1
"I agree, Geoff Hinds, that, on the whole, Billy Graham stuck to basic evangelical Christianity... But I disagree that he was in any way neutral in politics and other matters of U.S. policy. I recall, sometime after 1967 the film His Land, which featured Billy Graham with Cliff Richard. Based on a highly dubious theological interpretation, it had them both lauding and glorifying in the outcome of the Six-Day War in the Middle East. From my standpoint, that was one blot on the good evangelist's copybook.'' (Letter from John Boutagy, Mosman, Sydney Morning Herald, 26/2/18)
2
"On my return from the 1983 [Holy Land tour], I investigated what other evangelical-fundamentalists had said on the subject of Armageddon. In 1970, Billy Graham warned that the world is 'moving now very rapidly toward its Armageddon' and 'the present generation of young people maybe the last generation in history.'
"'Now many people ask where is Armageddon, how close are we to it?' Graham said on another occasion. 'Well, it's west of the Jordan, between Galilee and Samaria in the plane of Jezreel. And Napoleon saw that great place one time and he said,'This would make the greatest battlefield in the world.' For the Bible teaches the last great war of history will be fought in that part of the world: the Middle East!'" (Prophecy & Politics: Militant Evangelists on the Road to Nuclear War, Grace Halsell, 1986, p 28)
Tuesday, February 27, 2018
Sunday, February 25, 2018
Sheer Hypocrisy
This from the spokeswoman of the country that has used its veto in the UN Security Council 43 times to protect Israel from UNSC censure for its criminality over the decades - the last being its veto over Trump's move to recognise Jerusalem as Israel's capital:
"After fresh air and rocket strikes by regime forces on Eastern Ghouta killed a further forty-six on Thursday, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert blamed Russia for not reeling in the regime of ally Bashar al-Assad. 'Without Russia backing Syria, the devastation and the deaths would certainly not be occurring,' Ms Nauert said. 'It is a good reminder that Russia bears a unique responsibility for what is taking place there. What are they doing to stop the devastation, the deaths, the murders that are taking place in Syria?' Ms Nauert blamed Moscow for again 'throwing a wrench' into the negotiations to block the ceasefire. As diplomats wrangled over a UN vote, people in Eastern Ghouta huddled in basements while government forces pounded the enclave with rockets and bombs, turning towns into fields of ruins and even hitting hospitals." (Russia lashed for UN deadlock, AFP, AP/The Australian, 24/2/18)
Enough already.
"After fresh air and rocket strikes by regime forces on Eastern Ghouta killed a further forty-six on Thursday, US State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert blamed Russia for not reeling in the regime of ally Bashar al-Assad. 'Without Russia backing Syria, the devastation and the deaths would certainly not be occurring,' Ms Nauert said. 'It is a good reminder that Russia bears a unique responsibility for what is taking place there. What are they doing to stop the devastation, the deaths, the murders that are taking place in Syria?' Ms Nauert blamed Moscow for again 'throwing a wrench' into the negotiations to block the ceasefire. As diplomats wrangled over a UN vote, people in Eastern Ghouta huddled in basements while government forces pounded the enclave with rockets and bombs, turning towns into fields of ruins and even hitting hospitals." (Russia lashed for UN deadlock, AFP, AP/The Australian, 24/2/18)
Enough already.
Friday, February 23, 2018
Middle East 'Experts'
This tripe is passed off as "analysis" in Murdoch's The Times:
"Middle East experts used to wonder whether Bashar al-Assad was the Syrian equivalent of ruthless Michael Corleone, the savagely conflicted son of The Godfather, or his wimpy brother Fredo Corleone ('I can handle things! I'm smart!'). Seven years into a war that has left half a million corpses, 6 million Syrians internally displaced and more than 5 million as refugees abroad, Syria's President seems to be Don Corleone and Michael rolled into one." (Assad proves all Corleones are bad, no matter what the spin, Roger Boyes, The Times/The Australian, 22/02/18)
Seriously now, Roger, old chap, name one - just one! - credible "Middle East expert" that "used to wonder whether Bashar al-Assad was the Syrian equivalent of... Michael Corleone"?
