The news this week that the Metropolitan Police are trying to move the next pro-Palestine march away from a central London synagogue made me think of a comment made by US Secretary of State Anthony Blinken to the New York Times recently about the protests over the war in Gaza:
It should not be controversial to call Hamas a terrorist organisation that committed atrocities on October 7th. It should not be controversial to call for Hamas to release the hostages.
I don't think it is a minority of people on the PSC marches that are antisemitic. I cannot think of a comparable act of terrorism that would not be widely condemned, had it not happened in Israel. This isn't about extremists on marches. The first word that many spoke on October 7th was Gaza. Not a single word about the those kidnapped, raped and murdered. No compassion shown for their families.
This is because the majority of those marching do not think that the only Jewish state should exist. They believe it should never have been created. There is no other country in the world described in these terms.
This is why protestors are happy to match alongside terrorist supporters, and when asked to condemn Hamas, refuse to do so. This is why the PSC refuses to re route a march, or call out those who wrote Free Palestine at Golder's Green station, or stick a Palestinian flag over the star of David on Amy Winehouse's statue.
This is the everyday hate that you so eloquently talk about Dave. I encourage others to read your book, those that really need to read it.
Yes, let's not forget the chants "Houthis, Houthis make us proud. Turn another ship around" in praise of the uber-misogynistic slave-trading Shi'ite fanatics responsible for the destruction of one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world in their bid to destabilize the fragile government of one of the poorest countries in the world, where 80% of the population is dependent on aid and there really was and still is widespread famine. That's the sort of "humanitarianism" driving the organizers of these demos, and the remaining hard core of participants.
We don't 'have to ask" what PSC is trying to achieve. We know very well.
As for Blinken, how disingenuous of him to express surprise at people and govts around the world following his and Biden's example.
"How it is that we haven’t seen a greater sustained condemnation and pressure on Hamas to stop what it started and to end the suffering of people that it initiated,” he asks? Because the Biden administration's policy, which you, Mr Blinken not only supported but by your own admission *pushed* Biden to adopt, repeatedly chose to 'put daylight" between America and Israel, and focus your attention on criticising Israel and slow-walking or threatening to slow-walk supply instead of on pressuring Hamas.
There was so much you could have done. Sanction Hamas leaders, sanction Iran, defund the PA (which incentivises terror, and which promised to extend pay-for-slay payments to the Oct 7 genocide force), pressure allies to vote to condemn Hamas, threaten to defund Egypt for refusing to let Gazans out, pressure and investigate aid agencies for collaborating with terror...
The Red Cross, for example, which utterly failed to visit the hostages or even regularly raise their plight but which demanded to vist the Oct 7 prisoners in high-security Israeli jails so they could certify the documentation for their pay-to-slay payments from the PA. (Hardly surprising when you recall that the current ICRC head Krahenbuhl is an ex-head of terrorist-entwined UNRWA.)
In fairness, the ICRC doesn't negotiate or otherwise intervene with entities holding hostages, Israeli or otherwise.
There is no mystery as to why PSC and other organizations holding these faux "ceasefire" demos. They are mainly sad that the all-out war Hamas tried to inflict on Israel hasn't worked out as planned.
Firstly, that's not true. For one thing, Israel is not holding hostages. For another, the ICRC *has* approached Israel to let them meet the Nukba terrorists being held in Israeli jails, and approached the UN and western countries to pressure Israel on this point. But since ICRC prisoner-visits are a prerequisite to receiving PA pay-for-slay payments, Israel has very sensibly refused.
Secondly, the ICRC may not have the power to persuade Hamas to let them visit the hostages, but they do have the power to raise it internationally, for instance by holding press conferences, by publicly counting the days of captivity, or by pressing the UN and individual nations to censure Hamas. They haven't done this. They've barely ever even mentioned the plight of the hostages; their "humanitarian" efforts have been directed towards Gazans.
Thirdly, the hostage families have said that ICRC wouldn't even allow them to give ICRC medicines that their kidnapped family-members needed, but berated them instead, saying they should care about the Gazan civilians rather than their own families.
Where did I suggest that Israel is holding hostages? I only stated that the ICRC doesn't act as a mediator between the hostage holder and the state whose citizens are being held.
Your first sentence was ambiguous, and your meaning didn't come through accurately. Your explanation indicates that you intended for "Israelis" to refer to "hostages" but it could also be read as referring to "entities", which is how I took it.
But the rest of my answer stands. With regard to safeguarding the welfare of the Israeli hostages, ICRC elected not to use the tools it has available.
It's an identity problem for the Muslim communities in the West. After a generation or two living in Germany, England, Sweden et al, they speak broken Arabic or Pashto (at best). They no longer feel totally Arab or Afghan and they definitely don't feel German or British. They are adrift. They cling to their only source of identity: Islam. And the more extreme, the more satisfying. True in America too (partly), but a MUCH bigger problem in Europe because Europe lacks America's melting pot tradition.
