Hi Ian
I think you need re-educating. Your uncritical acceptance of the Palestinian narrative does no-one any good. Not to mention that it’s dually racist, first to paint the “Zionists”, as all black, and then to patronise Arabs by denying them all agency in this conflict.
If you had watched the BBC documentary on Israel that I recommended, and Anna Corben has never been a friend of Israel, you would have seen the assemblage of thugs on board, part of a Turkish power play. And the telling moment, at the end, when Anna Corben examined the so-called “aid”. Packages of medicine way past their “use by” date, and therefore worthless.
Your attempt to delegitimise the State of Israel as a colonialist state is pretty rich coming from an Anglo on Aboriginal land. There more I see of the handful of whiteys generating all the anti-“Zionist” heat, the more I’m convinced that they are projecting their own guilt. It would be a very different story if the Aboriginals were massed in Mt Cootha, bombarding thethe Curr Estates. But then the Euro-christians were much better at wiping out indigenous peoples, so have no fear, you need lose no sleep about this eventuality. And you can wake refreshed for another heroic march on Westfields on Saturday. How sad that the Long March has now become the short stroll through the mall followed by a nice lunch.
Sad to see the once mighty intellectual, principled Left reduced to a bunch of black-and-white thinkers. Pity because you promote otherwise good stuff.
Judy
Thanks for posting this, Ian.
The Church of England’s Palestinian narrative
Written by Anglican Friends of Israel
Monday, 20 September 2010
A response from Anglican Friends of Israel
In July 2010 the Church of England updated the list of resources which formed part of the appendices for its 2001 report DEMANDING PEACE: A CHURCH RESPONSE TO THE AL-AQSA INTIFADA. This list included books, organisations and travel companies was compiled for use by clergy and lay people wanting to understand the conflict both from a historical and contemporary context.
A brief glance at the list reveals an almost uncritical acceptance of the Palestinian narrative – Palestinian victimhood and Israeli aggression. Most organisations and books listed present Palestinians as having neither agency nor responsibility over their circumstances. Arab anti-semitism and Muslim aggression towards Arab Christians is ignored and Jewish Israelis presented as colonial interlopers whose presence is the cause of the conflict.
One might think that a Christian Church would sympathise with Israel, the one small island of freedom in a sea of despotic states, the one Middle Eastern with a free press and vibrant public discourse, the one nation in the Middle East that attempts to enshrine in law the rights of women, homosexual people and minority religions.
Sadly that would be a mistake. Archbishop Williams may claim that he supports the right of Israel to exist. But the majority of organisations and authors on this resource list don’t share his view.
Perhaps, too a Christian Church should take seriously the overarching Scriptural theme that God would one day bring His covenant people back to their Promised Land from the four corners of the earth.
But Archbishop Williams has dismissed that approach as aberrant . And his description is mild compared to how some of the authors on the booklist describe Christians who take their Scriptures seriously.
Below is a sampling of what an Anglican dipping into this cauldron of resources might find. It makes distasteful reading.
It is time for Anglican leaders to admit that Israel, besieged by regional enemies, exists under a state of war brought about by Arab aggression.
They should understand that criticising Israeli actions and policies whilst remaining silent about Arab aggression and anti-Semitism is hypocrisy – particularly in the context of far greater human rights abuses elsewhere in the region and in the world. The sheer disproportion of criticism against Israel is beyond reason.
Finally they should acknowledge that their criticisms of Israel are directed solely at her Jewish citizens, not Christian or Arab Israelis who are assumed to be victims of the Jewish state as well.
And they should beware, reflecting on centuries of institutional Christian anti-Semitism, and how long such institutional racism can take to be purged.
Christian organisations that embrace uncritically the so called ‘Palestinian narrative’ of the conflict and its history
Living Stones – founded by late Professor Michael Prior, hater of Israel and opponent of Israel as a homeland for Jewish people.
Quaker Ecumenical Accompaniers. Quakers – supposedly pacifist – regularly permit their premises to be used by jihadist speakers and their supporters for demonising Israel,
Sabeel – Naim Ateek’s organisation which promotes the Palestinian narrative within the framework of Liberation Theology.
Here’s the link to the Anglican site. It’s not the same article but it’s still a good one.
http://www.anglicanfriendsofisrael.com/
Hi Ian,
I am disappointed to see that you do not keep to basic journalistic ethics. I would have expected more of you. I wrote to your personal address, and you went ahead and published. Perhaps an honest mistake, and I’ll overlook it. What’s worse is that you’ve given my post the title of the statement from the Anglican Friends of Israel, without publishing the report. It makes me look like I am criticising the Anglican Church when in fact I am siding with their statement. Perhaps that also was an oversight on your part, in which case, please remedy the situation, either by publishing the article, or by removing my letter to you.