost Supernatural

Wits Responds to Allegations of Racial Profiling at Limmud

I’ve received a couple of emails asking about a recent letter the Vice Chancellor of Wits University sent to the entire campus. The letter was a response to allegations lead by the Palestine Solidarity Committee that “apartheid era” styled racial profiling took place on campus during Limmud.

During Limmud, a small silent protest was allowed just outside the entrance to the building where the lectures took place. I have been told that the number of protestors allowed was agreed upon prior to the start of Limmud.

Outside the campus, some individuals, draped in Palestinian regalia, were prevented from entering the university. Whilst private security was on-hand to ensure the safety of all Limmud attendees, when I entered the campus it was the Wits security that allowed me in whilst preventing a young screeching Muslim man from entering. It is clear to me that race was not a factor in deciding who to allow onto campus. In fact, during the course of Limmud, I noticed many black students attending some of the lectures I was in. But even if I hadn’t seen black students, why on earth would Limmud, a liberal and progressive Jewish movement, prevent black and Muslim people from entering the campus? What would they possibly have to gain from such discrimination?

I’d be interested to know why it seems that students reported their allegations of racial profiling to the PSC. Are they the gatekeepers of racial equality on campus? My conclusion is that people who were barred entry, were those that were looking to join the protest, which had already used up its allowed quota. I say this because the allegations have been spearheaded by the PSC, whose strategy on campus is often to hurt Israel by painting its supporters as apartheid loving racists. The PSC’s cries of racism are equivalent to Bernie Madoff shrieking antisemitism!

I have reprinted the letter from Wits Vice-Chancellor and Principal professor Loyiso Nongxa. It’s a despicable display of cowardice, giving into the accusations, almost accepting them as fact, and then ordering an investigation. In the letter Prof. Nongxa explains his personal view, that anyone (and that would include students) who can justify what happened in Gaza, should not be welcome to Wits University. This means that almost all Jewish students who support Israel’s right to self defence, in the eyes of the Vice Chancellor, should not be allowed at Wits.

It’s an extremely heated issue and its obvious from his personal views that Prof. Nongxa has sympathy with the cause of the students making the allegations. Without the investigation even starting, he issues an apology and thereby accepts the allegations as fact – “I would like to apologise to the all people who felt targeted because they were Black.”

The investigation will be headed by former apartheid activist advocate Geoff Budlender.

