Political Sycophants vs Us

When it comes to Israel, the sycophantic, formulaic utterances of Western politicians ('historic ties/shared values') in defence of the indefensible (Israeli occupation, colonisation, apartheid, racism and genocide) are depressingly familiar to us all.

What the general public thinks of Israel, however, is quite another matter.

In Canada (one of Israel's reliable figleaves, along with Australia, in the UNGA), an EKOS poll reveals that Canadians are quite open to the idea of imposing economic sanctions on Israel. The poll found that:

1) 91% of all Canadians believe that sanctions are a reasonable way for Canada to censure countries violating international law and human rights.
2) 66% of all Canadians believe that sanctions on Israel are reasonable given its violations of international law.
3) 78% of all Canadians also believe that the Palestinians' call for a boycott of Israel is reasonable.

In Canada's case the leading political sycophants singing like canaries for Israel have been the former prime minister, Stephen Harper (coming to Australia this month to sing for Israel) and the current prime minister, Justin Trudeau.

Were a similar poll conducted in Australia, I imagine the results would be much the same as in Canada.

One recent, albeit small-scale, indication that this would be the case may be found in a most unlikely place, namely, the letters page of Murdoch's fanatically Zionist rag, The Australian.

Usually the preferred forum of right-wing nutjobs and Islamophobes, the Talking Point segment of the letters page of The Australian for February 23 this year - during Netanyahu's visit to Australia, on which the paper had lavished the kind of attention and praise one might have expected for the Messiah himself - was a notable exception. Only 3 of the 12 letters published were in praise of Israel and/or its leader.

I was particularly taken with this, from Peter Marshall, Captain's Flat NSW:

"It is intellectually lazy to describe Israel as a democracy. It is a gerrymander, with apparently unrestricted immigration by people of Jewish faith or ancestry, while Palestinian refugees are unable to return to their homeland."

And this, from John Dorman, Toowoomba, Qld:

"Mr Turnbull might deplore the UN's many 'one-sided' resolutions criticising Israel. If he cares to flip the coin he might also like to comment on how Israel's first prime minister, David Ben-Gurion, saw the lie of the land: 'If I were an Arab leader, I would never sign an agreement with Israel. It is true God promised it to us, but how could that interest them? Our God is not theirs. There has been anti-Semitism, the Nazis, Hitler, Auschwitz, but was that their fault? They see but one thing: we have come and we have stolen their country'."

In The Australian, mind you!