From Antisemite to Zionist

[Solomon2]

From antisemite to Zionist

By Kasim Hafeez, October 7, 2011

In 2003, Pakistan's then President Pervez Musharaff sought to re-examine his country's relationship, or lack thereof, with Israel. He asked: "Do we have to be more Palestinian than the Palestinians themselves?"

With their new "Liberation" campaign, it seems that the Union Of Jewish Students has decided to answer that question with a resounding "yes".

Rather than being a brave move forwards for UJS, it is a hollow and cynical campaign that smacks of extreme cowardice.

The reality is that there is real anti-Israel and antisemitic feeling on British university campuses. How do I know this? Because until recently I was antisemitic and anti-Israel. Until recently, I was the one doing the hating.

It wasn't the evil Zionist Israel that I had been told about

Growing up in a Muslim community in the UK I was exposed to materials condemning Israel, painting Jews as usurpers and murderers. My views were reinforced when I attended Nakba Day rallies where speakers predicted Israel's demise.

My hate for Israel and for the Jews was fuelled by images of death and destruction, set to the backdrop of Arabic melodies about Jihad and speeches of Hizbollah leader Hasan Nasrallah or Osama Bin Laden.

There was also constant, casual antisemitism around me. My father would boast of how Adolf Hitler was a hero, his only failing being that he didn't kill enough Jews. Even the most moderate clerics I came across refused to condemn terrorism against Israel as unjustified.

What changed? In Waterstones one day I found myself in the Israel and Palestine section. To this day I don't know why I actually pulled it off the shelf, but I picked up a copy of Alan Dershowitz's The Case for Israel.

In my world view the Jews and the Americans controlled the media, so after a brief look at the back, I scoffed thinking "vile Zionist propaganda".

But I decided to buy it, eagerly awaiting the chance to deconstruct it so I could show why Israel had no case and claim my findings as a personal victory for the Palestinian cause.

As I read Dershowitz's systematic deconstruction of the lies I had been told, I felt a real crisis of conscience. I couldn't disprove his arguments or find facts to respond to them with. I didn't know what to believe. I'd blindly followed for so long, yet here I was questioning whether I had been wrong?

I decided to visit Israel to find the truth. I was confronted by synagogues, mosques and churches, by Jews and Arabs living together, by minorities playing huge parts in all areas of Israeli life, from the military to the judiciary. It was shocking and eye-opening. This wasn't the evil Zionist Israel that I had been told about.

After much soul searching, I knew what I had once believed was wrong. I had to stand with Israel, with this tiny nation, free, democratic, making huge strides in medicine, research and development, yet the victim of the same lies and hatred that nearly consumed me.

As an outsider, I ask why so many in the Jewish community are closing their eyes to the constant stream of anti-Israel hated spewed out from all facets of British society.

And while pro-Palestinian organisations burn Israeli flags, urge boycotts of Israel and protest against appearances by Israeli politicians or artists, UJS's response is shameful. It is not the time for UJS or any other group to engage in hollow flag-waving to show their "progressiveness". Let Israel's democratic history speak for itself.

Instead of meekly trying to avoid coming across as too pro-Israeli or too Zionist, it is time to make the facts known, to defend Israel against delegitimisation. It is time to stem the tide of Israel bashing before it becomes even more mainstream and consumes even more people like me.

Kasim Hafeez is a British Muslim and the founder of the website theisraelcampaign.org

 

[EastWest]

I hope this guy is not accused of Blasphemy

 

[r3alist]

So from being more Palestinian than the Palestinians he has decided to be more Israeli than the Israelis??

I wonder how this guy funds himself, or who funds his activities.

 

[bubble123]

lol easy way to earn bread n butter.

 

[53fd]

He is (or should be) free to believe whatever he wants, whether its Zionism, Atheism or anything.

 

[topgun787]

if you visit his so called compaign's website, he is trying to convince the muslims by telling them that homosexuality is allowed in israel. **** this son of a ***** . He is working for israel not by his heart but by the power of the money jews have. LAANAT HO IN JAISON PAR.........ALLAH HUMEIN IN TAMAM GUMRAH LOGON SE BACHAE...AMEN SUMA AMEN

 

[r3alist]

if you visit his so called compaign's website, he is trying to convince the muslims by telling them that homosexuality is allowed in israel. **** this son of a ***** . He is working for israel not by his heart but by the power of the money jews have. LAANAT HO IN JAISON PAR.........ALLAH HUMEIN IN TAMAM GUMRAH LOGON SE BACHAE...AMEN SUMA AMEN

Calm down angry person.

Certain people depend on the reactions of people like you, YES YOU, to make a living.