From: Vivienne Rowland On Behalf Of #Dept-Marketing-WitsNews Sent: 13 August 2009 04:28 PM To: #Dept-Marketing-WitsNews Subject: MESSAGE TO THE WITS COMMUNITY Dear Members of the Wits community Yesterday, at rather short notice, I met with a group of students who issued an ‘open letter’ that was circulated widely, expressing their concerns at Wits having hired one of its venues to an external Jewish organisation, Limmud, who invited a controversial speaker to their event over the weekend. I undertook to initiate a formal investigation based on the disturbing allegations contained in the letter and in other communications that I have received in this regard. It was brought to my attention, during the meeting, that (certain sectors of) the University community wanted a public statement to be issued from the University about the events of the last few days. The students informed me that failure to do so would lead to the conclusion that the University associates itself with the views and actions of the controversial speaker. I found this assertion disturbing, particularly because it reduces the commitment of the University to issues of human rights, freedom of speech and the right to protest, to a single event and how we respond to it. My position as the Vice-Chancellor does not always qualify me to speak on behalf of the Wits community on all matters. Sometimes I do, when I am confident that the majority of the University community would support that stance, the Dalai Lama issue being a recent example. I don’t feel confident that I can speak on behalf of the Wits community when it comes to the complex politics of the Middle East, and especially the ongoing conflict between the Palestinians and Israelis. I do have personal views that I will express below, knowing that certain members of the Wits community will be vehemently opposed to them. As a South African who lived under Apartheid and who was once stripped of South African citizenship and declared, against my wishes, a citizen of a pseudo-country which I did not recognise, I am appalled at what is happening in the Middle East. There can be no justification for what I see as atrocities committed against civilians. My late mother taught me that, as an adult, we should treat every child as our own. The traumatic experience of the children of Gaza haunts me. The destruction of people’s homes and livelihoods and the loss of their limbs and body parts horrifies me. The human being inside me would find it difficult to welcome to my home, and Wits is my home, anybody who would justify what has happened there, whether it’s based on legal, religious or historical grounds. But we live in a diverse community and a country which values and celebrates differences and diversity and as the Vice-Chancellor of a public institution which invariably reflects this diversity, I have to uphold the values of freedom of expression which is an integral part of academic freedom. I believe that many of us have not thought carefully about what it means to live in a society that celebrates freedom of speech – universities are spaces where all views should be aired and heard. Many of us have not thought carefully about what it means to live in a non-racial or non-sexist society. Sometimes we tend to impose on others our sectarian view of that future democratic, non-sexist and non-racial society. Let me now offer a preliminary response to some of the allegations in the “open letter”. The first time I received notification about the weekend event at which Lieutenant Colonel David Benjamin was to speak, was on the morning of Friday, 7 August 2009. I responded to the student concerned and informed her that I was leaving for the Eastern Cape and that I would refer the issue to colleagues in the Vice-Chancellor’s Office. The students that I met with yesterday seem to disbelieve this response and one even called my response “outrageous”. The investigation will possibly throw some light on this issue. I appointed one of my senior colleagues as Acting Vice-Chancellor in my absence. On Saturday, I received correspondence between the Acting Vice-Chancellor and the students on their concerns and endorsed what was being discussed. The correspondence was cordial, respectful and spelt out the University’s views on freedom of speech and right to peaceful protest. On Tuesday, I received a briefing on how the difficult situation was managed in my absence and at short notice. I take full responsibility for all the decisions that were taken on my behalf while I was away - they are now my decisions. Let me stress that I am appalled by allegations of racial profiling. There is no place for that in South African society and certainly no place for that at Wits. I would like this to be part of the investigation. If we are to look at this as an opportunity to learn about what it means to live in South Africa in the 21st Century, I would like us all, as members of the Wits community to reflect on our own prejudices around this matter. How many of us become uneasy or even panic when we see a Black, African male at night and instinctively worry about being robbed? What comes to mind when we see a Muslim woman wearing a burka or a Rastafarian student donning his colourful garments? This is racial profiling that we may be guilty of knowingly or unknowingly. There have been questions raised about the presence of external security on our campus. This is a complex matter on which the University community should advise. There have been many instances when external security has been present on our campus without incident. Possibly the key issue here is how they behave when they are on our campus. It has been brought to my attention that people were photographed and that there are concerns that these photographs could be used for illegal or suspect purposes. I have already raised this matter with the parties concerned. Another issue has been the use of University venues and how the University should exercise its responsibility in managing what takes place in these venues. This is again another complicated matter. Wits provides a platform for various (and often conflicting) views to be aired, and forms part of our commitment to freedom of expression and freedom of speech. As the Vice-Chancellor of Wits, I was not given the power to ’vet’ people who come onto campus, nor do I think that any one person within the University should have the right to do so. Lastly, the students that I spoke with seem to feel that the senior management of the University have let them down, in not living up to their expectations with regard to the values to which they are committed and that they believe this University stands for. I am saddened by that and would like to apologise to them for feeling that way. I would like to apologise to the all people who felt targeted because they were Black. Earlier this year Prof. Yunus Ballim and I met with students who felt hurt that they have been targeted because they identified themselves with the State of Israel. They told me that this is part of their identity and upbringing. I was equally saddened by that and again will apologise to them for that hurt. I am saddened by the feeling of alienation of some Black students at Wits and apologise to them for that hurt. I am saddened by cases of violence against women students, in many cases these perpetrated by fellow male students. I would like to apologise to them for the hurt, some suffer in silence and never report these incidences. I am saddened by the acts of violence against gay and lesbian people. I am saddened by the intolerance that I witness in our community. As I have indicated, I will be appointing an investigation into the matter and I will advise the University community as soon as more details pertaining to the terms of reference and timelines are decided. Prof. Loyiso Nongxa Vice-Chancellor and Principal Wits University 13 August 2009

Irwin Cotler Public Address on Genocide Convention

International human rights and the Genocide Convention will come under scrutiny at a public Lecture at Wits University on Thursday 27 August at 6pm at the Great Hall Wits University. Professor Irwin Cotler, former Canadian Justice Minister and world-renowned constitutional and comparative law scholar, will address issues around the effectiveness of international bodies in addressing human rights concerns.

Topical current events will be discussed. These include the indictment of Sudanese President Al-Bashir on charges of war crimes and crimes against humanity by the International Criminal Court, the danger of a nuclear, rights-violating Iran and the Goldstone report on the Gaza conflict.

