Respectfully, Laura, I strongly disagree. Judaism and Zionism are not the same thing; one is a faith while the other is a political ideology. Criticism directed towards Zionism shouldn't be conflated with criticism of Judaism and its people. It's important to note that not all Zionists are Jewish; there are Christian Zionists and supporters from various backgrounds. Therefore, opposition to Zionism doesn't equate to anti-Semitism; it's a rejection of a political ideology, not an attack on Judaism or Jewish people. It's crucial to recognize this diversity of perspectives to foster understanding and avoid misrepresentation.
Drawing a parallel, as a black man, I understand that being critical of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement doesn't automatically mean being anti-black people. Similarly, opposing Zionism doesn't equate to being anti-Jewish. Both cases involve distinguishing between a political ideology or movement and the people associated with it. It's important to acknowledge that individuals can hold differing views on political movements without those views reflecting their attitudes towards entire racial or ethnic groups.
Additionally, your assertions about Jews being wrongly blamed for various issues lack substantiation. While you're undoubtedly a skilled writer (I proudly have a couple of your books), historical accuracy is paramount. It's crucial not to rewrite factual history, as people won't tolerate it this time.
I am a refugee from Nazi Germany, with scores of my family killed in Concentration Camps, and I decry what Israel is doing to Palestinians! It is horrible! As a Jew , I am very much against the ideology of Zionism. Arabs have lived in Israel before it was made into a Jewish state. Palestinians are treated there as second class citizens with fewer rights than Jews. Is it any wonder that extremism like Hamas has happened? The extremism of the Settlers is also horrendous!
With “leaders” like Netanyahu and his ilk there is little hope at this point for peace. Obviously, they do not want peace until the last Palestinian is either dead or driven out .
It is NOT anti Semitic to be anti-Zionist, and, please don’t say the ridiculous “ self- hating Jew”!
The US has to stop sending billions of dollars of military weapons , but that doesn’t seem likely either.
I can’t really watch the news, with all the suffering ,with all the children maimed and killed. .. for what? I also think of all the innocent animals …call me crazy ,if you want.
1) If you had any knowledge of the religion of Judaism, you would know that it is inextricably linked with the Jewish longing to return to our ancestral indigenous homeland. From "By the rivers of Babylon, where we say down, and we wept when we remembered Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land" to the "Next year in Jerusalem" we say on Passover, Jews have prayed for thousands of years-- in the language of Judea, Hebrew and Aramaic, turned in the direction of Jerusalem, to return. Jews have maintained an unbroken culture from long before Arabs from Arabia swept in and then the Turkish Ottomans colonized Judea/Israel. Anyone who tells you that you can separate this intrinsic religious Zionism from Judaism categorically does not represent the mainstream of the religion as it is practiced by the vast majority of Jews. And if you believe there's a time limit for indigenous people to return to their land, then apply the same rule of thumb to Palestinians who are descendants of people who no longer live in Israel. Israel exists and is not going anywhere, just as Pakistan, Jordan and all the other countries that were forcibly created in the wake of the demise of the British Empire are not going anywhere.
2.) Please educate yourself on Jewish history. It's not that hard to pick up a book. Read about Crusades, pogroms, Kishinev, the run up to the Holocaust, the Farhud, etc. I never knew my paternal grandparents. They, my 14 year old uncle and 16 year aunt were sent to Chelmno where they were loaded into the back of a purpose-built killing van and gassed to death.
I also am not convinced by your argument, Laura. Sure it would have been nice if the Jews had been able to stay in their homeland but almost all ethnic groups have moved, or been moved, from their original homeland. That does not mean that they have the right to demand to be able to move out those who are now there. On top of that while I have only respect for the Jews as a group there are a lot of worrisome, even evil, policies which have been carried out by the Govt of Israel (and yes that could probably be said about most governments) on the people they supplanted and, according to the UN, have wrongly taken control of in the West Bank etc.
My Dad delivered military aircraft to Israel after WW2, was proud of that and impressed (as am I) by Israel but I have now got to the point where it is a 'plague on both their houses'. The only good thing about Israel is that they are less unpleasant, vicious and evil than those (Hamas for example) who have declared the death of Israel, Jews and Christians as their aim.
While you may have a point regarding Zionism as being conflated with Judaism now, it wasn't like that in the past. The term has been hijacked just as the term apartheid was hijacked by the left Marxists and Communists. The term apartheid was weaponised to ostracise the whites in South Africa irrespective of their beliefs. The Afrikaner in particular was targeted for ostracization, irrespective that may of the Afrikaners were Calvinists from both Dutch and French origin who wished to escape the Catholic oppression. Not all whites were supportive of the Nationalist Government and many were more Anti-British given the assault on them by putting Boer Women and Children into concentration Camps.
You cannot ignore the blood libel created by the Roman Catholics . I quote. "In its original form, of course, the libel was specifically about blood. About 1,000 years ago, Christians in England began accusing Jews of performing ritual murders of Christian children to use their blood to bake Passover matzahs.
Just as Judaism might not be the current viewpoint of Zionism; as a Catholic I say that it is not fair to indict every pew sitting, faithful practicing Catholic of the sins of the past of the Church as it is the hierarchy, and not the faith, itself; which imposed these circumstances.
Religion has been used as a tool to destroy others under a guise. It has nothing to do with GOD in any event. Its no different to a Mafia. You have been indoctrinated by a religious sect.
The fact is that religion became the most powerful way of making people compliant and even the Roman Empire saw that its culture of countless god families would not work if they wanted to maintain power over Europe.
To make a big leap forward, Christianity in the form of Roman Catholicity spread across Europe and later the world in a bloody, merciless often genocidal way.
Shame Laura. State of Fear was the seminal work of the anti-lockdown movement. But your unquestioning support for Israel and Zionism, especially since Oct 7 and subsequent razing of Gaza off the map betrays a level of ignorance and cruelty that’s difficult to fathom. Unfollowing you on here and elsewhere.
Absolutely agree Dustin. My connection with the State of Fear is huge, my personal story is in there .. I’m “Jimmy’s mum” . I thought then and since that Laura was a beacon of hope for us, writing as eloquently as she did about the situation around us and the fall out from the lies and propaganda; we’re all still suffering from that fall out. But though my admiration for LD’s writings remains, this has done it for me. Israel’s treatment of Palestinians was disgusting; this so called “self defence” is genocide .
It isn't just Laura. There are other dissident writers who have jumped into bed with the same establishment politicians and media they used to oppose.
Another strange feature is how they have given up eloquent, reasoned argument to jump up and down like American cheerleaders - "Go Israel, rah rah rah".
You are not the only one to feel disappointed and disorientated.
Unfortunately, people don't know what they don't know. It's not a failure of moral conscience, it's a vulnerability of the human mind to thinking it has all the facts.
