The Balfour Declaration – The Tragedy of a Single Letter

The idiocies of Karl Sabbagh

This was a meeting to launch Gilad Atzmon's The Wandering Who? book which I reviewed.  Karl Sabbagh was one of the speakers

Karl Sabbagh

 Karl Sabbagh is a living example of the saying that there’s no fool like an old fool.

I came up to London on the NHS March train and it was a difficult decision – to go on the march or go to a conference at University College London entitled ‘Balfour – 1 Letter 100 Years Later.’  I decided that on balance the march would probably suffer less from my absence than the conference would gain from my presence!

Atzmon's book

Unfortunately I missed the opening speech from Avi Shlaim, a former Israeli Jew from Iraq and Emeritus Professor of International Relations at St Anthony’s College, Oxford University.  I did however catch the speech of Karl Sabbagh, a former BBC producer and author.  It was not a fair exchnge.

Gilad Atzmon - anti-Semitic ex-Israeli - was once on the periphery of the Palestine solidarity movement

Sabbagh was one of those inflated egos who gave credibility to a man caused Gilad Atzmon some years ago.  Atzmon’s brilliant thesis was that Zionism was not a settler colonial project and Israel was not a settler colonial state.  Good gracious no.  Israel was the product of some mysterious but long lasting elixir called ‘Jewishness’.  Jewishness explained the Holocaust and the same terrible personality defect that the Jews possessed (all except Atzmon that is) that caused the Nazis to murder them was on display once more in Israel where the Jews, once again, were behaving badly.

It would be churlish to ask whether Gays, Russian POWs, Poles, Gypsies etc. were also guilty of bad behaviour since they too suffered large casualties at the hands of the Nazis in WW2.  But for crusty reactionaries who find nothing wrong with imperialism per se but don’t go a bundle on Jews, then Atzmon is just for you.  So Sabbagh in the Q&A session made the stupid comment that since Israel is a Jewish state, then if we criticise Russians for what Russia does then why not blame the Jews for what Israel does.

I managed to get in to try and explain to the buffoon why the analogy didn’t fit.  Russians were those who lived within the borders of Russia, regardless of religion.  Not that it is a good idea to blame all Russians for the crimes of Putin but at least he is their President.  Israel is a Jewish state, in so far as being Jewish mean possessing privileges over and above the Palestinians.  It is a racist state and a state of racial supremacy.  But although it is part of the Zionist creed that Israel is a state of all Jews, including those who live in the diaspora, this is not something which is accepted by Jews outside Israel. 

When Netanyahu went to speak to the American Congress as Prime Minister he claimed to speak on behalf of American Jewry, this was not a claim accepted by most American Jews.  Only Zionists and not all of them either accept this canard.  And when he went to France after the killing of 4 Jews at a kosher supermarket he claimed to speak on behalf of French Jews.  This was not accepted by French Jews either.

As Anshel Pfeffer reported, Netanyahu stated that:

“I went to Paris not just as the prime minister of Israel but as a representative of the entire Jewish people.”

This bald statement by Benjamin Netanyahu, at a gathering of French-speaking Likud supporters in Jerusalem on Sunday, should be astonishing. He was saying that when he insisted on taking part in last month’s solidarity march of world leaders in Paris, against the wishes of French President Francois Hollande, he was acting on behalf of French Jews. He is now planning to do the same in Washington: “Just as I went to Paris, so I will go anyplace I’m invited to convey the Israeli position against those who want to kill us.”

Sabbagh's vacuous blurb

It’s not a claim that either American or French Jews accept.  It is, however one more racist Zionist trope, that Israel is the state of all Jews  It is not a minor matter either since the claim to be a Jewish state as opposed to a state of its own citizens rests upon this trope and that is fundamental to the Apartheid state of Israel.  Of course it has no legal or political basis.  No Jews outside Israel voted for the Israeli Prime Minister.  But it is an essential component of Israel and Zionism’s racist ideological superstructure.  It is therefore sad that Karl Sabbagh should effectively adopt one of Zionism’s foundational ideas and then use it for what is a cheap anti-Semitic jibe.  One would have hoped that Sabbagh would have learnt something from the stirring declaration of Ali Abunimah Granting No Quarter: A Call for the Disavowal of the Racism and Antisemitism of Gilad Atzmon, but as the saying goes it is difficult to teach an old dog new tricks.

Miko Peled

What Sabbagh had to say about the duplicity of the British in the promises they made and broke and their imperial cynicism was interesting, which is why it is a great pity that he can’t understand the poisonous and reactionary character of much of what Atzmon stands for.  However it is also a question of his wider bourgeois politics.