The event is being co-hosted by the Faculty of Humanities at Wits University, The Weekender and the SA Jewish Board of Deputies.

Topic: The Genocide convention 61 years later: What have we learned, what must we do?

Time: 6PM

Venue: Great Hall, Wits University

RSVP: events.avusa.co.za/theweekender

Enquiries: Lucille Davids on 011 280 3652

Also, see Cotler's devastating critique on the seriously flawed UNHRC Goldstone commission: Tained to the Core

SAJBD Conference - Facing Forward 2009

The Chairman and National Executive Council of the South African Jewish Board of Deputies   have pleasure in inviting you to the   Opening Session of their 45th National Conference ----------- Address By ---------- H E Mr Jacob Zuma The President of South Africa   ----------- Address By ----------- The Hon. Irwin Cotler, MP Former Canadian Minister of Justice   Topic Pursuing Justice: Jewish Values and Human Rights

VENUE the Maroela Room, Sandton Sun Hotel ADDRESS Corner 5th and Alice Streets, Sandton WHEN Saturday 29 August at 20h15 Please be seated by 20h00 DRESS Smart Casual RSVP Shirley to make a booking and obtain a confirmation reference number TEL 011 645 2583/23 E-MAIL [email protected] Download Conference Invite

(This advert has been paid for by the SA Jewish Board of Deputies)

An open letter to former minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils

From Maurice Ostroff

Dear Mr. Kasrils

As you and I have a common interest in philosopher Bertrand Russell, you may recognize this quote by him. “Aristotle maintained that women have fewer teeth than men; although he was twice married, it never occurred to him to verify this statement by examining his wives' mouths”

The reason I consider this quote appropriate, is my conviction that your renewed, relentless attacks on Israel, are similarly based entirely on misinformation.

Let’s take the epiphany you described in your article "Sixty years after Deir Yassin", published last year on the anti-Israel website Electronic Intifada. You explained then that your anti-Israel attitude originated when you were “shaken to the core” by horror stories about an alleged massacre of Palestinian villagers at Deir Yassin in 1948.

The incontrovertible fact is that the story was a complete fabrication by Hazem Nusseibeh, editor of Palestine Broadcasting Service's in 1948, on the direct instructions of the secretary of the Arab High Committee, Hussein Khalidi. Incontrovertible, because during a 1997 BBC TV interview, Nusseibeh himself, admitted that he was instructed by Khalidi to falsify claims of atrocities at Deir Yassin so as to encourage Arab regimes to attack Israel. You can view a video clip of this interview at http://deir-yassin.tripod.com/ and if you have any doubts about its authenticity, you can check it out with the BBC.

Nusseibeh, told the BBC that the fabricated atrocity stories about Deir Yassin were "our biggest mistake," because "Palestinians fled in terror and left the country in huge numbers after hearing the atrocity claims" adding a new facet to research about the reasons so many Arabs fled in 1948.

All the stories about an alleged massacre that were rapidly circulated around the world were based on this fiction.

In your writings you frequently refer to the statement by then Israeli agriculture minister, Aharon Cizling, who said in a cabinet meeting "Jews too have behaved like Nazis and my entire being is shaken". In the light of this BBC revelation, Cizling's outburst must be seen as a manifestation of extreme Israeli sensitivity to reports, albeit false, of Jewish misbehavior. He was so deeply moved by the fabricated reports of behavior that is not tolerated in the IDF doctrine, that he used the exaggerated and offensive Nazi comparison.

The unreliability of your information sources is underlined when you quote Ilan Pappe, and it is relevant to point out that when Pappe was a professor at Haifa University, he vigorously defended Teddy Katz, a student whose Master's thesis was proved in a court of law to contain fabricated evidence of a fictitious massacre of unarmed civilians at a village called Tantura.

The horror stories about Israel, that you refer to, would justify your strong reactions were they factual and I trust that you will accept in good faith some contrary information from a person whose outlook in regard to apartheid is not unlike yours. When you were about five years old, I was already a low-key anti-apartheid activist and member of what was probably the first mass movement of whites promoting the liberation of Blacks, namely the Springbok Legion that was formed during WW2 by South African soldiers who objected to the discriminatory treatment of fellow Black soldiers. Later, as a Wits student, I participated in many anti-apartheid meetings on the Johannesburg City Hall steps where we were attacked by opponents and hounded by the security police. I admired some great personalities who you certainly also knew very well, like the late Jock Isacowitz and the late Wolfie Kodesh. Most of all I was influenced by Chief Albert Luthuli who insisted on peaceful coexistence even after the massacre at Sharpeville. The sad factual difference between the ANC and the PLO or Hamas is that the latter two have lacked leadership of the caliber of Chief Luthuli or Nelson Mandela.