Why don’t you then educate us, ignorant peasants, instead of making an empty statement?
Gaza should have been raised loooong time ago, albeit a bit differently. Yet, fellow Muslims prevented moving civilians out. The same fellow Muslims, who kicked out the same Palestinian Arabs, all 440,000, out of Kuwait in 1991. Wonder why did Kuwaitis do this? Can you enlighten us, please?
The same fellow Muslims, who kicked out the same Palestinian Arabs, hundreds of thousands, while killing tens of thousands, out of Lebanon in 1986. Wonder why did Lebanese do this? Can you enlighten us, please?
The same fellow Muslims, who kicked out the same Palestinian Arabs, hundreds of thousands, while killing tens of thousands, out of the PALESTINIAN state of Jordan in 1970. Wonder why did Palestinian-Jordanians do this? Can you enlighten us, please?
…..
It’s only when the ONLY tiny Jewish state defends itself from the same terrorists, the Jew-haters rise up.
I don't agree with labelling people, especially by default. Of course be against antisemitism but by saying only clear-sighted people are Zionists, you are automatically creating division. The only clear-sighted people are those who see that we are all humans and we should be able to live freely, safely and in peace wherever we choose.
Agree with every word Laura. It is distressing to witness the explosion of antisemitism across the west, which has reached into the highest echelons of our left leaning society. This also explains why Biden is now refusing to support Israel’s attempt to finish the job in Gaza. This is purely to appease the democratic grass roots. What is really needed to end all this, is for the west to go after the IRGC and put a stop to decades of Middle Eastern conflict which is also the source of so much disruption to world stability. This would benefit the Arab and Iranian people as much as anyone. It only requires firm leadership, which unfortunately we aren’t going to get.
Did you know that Hamas was really created by the Mossad of Israel for the strategic purpose of preventing the creation of a Palestinian state?
Thanks to the Mossad, Israel’s “Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks”, the Hamas was allowed to reinforce its presence in the occupied territories.
Meanwhile, Arafat’s Fatah Movement for National Liberation as well as the Palestinian Left were subjected to the most brutal form of repression and intimidation Let us not forget that it was Israel, which in fact created Hamas. According to Zeev Sternell, historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, “Israel thought that it was a smart ploy to push the Islamists against the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO)”. Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of the Islamist movement in Palestine, returning from Cairo in the seventies, established an Islamic charity association. Prime Minister Golda Meir, saw this as a an opportunity to counterbalance the rise of Arafat’s Fatah movement.
According to the Israeli weekly Koteret Rashit (October 1987), “The Islamic associations as well as the university had been supported and encouraged by the Israeli military authority” in charge of the (civilian) administration of the West Bank and Gaza. “They [the Islamic associations and the university] were authorized to receive money payments from abroad.” The Islamists set up orphanages and health clinics, as well as a network of schools, workshops which created employment for women as well as system of financial aid to the poor.
And in 1978, they created an “Islamic University” in Gaza. “The military authority was convinced that these activities would weaken both the PLO and the leftist organizations in Gaza.” At the end of 1992, there were six hundred mosques in Gaza. Thanks to Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad (Israel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks), the Islamists were allowed to reinforce their presence in the occupied territories.
Meanwhile, the members of Fatah (Movement for the National Liberation of Palestine) and the Palestinian Left were subjected to the most brutal form of repression. In 1984, Ahmed Yassin was arrested and condemned to twelve years in prison, after the discovery of a hidden arms cache. But one year later, he was set free and resumed his activities.
And when the Intifada (“uprising”) began, in October 1987, which took the Islamists by surprise, Sheik Yassin responded by creating the Hamas (The Islamic Resistance Movement): “God is our beginning, the prophet our model, the Koran our constitution”, proclaims article 7 of the charter of the organization. Ahmed Yassin was in prison when, the Oslo accords (Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government) were signed in September 1993.
The Hamas had rejected Oslo outright. But at that time, 70% of Palestinians had condemned the attacks on Israeli civilians. Yassin did everything in his power to undermine the Oslo accords. Even prior to Prime Minister Rabin’s death, he had the support of the Israeli government. The latter was very reluctant to implement the peace agreement.
The Hamas then launched a carefully timed campaign of attacks against civilians who were already poverty stricken and living in metal sheds, one day before the meeting between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators, regarding the formal recognition of Israel by the National Palestinian Council. These events were largely instrumental in the formation of a Right wing Israeli government following the May 1996 elections. Quite unexpectedly, Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered Sheik Ahmed Yassin to be released from prison (“on humanitarian grounds”) where he was serving a life sentence. Meanwhile, Netanyahu, together with President Bill Clinton, was putting pressure on Arafat to control the Hamas. In fact, Netanyahu knew that he could rely, once more, on the Islamists to sabotage the Oslo accords. Worse still: after having expelled Yassin to Jordan, Prime Minister Netanyahu allowed him to return to Gaza, where he was welcomed triumphantly as a hero in October 1997.
Arafat was helpless in the face of these events. Moreover, because he had supported Saddam Hussein during the1991 Gulf war (while the Hamas had cautiously abstained from taking sides), the Gulf states decided to cut off their financing of the Palestinian Authority. Meanwhile, between February and April 1998, Sheik Ahmad Yassin was able to raise several hundred million dollars, from those same countries. The budget of the Hamas was said to be greater than that of the Palestinian Authority. These new sources of funding enabled the Islamists to effectively pursue their various charitable activities. It is estimated that one Palestinian out of three is the recipient of financial aid from the Hamas. And in this regard, Israel has done nothing to curb the inflow of money into the occupied territories.
The Hamas had built its strength through its various acts of sabotage of the peace process, in a way which was compatible with the interests of the Israeli government. In turn, the latter sought in a number of ways, to prevent the application of the Oslo accords. In other words, Hamas was fulfilling the functions for which it was originally created: to prevent the creation of a Palestinian State.
And in this regard, Hamas and Ariel Sharon, see eye to eye; they are exactly on the same wave length.¨
But what about all the evidence that shows very suspicious withdrawals of security staff at the border before the Hamas attack? The removal of the practically impenetrable line of defense? This is indicative of a false flag where Israel perhaps wanted this to happen to give it the justification for a war with Iran? This is just like the gulf of Tonken incident, 9/11 and 7/7, with nations quite prepared to sacrifice the lives of its citizens for political reasons. Well, what do you think?
I'm a Christian since 2009 But was Born in Iran with Bahai parents. have lived here in England since 75 . We lived peacefully with Jews in Iran even during the peaceful times under the Shah ( different story ) BUT The Hard Core Muslim Brigade in Iran , even those days Back in 60's 70's Thought of Jews, Christians , Bahai's and alike as Dirty People & Hating Jews was NOT uncommon. It's a deeply rooted doctrine... That's was the society in which we lived ( let alone what's going on now ) , I must Say though, almost most Persians do not subscribe to the doctrine but The Hard Core do. A Segway , Many years ago i came across Prof. Francisco Gil-White...... I found him on Substack again recently...This 15 minutes documentary , has always fascinated me though many people have insulted me for sharing it. Some have ridiculed it . But I will share it here & a word of opinion from you would be great , Otherwise, God Bless .....
