"Anti-Semitism" Committee A Rearguard Defence Of Israel's Crimes

It's nothing new really - the right wing, who can barely make their lips form the words "anti-racism", spend boatloads of cash to "take a stand" against anti-Semitism. Except that what they're really defending are the odious actions and policies of the state of Israel. That's exactly what this hokey Canadian Parliamentary Coalition to Combat Anti-Semitism is all about.

When there was serious, life-threatening anti-Semitism prior to and during the Second World War, with the rise of Jew-hating fascism, did the Canadian Parliament set-up any special committees? No, the Canadian Prime Minister Mackenzie King pronounced that "none is too many" and turned away desperate Jewish refugees. Back then the Jews weren't of any particular political use to the ruling class in Canada or the US or the UK - or numerous other countries that turned them away. It's still the case that most Jews aren't of any particular political interest to the Canadian political elite. Most Jews don't live in Israel and aren't any more pro Israel than the rest of the population. In fact, this bullshit "coalition" specifically excluded a Jewish organization that didn't have a pro-Israel agenda, Independent Jewish Voices of Canada.

It's also worth noting that Parliament has never set up a committee to combat Islamophobia - even as Muslims suffered job and income losses, suffered harassment and attacks in the streets, campaigns against their places of worship and demonization in the media, not to mention no-fly lists that disproportionately target Muslims, etc. But then Canada's Parliament has facilitated that particular form of discrimination and oppression.

Nor has there been a coalition to combat homophobia, a fact that gay, former MP Mario Silva might want to ponder as he stands shoulder to shoulder with Tory MPs who would happily take away his right to get married, enjoy same sex spousal benefits or any other legal equality that has been fought and won in the last thirty years.

But, besides demonstrating an utterly craven hypocrisy on the question of racism, the existence of this committee also demonstrates something of greater significance - after all, we knew that Parliament was a corrupt dung heap filled with sycophants and toads. Israel and its racist, genocidal policies - it's Apartheid - is suffering the deepest international crisis of legitimacy in its history. The old methods of justifying Israel's uncivilized and inhumane practices by referring to the inhumanity suffered by the Jews during the Holocaust and, more generally, as a result of European anti-Semitism, has faded in potency. After all, why should the Palestinians be punished for crimes committed by Europeans over half a century ago?

Nor is the underlying racist, colonialist justification holding the same weight as it once did. The argument that Israel is the only democracy in the Middle East is less impressive when not only are their Arab neighbours overthrowing dictatorships in favour of democracy, prominent Israeli officials have more than once expressed their dismay that they are losing "reliable" leaders. The truth is revealed that Israel's existence depends precisely on neighbouring dictatorships to suppress the solidarity felt by the Arab peoples of the region for their Palestinian brothers and sisters. The $2 billion/year that the US spent to prop up Hosni Mubarak actually saved billions more that Israel didn't have to spend on its military in fear of being swamped by the hostile nations around it. Israel could instead focus on their real goal and pleasure - squeezing the Palestinians bit by bit, through illegal settlement expansion, though constant harassment and humiliation, through economic destruction of any indigenous economy, with the goal of driving them out and taking over the whole of "eretz Israel" - from the Jordan to the Mediterranean. This has been the goal from before the founding of Israel and has never been particularly hidden.

And just as Israel's "democratic security" depended upon pliant dictatorships for neighbours, it is dependent upon a pliant dictatorship to rule over the Palestinians. The real outrage over Hamas, and the illegal and ongoing blockade of the Gaza Strip is entirely about the fact that the Palestinians - even faced with the full horrors of Israeli Apartheid, refused to submit and voted for a party not sanctioned by their Israeli/American overlords. They are to be punished in perpetuity for voting incorrectly. But as the recent high profile fiascos (and massacres) involving anti-Israel protestors has revealed - whether it is blockading aid boats or shooting unarmed protestors on Israel's border - Israel is just another tinpot dictatorship that allows a small minority within its borders to vote and have full rights.

What Mario Silva - happily voted out in my riding of Davenport - and the goons on Toronto council who tried to deny funding to Pride based upon the participation of Queers Against Israeli Apartheid don't realize is that they are fighting against the wheels of history. And with the revolutions in the Middle East still roiling and reshaping the region (and the world), the wheels of history have just sped up. Their pathetic committee will have no real impact on the inevitable: Israeli Apartheid will be revealed for what it is and defeated.