While your empathy for the PLO as fellow freedom fighters is understandable I remind you of some concrete facts that show that the parallels you have drawn, in some of your articles, between the ANC struggle against apartheid and the Palestinian struggle are not quite congruent

Whereas the ANC Charter states "South Africa shall strive to maintain world peace and the settlement of all international disputes by negotiation - not war" article 9 of the PLO Charter declares bluntly that the armed struggle is not merely tactical, it is the overall strategy. The Hamas charter makes it even clearer that there is absolutely no room for peaceful negotiation. Article 13 unambiguously states, "Initiatives, and so-called peaceful solutions and international conferences, are in contradiction to the principles of the Islamic Resistance Movement. There is no solution for the Palestinian question except through Jihad.”

It is difficult to understand your support for the irrationality of the Hamas concept, so different from the sober tone of the ANC Charter, as illustrated by obsessive phobia about freemasons, rotary clubs, Lions and similar organizations, promising that the day Islam is in control, these organizations, will be obliterated.

Nor would the ANC tolerate the incitement to indiscriminate violence against uninvolved civilians, (women, children and invalids alike), which continues in mosques and PA controlled media and is taught in schools from the earliest age.

Mr. Kasrils, what I find most difficult to understand is how your narrow focus on Israel appears to obscure your view of gross crimes in your own backyard that cry out for your attention. In his January article in The Citizen, Andrew Kenny wrote of your support of Robert Mugabe’s tyranny in Zimbabwe. He referred to a radio talk in which you called for pressure on that “murdering regime called Israel” and you suggested that because pressure against apartheid had worked it would work against Israel.

Kenny wrote, that although you tacitly acknowledged that pressuring Mugabe’s regime would help to bring it to an end, you never publicly condemned his tyranny even after he slaughtered around twenty thousand black people in operation Gukurahundi, murdered, mutilated, tortured, beat and gang-raped people who voted against him, wrecked the economy and drove the Zimbabwean people into hunger and despair

I ask the same question Kenny asked. “Why doesn’t Kasrils shout as loudly as possible against Mugabe’s crimes?” and I wonder as he did, why you care about third party reports about the Palestinian people, 8 000km away, but not about the obvious suffering of Africans on your border.

I would appreciate a considered response, which will be distributed in the same manner as this open letter.

Sincerely, Maurice Ostroff

In Defense of Nadav Tamir

Israel's consul-general in New England, Nadav Tamir, has been is serious hot water over the last few weeks for a memo he authored that criticized the current Netanyahu led government’s confrontational stance towards the Obama administration (see FM fumes over Boston Consul's remarks).

He warned that "The atmosphere of confrontation between the Israeli government and the Obama administration puts the American-Jewish community, which is so important to us, in a difficult position. Many of them are distancing themselves from the State of Israel because of this conflict."

Having spent a fair amount of time recently in the United States, I think sadly Tamir is dead right. It is time Israel and the rest of the Jewish world wakes up to the fragile nature of American Jewish support, particularly among the youth.

In general meeting young American Jews, particularly the non-Orthodox variety, has been a profoundly disturbing experience for me. For many, being Jewish is as significant as being left handed or having brown hair and perhaps eating Gefilte fish. Their knowledge of and connection to the Jewish people, its traditions and culture is pathetic. So often I get the question, “are there really Jews in South Africa”? And this is from tertiary educated people.

They do not feel anti-Semitism and threats to Jewish identify in the same way many other Diaspora Jews do. There are no guards outside synagogues. When one explains that many communities are forced to establish security organizations to protect themselves and their institutions they seem shocked at the thought. This lack of any real anti-Semitism coupled with their poor Jewish identity leads many to question the need for a Jewish state. One person recently put it to me that it would have been far better if all the Jewish refugees that have found safe haven in Israel over the decades had just come to America. When I tried to explain the desire for national self determination and the benefits of being a free people in your own land like having Jewish holidays as national holidays, I got a strange look. If you know how many young Americans Jews go to university on Yom Kippur, you would understand how out of touch my example was.