PS: I am NOT a Historian So don't shoot the seeker
Side, tangential topic, but your Iranian background from that era has me curious to ask. Does the name Parviz Sabeti mean anything to you? SAVAK?
Sabeti was a sort of Heinrich Himmler under the Shah, SAVAK a Gestapo he headed. A source of terror in Iran that the revolution rose up against...before the Ayatollah and Islamists co-opted it.
Sabeti and SAVAK were CIA puppets. When the Shah fell he and his family fled to the US, were set up in comfortable lives despite his terror and butchery of Iranians.
His daughter, Pardis, attended the finest schools, studying genetics, eugenics specifically. Master race Hitlerian "science." The Sabeti's are connected to Bill Gates. And she was part of Gates' Ebola project in Africa, beta testing pandemics, pandemic population surveillance and control. Following in her father's footsteps.
And she's applied her genetic privilege 'talent' since 2020 helping to use Behavioural Science 'fear amplification' campaigns combined with Gestapo-esque surveillance and control systems in the US, UK and across the world.
While some may say we shouldn't hold people accountable for the sins of their parents, when their values and path are apples not falling far from the tree, and they're eugenicists to boot it's easy to hold them accountable under their own belief system.
What are your thoughts about the Shah's SAVAK leadership being behind the global totalitarian pandemic response, and other offenses to human rights, liberty, freedom?
I provide lots of links to back up these assertions in a Stack I wrote last year. Long, winding, includes RFK Jr, Jeffrey Epstein and other notables before landing in Persia for the Sabeti connection revelation:
Your Question was: "What are your thoughts about the Shah's SAVAK leadership being behind the global totalitarian pandemic response, and other offences to human rights, liberty, freedom? " ..... My answer is , Pardis Sabeti evidently is a sinister character & certainly should be held accountable for her own sinister deeds aiding and abetting the Pandemic Tyranny, Of course. Folks like Pardis are amongst many many other scientists, Business Moguls & particularly politicians who's psychopathic nature suited the Pandemic Tyranny & contributed to it
I was 18 When I left Iran so I didn't particularly pay any attention to Sabeti but of course EVERYONE Knew about SAVAK. Just like we all know about MI5, CIA, CID, FBI, INTERPOL, MOSSAD et al..... Non of the secret service members were generally likeable by reputation ( even if you didn't have any dealing with them)
The Taboo in Iran during Shah's Era was Communism, Marxism, Mojahedeen , The Todeh & particularly "Armed" Resistance & Assassinations or planning of, Government officials, US Politicians/personal or attempts of. Not dis-similar to any Western Government. So The Average Iranian Citizen, had no dealing with Savak... I do remember students or activists distributing Communist leaflets would be arrested! Armed Gorilla Training Camps would be raided... etc etc.... These Folks thought Iran would be better off under Communist! & Most Hard Core Todeh Members, eventually ( by Admission ) had a self revelation of their illusions.
Middle Easterners are genetically political & love discussing such international matters over dinner!! But are not Subversive & that, was Taboo! It was complicated.
& By the way I don't think It's a fair comparison to compare SAVAK to the Likes of Gestapo.
So am I a Fan of Savak" NO , Am I a Fan of Sabeti ? NO ( And Nor was my family ) & Shame on Pardis Sabeti !
In my Stack I link to Washington Post and New York Times articles from 1976-1977 about Sabeti and SAVAK. They sound very Gestapo-esque, thus my characterization. It's possible they were priming US minds for an overthrow of the Shah a few years later?
Both pieces describe how any and all anti-government, defiance, subversive chatter of any kind wasn't tolerated and would result in various levels of intimidation, loss of jobs, housing, attacks by thugs, detention, imprisonment, torture. That would extend to the entire family of the dissident.
Many things our own governments in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, etc are increasingly doing today in harsher and harsher ways to dissidents, abandoning free speech protections in the US Constitution and even protections going back to the Magna Carta.
Parviz Sabeti is still alive in the US, celebrated as a "freedom fighter" at anti-Iranian regime protests, his brutal history memory-holed.
Pardis Sabeti is quoted in some of the pieces I link to in my Stack as saying governments need to find ways to make home imprisonment for pandemics more enjoyable, more Netflix and drone delivery food. Make us love our cages. That need to be imposed at the first sign of a virus and harshly imposed, no disobedience permitted.
She's helped develop contact tracing applications to track every move we make, if we cross paths with a complete stranger who they are and if they were near someone who later got sick. Comprehensive surveillance tool that's not limited by health concerns. Technology her SAVAK Chairman father would've dreamed of having.
And her work in eugenics, using the preferred term 'genomics' today is the continuation of Hitlerian/Rockefeller 'Master Race' science.
Being both privileged by your ancestral genetics and burdened by them. The concept behind royals on a throne, caste systems, reparations movements, and even into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Genetics. With behaviors and status associated with them. Collective guilt or privilege. Something the US was founded to oppose, the declaration that all men are created equal enshrined in our constitution. Regardless of who one's parents are.
Those in power and privilege today are building a world system that permanently protects their power and privilege as the product of superior genes and permanently represses those without it. Or exterminates them. Hitler-esque. Both Sabeti's are of that ilk. Tree --->Apple
The PR for Pardis is nauseating. "A superhero without a cape" "saving the world, again." If Hitler had hired Madison Avenue ad agencies to do his PR like Pardis has he'd have won, with US and UK allies on his side. Goebbels had his domestic audience captivated, but overlooked the international PR thing. The State of Israel and Zionism is woven in this subject at many levels, too.
I'd take the 1976-1977 Articles in The Post & NYT with a pinch of salt! By then, Th powers that be had already decided that Shah had to go & they had a plan to implement ( which they did ) . They had realised that the Shah was No longer the 22 year old Boy that they had assisted to become the King! He's woken up! The country was doing well, economically, OPEC, Dollar Exchange, ( I remember in 1975 you could walk into a bank in London & exchange “Toman” (100 Rials) to Sterling at the rate of about 12 Toman to a Pound, Last week was 72,500 for a Pound Sterling BLACK MARKET only ) , The Shah's had also become very outspoken... Etc etc SO, The Plan was already on its way. I just tried to watch a 1.5 minute clip on Pardis on YouTUbe posted by teh Gates Foundation & After 45 seconds, I couldn't stomach it.
Thing is, they believe themselves superior beings. They believe their own press. And are willing to flex the power they hold to convince the rest of us that they are our superiors. Idiots possessing great power are the most dangerous creatures of all.
