Medical Aid for Palestinians & Rebuffing Gilad Atmon

On 4th May, a group of us wrote to Steven James, CEO of Medical Aid for Palestinians.

MAP, formed in 1984, has a reputation second to none when it comes to support for the health and welfare of Palestinians living under occupation. It was for that reason that we were concerned to see that Gilad Atzmon and his anti-Semitic clique, Michelle Renouf et al., were advertising a benefit concert in aid of Medical Aid for Palestine (we assume the wrong name was accidental rather than a sub-text for another conspiracy theory).

Knowing Atzmon and his ego, there was no doubt that Atzmon was seeking to use MAP, just as he has the Palestinian cause in general, in the service of his own ego and career. The occasional benefit he has done in aid of MAP has one primary purpose - to enhance his own reputation. Indeed this is a common feature of Atzmon – supporting charitable events in aid of Palestine whilst opposing political campaigns such as the Boycott of Israeli Universities.

We received a letter by way of response on 6th May from Stephen James which makes it clear that the organisation of the benefit had nothing to do with MAP and that they are regularly the beneficiaries of external fund-raising events. What makes this letter somewhat strange is that on April 30th, in an e-mail to one of the signatories who had written to him personally, Steven James stated that:

A couple of months ago we were made aware that there are serious objections by some members of the London Palestine community to an individual named Gilad Atzmon. Atzmon is one of the musicians that has performed in these events. We take the substance of these concerns seriously…. For your information, we will be closing this loophole following this event.’ Equally instructive was his frank admission that he hoped the write would ‘appreciate the difficult situation we have been placed in

And indeed we do understand the difficulty situation that Atzmon and his crew have contrived to put MAP in, which is why I have hesitated about putting this article up. However the Atzmonites, who managed to get hold of a copy of the original letter to signatories, had no such qualms. They plastered it all over their so-called 'think tank'. Hence why Atzmon’s anti-Semitic supporters like Paul de Rooij and miscellaneous holocaust deniers like Jeffrey Blankfort have been e-mailing me like made venting their spleen. Clearly they are worried that their time is up and that only anti-Semitic sites like The Radical Press and Redress will publish their rubbish.

Tony Greenstein

Letter to Medical Aid for Palestine

Steven James
Chief Executive Officer
Medical Aid for Palestinians
33a Islington Park Street
London N1 1QB

Monday 4th May 2009

Dear Steven,

Re: Gilad Atzmon Gig – Thursday April 30th

We write as both supporters of the Palestinians and opponents of Zionism. We all admire and respect the work Medical Aid for Palestine which has done so much to ease the suffering of the Palestinians at the hands of the Israeli state.

We therefore understand your need to put on fundraising and benefit concerts. However it is with regret that we have to write to you about the Gilad Atzmon gig at the Concert 606 Club this Thursday 30th April in support of MAP.

Accusations of anti-Semitism, or in the case of Jewish opponents of Zionism ‘self-hatred’ are the standard fare of supporters of the Israeli state. We therefore do not use the term lightly when we say that Gilad Atzmon is without doubt anti-Semitic. We don’t doubt that Atzmon supports the Palestinians, but he blames their plight not on Zionism but on Jews per se.

If we were to document each and every anti-Semitic comment by Atzmon it would fill a large book. But the following comments should stand as an example of what we say. In his essay ‘on anti-Semitism’ he wrote that:

‘we must begin to take the accusation that the Jewish people are trying to control the world very seriously…. I would suggest that perhaps we should face it once and for all: the Jews were responsible for the killing of Jesus who, by the way, was himself a Palestinian Jew.’

In another essay, ‘the Jew-spot’ he writes that:

‘The J’s are the ultimate chameleons, they can be whatever they like as long as it serves as some expedient. As soon as you criticise their expansionist militant national beliefs (Zionism) you hurt them as a race (Semites).’

In one of a number of articles on the economic crisis Atzmon spoke, in relation to an article in the Observer by John Reynolds, of the need for ‘spiritual dejudification’ of the City of London. After the threat of a libel action, Atzmon apologised.

The dispossession of the Palestinians and the theft of their land can be directly traced back to the rise of anti-Semitism in Eastern Europe at the end of the 19th Century. Throughout its history Zionism and anti-Semitism have been like Siamese twins. The idea that anti-Semitism offers any benefits or advantages to Palestinians today is absurd.