I wish him the best of luck, i wonder if he will consider citizenship in Israel, maybe Solomon can pull some strings?

Or introduce him to Judaism, invite him to his synagogue. That's the next story I am waiting for.

 

[Tiger Awan]

And he will not visit Palestine. Why?

 

[JonAsad]

Paid stooge-

 

[53fd]

I know what I'll say won't be popular (it tends to be very black & white in this issue), but here goes:

The existence of Israel should be respected, even though they got their land through 'crook' when they drove the Palestinians out. We can't change history. Israel is here to stay, it is a nuclear power, so it is futile to only think of a 'one-nation' solution that is based on the destruction of Israel. That just won't be happening, & the Six Day Arab Israel war is a testament to that. Despite the cruel historical events, Israel today has the right to peaceful co-existence.

A resolution that does not recognize the statehood of Palestine is bound to work against Israel's interests in the long run. Holding West Bank hostage, & Gaza at the hands of Hamas is not a good thing for the region as a whole. That being said, Israel is paranoid, & to some degree, rightfully so, looking at how the Arab nations have wanted to crush it in history. Israel has a right to defend itself, as does every nation. However, the fact that it is increasing its settlements over occupied Palestinian territory, that it refuses to fulfill the UN Resolution 242 in 1967 even today, the fact that it broke down positive talks in Camp David (2000) & in the Taba Summit (2001) showed their lack of cooperation in resolving issues, when the Palestinians had shown resolve to do so. It was through the lack of progress in talks, & Israel's constant air blockage over the Gaza strip, as well as stealing Gaza's water among many other things (such as damaging basic infrastructure, communications), the Palestinians in Gaza got frustrated & brought the Hamas into power in January 2006, defeating the Fatah.

 

[53fd]

I'd like to get your input about my post, Mr I'm-proud-to-be-Zionist Solomon.

 

[Solomon2]

I'd like to get your input about my post, Mr I'm-proud-to-be-Zionist Solomon.

Sure.

The existence of Israel should be respected, even though they got their land through 'crook' when they drove the Palestinians out.

As I've discussed elsewhere on PDF, the "crook" part is simplistic and misleading and false. The implied suggestion is that "Israel should be respected" only because it is strong enough to ward off its enemies, not that it is morally wrong to seek its destruction.

A resolution that does not recognize the statehood of Palestine is bound to work against Israel's interests in the long run.

Unlike Israel, "Palestine" is an artificial entity. There never was a state called Palestine. In the 1920s the Arabs in the north argued strongly that they were part of southern Syria. The rest seem to have identified themselves as part of a larger Arab nation, or as bitter loyalists to the vanished Ottomans. Until 1947 the "Jerusalem Post" was called the "Palestine Post" and the Jews of the area were the ones called "Palestinians". Even a dozen years after independence the Arabs in the West Bank and Gaza were not referred to as "Palestinians".

The identity of these Arabs as "Palestinians" began with the establishment of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the subsequent compulsion for Arabs to identify themselves as "Palestinian" under threat of death. As this is a thin basis to build a national identity under, the terrorist leadership of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have fallen back upon race hatred instead, promising that the ultimate goal and purpose of "Palestine" will be a Middle East devoid of Jews - genocide.

Holding West Bank hostage, & Gaza at the hands of Hamas is not a good thing for the region as a whole.

The West Bank was illegally occupied by Jordan for twenty years; only Britain and Pakistan recognized this, and Jordan withdrew its claim. The charge of the British Mandate remains: Jews are free to settle, either in state lands or through simple purchase, as long as the civil and property rights of the Arabs are respected. (The same charge was put upon the Arabs with the Jews in their designated territories - remember this was but a piece of the break-up of three empires into nation-states after WWI - but the Arabs immediately and continuously violated this from then to the present.)

[Israel] refused to recognize the UN Resolution 242 in 1967

False. The charge was that Israel should return "territories occupied" - NOT "the territories occupied" - to Arabs in exchange for recognition; Israel was deemed to have the right to exist in secure borders. The omission of the definite article was very deliberate. Egypt has got the Sinai back. Syria got a small slice of territory back. The P.A. controls parts of the West Bank and Hamas Gaza - and Israel would have yielded Gaza back to Egypt if Sadat had asked for it. Israel is in compliance with 242.

he fact that it broke down positive talks in Camp David (2000) & in the Taba Summit (2001) showed their lack of cooperation in resolving issues, when the Palestinians had shown resolve to do so.

False. In 2000 Israel offered Arafat just about everything he had asked for, including half of Jerusalem. He had no response to that other than to launch another Intifada. That isn't "lack of cooperation" on Israel's part.