I stand with you Laura. What a lot of Jew haters here. I am a Zionist Christian who prays for Israel every day. Israel is the Jewish state therefore not to support Israel in their hour of need is to be a Jew hater. I watched’Screams then Silence ‘ this week. Just so moving without being graphic. God have mercy on their souls. I am dismayed at the level of hatred and ignorance on the streets and university campus. 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱⭐️
This is something I cannot understand. How do you justify qualifying someone who objects to the slaughter of 35000 civilians, many of them children, the eradication of entire districts, universities and mosques, and driving the population to the edge of starvation as a “Jew hater”? What is your reasoning behind this?
Idiocy. "35,000 "civilians" were not slaughtered. Even the Gazan ministry of health (a Hamas run organization) has backtracked and halved many of its numbers. Are you not aware that Hamas is a military organization? Do you think the IDF put soldiers in harm's way and there are zero fighters in these statistics? Are you not aware that Hamas fights from schools and hospitals? Educate yourself. If that's even possible.
There is no slaughter. Their children are the age of Israeli army soldiers. Their stats on death are made up bullshit. According to them not one Hamas fighter was killed in battle. Take your moral preening nonsense and STFU
Lots of sophistry and dissembling in the comments here. The simple historical truth is that the trajectory of anti-Zionism - and you can dress it up any way you like and say you have nothing against Jews and mean them no harm over and over - always reaches the same end point: hostility to Jews and, ultimately, no Jews.
Brave “ Je suis ..” moment but, as with the crushed Charlie , the hateful mob will be determined to intimidate anyone following suit. Some of the vitriolic comments in response perfectly demonstrate that psychological tendency Laura described known as the “devil shift”. Israel is the exposed vanguard in the West’s struggle to maintain its values against extremists intent on destroying it. If Israel- which has Arab members of the Knesset- disappears we presumably end up with the alternative of a true apartheid country because of the Palestinians’ stated aim of having their own state with no Jews in it.
Yes, full blown devil shift in the comments, from Zionists planning the Holocaust to today's 'blood drinking cabal' (who could they mean?) to telling me to be ashamed.
Well for someone like myself who doesn’t “do” social media & have only heard of the word troll indirectly some of the responses are quite mind-blowing!
I think you will find this enthusiastic zionist's prosaic description of Israel's behaviour interesting. I would read further about him if you are serious about this issue.
Yeshayahu Leibowitz, revered in his time in Israel was a scholar and a jewish Israeli zionist from Europe described Israel's conduct in the occupied territories as Judeo-Nazi.
Why didn't the US or UK give part of their own country for Israel to be founded in, rather than other people's land, people who also had nothing whatsoever to do with the Holocaust. The Great Plains in the US would have been a great location for Israel: decent climate, fertile land, easy connections to the US and Canada.
I would say my reply is not a cop out but gives a very good reason. Also the Balfour agreement was given as an act of faith. Israel, from the start has ignored ita part of the deal. All father prosaic really.
So that's the barge of hypocrisy dealt with.
You forget how long this have been going on.
Bertrand Russell pointed out Istael's strategy of committing atrocities until the powers that be and the media could stomach no more. Then they would be ordered to stop.
After a decent interval Israel begins the process again.
Russell urged the powers that be to stop this abuse in his last publication before dying.
One thing worth acknowledging id the involvement of Jewish organisations and Jewish people in these demonstrations who all have been complementary about how they have been received and treated.
What about the unvitriolic comments? They raise questions that Laura simply ignores, robotically “liking” only the “I’m a Zionist too” comments. There is a “nothing to discuss” absolutism here which reminds me, very disappointingly, of the absolutist Covid dogma which vehemently suppressed any discussion.
Yes. It brings up the same feelings of bafflement that the covid response did. Taking polarising sides with such conviction, judging those who see something different as being lesser human beings, an inability to see who is really benefitting from your position... It reminds me of Naomi Klein's unswerving loyalty to the system she used to be so keen to criticise, with the attitude that those who think differently are either stupid, lying or evil, and above all a danger to humanity. We have to be so careful about supporting any agenda that's been fed to us by external powerful interests, especially when others are giving us the feedback that we're starting to look like a fundamentalist.
What the Jews lack is good marketing, they are rubbish at promoting their cause. Islam, on the other hand, has re-written the book on milking sympathy.
Such an ignorance statement. The Jews are a people with their specific religion. Islam is a religion with followers from many nations. You do realise that many of the Palestinians displaced and expelled by Israel since 1948 were Christian? In one of their finer moments, two months ago IDF snipers murdered a Christian woman and her daughter trying to cross the courtyard of their church in Gaza?
They are illuminating, but not for the reason you think. They prove her point that antisemitism is flourishing under the guise of 'antizionism'. Scary times we live in.
Obviously anti-Semitic people are going to be anti-Zionist. But there are now, more than ever, a growing number of people who are not antisemitic but are anti-Zionist because they object to the actual implementation of the Zionist project, even if they don’t oppose it’s basis.
Respectfully, Laura, I strongly disagree. Judaism and Zionism are not the same thing; one is a faith while the other is a political ideology. Criticism directed towards Zionism shouldn't be conflated with criticism of Judaism and its people. It's important to note that not all Zionists are Jewish; there are Christian Zionists and supporters from various backgrounds. Therefore, opposition to Zionism doesn't equate to anti-Semitism; it's a rejection of a political ideology, not an attack on Judaism or Jewish people. It's crucial to recognize this diversity of perspectives to foster understanding and avoid misrepresentation.
Drawing a parallel, as a black man, I understand that being critical of the Black Lives Matter (BLM) movement doesn't automatically mean being anti-black people. Similarly, opposing Zionism doesn't equate to being anti-Jewish. Both cases involve distinguishing between a political ideology or movement and the people associated with it. It's important to acknowledge that individuals can hold differing views on political movements without those views reflecting their attitudes towards entire racial or ethnic groups.
Additionally, your assertions about Jews being wrongly blamed for various issues lack substantiation. While you're undoubtedly a skilled writer (I proudly have a couple of your books), historical accuracy is paramount. It's crucial not to rewrite factual history, as people won't tolerate it this time.
Good thinking! And well written!
I am a refugee from Nazi Germany, with scores of my family killed in Concentration Camps, and I decry what Israel is doing to Palestinians! It is horrible! As a Jew , I am very much against the ideology of Zionism. Arabs have lived in Israel before it was made into a Jewish state. Palestinians are treated there as second class citizens with fewer rights than Jews. Is it any wonder that extremism like Hamas has happened? The extremism of the Settlers is also horrendous!
With “leaders” like Netanyahu and his ilk there is little hope at this point for peace. Obviously, they do not want peace until the last Palestinian is either dead or driven out .