Support for the Democratic Party, and particularly for Obama, is for many equivalent to Judaism. I sometimes have to pinch myself when people speak of enshrining their Jewish values through their work in pro-choice, anti-gun, pro affirmative action or anti-climate change activism. And if one looks closely at the history of Reform and Conservative Judaism in America this makes a lot of sense. The laws and traditions were quite literally rewritten and recreated to comply with modern Liberal thinking. They owe much more allegiance to these principals than some piece of land thousands of miles away.

Nadav Tamir gets this. I have had the good fortune to hear him speak to a large group of young Jews in Boston and was thoroughly impressed. His message is not the rah rah type of Zionism that we in the rest of the Jewish world may be used to. He understands his audience and connects with them and connects them to Israel through their ‘Jewish values’.

Rather than scold Nadav, the new government in Israel should listen to his warnings. The old style blanket American Jewish support for Israel will not continue indefinitely. As more and more of the next generation take on roles in the Jewish community and the broader American society, Israel will have to change its message and its actions if it wishes to maintain its special relationship with American Jewry. People like Nadav are key to bridging this potential and dangerous divide.

Palestinian Lobby Seeks to Incite Racial Hatred Against SA Jews

A SAPA press report today alleged that organisers of Limmud prevented black students from entering the Wits Medical School on Sunday where David Benjamin, legal advisor to the IDF, was speaking.

These accusations reveal the nauseous depths to which the Palestinian lobby will sink in order to delegitimize Jewish South Africans. To their good fortune, they were obviously armed with a partisan journalist willing to blindly report on any accusations.

Under the sub-heading “Harassment and racial profiling” the report quotes some hysterical claims from students without bothering to contact Limmud to determine the accuracy or allow a response. The lies are backed up with action, as 50 students are reported to have marched at Wits against this fabricated racial profiling.

“Students allege that on the day of the talk, a private security firm took control of the gates at the university and barred many students, mostly black, from entering. "They were disallowing black students onto campus for the most part... the control of campus gates were taken over by a private security company who were mostly 17- to 25-year-old young white men," said student, Natasha Vally. Protest organiser, Mbuyiseni Ndlozi, said around 50 students would gather on campus on Wednesday and march to the concourse at Senate House. ‘Harassment and racial profiling’ The students are requesting that the university management distance itself from Benjamin's visit and the "harassment and racial profiling" that took place on Sunday. "They had private security people monitoring who comes in and who goes out. Some of the students were barred and most of these were black or Indian," he said. Vally said students had expressed concern over Benjamin's visit, due to his role in the Gaza war, by sending letters to management. "We are not asking that the university distance itself from him because of his opinions but because of his deeds. It's because he himself indicated his involvement in the Gaza war." Students want university management to acknowledge there was racial discrimination on campus on Sunday and to disassociate itself from Benjamin.

Read the rest of this smutty piece of reporting here: Wits protest over soldier's visit

This is nothing but a deliberate attempt to incite tensions between Jews and black South Africans by claiming that Jews are racist. Yet no racial profiling took place. This is a bald faced lie – which follows hot-on-the-heals of the lobbie's previous lie (as per theMedia Review Network) about Jews kidnapping Palestinians and stealing their kidneys to make money.

A small protest was allowed at Limmud, with about 15-20 (as per the legal standards for protests at private events) anti-Israel activists gaining permission to demonstrate inside the university. No-one was allowed to enter unless they had either paid and registered for Limmud, or had in their possession a Wits student card (and I saw at least one woman enter with a card that was obviously not hers but which looked to belong to a prominent Wits professor).

When I entered the grounds I heard the high pitched complaints of a young gentleman demanding why I was allowed access yet he was not. The answer was quite simple. I was registered for Limmud. He wasn’t. Nor did he have a student card. Why should this young man, draped in the Palestinian supporter’s club official gear, be allowed inside the grounds of a university where he is not registered? And it wasn’t a young white Jewish man that prevented his entry. It was Wits security.

Here are some shots of the protest within the grounds of the Wits Medical School, just outside the building where the Limmud lectures took place. On many occassions protestors, particularly those outside the univeristy, shouted that we were Nazis.

Here’s the official response from Limmud.