The association between Medical Aid for Palestine and Gilad Atzmon, whilst it may bring some short-term financial advantages can only damage you in the long-term. We are not asking that you cancel the gig on Thursday as clearly that is impracticable. However we would seriously ask you to consider not having Gilad Atzmon to play in fundraisers for MAP again. We are sure there must be anti-racist musicians of greater renown who would be willing to host a concern in aid of MAP.

With best wishes,

Tony Greenstein & 33 others

From: Steven James
Sent: Thursday, April 30, 2009 10:36 AM
Subject: Jazz Concert

Thank you very much for your email below and for bringing to our attention your concern about the forthcoming Jazz Concert.

Firstly, let me say that this is not an event organized by MAP. While we directly organize several fundraising events, there are a number of events which are organised by individuals and groups independently of MAP, to fundraise on our behalf. Sometimes we are contacted by the organizers, and at that point we choose whether to involve – this could be by sending a speaker (if requested) or MAP materials.

Sarah Gillespie is one such organizer. Gillespie has twice organised jazz concerts to fundraise for MAP, and these have been held at the 606 Club in London .

A couple of months ago we were made aware that there are serious objections by some members of the London Palestine community to an individual named Gilad Atzmon. Atzmon is one of the musicians that has performed in these events. We take the substance of these concerns seriously…. For your information, we will be closing this loophole following this event.

Most recently, we were contacted by Sarah Gillespie, who has again organised a fundraising concert for MAP - with Atzmon appearing alongside other performers such as Nigel Kennedy. We were contacted only once all the publicity for the event (which had been prepared by Sarah) had been distributed – as with some other events being planned externally, we were not consulted but informed. We have since had discussions with Sarah Gillespie and have raised our concerns. The only option at that stage would have been to ask that MAP be removed from the event. Given the wide publicity already distributed, and that members of the public had already purchased tickets based on the fact that the proceeds were in aid of MAP, we decided that this would be more publicly damaging.

I trust you will appreciate the difficult situation we have been placed in.

Thanking you for your support in this matter and for your support of the work of MAP .

Kind regards,

Steve


Steven James
Chief Executive Officer
Medical Aid for Palestinians
33a Islington Park Street London N1 1QB
T: +44 (0)20 7226 4114
M: +44 (0) 7500 772861 F: +44 (0)20 7226 0880

Wednesday 6th May 2009

Dear Tony,

Thank you for your email and letter, and the concerns you have raised, the substance of which we take seriously.

Firstly, let me reassure you that we were not involved in the organisation of the concert you refer to, nor in the creation of the materials which were used to publicise the event. Rather it was organized by Sarah Gillespie and featured a number of well known artists, among them Nigel Kennedy, who has long been a supporter of MAP and all we stand for. Furthermore, any donations made at the concert have been given by individuals attending the event in aid of needy Palestinians in Gaza.

We regularly receive donations from externally run events which are not organized by ourselves - ranging from cake stalls and marathon runs to cycle rides across Europe.

In this regard, and as a UK Charity governed by the Charity Commission rules and regulations, we ensure that we abide by their guidelines at all times. Therefore, we confine ourselves to the provision of medical and humanitarian aid to Palestinians, especially those living under occupation, displacement or as refugees; save to campaign for the right to health for all Palestinians as prescribed by International Humanitarian Law.

Hopefully, this email puts your mind at ease as to MAP’s position on this matter, and I agree with you that entering into a public debate on this would only serve to harm the cause of the Palestinians.

As you will know the situation in Gaza three months on since the end of the incursion is still critical, and it is essential we all focus on helping the people of Gaza to recover and repair their minds and bodies and homes as quickly as possible. At present we are undertaking more than 12 key projects in Gaza to help with the recovery, covering disability, burns, nutrition and hygiene, psycho-social support and maternal and child health.

We look forward to your continued support at this difficult time.

Yours sincerely,

Steve James

Steven James
Chief Executive Officer
Medical Aid for Palestinians
33a Islington Park Street
London N1 1QB
T: +44 (0)20 7226 4114
M: +44 (0) 7500 772861
F: +44 (0)20 7226 0880
steven.james@map-uk.org


Friday 8th May 2009

Dear Steven,

Thank you for your e-mail of 6th May 2009 in response to the letter from 34 people, which I sent you on 4th May, protesting against any association between Medical Aid for the Palestinians and Gilad Atzmon.