It is NOT anti Semitic to be anti-Zionist, and, please don’t say the ridiculous “ self- hating Jew”!
The US has to stop sending billions of dollars of military weapons , but that doesn’t seem likely either.
I can’t really watch the news, with all the suffering ,with all the children maimed and killed. .. for what? I also think of all the innocent animals …call me crazy ,if you want.
If Israel has existed as an independent country before 1948, scores of your relatives would not have been killed by the Nazis. Quite obviously.
1) If you had any knowledge of the religion of Judaism, you would know that it is inextricably linked with the Jewish longing to return to our ancestral indigenous homeland. From "By the rivers of Babylon, where we say down, and we wept when we remembered Zion. How shall we sing the Lord's song in a strange land" to the "Next year in Jerusalem" we say on Passover, Jews have prayed for thousands of years-- in the language of Judea, Hebrew and Aramaic, turned in the direction of Jerusalem, to return. Jews have maintained an unbroken culture from long before Arabs from Arabia swept in and then the Turkish Ottomans colonized Judea/Israel. Anyone who tells you that you can separate this intrinsic religious Zionism from Judaism categorically does not represent the mainstream of the religion as it is practiced by the vast majority of Jews. And if you believe there's a time limit for indigenous people to return to their land, then apply the same rule of thumb to Palestinians who are descendants of people who no longer live in Israel. Israel exists and is not going anywhere, just as Pakistan, Jordan and all the other countries that were forcibly created in the wake of the demise of the British Empire are not going anywhere.
2.) Please educate yourself on Jewish history. It's not that hard to pick up a book. Read about Crusades, pogroms, Kishinev, the run up to the Holocaust, the Farhud, etc. I never knew my paternal grandparents. They, my 14 year old uncle and 16 year aunt were sent to Chelmno where they were loaded into the back of a purpose-built killing van and gassed to death.
I also am not convinced by your argument, Laura. Sure it would have been nice if the Jews had been able to stay in their homeland but almost all ethnic groups have moved, or been moved, from their original homeland. That does not mean that they have the right to demand to be able to move out those who are now there. On top of that while I have only respect for the Jews as a group there are a lot of worrisome, even evil, policies which have been carried out by the Govt of Israel (and yes that could probably be said about most governments) on the people they supplanted and, according to the UN, have wrongly taken control of in the West Bank etc.
My Dad delivered military aircraft to Israel after WW2, was proud of that and impressed (as am I) by Israel but I have now got to the point where it is a 'plague on both their houses'. The only good thing about Israel is that they are less unpleasant, vicious and evil than those (Hamas for example) who have declared the death of Israel, Jews and Christians as their aim.
While you may have a point regarding Zionism as being conflated with Judaism now, it wasn't like that in the past. The term has been hijacked just as the term apartheid was hijacked by the left Marxists and Communists. The term apartheid was weaponised to ostracise the whites in South Africa irrespective of their beliefs. The Afrikaner in particular was targeted for ostracization, irrespective that may of the Afrikaners were Calvinists from both Dutch and French origin who wished to escape the Catholic oppression. Not all whites were supportive of the Nationalist Government and many were more Anti-British given the assault on them by putting Boer Women and Children into concentration Camps.
You cannot ignore the blood libel created by the Roman Catholics . I quote. "In its original form, of course, the libel was specifically about blood. About 1,000 years ago, Christians in England began accusing Jews of performing ritual murders of Christian children to use their blood to bake Passover matzahs.
I hope this will help you to understand that the Jews have been targeted by the Roman Catholics long before this too when they invaded Judea. https://peckford42.wordpress.com/2024/03/25/the-triumph-of-the-blood-libel/
Just as Judaism might not be the current viewpoint of Zionism; as a Catholic I say that it is not fair to indict every pew sitting, faithful practicing Catholic of the sins of the past of the Church as it is the hierarchy, and not the faith, itself; which imposed these circumstances.
Religion has been used as a tool to destroy others under a guise. It has nothing to do with GOD in any event. Its no different to a Mafia. You have been indoctrinated by a religious sect.
The fact is that religion became the most powerful way of making people compliant and even the Roman Empire saw that its culture of countless god families would not work if they wanted to maintain power over Europe.
To make a big leap forward, Christianity in the form of Roman Catholicity spread across Europe and later the world in a bloody, merciless often genocidal way.
Thanks for your thoughts and I respect your opinion. Everyone follows their own path.
Are you a bot? She wrote: "I am a Zionist. I am not a Jew"
Shame Laura. State of Fear was the seminal work of the anti-lockdown movement. But your unquestioning support for Israel and Zionism, especially since Oct 7 and subsequent razing of Gaza off the map betrays a level of ignorance and cruelty that’s difficult to fathom. Unfollowing you on here and elsewhere.
Absolutely agree Dustin. My connection with the State of Fear is huge, my personal story is in there .. I’m “Jimmy’s mum” . I thought then and since that Laura was a beacon of hope for us, writing as eloquently as she did about the situation around us and the fall out from the lies and propaganda; we’re all still suffering from that fall out. But though my admiration for LD’s writings remains, this has done it for me. Israel’s treatment of Palestinians was disgusting; this so called “self defence” is genocide .
It isn't just Laura. There are other dissident writers who have jumped into bed with the same establishment politicians and media they used to oppose.
Another strange feature is how they have given up eloquent, reasoned argument to jump up and down like American cheerleaders - "Go Israel, rah rah rah".
You are not the only one to feel disappointed and disorientated.
Their minds have been primed over many years with Holocaust propaganda.
Unfortunately, people don't know what they don't know. It's not a failure of moral conscience, it's a vulnerability of the human mind to thinking it has all the facts.
“ … betrays a level of ignorance …”
Why don’t you then educate us, ignorant peasants, instead of making an empty statement?
Gaza should have been raised loooong time ago, albeit a bit differently. Yet, fellow Muslims prevented moving civilians out. The same fellow Muslims, who kicked out the same Palestinian Arabs, all 440,000, out of Kuwait in 1991. Wonder why did Kuwaitis do this? Can you enlighten us, please?
The same fellow Muslims, who kicked out the same Palestinian Arabs, hundreds of thousands, while killing tens of thousands, out of Lebanon in 1986. Wonder why did Lebanese do this? Can you enlighten us, please?
The same fellow Muslims, who kicked out the same Palestinian Arabs, hundreds of thousands, while killing tens of thousands, out of the PALESTINIAN state of Jordan in 1970. Wonder why did Palestinian-Jordanians do this? Can you enlighten us, please?
…..
It’s only when the ONLY tiny Jewish state defends itself from the same terrorists, the Jew-haters rise up.
So yea, do educate us, rubes, please 🫶🏻🕊
Shame is yours, Dustin. A mask is missing its fool. Up. Mask up! Above the nose! Get your 9th booster!
