...how one can be misrepresented: as in my comments on the Holodomor. I am accused of making a criticism of Jewry, when what I wrote was 'some Zionists (by which I do not mean all Jews) ...' My criticism was not even of 'all Zionists'. I am perfectly aware of those Jews, both in Israel and in the diaspora, whose contemplation of the Shoah leads them to say, in effect, 'And, dreadful as it was, it also serves to remind us that other peoples have suffered in the same way'. And the silly fury about lebensraum inspires me to wonder whether the author is aware of the many Jewish settlements built in the West Bank, and around Jerusalem, and the security wall which includes some of those settlements within Israel, so as to 'create facts'. Are there not Jews living in these settlements? If so, what is wrong with writing about livingspace?
The next contribution, which makes claims with both the tone and content of which I would not wish to be associated, is no reason why I should submit to being whipped into line.
In fact, that first contribution confirms me in my views about the attitudes of 'some Zionists'. In broader terms, my preference would be that both contributors would conduct their private warfare in some place where it doesn't affect me or my blog.
A final couple of comments if I may, then you are welcome to have the last word.
ReplyDelete1. If you are going to air your viewpoints in the blogosphere, then you must accept the freedom of others to comment, or to challenge you. Silly accusations of being 'whipped into line' are hardly fair when measured against the tone of my original post.
2. You can't hide behind 'smokescreen phrases' like 'some Zionists' I'm afraid. Who said what? When? Where? If you can't give chapter and verse (as I did in my example from Yad Vashem), you shouldn't make the claim and it will inevitably look like a flimsy disguise for prejudice. You wouldn't have let your students at Prancing College get away with such sloppy practice in an essay.
3. I'm aware of the settlement issue and of the problems it has caused. I'm also conscious of the way in which the Israeli government dismantled many settlements a few years ago as part of the ongoing peace process. If Israel had a negotiating partner it could trust, there would no doubt be further settlement clearances.
4. Your use of the German term lebensraum is just one small example of the 'Nazi slur' against Israel - a rhetorical device that once belonged to gutter anti-semites on the extreme Left and is now coming into more general use. I pointed out that its use placed you in some pretty low company and lo and behold, a Holocaust-denier crawled straight out from under his stone and made the point for me beautifully.
5. I was glad to see that you disassociated yourself from the points of view expressed in the Holocaust denier's comment.
Father, you could always go to a moderated comment scheme, which would let you screen out comments that you consider to be off topic.
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