The Masters of War and Corbyn's Failure to deal with ‘anti-Semitism’ and the poison of the Ruth Smeeths

The Self-Pitying Whine of the Jewish Chronicle’s Stephen Pollard is in contrast to his contempt for others

 Wednesday April 1st

The Editor,

The Jewish Chronicle
28 St. Albans Lane
London NW11 7QE

letters@thejc.com

Dear Editor,

Strange as it may seem, I just want to say how much I agree with Ruth Smeeth, the former MP for Stoke-on-Trent North whose voters wisely booted her out on December 12^th.[Jeremy Corbyn's failure on antisemitism will tarnish his time as Labour leader, March 30]. This was one of the few welcome moments of an otherwise dismal night.

If only Jeremy had called out this viperous shrew when she had the gall to attack Marc Wadsworth, an anti-racist whose boots she isn’t even fit to lick, then this whole sad and sorry farce could have been nipped in the bud.

If only Jeremy had had a bit of backbone then he would have told this former Israel lobbyist (BICOM) and US asset to fuck off and get a life. So much trouble could have been avoided. Instead this diva was pampered, flattered and made to feel important rather than treated as the overgrown schoolgirl she is.

All Smeeth’s bogus allegations against Marc, who wasn’t even aware she was Jewish and cared even less, were abandoned when the video of what happened at the Chakrabarti press conference was examined. Marc was expelled, not for anti-Semitism, but for ‘bringing the Labour Party into disrepute’ - the same catch all charge used against all of us.

If Corbyn had stood up to the Zionist Lobby, rejected the IHRA misdefinition of anti-Semitism and said that instead of Zionists crying ‘anti-Semitism’ whenever Israel was criticised they might instead deal with the real problem – Israeli apartheid, he might be Prime Minister. That instead of attacking the messenger Zionists should try and deal with the message, difficult though that might be.

All racists together - Tom Watson (left) Isaac Herzog leader of the fast disappearing Israeli Labor Party and Smeeth (2nd right)

Don't get me wrong, I understand your problem deeply.  How can one possibly defend destroying water pipes, solar panels and now even Palestinian clinics dealing with Coronavirus ? Of course it's easier to cry ‘anti-Semitism’ but you need to practice holding your breath and counting to 150.

Unfortunately Jeremy, who is a very trusting soul, thought that when someone mentioned ‘anti-Semitism’ that they were referring to hatred of Jews rather than hatred of racism, Zionism and Israel fanatics such as your editor, the loathsome Stephen Pollard.

Speaking of Pollard I was amused to read his latest piece in the Daily Hate Mail where he revealed that he had cancer and asked us to 'Spare a thought for those of us who are at high risk'. I wonder how many thoughts Pollard spared for Palestinian demonstrators mowed down by sniper fire at Gaza’s fence?

I like to think that I am pretty generous in my feelings for others but there is one person who will definitely not be on the receiving end of my sympathy and that is your vile editor.

In July 2010 I emailed Pollard and asked why the Jewish Chronicle did not carry the truth about what Israel was really like. I gave as an example the shocking incident involving a young American Jewish student, an Israeli citizen too, Emily Henochowicz, who had gone along to a regular picket at the Qualandiya checkpoint near Jerusalem. As is the custom, a soldier had fired a teargas canister which hit her face blinding her in one eye.  Instead of apologising and compensating her her family were billed for the hospital fees as the Israeli army refused to pay them.

What was the response of the foul creature that edits your newspaper? He wrote back to me ‘Thank you for your email, which will make a fine addition to my 'delete' folder.’  The cynicism in such a comment betrays the truth of what the Jewish Chronicle stands for. That all the noise and commotion about ‘anti-Semitism’ was just for the gallery.

Listening to Pollard’s self-pitying whine about how vulnerable he is I’m reminded of the final stanza of Bob Dylan’s Masters of War, one of his finest and yet underrated songs:

And I hope that you die
And your death'll come soon
I will follow your casket
In the pale afternoon
And I'll watch while you're lowered
Down to your deathbed
And I'll stand over your grave
'Til I'm sure that you're dead

Or as Malcolm said in Macbeth:

‘Nothing in his life became him like his leaving of it’. 

I realise that you won’t be printing this fine letter but even the writing of it was cathartic in these strained times.

Yours faithfully,

Tony Greenstein