As Israel Attacks Iran, in the Name of ‘Self-Defence’, Hundreds of Delegates in Vienna Reject Western Imperialism Mad Dog
Tony Greenstein's speech at the Anti-Zionist Jewish Congress, Vienna 14 June 2025
The
conference which I attended from June 13-15, organised by a small Steering Committee based
in Vienna, was a truly joyous coming together of Palestine solidarity activists
the world over. There was even a delegation from Indonesia.
The
conference itself was overbooked with hundreds of people having to be turned
away. Jewish and non-Jewish people of all faiths and none were united in a
determination to see an end to the poisonous ideology of Zionism which motivated
the creation of the Israeli state.
Ilan Pappe speaking at Anti-Zionist Jewish Congress 13 June 2025
On
the eve of the conference Israel launched an unprovoked attack on Iran, almost
certainly in co-ordination with the United States and Britain, using Iran’s
nuclear facilities as the pretext for the attack.
Tonight
we hear of a massive Iranian counter-attack which has hit Tel Aviv, the centre
of the failed state with Tel Aviv being hit particularly hard. It is small
justice for razing Gaza to rubble but welcome nonetheless. The sooner Israeli citizens
become accustomed to their own homes being bombed, the sooner they may
recognise that Palestinians have had to put up with this particular Israeli speciality
for far too long.
Ghada Karmi Francesca Albanese Rahma Zein & Rima Hassan @ Vienna AntiZionist Jewish Congress 13.6.25
Zionism
was called by one speaker, Ghada Karmi, an ideology of evil and it is entirely
appropriate. A state 47% of whose Jewish
citizens responded in a poll undertaken by Pennsylvania State University to say
they wanted to exterminate every last human being in Gaza.
The
state allegedly set up as compensation for the annihilation of Jews in the Holocaust
has become the mirror image of Nazi Germany.
Israelis
commemorate the Holocaust on 3 separate days each year and for the rest of the
year they keep their remaining holocaust survivors in poverty. The holocaust,
like anti-Semitism, has been weaponised to legitimise a state based on the same
founding principles that Nazi Germany was founded on.
There
were a range of speakers today – both on live video call and in person. The
Conference was open by veteran Israeli anti-Zionist Haim Bresheeth from Britain’s
Jewish Network for Palestine.
The
first session’s speakers were Ghada Karmi, Ilan Pappe and Rima Hassan, the
heroine of the freedom flotilla and Francesca
Albanese, the fearless UN Special Rapporteur on Palestine. The latter two appeared
by video link. Rima had intended to attend in person but because of her
kidnapping by Israel she was unable to make it. The session was moderated by
Haim Bresheeth.
We
had a special video greeting delegates from Roger Waters who I understand very generously helped fund the
conference which was enormously expensive.
The
next session was moderated by Ronnie Barkan. Yakov Rabkin spoke by zoom, with Donny Gluckstein,
Haim Bresheeth and Awad Abdelfatah speaking in person.
Speakers at the next session were Ilan Pappé, Ghada Karmi, Ramzy Baroud
hosted and moderated by Peter Eisenstein and Gülmihri Aytaç
After the evening meal the final session had the Jewish podcaster Katie
Halper, Rahma Zein, Wieland Hoban and Astrid Wagner.
Tomorrow morning starts with a session From Pride to Denial: Arab Jews and Integrating
in the Arab World with Iris Hefets,
Reuven Abergel, and Camille Levy Sarfati speaking.
After that there will be a session on Reclaiming Anti-Fascism and Fighting
the Instrumentalisation of Antisemitism at which Tony Greenstein, Stephen Kapos,
Wieland Hoban and Wilhelm Langthaler will speak.
In the afternoon there will be a session on Decolonisation and Liberation: The
Relevance of Historical Models when Ronnie Barkan, Ramzy Baroud and
Roshan Dadoo will be speaking.
The final session tomorrow Against Zionism and Imperialism: The Move to Ending
Impunity, Implementing Sanctions will include Peter Eisenstein, Haim Bresheeth, Tarkan Tek and Irina Vana as
speakers.
The Congress will continue on the Sunday with three parallel workshops
taking place over two sessions, with feedback and discussion on workshops.
The Congress represents the first visible sign of the cracks in the
previously monolithic support of diaspora Jewish communities for Zionism and Israel.
Jewish people world wide are waking up the fact that they are being used by the
imperialist elites as a moral alibi for Israel’s genocide and mass murder and
apartheid. An Israel which is occupying Lebanese and Syrian territory, and which
will threaten Jordan and Egypt in the future is attacking Iran and Yemen now.
Israel is imperialism’s mad dog run wild in the Middle East. Every time
it attacks a country it is for self-defence. Just like its bogus attacks on
people as ‘anti-Semites’ this dressing up of continual attacks on its
neighbours as ‘self-defence’ is wearing thin as shown by every poll in Western
countries, including the United States.
Today we have a situation where the elites in society everywhere
support the Zionist State of Israel but the people are increasingly expressing
their revulusion at a state whose
militarism is resembling that of its ideological father, Adolf Hitler.
For further details of speaker see below and for the programme see here.
Tony Greenstein
Victory to Iran
ReplyDeleteYes I hope so but I fear that Iran faces too many enemies not least the Quisling Arab regimes at their treacherous best
DeleteTrue, and hopefully someone can finish what the Palestinians started in trying to overthrow the comprador Jordanian regime, which I hear has been allowing the Zionists use of its air space as well as allowing the US to have bases in the region, something Im sure Israel is utilising. Closer to home, perhaps we need a new stop the movement which have actually demands an end to US bases on British soil.
DeleteSafe journeys and success to you and all participants. Thank you Tony.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Tony for this excellent report, very uplifting, Ilan Pappe’s speech so sharp and prescient and giving us important priorities. I don’t know where you get the energy from but keep on going brilliant work
ReplyDeleteChris Thomas
Roger Waters deserves a credit with those pictured too.
ReplyDeleteThanks! Great speakers!!!
ReplyDeleteWhen Iran’s ballistic missile is fired from Isfahan toward Israel, the first to intercept it are the U.S. military in Iraq, the French Rafale fighter jets stationed in the UAE (which Saudi Arabia allows to use its airspace), and the USS Carl Vinson aircraft carrier patrolling the Persian Gulf with its state-of-the-art missile destroyers.
ReplyDeleteIf the Iranian missile evades all these advanced weapons, it then faces the Jordanian Air Force, the U.S. military stationed in Jordan, and British Royal Air Force Typhoon and F-35 jets launched from Cyprus.
If the missile escapes these predators too, then Israel’s air defense system kicks in — first with the Arrow 3, which tries to intercept the missile 2,000 km away in outer space. If that fails, the Arrow 2 attempts to destroy it between 1,500 km and 500 km within the atmosphere.
Beyond that, the David’s Sling defense system pursues the missile from 300 km to as close as 40 km.
If the Iranian missile manages to dodge all these systems, it finally comes up against the Iron Dome, which attempts to intercept it between 70 km and 4 km from the target.
Now ask yourself: Does any other country’s missile face such an extensive network of obstacles before reaching its target? And remember, Iran’s ballistic missiles are domestically produced, while the weapons designed to stop them represent the peak of cutting-edge technology developed by the most advanced nations.
In such an incredibly complex defense environment, even if a few missiles manage to strike targets in Tel Aviv, it would be considered a major success for Iran.
An excellent Congress - could not be more timely. . . . . .
ReplyDelete