Roger...?
"Middle East experts used to wonder whether Bashar al-Assad was the Syrian equivalent of ruthless Michael Corleone, the savagely conflicted son of The Godfather, or his wimpy brother Fredo Corleone ('I can handle things! I'm smart!'). Seven years into a war that has left half a million corpses, 6 million Syrians internally displaced and more than 5 million as refugees abroad, Syria's President seems to be Don Corleone and Michael rolled into one." (Assad proves all Corleones are bad, no matter what the spin, Roger Boyes, The Times/The Australian, 22/02/18)
Seriously now, Roger, old chap, name one - just one! - credible "Middle East expert" that "used to wonder whether Bashar al-Assad was the Syrian equivalent of... Michael Corleone"?
Roger...?
Wednesday, February 21, 2018
Lazy Thinking
A conversation I overheard recently went something like this:
Father: The reason I watch ABC news is it's got the time. You know in Syria 50 people were killed just before Christmas?
Son: They just don't care over there.
Father: Why do they have to have all those wars?
Son: It doesn't get 'em anywhere.
But you don't need to overhear a pair of complete bogans like these two to realise that even Sydney Morning Herald letter writers can display a total failure to think when it comes to the Middle East. The following letter comes from today's Herald:
"In among the 'news' of office affairs, backbiting business; the-sky-is-falling economic forecasts, gun violence and Middle Eastern madness comes a story of hope, determination and courage. Here's to the survival of the orange-bellied parrot and those involved in saving the little birds from extinction. (Genevieve Milton, Newtown)
No idea how long Genevieve's been around but since she's writing to a newspaper like the Herald, I'd say she's been around long enough to get her head around Iraq/Libya/Syria (regime change) and Palestine/Israel (settler-colonialism and apartheid).
Father: The reason I watch ABC news is it's got the time. You know in Syria 50 people were killed just before Christmas?
Son: They just don't care over there.
Father: Why do they have to have all those wars?
Son: It doesn't get 'em anywhere.
But you don't need to overhear a pair of complete bogans like these two to realise that even Sydney Morning Herald letter writers can display a total failure to think when it comes to the Middle East. The following letter comes from today's Herald:
"In among the 'news' of office affairs, backbiting business; the-sky-is-falling economic forecasts, gun violence and Middle Eastern madness comes a story of hope, determination and courage. Here's to the survival of the orange-bellied parrot and those involved in saving the little birds from extinction. (Genevieve Milton, Newtown)
No idea how long Genevieve's been around but since she's writing to a newspaper like the Herald, I'd say she's been around long enough to get her head around Iraq/Libya/Syria (regime change) and Palestine/Israel (settler-colonialism and apartheid).
Monday, February 19, 2018
Great Moments in Qur'anic Commentary
Oh wow:
"Tamim Khaja, 20, who has pleaded guilty to doing an act in preparation for, or planning a terrorist act, had scoped out potential target buildings in Sydney including the Parramatta District Court precinct and Timor Army Barracks... Khaja had said he was motivated not by watching YouTube videos but 'straight from the verses of Koran... Khaja [also] said he would keep in mind that 'it's happening for the sake of Allah' if anyone comes in his way. 'So I'm not going to stop firing. I'm not going to stop firing wallahi [I swear to Allah]. If there's like a two-month-old baby... I wouldn't buckle in that situation, akhi'. " (Terrorist talk was like 'planning a picnic', says judge, AAP/ Sydney Morning Herald, 17/2/18)
Hey, all of you illustrious Qur'anic commentators of the past, it's time to move over! Yes, that includes you Sahl at-Tustari of Basra (d. 896), Ibn al-'Arabi of Andalus (d. 1092), and 'Imad ad-Din Isma'il b. Kathir of Damascus (d. 1373).
There's a new boy on the block from Sydney, Australia, and his Qur'anic commentary is, like, amaaazing.. I mean, who'd have thought you could get the Parramatta District Court precinct, the Timor Army Barracks and distracting, two-month-old babies out of the Qur'an? All that, and he wears a reverse baseball cap too.