Baseless Misinformation Needs to be Countered As an innovative organization that arranges a festival of Jewish learning and culture, Limmud SA embraces the full spectrum of Jewish religious and political opinion and thought. Given the large number of delegates involved at Limmud SA and the potential threat of violence, the University and Limmud SA worked together to increase security. Members of the University and conference delegates were all allowed to enter onto the university premises. The notion that racial profiling took place is a lie put out to try and harm the image of Limmud SA and the University with no justification. It is also offensive in that it assumes all Jews are whites (which is false) and that we did not have delegates who were of differing racial groups. It also represents an ugly form of anti-semitism, seeking to label Jews as racist. Indeed, the protesting groups organised by the Palestine Solidarity Committee repeatedly hurled abuse at conference delegates calling those - simply because they were Jewish - Nazis and racists. This goes beyond the boundaries of legitimate speech into hate speech and represents an insidious and disgraceful form of discrimination. The Wits University Community who are concerned with equality, dignity and freedom for all would have been proud of the way in which the Limmud SA conference was conducted on Wits campus. If anyone wishes to come forward with comments as to the way in which any aspect of the Limmud conference was handled, we are open to hear any issues that need to be raised. It is in the spirit of learning and constructive engagement that David Benjamin, a senior lawyer and former legal advisor to the Israel Defence Force, and Shlomy Zachary, a human rights lawyer working in Israel and an expert in international humanitarian law presented their differing views on the Middle East conflict and, in particular, Israel’s compliance with or violation of international law. Contrary to the claims made by the MRN and PSC, Benjamin has not been indicted on any charges nor has he been convicted of any crime. Those committed to human rights will not convict someone without hearing their point of view, nor will they prevent them from speaking on the basis of an allegation. Wits University as with any other institution should not take any view or express any opinion on a matter that does not lie within its jurisdiction and is to be commended for allowing the Limmud organisation to continue to promote academic freedom and debate on Wits campus where some voices wish to drown those out. Based on democratic principles, Limmud SA is committed to allowing the right of individuals to protest even against decisions of our organisation or those who present at Limmud SA. That right must be exercised responsibly and be consonant with the right of delegates to associate freely and enter into the conference area. A senior member of the Limmud executive defended the right of Wits students to protest whilst requesting that they enable conference delegates to enter the building. The protest went ahead peacefully on these grounds. Free speech really matters where we are prepared to defend the rights of those with whom we may even vehemently disagree. Limmud SA represents the spirit of the post-apartheid South Africa by holding out the possibility of a community in which diversity and inclusivity are celebrated. We hope through dialogue and constructive discussion to advance the cause of knowledge but also hopefully peace and human rights in our world.

Campus Corner: SAUJS HAMAS Week at Wits University

Hamas Week at Wits - "Terrorists not freedom fighters"

Well done to SAUJS for putting together a HAMAS week that will start tomorrow (Tuesday 11/08) at Wits University.

There will be daily audio and visual displays on the Library lawns from 12:00-14:15.

On Wednesday SAUJS are hosting Professor Hussein Solomon, progressive Muslim academic and director for the centre of international political studies, for a lecture that I urge everyone to attend. The lecture will be from 13:15 to 14:15 on Wednesday 12 August at the Senate House Basement.

On Friday 14th August from 13:15-14:15 SAUJS will host a lecture entitled “How Hamas differs from the ANC” that will be delivered by Advocate Madasa who is an ANC member and past chairperson of the parliamentary portfolio committee on foreign affairs, also at the Senate House Basement.

Rights and Wrongs in East Jerusalem

The outcry over Israel’s eviction of two Palestinian families in the east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah has been deafening. “Provocative”, “contrary to peace”, “violations of Israel's obligations under the U.S.-backed "road map" peace plan” ... Is this criticism fair? Is it balanced? I think the international community has missed the point on this whole issue.

Contrary to its portrayal in the media, this was not a political act. It was a legal one. The Israeli Supreme Court, renowned for its professionalism and impartiality, has ruled that the property does not belong to the Palestinians who lived there. It was purchased during Ottoman rule by Jews. After 1948, when the Jordanians gained control of that part of the city, they took over these plots under the Enemy Property Law. In 1956, 28 Palestinian families that had been receiving refugee assistance from UNRWA were selected to benefit from a relief project, in which they forfeited their refugee aid and moved into homes built on this formerly Jewish property. There is little dispute that the evictions were legal in terms of Israeli law.

A democratic state must adhere to the rule of law. If the Supreme Court makes a ruling, no matter how controversial, it must be implement. The international community cannot and should not expect the government of Israel to short circuit, the independence of its judiciary no matter how heart breaking the images of Palestinians thrown onto the street maybe.