Ignorance is the greatest sin.
True. But what do you mean? 😁
Pathetic to unsubscribe because you disagree with someone. You are part of the bigger problem by following Cancel Culture.
I don't agree with labelling people, especially by default. Of course be against antisemitism but by saying only clear-sighted people are Zionists, you are automatically creating division. The only clear-sighted people are those who see that we are all humans and we should be able to live freely, safely and in peace wherever we choose.
Yes!
Agree with every word Laura. It is distressing to witness the explosion of antisemitism across the west, which has reached into the highest echelons of our left leaning society. This also explains why Biden is now refusing to support Israel’s attempt to finish the job in Gaza. This is purely to appease the democratic grass roots. What is really needed to end all this, is for the west to go after the IRGC and put a stop to decades of Middle Eastern conflict which is also the source of so much disruption to world stability. This would benefit the Arab and Iranian people as much as anyone. It only requires firm leadership, which unfortunately we aren’t going to get.
Did you know that Hamas was really created by the Mossad of Israel for the strategic purpose of preventing the creation of a Palestinian state?
Thanks to the Mossad, Israel’s “Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks”, the Hamas was allowed to reinforce its presence in the occupied territories.
Meanwhile, Arafat’s Fatah Movement for National Liberation as well as the Palestinian Left were subjected to the most brutal form of repression and intimidation Let us not forget that it was Israel, which in fact created Hamas. According to Zeev Sternell, historian at the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, “Israel thought that it was a smart ploy to push the Islamists against the Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO)”. Ahmed Yassin, the spiritual leader of the Islamist movement in Palestine, returning from Cairo in the seventies, established an Islamic charity association. Prime Minister Golda Meir, saw this as a an opportunity to counterbalance the rise of Arafat’s Fatah movement.
According to the Israeli weekly Koteret Rashit (October 1987), “The Islamic associations as well as the university had been supported and encouraged by the Israeli military authority” in charge of the (civilian) administration of the West Bank and Gaza. “They [the Islamic associations and the university] were authorized to receive money payments from abroad.” The Islamists set up orphanages and health clinics, as well as a network of schools, workshops which created employment for women as well as system of financial aid to the poor.
And in 1978, they created an “Islamic University” in Gaza. “The military authority was convinced that these activities would weaken both the PLO and the leftist organizations in Gaza.” At the end of 1992, there were six hundred mosques in Gaza. Thanks to Israel’s intelligence agency Mossad (Israel’s Institute for Intelligence and Special Tasks), the Islamists were allowed to reinforce their presence in the occupied territories.
Meanwhile, the members of Fatah (Movement for the National Liberation of Palestine) and the Palestinian Left were subjected to the most brutal form of repression. In 1984, Ahmed Yassin was arrested and condemned to twelve years in prison, after the discovery of a hidden arms cache. But one year later, he was set free and resumed his activities.
And when the Intifada (“uprising”) began, in October 1987, which took the Islamists by surprise, Sheik Yassin responded by creating the Hamas (The Islamic Resistance Movement): “God is our beginning, the prophet our model, the Koran our constitution”, proclaims article 7 of the charter of the organization. Ahmed Yassin was in prison when, the Oslo accords (Declaration of Principles on Interim Self-Government) were signed in September 1993.
The Hamas had rejected Oslo outright. But at that time, 70% of Palestinians had condemned the attacks on Israeli civilians. Yassin did everything in his power to undermine the Oslo accords. Even prior to Prime Minister Rabin’s death, he had the support of the Israeli government. The latter was very reluctant to implement the peace agreement.
The Hamas then launched a carefully timed campaign of attacks against civilians who were already poverty stricken and living in metal sheds, one day before the meeting between Palestinian and Israeli negotiators, regarding the formal recognition of Israel by the National Palestinian Council. These events were largely instrumental in the formation of a Right wing Israeli government following the May 1996 elections. Quite unexpectedly, Prime Minister Netanyahu ordered Sheik Ahmed Yassin to be released from prison (“on humanitarian grounds”) where he was serving a life sentence. Meanwhile, Netanyahu, together with President Bill Clinton, was putting pressure on Arafat to control the Hamas. In fact, Netanyahu knew that he could rely, once more, on the Islamists to sabotage the Oslo accords. Worse still: after having expelled Yassin to Jordan, Prime Minister Netanyahu allowed him to return to Gaza, where he was welcomed triumphantly as a hero in October 1997.
Arafat was helpless in the face of these events. Moreover, because he had supported Saddam Hussein during the1991 Gulf war (while the Hamas had cautiously abstained from taking sides), the Gulf states decided to cut off their financing of the Palestinian Authority. Meanwhile, between February and April 1998, Sheik Ahmad Yassin was able to raise several hundred million dollars, from those same countries. The budget of the Hamas was said to be greater than that of the Palestinian Authority. These new sources of funding enabled the Islamists to effectively pursue their various charitable activities. It is estimated that one Palestinian out of three is the recipient of financial aid from the Hamas. And in this regard, Israel has done nothing to curb the inflow of money into the occupied territories.
The Hamas had built its strength through its various acts of sabotage of the peace process, in a way which was compatible with the interests of the Israeli government. In turn, the latter sought in a number of ways, to prevent the application of the Oslo accords. In other words, Hamas was fulfilling the functions for which it was originally created: to prevent the creation of a Palestinian State.
And in this regard, Hamas and Ariel Sharon, see eye to eye; they are exactly on the same wave length.¨
The Mossad didn't see it coming? Impossible.
This last October 7 event is similar to the 911 one in 2001, an Inside Job, a PsyOp Operation to create war, terror, control and landgrabbing.
Fuck you too
But what about all the evidence that shows very suspicious withdrawals of security staff at the border before the Hamas attack? The removal of the practically impenetrable line of defense? This is indicative of a false flag where Israel perhaps wanted this to happen to give it the justification for a war with Iran? This is just like the gulf of Tonken incident, 9/11 and 7/7, with nations quite prepared to sacrifice the lives of its citizens for political reasons. Well, what do you think?
You are full of shit and should be ashamed of this blame the victim fucking insane posting. Fuck uou
Well Done Laura.
I'm a Christian since 2009 But was Born in Iran with Bahai parents. have lived here in England since 75 . We lived peacefully with Jews in Iran even during the peaceful times under the Shah ( different story ) BUT The Hard Core Muslim Brigade in Iran , even those days Back in 60's 70's Thought of Jews, Christians , Bahai's and alike as Dirty People & Hating Jews was NOT uncommon. It's a deeply rooted doctrine... That's was the society in which we lived ( let alone what's going on now ) , I must Say though, almost most Persians do not subscribe to the doctrine but The Hard Core do. A Segway , Many years ago i came across Prof. Francisco Gil-White...... I found him on Substack again recently...This 15 minutes documentary , has always fascinated me though many people have insulted me for sharing it. Some have ridiculed it . But I will share it here & a word of opinion from you would be great , Otherwise, God Bless .....
