#ALSO the wikipedia page doesnt have many picture examples

[willthoughtout-blog]

To bear in mind when criticising Israel

Today, there was a protest outside Parliament attacking anti-Semitism within the Labour party, and specifically anti-Semitism within Corbyn’s faction of the Labour party.

This marks an important moment. As far as I’m aware, protests against institutional anti-Semitism are rare within the UK. When we think of racism here, we tend to think of anti-black or Islamophobic racism, among others. What this protest shows is that something has changed.

At the core of the protest is this:

The protesters say there is pervasive anti-Semitism within the Corbyn-led faction of the Labour party that is now dominant.

The counter-protesters say this is a) politically motivated (MPs known to dislike Corbyn took part) and b) the party is not anti-Semitic, it simply criticises the Israeli government.

So I want to talk about this notion that is frequently repeated by people I often agree with on other matters - that it ‘isn’t anti-Semitic to criticise Israel’.

I understand the logic of this argument. I held it too, I think, in a vague way before I took more interest in the topic. My first protest was a pro-Palestine, anti-Israel protest (my friend, who was more into it, dragged me along - I didn’t know the first thing about the situation to be honest).

So I understand the logic of those attacking the anti-Semitism protesters. But I disagree. I don’t think saying ‘it isn’t anti-Semitic to criticise Israel’ is good enough. This is for a number of reasons. Firstly, because it is often false - it ignores the fact that many who criticise Israel are anti-Semitic, especially within these groups Corbyn associates with. And secondly, because there are massive consequences of such a casual attitude to anti-Semitism - this racism is on the rise in UK politics, in large part because of these groups. And, to be honest, I’m not a massive fan of increasing racism.

The UK left, and anti-Semitism

There seems to me to be 2 potential reasons why someone might criticise the current Israeli government:

Genuine disgust for the crimes committed by the Israeli government (I share this opinion)

Hatred for Jewish people (because of Israel’s status as a Jewish state)

The UK left has been massively focused on the Israel-Palestine conflict for years now. Unfortunately, I think this is a meshing of the 2 reasons above, rather than a pure governmental critique.

The evidence for this is not hard to find.

Corbyn, for example, has campaigned in many pro-Palestine groups and events that I’m sure are perfectly well-intentioned. He has, however, supported groups strongly linked to Holocaust deniers. The latest controversy, which sparked today’s protests, were about the following mural:

This is so blatantly filled with anti-Semitic tropes, it’s difficult to even know where to start. The rich bankers, the large noses, the Illuminati conspiracy triangle. And the controversy is that Corbyn defended the artist who designed this, when he said it was being removed.

Another prominent leader of this group is Ken Livingstone (former 2-term Labour Mayor of London), a close ally of Corbyn’s. He’s made such a range of dubious comments about Jews, it’s difficult to know where to start (just check his Wikipedia page out). Corbyn was recently lenient on him when he seemed to suggest that Hitler wasn’t fundamentally so anti-Jew, it was just that he ‘went a bit crazy’.

There are others - it is far from just those at the top - but these are the 2 most powerful and prominent people in this faction.

Anti-semitism on the UK Right

A further problem is that anti-Semitism is not just confined to the likes of Corbyn and Livingstone. It is spreading across our society, and has popped up in the far right areas too.

Nigel Farage, for example, said recently that the ‘Jewish lobby’ has too much influence on US politics. He has also attacked George Soros, a Hungarian Jewish billionaire, for being some sort of traitor against Britain. As a Jewish billionaire (who, incidentally, has done lots of great pro-democracy work), it’s mind-numbingly predictable that he would be the subject for anti-Semitic attacks.

And this is occurring in more than just the fringe Ukip-parts of the conutry. This was the Telegraph’s front page recently, written by the former right-hand man of our current Prime Minister:

The anti-Semitic tropes (a rich Jew, ‘secret plot’, subverting our democracy etc) are again so blindingly obvious.

The emerging picture

The point is that we are a country experiencing a rise in anti-Semitism. This cannot be overlooked.

And this is not just happening in the UK, but across the world. Conspiracies about Jewish media and financial elites, George Soros, the Rothschilds, etc are international phenomena. This is because anti-Semitism (like many of other forms of prejudice) transcends country lines.

For proof, just check out the anti-Semitism Wikipedia page. There’s a whole host of examples:

A massacre in Germany in 1096

An expulsion from England in 1290

A massacre in Spain in 1391

An expulsion from Spain in 1492

A massacre in Ukraine in the 1650s

Pogroms in Russia throughout the 1800s

And so on.

Anti-Semitism has been going on for a millenium or more. It is serious. And it’s becoming bigger in the UK right now.

Criticising Israel

This of course doesn’t mean that someone can’t criticise Israel - indeed, in my opinion, we all should criticise the Israeli government. Its crimes against the Palestinians are horrific.

But it’s important to notice who you’re agreeing with and standing alongside when you do this.

When I criticise Jeremy Corbyn (who I helped elect as leader of the Labour party), or Ken Livingstone (who I think was a really good Mayor on the whole), I’m criticising people who I have time for, and share some common ground with.

Too often it feels like people on the left are unwilling to criticise other people in their own tribe.

And other people don’t criticise this for another reason - that they aren’t too bothered about other people, they just want to shine a light on this critical issue of the Israeli government’s crimes against the Palestinian people.

But what does that say, if you’re willing to stand alongside anti-Semites and Holocaust deniers? What does that say to the Jewish people in the UK?

It’s possible and commendable to criticise the Israeli government. Just make sure you’re paying attention to how you do it.

#labour #antisemitism