A complaint often levied against anti-Zionists by defenders of Israel is that we are obsessed with Israel / Palestine.

Tamil refugees: sheltering from the horror of Sri Lanka's civil war

Look at Darfur – the critics say. What about the Congo? How about Sri Lanka? Why do anti-Zionists always carry on about Israel?

At that point, they often opine that anti-Zionists are obsessed with Israel because we have a darker agenda. ‘Excessive’ or ‘disproportionate’ concern for Palestinian human rights is sometimes cited as an indicator of ‘anti-Semitism’. Who likes to be accused of that?

Years ago, I found this line of argument persuasive. But no more. There are a number of reasons why, over time, I’ve grown a thicker integument which provides a measure of protection against this unpleasant accusation. Here’s a couple of them…

Imagine I discovered that the Sri Lankans, Congolese or Sudanese were interfering in the internal affairs of Israel/Palestine – funding one or more of the warring parties, selling them arms and exerting a mischievous, war-mongering influence on the conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

If the evidence was strong, it might well change my view about the importance of these regional conflicts. I might form the view that resolving conflicts in Sri Lanka, the Congo or Sudan is not just a matter of direct interest to the people in those regions; it would also have much broader significance for other regions in the world.

Mahatma Ghandi: Pressured by Zionists over two decades, assassinated 1948

The full text of The Jews In Palestine by Mahatma Gandhi, published in the Harijan on26 November 1938, is well worth a read.

Bear in mind that Ghandi came under sustained pressure from the Zionist lobby to make a statement favourable to the Zionist cause. Godfrey Jansen, author of Zionism, Israel, and Asian nationalism (1971), wrote about the failure of Zionist lobbying with Gandhi:

“His opposition [to Zionism] remained consistent over a period of nearly 20 years and remained firm despite skilful and varied applications to him of that combination of pressure and persuasion known as lobbying, of which the Zionists are past masters.”

This is how Ghandi’s statement concludes (emphases added):

“…according to the accepted canons of right and wrong,
nothing can be said against the Arab resistance in the face of
overwhelming odds.

“Let the Jews who claim to be the chosen race prove their title by choosing the way of non-violence for vindicating their position on earth. Every country is their home, including Palestine, not by aggression but by loving service. A Jewish friend has sent me a book called The Jewish Contribution to Civilization by Cecil Roth. It gives a record of what the Jews have done to enrich the world’s literature, art, music, drama, science, medicine, agriculture, etc. Given the will, the Jew can refuse to be treated as the outcast of the West, to be despised or patronized. He can command the attention and respect of the world by being the chosen creation of God, instead of sinking to the brute who is forsaken by God. They can add to their many contributions the surpassing contribution of non-violent action.

A disadvantage of living in what Australians call ‘the bush’ is there are no major libraries nearby. I try to ensure that my references are accurate and authentic, but without access to first class libraries there’s a limit to the checking I can do.

So if anyone ever notices bogus or innaccurate references cited in this website, please do let me know. I have no wish to recycle false information. When appropriate, I’ll correct the record.

Actually, correcting false historical memes is something of a hobby of mine.

With that proviso, here’s a quotation that’s widespread on the web:

David Ben Gurion

“The world Zionist movement should not be neglectful of the dangers of Pakistan to it. And Pakistan now should be its first target, for this ideological State is a threat to our existence. And Pakistan, the whole of it, hates the Jews and loves the Arabs.

“This lover of the Arabs is more dangerous to us than the Arabs themselves. For that matter, it is most essential for the world Zionism that it should now take immediate steps against Pakistan.

“Whereas the inhabitants of the Indian peninsula are Hindus whose hearts have been full of hatred towards Muslims, therefore, India is the most important base for us to work therefrom against Pakistan.

“It is essential that we exploit this base and strike and crush Pakistanis, enemies of Jews and Zionism, by all disguised and secret plans.

One of my bad habits is to leave the TV running all night.

When I do this, I usually tune to Fox News before dozing off. I know it’s perverse, but I like dreaming to Fox.

Fox, Rupert Murdoch’s TV network in the USA, is the major national cable ‘news’ channel and really must be seen to be believed. It’s the cleanest feed of Zionist war-monguering propaganda available on TV. There’s little window-dressing on Fox News. It’s not designed for America’s intelligentsia. Absorbed at night, by a mind in repose, it’s like a hard-wired connection to the neocon Zeitgeist. They decide. I soak it in. Later, in my waking hours, I try to de-construct and demystify.

Life hasn’t been easy for Fox presenters in recent months. For one thing, the Republicans bombed so badly that even Fox and Diebold combined couldn’t save them (except around the edges). But there’s more!

The folk at Fox spent years regurgitating deregulatory, extreme free-market rhetoric (with only the military industrial complex on ever-escalating welfare). Now these unfortunates must re-learn their lines from scratch, so they can explain to a bemused public why gigantic taxpayer bailouts of banks and insurance companies are, on balance, a fantastic idea.

Just over a week ago, I left Fox running when I went to bed. As I surfaced from my slumbers the following morning, I noticed the talking heads seemed more cheerful than before. Voices were animated. Confidence had returned!