Ghada Karmi, who was on the same panel, spoke movingly about the attachment of the Palestinian refugees to their homeland and how many of them still possess keys to the houses they were evicted from.  Her daughter Salma Karmi-Ayyoub, who is co-chair of the Palestine Lawyers Association, spoke on Palestine and international law.

Leanne Mohammad

In the afternoon the session opened with the 16 year old star of the Jack Petchie world debating competition, who won her regional contest with a speech entitled ‘Birds not Bombs’ but then was subject to the normal vicious tweets from Zionists who abused her as ‘Miss ISIS’.  Leanne is a remarkable young woman, highly eloquent but with an excellent grasp of the difference between being Jewish and Zionist.  It’s a pity that Sabbagh isn’t able to grasp what a 16 year old takes in her stride.

Miko Peled

Miko Peled, the son of General Mattiyahu Peled, a dissident Israeli General, gave a speech that can only be described as a tour de force.  He was quite clear that Israel has no right to exist as a racist state and that its desire to claim this ‘right’ was a product of its colonial mentality.

Malia Bouattia speaking and Jonathan Rosenhead to her right

In the final session Jonathan Rosenhead spoke from Free Speech on Israel.  Jonathan outline the threat that the new IHRA definition of anti-Semitism poses to free speech, with the University of Central Lancashire having banned Israel Apartheid Week because of a misinterpretation of the law but in any event this definition poses a threat to the right to organise around Palestine.  NUS President Malia Bouattia spoke about the fight inside NUS which faced a disaffiliation campaign from the Israeli funded Union of Jewish Students, for BDS.

In all a surprisingly good conference, marred only by Sabbagh’s stupidity.  I did approach him in the interval to try and talk to him but he steamed off in a huff.  Clearly not a man who takes a rebuke lightly!

Tony Greenstein 

Palestine Solidarity Conference 2017 – The Carthorse Continues on its Leisurely Pace

Conference Strongly Critical of Lethargy Over Anti-Semitism Campaign but Executive Survives with Union Block Vote

The Conference had around 300 delegates

I've often thought that Lowes cartoon description of the TUC as a lumbering carthorse was also a good description of PSC Executive.  Its inability to react in a crisis, to map out a strategy or indeed do anything other than sloganise perfectly exemplifies Lowes slow-witted animal.

For example PSC Exec. continues to describe the Zionists' anti-Semitism campaign as being directed at the Right to Protest.  It is not, or this is not its main purpose, which is to attack politically the Palestine solidarity and anti-Zionist movement by making certain criticisms of Israel, as a Jewish state, beyond accepted bourgeois discourse.  E.g. the decision of the Home Affairs Select Committee [HASC] to recommend the criminalisation of certain discourse i.e. abusive or accusatory uses of the word 'Zionism' seem a case in point.  The equating of anti-Zionism i.e. opposition to Israel as a Jewish state with a 'hate crime' is not an attack on the right to protest so much as an attack on freedom of speech.  PSC though seems incapable of reacting politically to political attacks on the movement.

Jenny Tonge, who was forced to resign the Lib-Dem whip in the Lords, addressed the conference

The HASC's recommendation was that 'For the purposes of criminal or disciplinary investigations, use of the words ‘Zionist’ or ‘Zio’ in an accusatory or abusive context should be considered inflammatory and potentially antisemitic.'  This has nothing to do with the 'right to protest' but is a direct political attack on those would critique Zionism.  The political blinkers and caution of PSC Executive dictate that everything has to be filtered through its own political myopia.

Lowes' carthorse seems to be the model for Palestine Solidarity Campaign's Executive

PSC Conference is notoriously reluctant to censure the Executive for two main reasons – firstly the Executive can rely on ‘block votes’ from trade union affiliates who possess 3 votes in addition to a personal vote.  Secondly because activists, especially from northern branches, find it difficult and expensive to get to a London conference starting 10 am in the morning.  Most delegates therefore come from London and the South-East.   For many delegates, attending PSC Conference is their main activity of the year.

Nonetheless the Executive came under heavy criticism for having done virtually nothing during the year to stand up to the false anti-Semitism campaign mounted by the Israeli Embassy and its surrogates in this country, Labour Friends of Israel and Jewish Labour Movement.  The Zionist organisations have been invigorated by a large chunk of the $50m dollars allocated to them by the Ministry of Strategic Affairs. 

16 year old Leanne Mohammad addresses the Conference

As the third in the series of 4 programmes by Al Jazeera showed, Labour Friends of Israel received over £1m for freebies and trips by Labour MPs to Israel.  It does not cost £1m to send a group of Labour MPs over to Israel and it must be assumed that Joan Ryan MP has other plans afoot.