PS: I am NOT a Historian So don't shoot the seeker
What is Palestine ? Who Are The Palestinians?
https://youtu.be/W9ReF4UUa4E?si=eJDZJGJqL3p2B3I8
Side, tangential topic, but your Iranian background from that era has me curious to ask. Does the name Parviz Sabeti mean anything to you? SAVAK?
Sabeti was a sort of Heinrich Himmler under the Shah, SAVAK a Gestapo he headed. A source of terror in Iran that the revolution rose up against...before the Ayatollah and Islamists co-opted it.
Sabeti and SAVAK were CIA puppets. When the Shah fell he and his family fled to the US, were set up in comfortable lives despite his terror and butchery of Iranians.
His daughter, Pardis, attended the finest schools, studying genetics, eugenics specifically. Master race Hitlerian "science." The Sabeti's are connected to Bill Gates. And she was part of Gates' Ebola project in Africa, beta testing pandemics, pandemic population surveillance and control. Following in her father's footsteps.
And she's applied her genetic privilege 'talent' since 2020 helping to use Behavioural Science 'fear amplification' campaigns combined with Gestapo-esque surveillance and control systems in the US, UK and across the world.
While some may say we shouldn't hold people accountable for the sins of their parents, when their values and path are apples not falling far from the tree, and they're eugenicists to boot it's easy to hold them accountable under their own belief system.
What are your thoughts about the Shah's SAVAK leadership being behind the global totalitarian pandemic response, and other offenses to human rights, liberty, freedom?
I provide lots of links to back up these assertions in a Stack I wrote last year. Long, winding, includes RFK Jr, Jeffrey Epstein and other notables before landing in Persia for the Sabeti connection revelation:
https://freedomfox.substack.com/p/step-in-foxs-magic-carpet-ride
Your Question was: "What are your thoughts about the Shah's SAVAK leadership being behind the global totalitarian pandemic response, and other offences to human rights, liberty, freedom? " ..... My answer is , Pardis Sabeti evidently is a sinister character & certainly should be held accountable for her own sinister deeds aiding and abetting the Pandemic Tyranny, Of course. Folks like Pardis are amongst many many other scientists, Business Moguls & particularly politicians who's psychopathic nature suited the Pandemic Tyranny & contributed to it
I was 18 When I left Iran so I didn't particularly pay any attention to Sabeti but of course EVERYONE Knew about SAVAK. Just like we all know about MI5, CIA, CID, FBI, INTERPOL, MOSSAD et al..... Non of the secret service members were generally likeable by reputation ( even if you didn't have any dealing with them)
The Taboo in Iran during Shah's Era was Communism, Marxism, Mojahedeen , The Todeh & particularly "Armed" Resistance & Assassinations or planning of, Government officials, US Politicians/personal or attempts of. Not dis-similar to any Western Government. So The Average Iranian Citizen, had no dealing with Savak... I do remember students or activists distributing Communist leaflets would be arrested! Armed Gorilla Training Camps would be raided... etc etc.... These Folks thought Iran would be better off under Communist! & Most Hard Core Todeh Members, eventually ( by Admission ) had a self revelation of their illusions.
Middle Easterners are genetically political & love discussing such international matters over dinner!! But are not Subversive & that, was Taboo! It was complicated.
& By the way I don't think It's a fair comparison to compare SAVAK to the Likes of Gestapo.
So am I a Fan of Savak" NO , Am I a Fan of Sabeti ? NO ( And Nor was my family ) & Shame on Pardis Sabeti !
Goos Job I am "Apolitical" !
Thank you for your reply!
In my Stack I link to Washington Post and New York Times articles from 1976-1977 about Sabeti and SAVAK. They sound very Gestapo-esque, thus my characterization. It's possible they were priming US minds for an overthrow of the Shah a few years later?
Both pieces describe how any and all anti-government, defiance, subversive chatter of any kind wasn't tolerated and would result in various levels of intimidation, loss of jobs, housing, attacks by thugs, detention, imprisonment, torture. That would extend to the entire family of the dissident.
Many things our own governments in the US, UK, Australia, Canada, etc are increasingly doing today in harsher and harsher ways to dissidents, abandoning free speech protections in the US Constitution and even protections going back to the Magna Carta.
Parviz Sabeti is still alive in the US, celebrated as a "freedom fighter" at anti-Iranian regime protests, his brutal history memory-holed.
Pardis Sabeti is quoted in some of the pieces I link to in my Stack as saying governments need to find ways to make home imprisonment for pandemics more enjoyable, more Netflix and drone delivery food. Make us love our cages. That need to be imposed at the first sign of a virus and harshly imposed, no disobedience permitted.
She's helped develop contact tracing applications to track every move we make, if we cross paths with a complete stranger who they are and if they were near someone who later got sick. Comprehensive surveillance tool that's not limited by health concerns. Technology her SAVAK Chairman father would've dreamed of having.
And her work in eugenics, using the preferred term 'genomics' today is the continuation of Hitlerian/Rockefeller 'Master Race' science.
Being both privileged by your ancestral genetics and burdened by them. The concept behind royals on a throne, caste systems, reparations movements, and even into the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.
Genetics. With behaviors and status associated with them. Collective guilt or privilege. Something the US was founded to oppose, the declaration that all men are created equal enshrined in our constitution. Regardless of who one's parents are.
Those in power and privilege today are building a world system that permanently protects their power and privilege as the product of superior genes and permanently represses those without it. Or exterminates them. Hitler-esque. Both Sabeti's are of that ilk. Tree --->Apple
The PR for Pardis is nauseating. "A superhero without a cape" "saving the world, again." If Hitler had hired Madison Avenue ad agencies to do his PR like Pardis has he'd have won, with US and UK allies on his side. Goebbels had his domestic audience captivated, but overlooked the international PR thing. The State of Israel and Zionism is woven in this subject at many levels, too.
I'd take the 1976-1977 Articles in The Post & NYT with a pinch of salt! By then, Th powers that be had already decided that Shah had to go & they had a plan to implement ( which they did ) . They had realised that the Shah was No longer the 22 year old Boy that they had assisted to become the King! He's woken up! The country was doing well, economically, OPEC, Dollar Exchange, ( I remember in 1975 you could walk into a bank in London & exchange “Toman” (100 Rials) to Sterling at the rate of about 12 Toman to a Pound, Last week was 72,500 for a Pound Sterling BLACK MARKET only ) , The Shah's had also become very outspoken... Etc etc SO, The Plan was already on its way. I just tried to watch a 1.5 minute clip on Pardis on YouTUbe posted by teh Gates Foundation & After 45 seconds, I couldn't stomach it.
Nauseating. Tree--->Apple.