"Tamim Khaja, 20, who has pleaded guilty to doing an act in preparation for, or planning a terrorist act, had scoped out potential target buildings in Sydney including the Parramatta District Court precinct and Timor Army Barracks... Khaja had said he was motivated not by watching YouTube videos but 'straight from the verses of Koran... Khaja [also] said he would keep in mind that 'it's happening for the sake of Allah' if anyone comes in his way. 'So I'm not going to stop firing. I'm not going to stop firing wallahi [I swear to Allah]. If there's like a two-month-old baby... I wouldn't buckle in that situation, akhi'. " (Terrorist talk was like 'planning a picnic', says judge, AAP/ Sydney Morning Herald, 17/2/18)
Hey, all of you illustrious Qur'anic commentators of the past, it's time to move over! Yes, that includes you Sahl at-Tustari of Basra (d. 896), Ibn al-'Arabi of Andalus (d. 1092), and 'Imad ad-Din Isma'il b. Kathir of Damascus (d. 1373).
There's a new boy on the block from Sydney, Australia, and his Qur'anic commentary is, like, amaaazing.. I mean, who'd have thought you could get the Parramatta District Court precinct, the Timor Army Barracks and distracting, two-month-old babies out of the Qur'an? All that, and he wears a reverse baseball cap too.
Sunday, February 18, 2018
Meanwhile, Back at Sydney's Holocaust Museum:
"The new Holocaust and Human Rights exhibition completes the museum's refurbishment and looks at issues of disability, refugee, Indigenous and LGBTQI rights in Australia. A space contains a series of tables focusing on human rights achievements and challenges while a timeline notes major human rights developments and violations.
"While the timeline notes the Rohingya crisis, the partition of India, the Howard government's 2001 Pacific Solution, in which asylum seekers are processed offshore, and Kevin Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generation, it makes no mention of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"Project director Abril Alva said the issue was complex for the museum and the Jewish community, and a decision was taken to address it through education and public programs." (Museum defends omission at exhibition, Linda Morris, Sydney Morning Herald, 16/2/18)
And good on Fairfax journalist, Linda Morris, for raising the matter.
"While the timeline notes the Rohingya crisis, the partition of India, the Howard government's 2001 Pacific Solution, in which asylum seekers are processed offshore, and Kevin Rudd's apology to the Stolen Generation, it makes no mention of the ongoing Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
"Project director Abril Alva said the issue was complex for the museum and the Jewish community, and a decision was taken to address it through education and public programs." (Museum defends omission at exhibition, Linda Morris, Sydney Morning Herald, 16/2/18)
And good on Fairfax journalist, Linda Morris, for raising the matter.
Saturday, February 17, 2018
The Smile
Most interesting:
"After escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran last weekend, the ABC gave Iranian academic Mohammad Marandi an unfiltered platform on Monday morning to peddle Iranian propaganda about Israel on Radio National's Breakfast. Marandi is a well-heeled apologist for the Islamic Republic who teaches American and postcolonial studies at the University of Tehran. Softly spoken with a smile like moonlight on a tomb-stone... " (Iranian slander against Israel goes unchallenged on ABC, Andrew Hastie, The Australian, 14/2/18)
Andrew Hastie, yet another ex-soldier gone on to serve his country in federal parliament, is, you'll recall, the member for Canning, WA. Now quite how he can detect Marandi's smile while listening to him on radio (not to mention the fact that he's wearing boots!) I leave for someone else to puzzle over.
My interest here is that wonderful simile he's deployed. Seems like there's a poet in the man! Is Hastie following in the footsteps, I wonder, of that other literary WA MP, Dennis Jensen? (See my 7/4/16 post Dennis Jensen MP: More Space Cadet than Sky Warrior)
Frankly, Hastie's inspired me. Next time I hear Fran Kelly interview an Israeli apologist for Israel, like Hastie maybe I'll actually get to see his smile and can describe it thus - with a smile like white phosphorus falling on a Gaza slum - or maybe thus - with a smile like that of the Israeli sniper who put a bullet between the eyes of Gaza's Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh.