It should not be controversial to call Hamas a terrorist organisation that committed atrocities on October 7th. It should not be controversial to call for Hamas to release the hostages.
I don't think it is a minority of people on the PSC marches that are antisemitic. I cannot think of a comparable act of terrorism that would not be widely condemned, had it not happened in Israel. This isn't about extremists on marches. The first word that many spoke on October 7th was Gaza. Not a single word about the those kidnapped, raped and murdered. No compassion shown for their families.
This is because the majority of those marching do not think that the only Jewish state should exist. They believe it should never have been created. There is no other country in the world described in these terms.
This is why protestors are happy to match alongside terrorist supporters, and when asked to condemn Hamas, refuse to do so. This is why the PSC refuses to re route a march, or call out those who wrote Free Palestine at Golder's Green station, or stick a Palestinian flag over the star of David on Amy Winehouse's statue.
This is the everyday hate that you so eloquently talk about Dave. I encourage others to read your book, those that really need to read it.
Yes, let's not forget the chants "Houthis, Houthis make us proud. Turn another ship around" in praise of the uber-misogynistic slave-trading Shi'ite fanatics responsible for the destruction of one of the oldest Jewish communities in the world in their bid to destabilize the fragile government of one of the poorest countries in the world, where 80% of the population is dependent on aid and there really was and still is widespread famine. That's the sort of "humanitarianism" driving the organizers of these demos, and the remaining hard core of participants.
We don't 'have to ask" what PSC is trying to achieve. We know very well.
As for Blinken, how disingenuous of him to express surprise at people and govts around the world following his and Biden's example.
"How it is that we haven’t seen a greater sustained condemnation and pressure on Hamas to stop what it started and to end the suffering of people that it initiated,” he asks? Because the Biden administration's policy, which you, Mr Blinken not only supported but by your own admission *pushed* Biden to adopt, repeatedly chose to 'put daylight" between America and Israel, and focus your attention on criticising Israel and slow-walking or threatening to slow-walk supply instead of on pressuring Hamas.
There was so much you could have done. Sanction Hamas leaders, sanction Iran, defund the PA (which incentivises terror, and which promised to extend pay-for-slay payments to the Oct 7 genocide force), pressure allies to vote to condemn Hamas, threaten to defund Egypt for refusing to let Gazans out, pressure and investigate aid agencies for collaborating with terror...
The Red Cross, for example, which utterly failed to visit the hostages or even regularly raise their plight but which demanded to vist the Oct 7 prisoners in high-security Israeli jails so they could certify the documentation for their pay-to-slay payments from the PA. (Hardly surprising when you recall that the current ICRC head Krahenbuhl is an ex-head of terrorist-entwined UNRWA.)
In fairness, the ICRC doesn't negotiate or otherwise intervene with entities holding hostages, Israeli or otherwise.
There is no mystery as to why PSC and other organizations holding these faux "ceasefire" demos. They are mainly sad that the all-out war Hamas tried to inflict on Israel hasn't worked out as planned.
Firstly, that's not true. For one thing, Israel is not holding hostages. For another, the ICRC *has* approached Israel to let them meet the Nukba terrorists being held in Israeli jails, and approached the UN and western countries to pressure Israel on this point. But since ICRC prisoner-visits are a prerequisite to receiving PA pay-for-slay payments, Israel has very sensibly refused.
Secondly, the ICRC may not have the power to persuade Hamas to let them visit the hostages, but they do have the power to raise it internationally, for instance by holding press conferences, by publicly counting the days of captivity, or by pressing the UN and individual nations to censure Hamas. They haven't done this. They've barely ever even mentioned the plight of the hostages; their "humanitarian" efforts have been directed towards Gazans.
Thirdly, the hostage families have said that ICRC wouldn't even allow them to give ICRC medicines that their kidnapped family-members needed, but berated them instead, saying they should care about the Gazan civilians rather than their own families.
Where did I suggest that Israel is holding hostages? I only stated that the ICRC doesn't act as a mediator between the hostage holder and the state whose citizens are being held.
Your first sentence was ambiguous, and your meaning didn't come through accurately. Your explanation indicates that you intended for "Israelis" to refer to "hostages" but it could also be read as referring to "entities", which is how I took it.
But the rest of my answer stands. With regard to safeguarding the welfare of the Israeli hostages, ICRC elected not to use the tools it has available.
It's an identity problem for the Muslim communities in the West. After a generation or two living in Germany, England, Sweden et al, they speak broken Arabic or Pashto (at best). They no longer feel totally Arab or Afghan and they definitely don't feel German or British. They are adrift. They cling to their only source of identity: Islam. And the more extreme, the more satisfying. True in America too (partly), but a MUCH bigger problem in Europe because Europe lacks America's melting pot tradition.
EK FUCKING SCUSE ME
The way Israel has conducted itself? Did he really say that! Well Blinken and my former Priminister must be bosom buddies, kissing cousins...........
That is the most ignorant and false gaslighting statement anyone could make.
Pointe Finale
So what minority group is the PSC going to march against and harass next?
Gays Naturally