Thing is, they believe themselves superior beings. They believe their own press. And are willing to flex the power they hold to convince the rest of us that they are our superiors. Idiots possessing great power are the most dangerous creatures of all.
Frank Zappa once said : Never underestimate the power of Stupid People in large groups !!
Kind of apt except these gangsters are sinister
Thank you Laura. Well said. I too am proud to be a Zionist.
I stand with you Laura. What a lot of Jew haters here. I am a Zionist Christian who prays for Israel every day. Israel is the Jewish state therefore not to support Israel in their hour of need is to be a Jew hater. I watched’Screams then Silence ‘ this week. Just so moving without being graphic. God have mercy on their souls. I am dismayed at the level of hatred and ignorance on the streets and university campus. 🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱🇮🇱⭐️
This is something I cannot understand. How do you justify qualifying someone who objects to the slaughter of 35000 civilians, many of them children, the eradication of entire districts, universities and mosques, and driving the population to the edge of starvation as a “Jew hater”? What is your reasoning behind this?
Idiocy. "35,000 "civilians" were not slaughtered. Even the Gazan ministry of health (a Hamas run organization) has backtracked and halved many of its numbers. Are you not aware that Hamas is a military organization? Do you think the IDF put soldiers in harm's way and there are zero fighters in these statistics? Are you not aware that Hamas fights from schools and hospitals? Educate yourself. If that's even possible.
Still waiting for your reply. Why is someone who objects to the massacre of Palestinian civilians and the destruction of their homes a “Jew hater”?
Perhaps you are right. Perhaps it’s only 17500, and a proportion of them Hamas fighters and sympathisers.
But my question was, why “Jew hater”?
There is no slaughter. Their children are the age of Israeli army soldiers. Their stats on death are made up bullshit. According to them not one Hamas fighter was killed in battle. Take your moral preening nonsense and STFU
Lots of sophistry and dissembling in the comments here. The simple historical truth is that the trajectory of anti-Zionism - and you can dress it up any way you like and say you have nothing against Jews and mean them no harm over and over - always reaches the same end point: hostility to Jews and, ultimately, no Jews.
Thank you for writing this Laura. You’re very brave. Never mind the haters. Pondering Zechariah 12:3 is worthwhile in these troubled times.
Thank you. It should be a straightforward and mainstream position. I despair at the effective propaganda waged against Israel and Jews.
Laura, you are wonderful. We will never forget your steadfast support since October 7 and the amazing initiative that is the October Declaration.
Brave “ Je suis ..” moment but, as with the crushed Charlie , the hateful mob will be determined to intimidate anyone following suit. Some of the vitriolic comments in response perfectly demonstrate that psychological tendency Laura described known as the “devil shift”. Israel is the exposed vanguard in the West’s struggle to maintain its values against extremists intent on destroying it. If Israel- which has Arab members of the Knesset- disappears we presumably end up with the alternative of a true apartheid country because of the Palestinians’ stated aim of having their own state with no Jews in it.
Yes, full blown devil shift in the comments, from Zionists planning the Holocaust to today's 'blood drinking cabal' (who could they mean?) to telling me to be ashamed.
Well for someone like myself who doesn’t “do” social media & have only heard of the word troll indirectly some of the responses are quite mind-blowing!
Yes!
I think you will find this enthusiastic zionist's prosaic description of Israel's behaviour interesting. I would read further about him if you are serious about this issue.
Yeshayahu Leibowitz, revered in his time in Israel was a scholar and a jewish Israeli zionist from Europe described Israel's conduct in the occupied territories as Judeo-Nazi.
Which was shameful of him
The UK sponsored the state of Iarael. That is what gives emphasis to this issue. and not the others mentioned.
People got off their bottoms for Eaat Timoreans in a big way.
Why didn't the US or UK give part of their own country for Israel to be founded in, rather than other people's land, people who also had nothing whatsoever to do with the Holocaust. The Great Plains in the US would have been a great location for Israel: decent climate, fertile land, easy connections to the US and Canada.
I would say my reply is not a cop out but gives a very good reason. Also the Balfour agreement was given as an act of faith. Israel, from the start has ignored ita part of the deal. All father prosaic really.
So that's the barge of hypocrisy dealt with.
You forget how long this have been going on.
Bertrand Russell pointed out Istael's strategy of committing atrocities until the powers that be and the media could stomach no more. Then they would be ordered to stop.
After a decent interval Israel begins the process again.
Russell urged the powers that be to stop this abuse in his last publication before dying.
One thing worth acknowledging id the involvement of Jewish organisations and Jewish people in these demonstrations who all have been complementary about how they have been received and treated.
What have you to say about this.
I agree with what you have written here whole heartedly. But none of this is relevant to the Palestinian / Israel issue.
I'll gladly meet you at the barricades with garden fork in hand (or spade) if Sharia is ever attempted.
What about the unvitriolic comments? They raise questions that Laura simply ignores, robotically “liking” only the “I’m a Zionist too” comments. There is a “nothing to discuss” absolutism here which reminds me, very disappointingly, of the absolutist Covid dogma which vehemently suppressed any discussion.
Yes. It brings up the same feelings of bafflement that the covid response did. Taking polarising sides with such conviction, judging those who see something different as being lesser human beings, an inability to see who is really benefitting from your position... It reminds me of Naomi Klein's unswerving loyalty to the system she used to be so keen to criticise, with the attitude that those who think differently are either stupid, lying or evil, and above all a danger to humanity. We have to be so careful about supporting any agenda that's been fed to us by external powerful interests, especially when others are giving us the feedback that we're starting to look like a fundamentalist.
What the Jews lack is good marketing, they are rubbish at promoting their cause. Islam, on the other hand, has re-written the book on milking sympathy.
Such an ignorance statement. The Jews are a people with their specific religion. Islam is a religion with followers from many nations. You do realise that many of the Palestinians displaced and expelled by Israel since 1948 were Christian? In one of their finer moments, two months ago IDF snipers murdered a Christian woman and her daughter trying to cross the courtyard of their church in Gaza?
A few of these comments are illuminating. I hope Dodsworth reads them.
They are illuminating, but not for the reason you think. They prove her point that antisemitism is flourishing under the guise of 'antizionism'. Scary times we live in.
Obviously anti-Semitic people are going to be anti-Zionist. But there are now, more than ever, a growing number of people who are not antisemitic but are anti-Zionist because they object to the actual implementation of the Zionist project, even if they don’t oppose it’s basis.
Guess what. It’s not a project ffs. It’s a country. Grow the eff up. It’s not a project for Israelis it’s their home.
Thank you both. Yes.
Illuminating for Jew haters. And those of us who see you and know what you are.
In English it is perfectly acceptable (standard practice even) to refer to a writer or media figure by their surname.
You got one though, for being unnecessarily aggressive.