Wednesday, June 14, 2006
Just Peace UK "peace and nonviolence" group shows its colours again
If anyone had any doubt about the integrity of the Yahoo group Just Peace UK which is filed under the category "Peace and Nonviolence", here is the latest in a long series of events demonstrating that it is nothing more than a silly "old boys' club" that believes in censorship and monopolisation of discourse to anyone who doesn't share the same prejudices they do.
Yes, Engage founders and supporters John Strawson, Linda Grant and many others who fight like mad against measures that might pressure Israel into changing its radically oppressive politics such as boycotts, are card-carrying members, because they have the same enemies in the anti-Zionist camp. Frequent visitors to this site don't need all the names, but there are quite a few others whose major activity is to defame and defile anyone who does not see eye to eye with them, and rather than seriously debate them, decide to call them racists. When asked to provide evidence, these boys and girls disappear into the woodwork, never feeling obligated to substantiate their defamatory words. And, what has been my sin that has cast me out of the email group without warning (and mind you, they have tried to do this to me for ages, unsuccessfully, because their efforts are pure and simple censorship)? It was posting the following intervention by Gilad Atzmon. You can read it on his site as well, but since they claim they don't go there, (or here either, although my site metre tells me the opposite is true) I will publish it for the readers of Peacepalestine.
Peace may as well prevail - Gilad Atzmon
As bizarre as it may sound, Tony Greenstein, a Jew Against Zionism, the man who launched a smear campaign against me, calling me an “anti-Semite” as well as a “Holocaust denier”, is now experiencing a radical change of heart. Less than a year after the man himself organised a picket against me at the SWP bookshop (see here), he has recently sent me a personal email stating: “Dare I say it, some of your remarks re the holocaust were spot on re the Zionist collaboration with the Nazis.” (Tony Greenstein). Hang on, fellow human being, could you make up your mind, am I a “Holocaust denier” or a producer of some “spot on remarks re the Holocaust”?
Unlike Greenstein and his Jewish ‘comrades’ (JAZ), I would never dare publish personal correspondence without the permission if its author. I asked Mr Greenstein for authorisation to publish his email on my site and he approved as long as I publish it in its full entirety see here
I wonder what led Mr Greenstein towards such a complete turnaround. Is it possible that Mr Greenstein himself has become an ‘anti-Semite’ or even a ‘Holocaust denier’? I doubt it. Alternatively, it is rather possible that Mr Greenstein has decided to spend some time reading my published materials about the subject. If indeed this is the case, he probably is starting to understand what I have to say and realised that my views may actually make a lot of sense. I may as well mention that it is rather possible that Mr Greenstein is convinced that “my views re the Holocaust are spot on” just because he seems to be convinced that I fell out with Mr Israel Shamir. Regardless of my relationship with Shamir, if this is indeed the case, and I want to believe it isn’t, then it is rather clear that Mr Greenstein suffers a severe lack of ethical integrity. He accuses people of being anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers by association.
If indeed Mr Greenstein believes that my ‘ideas are spot on’ just because I may have had a spat with Shamir, then it means that Mr Greenstein learned a thing from his failed campaign against the SWP and myself. It means that he is still operating as a classic non-ethical 3rd category Jew. And this is rather a shame, because what we really need is Jews who come forward and cross the divide; Jews who go beyond narrow rabbinical tribal thinking; Jews who endorse humanism and ethical thinking.
When that happens, peace will prevail.
www.gilad.co.uk
Yes, Engage founders and supporters John Strawson, Linda Grant and many others who fight like mad against measures that might pressure Israel into changing its radically oppressive politics such as boycotts, are card-carrying members, because they have the same enemies in the anti-Zionist camp. Frequent visitors to this site don't need all the names, but there are quite a few others whose major activity is to defame and defile anyone who does not see eye to eye with them, and rather than seriously debate them, decide to call them racists. When asked to provide evidence, these boys and girls disappear into the woodwork, never feeling obligated to substantiate their defamatory words. And, what has been my sin that has cast me out of the email group without warning (and mind you, they have tried to do this to me for ages, unsuccessfully, because their efforts are pure and simple censorship)? It was posting the following intervention by Gilad Atzmon. You can read it on his site as well, but since they claim they don't go there, (or here either, although my site metre tells me the opposite is true) I will publish it for the readers of Peacepalestine.
Peace may as well prevail - Gilad Atzmon
As bizarre as it may sound, Tony Greenstein, a Jew Against Zionism, the man who launched a smear campaign against me, calling me an “anti-Semite” as well as a “Holocaust denier”, is now experiencing a radical change of heart. Less than a year after the man himself organised a picket against me at the SWP bookshop (see here), he has recently sent me a personal email stating: “Dare I say it, some of your remarks re the holocaust were spot on re the Zionist collaboration with the Nazis.” (Tony Greenstein). Hang on, fellow human being, could you make up your mind, am I a “Holocaust denier” or a producer of some “spot on remarks re the Holocaust”?
Unlike Greenstein and his Jewish ‘comrades’ (JAZ), I would never dare publish personal correspondence without the permission if its author. I asked Mr Greenstein for authorisation to publish his email on my site and he approved as long as I publish it in its full entirety see here
I wonder what led Mr Greenstein towards such a complete turnaround. Is it possible that Mr Greenstein himself has become an ‘anti-Semite’ or even a ‘Holocaust denier’? I doubt it. Alternatively, it is rather possible that Mr Greenstein has decided to spend some time reading my published materials about the subject. If indeed this is the case, he probably is starting to understand what I have to say and realised that my views may actually make a lot of sense. I may as well mention that it is rather possible that Mr Greenstein is convinced that “my views re the Holocaust are spot on” just because he seems to be convinced that I fell out with Mr Israel Shamir. Regardless of my relationship with Shamir, if this is indeed the case, and I want to believe it isn’t, then it is rather clear that Mr Greenstein suffers a severe lack of ethical integrity. He accuses people of being anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers by association.
If indeed Mr Greenstein believes that my ‘ideas are spot on’ just because I may have had a spat with Shamir, then it means that Mr Greenstein learned a thing from his failed campaign against the SWP and myself. It means that he is still operating as a classic non-ethical 3rd category Jew. And this is rather a shame, because what we really need is Jews who come forward and cross the divide; Jews who go beyond narrow rabbinical tribal thinking; Jews who endorse humanism and ethical thinking.
When that happens, peace will prevail.
www.gilad.co.uk