What you are left with, Bill, is that when all actions are fact-checked and accounted for in context Israel is in the right and the Arabs and Muslims who wish to exterminate her are in the wrong - unless you wish to change the ideas of right and wrong to suit your fancy.

 

[53fd]

Sure.

As I've discussed elsewhere on PDF, the "crook" part is simplistic and misleading and false. The implied suggestion is that "Israel should be respected" only because it is strong enough to ward off its enemies, not that it is morally wrong to seek its destruction.

This is what I have said: a) Israel has a right to defend itself, as does every nation, & that the existence of Israel should be respected.. I said that Israel's paranoia is justified to an extent because the Arab nations have wanted to crush it throughout its history. Nothing to do with force. b) I also said that any endeavor by anyone to annihilate Israel will not bear fruit, because it is a strong nuclear power. I am talking two separate things, with no link between a) & b).

Unlike Israel, "Palestine" is an artificial entity. There never was a state called Palestine.

Wrong. A country called Palestine existed under British mandate prior to 1922.

This is the location of the Palestine British mandate:

As you can see, present day Palestine is covered in it as well. In 1922, the First British census of Palestine showed a total population of 757,182, with 78% Muslim, 11% Jewish and 9.6% Christian.

The identity of these Arabs as "Palestinians" began with the establishment of the Palestinian Liberation Organization and the subsequent compulsion for Arabs to identify themselves as "Palestinian" under threat of death. As this is a thin basis to build a national identity under, the terrorist leadership of the Palestinian Authority and Hamas have fallen back upon race hatred instead, promising that the ultimate goal and purpose of "Palestine" will be a Middle East devoid of Jews - genocide.

The PLO was a cruel organization no doubt, but it was Israel in fact, that first aided Hamas to use it as a counterbalance to the PLO affiliated Fatah. Then Israel sided with Fatah over Hamas later. It was Israel's air blockade, stealing Gaza's water, destroying basic infrastructure, not letting food get to Gaza that eventually made the people of Gaza bring Hamas into power.

The West Bank was illegally occupied by Jordan for twenty years; only Britain and Pakistan recognized this, and Jordan withdrew its claim.

Israel had no claim to the West Bank anyways.

False. The charge was that Israel should return "territories occupied" - NOT "the territories occupied" - to Arabs in exchange for recognition; Israel was deemed to have the right to exist in secure borders.

Good job copying & pasting from the History News Network website (http://hnn.us/articles/617.html), I was expecting something a bit more original from you.

The fact that it has refused to freeze settlements on occupied territory till today shows it is in blatant violation of the UN resolution 242. The settlements Israel has over occupied territory post 1967 are illegal & against international law.

False. In 2000 Israel offered Arafat just about everything he had asked for, including half of Jerusalem. He had no response to that other than to launch another Intifada. That isn't "lack of cooperation" on Israel's part.

Are you Alan Dershowitz by any chance?

I suggest you watch these link to find out what really happened in Camp David & the Taba Summit, instead of regurgitating revisionist history:

Israel is in the right and the Arabs and Muslims who wish to exterminate her are in the wrong - unless you wish to change the ideas of right and wrong to suit your fancy.

Yes, Israel has full right to exist peacefully without being attacked by the Arabs & the Muslims. The Arabs & the Muslims have been wrong in attacking Israel, & Israel has every right to defend itself. But that does not mean you have to regurgitate the lies & revisionist history of the Zionists, when it has no bearing with reality.

 

[Solomon2]

No, I'm not Mr. Dershowitz, and as near as I can tell I'm not telling any lies. The Jews do have a claim on the West Bank; the Mandate designates the area (as it was for over a thousand years before the Roman expulsion) as part of the Jewish homeland and Jews may settle there as described. (Transjordan was broken off from the rest of the Mandate soon after. The Zionists accepted this because they had no choice; the first thing its foreign Hashemite rulers did was violate the Mandate by expelling the Jews, seizing their property to distribute to their followers and thus secure their tyranny.) The "Palestine Mandate" was not a "country" or "nation" of Palestine. And you are the first person I've read who claimed that it was Israel that drove Gazans to vote for Hamas, rather than the P.A.'s corruption. (As for Chomsky, he has very little credibility in my eyes: link.)

What's left, Bill? Criticism about water issues? And still no one discusses the fact that 800,000 Jews were kicked out of Arab countries from 1920 to the present day to be absorbed by Israel as best it could, without being compensated at all.

Bottom line: no matter how you slice it, if you want to be on the side of justice and right, you have to stand with Israel's Jews, not just fifty percent but 100%.

 

[unicorn]

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