PSC Executive in the form of Ben Soffa, the National Secretary, admitted to having done nothing all year.  The first time they reacted was when they managed to get a question and answer sheet together on why supporting Palestine was not anti-Semitic.  That was in May 2016, a cool 5 months after the fake anti-Semitism campaign had begun with Oxford University Labour Club.  In fact it had started much earlier when Corbyn himself was accused of associating with holocaust deniers.  Yet despite the pathetic nature of PSC Executive’s response, the crucial motion on this was defeated by 89-112 votes.

Haneen Zoabi, Palestinian-Israeli member of Balad in Israel's Knesset - the subject of considerable villification including assaults by fellow Jewish Knesset members

The vote on abandoning support for a 2 States Solution in Palestine was lost by about 2-1 and the call for a more thorough going Review of PSC’s multiple failures during the year by a similar margin.  Although we lost the vote it was clear we won the debate.  No one could answer the simple question, how can we support a 2 State solution which 2/3 Palestinians have lost faith in?  How can we support a 'solution' that every Zionist organisation in this country purports to support?  The political incoherence of PSC is staggering.  It is addicted to settlements to the exclusion of everything else.

The same old stale argument that it is up to the Palestinians to decide what solution they want was trotted out.  In fact the motion didn't call for a 1 State solution but it did call for the explicit abandonment of a 2 State Solution.  Today only the Quisling Palestine Authority, which is a sub-contractor to the Israeli state, supports 2 states.  The reason why we should be quite clear is that people ask us what we would like to see.  If PSC Executive have their way we will answer that we don't know or have no answer or tell people to ask the nearest Palestinian they can find.

I stood for election and received a surprisingly high 130 votes but was not elected.   No doubt to the relief of the current Executive who wish to continue a life of indolence and inactivity for another year.  However there were a couple of people elected who did seem good, in particular Jenny from Halifax Friends of Palestine.  However PSC this year has demonstrated all its political and organisational failures in its inability to make any impression at all on the Zionist offensive.

PSC is in the hands of what might be called the political remnants of the old International Marxist Group - in particular Socialist Action, a group which operates beneath the political radar and another group Communist League, which again publishes nothing.  I have no problem with people belonging to either organisation but when their political perspectives affect the direction of PSC and lead to the organisation become hopelessly ineffective then it is a matter of concern.

PSC has some excellent branches, one of which - Brighton and Hove - I belong to.  But the national organisation is less than the sum of its parts.  The Executive is out of touch and for the most part inactive.  The new Director Ben Jamal does show signs of trying to get the organisation to overthrow its old political habits and I wish him success but I am pessimistic that he will manage to achieve this.

When Al Jazeera brought out a series of programmes ‘The Lobby’ on the dirty tricks of the Zionist groups, PSC even managed to fluff its response to that.  PSC put up a petition calling for an inquiry on its web site.  I told Ben to put it on either change.org or the Parliament web site as that way it could have an impact.  A real campaign could have been mounted to get 100,000 votes and the possibility of a debate.  In fact a petition to that effect has been put on Parliament’s web site by others.

Conference card demonstration against the destruction of Umm al-Hiran village in Naqab

By way of compensation there were two good guest speakers this year.  One Haneen Zoabi, a member of Israel’s Knesset, is probably the most vilified and loathed member of the 13 strong Joint List that was elected last year.  The Zionist parties, including of course the Israeli Labour Party has done its best to prevent her standing at all and it was only a Supreme Court decision that enabled her to stand.

Haneen described the level of racism in Israeli society.  The Expulsion Bill which went through the Knesset late last year enables the Jewish majority to expel an Arab member and in fact they are in the process of doing just that.   Balad member Basel Ghattas is at the moment under threat of expulsion for having apparently smuggled in phones to Palestinians serving long sentences in Israeli gaols.  When one of those he is alleged to have given a phone to is serving 37 years for having killed an Israeli soldier and Elor Azaria, the Kahanist soldier who executed a comatose and wounded Palestinian is not expected to serve any gaol time when he is sentenced in the near future for manslaughter (not murder as he should have been charged), you understand the ingrained nature of Israeli racism and apartheid.

The other speaker was Leanne Mohammad.  Leanne is a 16 year old Palestinian school girl who won the regional contest of the Jack Petchie speaking context for her wonderful speech ‘Birds not Bombs’ with reference to Gaza.  When news of her victory emerged, vicious Zionist trolls did what they normally do.  They racially abused her calling her ‘little Miss ISIS’.  Disgracefully and as often happens in this situation, the Jack Petchie Foundation backed down and removed her from the contest and initially her performance from the  Web.  I reported on this earlier but Leanne was on fine form when she spoke to the Conference and I have no doubt she will make a fine orator and addition to the Palestine solidarity movement in the future.