But what they can demand is that Israel applies the rulings of the Supreme Court equally. The international community should be asking if Sheikh Jarrah why not the tens of illegal outposts in the West Bank that the Supreme Court has called on the government to dismantle. Why is it that alternative accommodation is sought for the illegal squatters in Migron before they are evicted but no such care is taken for these Palestinian families? There certainly does seem to be a double standard. One that is unacceptable and Israel should be called out for.

Israel Haters Demand Legal Action Against Israel

Today in Newtown, former SA Minister of Intelligence Ronnie Kasrils announced that the Palestine Solidarity Alliance and the Media Review Network have filed an application to the National Prosecuting Authority and Directorate for Priority Crimes Investigation for prosecution in South Africa of individuals responsible for War Crimes and Crimes Against Humanity committed in Gaza during Operation Cast Lead. The M&G reports: NGOs in SA press for charges

70 individuals with South African links have been listed in the application but the only name released thus far is that of Cape Town born legal advisor to the IDF, David Benjamin. The PSA and MRN have called for his immediate arrest.

Benjamin is due to speak at Limmud but calls of protest have erupted from Zachie Achmat and local cartoonist Zapiro (who after doing some “serious soul searching” has decided that he will nevertheless still present his talks at the very same Limmud).

Professor John Dugard SC and Professor Max du Plessis are the lead counsel for the complainants.

Chris Gibbons interviewed Firoz Osman on Talk Radio 702 today. Pity he didn’t ask Firoz any questions about the MRN allegation, as per their website, that Jews are kidnapping Palestinians and stealing their kidneys or about Holocaust denial, or about the Jewish Broederbond conspiracy.

With all the attention that the MRN are now receiving, you won’t be surprised to know that the page with the anti-Semitic libel about Jews kidnapping Palestinians for their kidneys has been removed. This is all you see now.

Luckily I had the foresight of taking a screencap of the article. You can forever view the full smutty article by clicking here.

Previously at IAS

• Zachie Achmat calls on Jews to boycott Limmud

Rethinking the US-Israel Relationship

An Israeli friend of mine, Yarden Gazit, has written an interesting article on Ynet calling for the Jewish state to re-evaluate its dependence on the United States (find it here). 

For some time, in think tanks and universities across America, there has been a lively debate underway about the potential costs of the country’s strong support for Israel. The Obama administration seems to have somewhat bought into this analysis and engaged in unprecedented public criticism of Israel. But no such debate is underway in Jerusalem.

Diversification is an important hedging strategy. Yet Israel has for too long placed all its eggs in the US basket. It is vital that the new Likud government exert more energy on strengthen its relationships with emerging powers like China and India. Yarden points out that Israel supports almost all US foreign policy decision blindly even when they contradict or have no relevance to their own strategic goals such as the supporting the blockade of Cuba. Other strong US allies like Australia and Canada do not show nearly the same level of deference to US demands.

Diversification has become all the more necessary since the financial crisis. Given the enormous amount that the US now needs to borrow from the rest of the world, particularly from China, to stay afloat, US power has been severely weakened. Moreover the unilateralism of the Bush years is over. Obama is unlikely to take positions that stray too far from the international consensus as we have already seen in his approach to the Settlements and Jerusalem.

I also think China but more so India share many common values and interests with Israel. First and foremost, their relationship to the Jewish state is free of the historical baggage of much of Christendom. Also these nations have no religious claims or minorities in the region. They are far more independent. There is also a common basis for respect in that we are all great ancient civilizations that have contributed much over many thousands of years independently to humanity. A strong case could be made for the impact our three peoples could have in the future if we cooperate. The pursuit of knowledge and technological progress coupled with a strong sense of culture and tradition could be a very solid foundation for a relationship.

China has a history of saving Jews during the Holocaust and support for the Zionist movement, whilst India and modern Israel, both the victims of terrorism, share a lot of common understanding about the world we live in today. On reading the latest Pew Global Attitudes Survey, I was struck by how out of synch Israel and India are from the rest of the world. Both strongly support US efforts to fight terrorism and would like to see more troops in Afghanistan. On the economic front too, both countries show a remarkably high respect for the free market and free trade but a desire to protect their culture from foreign influence.

Yarden has started an important debate on Israel’s future relations with the rest of the world. I think it is extremely important people in the Jewish blogosphere carry it on.