No one is suggesting that MAP was involved in the organisation of the 30th April concert at the 606 club. This was clearly organised by Sarah Gillespie, a close friend and associate of Gilad Atzmon. I also accept that MAP, like many charities, regularly benefits from externally run events which are organised by others. That is how it should be.

Nor is anyone suggesting that you should breach the guidelines of the Charity Commission by taking an overtly political stance on issues to do with Palestine, although the Charity Commissioners themselves seem to have no problem with overtly Zionist charities such as the Jewish National Fund.

No one who signed the letter to you disputes the excellent and wonderful work you do to support the Palestinians and relieve their suffering, in particular given the plight of the people of Gaza at this time. There is no question that any of the signatories will withdraw support from MAP on account of the Atzmon issue. However a number of questions remain unresolved by your e-mail response.

The question is whether or not MAP should be taking money from someone who is not only widely recognised as anti-Semitic, as the original letter clearly demonstrated, but who openly consorts with and supports holocaust deniers. Atzmon himself has openly questioned whether the Nazi holocaust took place and has never failed to give support to those who are open holocaust deniers. Indeed Atzmon himself has been widely reported as having stated, in Germany of all places, that the holocaust was a ‘complete forgery, initiated by Americans and Zionists". http://www.presstv.ir/detail.aspx?id=38848&sectionid=351020604

The problem is, as you recognised in your e-mail of 30th April, that you have no control over events which are being organised in your name. The poster which was used to advertise the concert, (see below) led me and others to believe that it was an officially organised MAP event. The picture itself is entitled ‘MAP flyer’.

In your letter to xxx, which was somewhat more candid than your response to the joint letter, you stated that you were made aware of ‘serious objections’ by some members of the London Palestine community to Atzmon and that you took such concerns seriously. Mention of these concerns was omitted from your e-mail of 6th May and I therefore have to ask you why, in the space of a week, they seem to have disappeared?

You also expressed your concern at a situation in which Atzmon and friends are raising funds in the name of MAP, and in the process using MAP as a cover for their own racist political agenda. It was, you said, a ‘loophole’ which you would be closing. Can I therefore ask you if this is still your position because the impression given by Ms Gillespie and other members of the Atzmon fan club is the complete opposite? To quote Ms Gillespie, ‘MAP catagoricaly denies any sympathetic reaction to Greenstein and has repeatedly enthused on the extent to which they appreciate our work and loved the evening.’ http://palestinethinktank.com/2009/05/05/sarah-gillespie-on-the-concert-for-medical-aid-in-palestine-30th-april-2009/ Is this statement true?

You will be aware that supporters of Israel’s attack on Gaza, and Zionists more generally, have repeatedly used the accusation of ‘anti-Semitism’ as a stick with which to beat their opponents. It is therefore incumbent upon us to ensure that genuine anti-Semites are not allowed to use the Palestinian cause for their own nefarious purposes.

You also stated in your e-mail to me that ‘entering into a public debate on this would only serve to harm the cause of the Palestinians.’ That is why we have not publicised the letter which we sent to you. Unfortunately when gathering signatures, the letter appears to have been sent to a supporter of Atzmon. The result of this has been that this matter has now been publicised on the Palestine Think Tank web site, co-edited by Gilad Atzmon and Mary Rizzo, in an article by the said Ms Gillespie. The fact that they have deliberately publicised something which we had kept under wraps clearly demonstrates that their concern is not so much support for MAP but their own anti-Semitic political agenda. I have personally been bombarded with abuse by these self-same holocaust deniers and anti-Semites but that is par for the course.

The issue is therefore now in the public domain and I would urge that you and the Trustees of MAP make it clear that you have no connection with Atzmon, Gillespie etc. and that you aren’t willing to have your reputation tarnished by these fringe anti-semites on account of the funds they raise. In short that the cause of Palestine is not for sale.

My own union, UNISON, recently donated £10,000 to MAP and local branches probably gave the same, if not more, again. UNISON, like other trade unions, has a strong policy of opposition to racism, including anti-Semitism, and it could cause incalculable political damage if you were allow this matter to remain unresolved. For example, the article by Gillespie cited above has a comment by Mary Rizzo citing the Redress site. This site was taken off the Scottish UNISON web site last year because of an article questioning the holocaust by the said Gilad Atzon.

Kind regards.


Tony Greenstein