Anti-Semitism on the rise at Canadian universities, committee says - The Globe and Mail

Freedom For Palestine: Music Video

Any song that's pro-Palestinian and makes Glen Beck cry on TV is right on with me. At a time when Toronto city council is debating whether or not it's discrimination - against Jews!? - to say that Israel's practice of isolating, segregating and repressing the Palestinian population makes it an apartheid regime, this is welcome indeed. Fuck you, Rob Ford and Georgio Mamomliti. As an added bonus, it's even a good song. I've included an interview with the artist behind the project and an accompanying article from Socialist Worker UK below the youtube video. Enjoy it, pass it on - make Glen Beck cry more!




“Freedom for Palestine” is a new song by Dave Randall, best known for playing guitar with Faithless. He spoke to Siân Ruddick about the politics behind the music

Freedom for Palestine is performed by a specially assembled group, One World. It features Maxi Jazz from Faithless, Jamie Cato, FSK and the Durban Gospel Choir from South Africa.

The single will be officially released on 3 July, but it is already upsetting the right. Bigoted Fox News commentator Glenn Beck actually wept as he told viewers the song is “propaganda” that dares to accuse Israel of “occupying” the West Bank.

He went on to bemoan the fact that more than 5,000 people had already “liked” the song on a Facebook page.

Favour

Dave told Socialist Worker, “That’s the best bit of advertising we’ve had! Before, I’d only heard his name when Lupe Fiasco rapped, ‘Glenn Beck is a racist’. So a huge thanks to Beck—he’s done us a favour getting the song out there.

“I became interested in the issue of Palestine about ten years ago. Faithless were in Israel. Before our gig in Tel Aviv we had a day off so I visited Gaza.

“I also saw how the occupation of the West Bank impacts on people’s lives.

“I wanted to do whatever I could in solidarity with the Palestinians.”

Last year’s Faithless tour was again scheduled to visit Israel.

Dave said, “We had discussions inside the band and decided to join the cultural boycott. We not only refused to play but determined to use music to build solidarity.”

Dave got the idea for the single after meeting Jerry Dammers, who wrote the Special AKA’s “Free Nelson Mandela”.

That song became the anthem of Britain’s movement to end the racist South African apartheid regime in the 1980s.

“I thought we should do something similar for Palestine,” Dave explained. “It has been a year in the making, but the timing is rather fortunate. Last month the radio station BBC1 Xtra radio censored the words ‘Free Palestine’ in a track by Mic Righteous.”

In the context of the revolutions in North Africa and the Middle East, Israel’s position is being called more into question.

Dave went on, “The most important single factor for the liberation of Palestine is the revolutionary process in Egypt.

“Even president Barack Obama has had to pay lip service to the demand for Israel to return to 1967 borders.

“He recognises that right now the people are the real power brokers in the region.”

Radical

There is a long and proud history of radical music contributing to campaigns for justice and articulating the anger of ordinary people.

The group Faithless itself recorded the anti-war song “Mass Destruction” during the huge movement against the Iraq war.

It pointed out the hypocrisy of Western intervention: “Whether Halliburton or Enron or anyone/Greed is a weapon of mass destruction”.

Dave said, “That song was made because the movement was so strong. But it’s easy for big business to co-opt music, even that with a radical message.

“If you want to make political music you have to be aware of the ability of the system to sell everything back to us for profit.”

The mainstream media and Western governments distort the occupation of Palestine. Dave thinks that the first step to winning the argument about the cultural boycott is telling the truth about the situation.

“You have to start with the politics,” he said. “There is an idea that it is a battle with two equals at loggerheads. Many people don’t know about the theft of Palestinian land, the illegal settlements, the persecution and repression of Palestinians or the prison that Gaza has become.

“Israel is a heavily armed, Western-backed state. That’s the starting point.

“There are lots of things that people can do to support Palestine. Downloading the song is just one of them. If it gets into the charts there is more chance of it being played on the radio, challenging the censorship of pro-Palestine music.

“We want to encourage people to explore the issues for themselves and hearing the song can be part of that.

“And it is the hardest punch you can land for Palestine for 79p!”