Me together with Haneen Zoabi!

We live in times when not only the right-wing and Zionists are on the offensive but the Left in the Labour Party as represented by Jeremy Corbyn is on the retreat when it comes to Palestine.  Corbyn has disgracefully spoken at two successive Labour Friends of Israel meetings at Labour Party conference and bought wholesale into the new IHRA definition of anti-Semitism which conflates anti-Semitism with anti-Zionism.

It is therefore welcome that Corbyn, who used to be a regular fixture at PSC Conferences, at least sent greetings to Conference delegates but it doesn’t make up for his backsliding all year and his retreat in the face of the Zionist attacks.  He has supported the Jewish Labour Movement rule change to the Labour Party’s constitution which would equate criticism of Zionism with anti-Semitism.  The only conclusion that can be drawn from this is either Corbyn’s long support for the Palestinians was skin deep or that he doesn’t have the backbone or the political strength to withstand the Zionist attacks.  In fact if he had stood up to their blackmail they would have backed off.  As it is Corbyn made a rod for his own back by repeatedly condemning anti-Semitism but not realising that the ‘anti-Semitism’ that the Zionists talked of was criticism of Israel not hatred of Jews.

Corbyn's use of Chakrabarti to kick the whole affair into the long grass rebounded badly on him and Chakrabarti’s Report, which was a mixed bag, was bad on Zionism, telling people that Labour had a ‘rich tradition’ of support for Zionism and that people should be careful of even using the term.  If Chakrabarti had known anything about Zionism then she would know it is in common usage amongst Zionists, for example the JLM’s director, Ella Rose was captured by Al Jazeera saying ‘I’m, a Zionist shoot me’.  Likewise the part  of Chakrabarti’s Report that said ‘Zio’ was racist was a product of her ignorance, made even worse by Corbyn’s remark that it was a ‘racial epithet’.  ‘Zio’ is short for Zionist which is a political not a racial epithet.

This has been a year when the International Law Conference at Southampton University was prevented from going ahead, when Norwich and Nottingham PSC’s had to move meetings because the original venues had been cancelled as a result of Zionist pressure, when any church holding an event involving Palestine can expect Zionist pressure, when even PSC’s own blog with the New Statesman on the web was taken down as a result of Zionist pressure.  Yet PSC Executive is incapable of mounting any campaign on these, reducing the anti-Semitism offensive to ‘the right to protest’ which it isn’t and believes the odd legal action is an adequate substitute for an effective campaign.

Leanne Mohammad

Unfortunately the Free Speech on Israel group, which was set up to oppose the Zionist offensive, has been paralysed by its own inability to draw up an effective strategy aimed at tackling the JLM and Labour Friends of Israel.  It was almost completely absent at the Conference making no intervention.  Instead despite my having parted company with it, I was left to tackle the issue it was set up to campaign on whilst just one FSOI member, Glyn Secker, spoke and then only to say that FSOI didn't need any help from PSC!

Tony Greenstein 

Uncensor British Palestinian Award Winning Schoolgirl!

Sign & Share the Petition Against These Racist Zionist Bigots Who Have Sent Hate Mail to a Young Girl

Just when I thought that the defenders of Apartheid Israel and racist Zionists couldn’t go any lower along comes the affair of Leanne Muhamad.  Leanne, who is a 15 year old school girl, a British Palestinian whose relatives are still in Gaza, spoke impassionately at the Speak Out challenge run by the Jack Petchey Foundation about her experiences.  For a 15 year old girl it was a magnificent speech.  It clearly came from the heart.  She described how her baby cousin had died of heart problems in Gaza because of Israel’s Nazi style blockade of the territory.

The main challenge seems to be how to avoid being censored by the Jack Petchey Foundation

Leanne spoke of her hopes and dreams and spoke of how terrorism had no religion.  Watch it and see for yourself.  The audience enthusiastically applauded her and she won this particular stage.  But then the censors moved in.  A particularly racist Zionist @EdgarDavidson81 complained.  The Jewish Chronicle, which is edited by the cold-war -hawk and apologist for pro-Israel anti-Semites, former Daily Express editor Stephen  Pollard, stepped into the fray.

They should add a rider - 'as long as you don't offend racists and Zionists'

Leanne has been deluged with hate mail from Zionists as a result.  Please sign the petition below and share with others so that the Jack Petchey Foundation and Wansted High School know that the overwhelming majority of British people reject Zionist censorship.

If the lies above are to be believed, the video of Leanne's speech was removed from the Jack Petchey site in order to protect her!

Leanne should go onto the finals of the speaking competition as was originally intended before the censors stepped in.

No to Zionist and Racists’ Censorship – Yes to Free Speech on Palestine

Leanne Receiving her Award - This Didn't Happen as the Jack Petchie Foundation has deleted it from its website - all in her interests as they said today

Sign the Petition in support of Leanne

Can anyone think of anything else to add?  'Don't annoy any Zios?'

Leanne Muhamad of Wansted High School won the "Speak out" challenge after giving an impressive performance to enthusiastic applause. However one day later, following complaints from the racist anti-Palestinian blogger @EdgarDavidson81 to the Speakers Trust (the charity that trains the students to take part in the Speak Out Challenge) the Jack Petchey Foundation and Wanstead High School, the judging panel have now decided “unanimously” against sending Leanne Mohamad through to the final rounds of the competition.

Leanne Muhamad

Julie Holness, CEO of the Speakers Trust, alleged that Ms Mohamad had breached 

"two fundamental rules that are made explicit during the training”. 

She said: 

“There are two fundamental rules that are made explicit during the training: the speech must have a positive and uplifting message - in fact this is one of the core terms of the agreement with the Jack Petchey Foundation [and] a speaker should never inflame or offend the audience or insult others and this, by definition, means that propaganda is ruled out absolutely from the outset.’

Given that the so-called "two fundamantal rules" are not written as Ms Holness shared them - and also were taken out of context - it is not stated anywhere about an "uplifting message" nor is it stated anywhere about "insulting others" nor any reference to "propaganda" in the topics recommended: Topics (note not rules) should be presented in a positive/constructive manner even if the subject is of a more serious or hard-hitting nature.

How Leanne was supposed to raise the death of her baby cousin who was trapped in Gaza and lacked basic medical aid due to the Apartheid blockade, positive and uplifting is macabre. She did manage to make it a part of her plea for peace and his passing has since been used against her in a cruel and malign fashion. This young person is still a minor and her cousin's death has been very upsetting and yet there are those who believe it is acceptable to slaughter thousands of children, imprison thousands more and in Britain at least censor a young person from speaking out about it in an event designed specifically for young people to speak out!

However controversial the subject, speakers are warned never to offend the audience. Given that the audience gave her a standing ovation and rousing standing ovation at that - there was no signal of offence reported or given, and given that she asked for Birds of Peace instead of Bombs and an uplifting message to free her people; as well as summarizing the traumatic past from which she at her young age has escaped; there is nothing to offend a normal audience, and nowhere is the term "others' mentioned. Also given that the speech was previously, marked voted on and won in another heat - by another panel of judges, and coached by teachers from Speakers Trust - all with no comments or remarks about its eligibility - as there was no offence and they thought it was constructive and positive - it is curious that a new panel voted against it, effectively silencing and deleting the previous panel's decision and also silencing a schoolgirl's story and plea for peace and freedom.

This petition will be delivered to:

• Trudy Kilcullen - Chief Executive Officer
  Jack Petchey Foundation

• Councillor Wanstead Council
  sheila bain

• Bob Hamlyn
  Wanstead Highschool, london

‘Speak Out’ – or ‘Shut Up’? Schoolgirl’s Nakba speech censored

UPDATED: The Jewish Chronicle erroneously reported that “Following complaints by blogger Edgar Davidson to the Speakers Trust” the decision was taken not to put her through to the grand finals. They had already taken the decision to censor her.

(Via Artists for Palestine UK)

A British Palestinian school girl, Leanne Mohamad of Wanstead High School, won the “Speak Out” challenge after giving this impressive performance to enthusiastic applause. But a day later, Speakers Trust decided Leanne will no longer be sent through to the grand final of the public speaking competition. It seems that giving a personal account of the Nakba and a plea for an end to discrimination against Palestinians is not acceptable in the UK in 2016.

Competition organisers Speakers Trust have removed the video from their website, Speak Out Challenge, and their YouTube channel. Copy below.

The Speak Out challenge is described thus: “In each one-day workshop, students take part in games and exercises to encourage them to think on their feet in a fun, interactive and safe environment. The day culminates in a ‘Speak Out’ speech contest where students can speak on any topic they feel strongly about ­– using only their voices, their words and their passion. Notes are not allowed; they must use the techniques from the training.”

The Free Speech on Israel network object to the undue influence that was imposed on Speakers Trust; 15 year old Leanne Mohamad should have been allowed to go through to the final.