Feel free to try to write your own.
"After escalating hostilities between Israel and Iran last weekend, the ABC gave Iranian academic Mohammad Marandi an unfiltered platform on Monday morning to peddle Iranian propaganda about Israel on Radio National's Breakfast. Marandi is a well-heeled apologist for the Islamic Republic who teaches American and postcolonial studies at the University of Tehran. Softly spoken with a smile like moonlight on a tomb-stone... " (Iranian slander against Israel goes unchallenged on ABC, Andrew Hastie, The Australian, 14/2/18)
Andrew Hastie, yet another ex-soldier gone on to serve his country in federal parliament, is, you'll recall, the member for Canning, WA. Now quite how he can detect Marandi's smile while listening to him on radio (not to mention the fact that he's wearing boots!) I leave for someone else to puzzle over.
My interest here is that wonderful simile he's deployed. Seems like there's a poet in the man! Is Hastie following in the footsteps, I wonder, of that other literary WA MP, Dennis Jensen? (See my 7/4/16 post Dennis Jensen MP: More Space Cadet than Sky Warrior)
Frankly, Hastie's inspired me. Next time I hear Fran Kelly interview an Israeli apologist for Israel, like Hastie maybe I'll actually get to see his smile and can describe it thus - with a smile like white phosphorus falling on a Gaza slum - or maybe thus - with a smile like that of the Israeli sniper who put a bullet between the eyes of Gaza's Ibrahim Abu Thurayeh.
Feel free to try to write your own.
Thursday, February 15, 2018
Caliphate 'Exactly Like Israel'
An oldie but a goldie:
Man: Why do Muslims need a caliphate? Why?
Man: OK, I'll give you an example: Israel, a Jewish state, and the one who wants to go and live in Israel, they go and live in Israel. They come from Russia, they come from Europe, they come from everywhere. They've got this Israeli state. Khilafah would be like a country. Exactly like Israel, and the Jews go to Israel from all over the world. It's not like what people think - they're going to be cutting hands, they're killing people and lashing women and men. No, it's not like that. Islamic khilafah, it's a very fair thing. It's very fair.
David Rutledge: More voices from the streets of Melbourne, talking there with Michael Nassar. (Dreaming of the caliphate, Encounter, abc.net.au, 11/10/14)
Man: Why do Muslims need a caliphate? Why?
Man: OK, I'll give you an example: Israel, a Jewish state, and the one who wants to go and live in Israel, they go and live in Israel. They come from Russia, they come from Europe, they come from everywhere. They've got this Israeli state. Khilafah would be like a country. Exactly like Israel, and the Jews go to Israel from all over the world. It's not like what people think - they're going to be cutting hands, they're killing people and lashing women and men. No, it's not like that. Islamic khilafah, it's a very fair thing. It's very fair.
David Rutledge: More voices from the streets of Melbourne, talking there with Michael Nassar. (Dreaming of the caliphate, Encounter, abc.net.au, 11/10/14)
Wednesday, February 14, 2018
Did Adam Bandt Really Need to Apologise to Jim Molan?
"Liberal senator Jim Molan has refused to accept the apology of the Greens MP who questioned his military record in Iraq, insisting his threat of defamation is still on the table. Melbourne Greens MP Adam Bandt suggested in a TV interview on Wednesday the senator may have committed war crimes during the battle for Fallujah. Senator Molan, a retired major-general who served as the chief of operations of the US-led coalition forces in Iraq, quickly threatened to pursue the Greens MP to the courts for defamation." (Greens MP Adam Bandt has apologised for questioning Liberal senator Jim Molan's military action in Iraq, after been threatened with defamation, sbs.com.au, 9/2/18)
If Adam Bandt had read the following text - IOW, if he'd done his homework - maybe he wouldn't have been intimidated into issuing his apology:
"The siege of Fallujah, carried out by US forces upon a mainly civilian population, contravened 70 individual articles of the Geneva Conventions.
"The US, an original signatory to the Conventions, is in its activities in Iraq currently in breach of nearly every major area of concern identified by them...Those in command have chosen to drive a tank trough a century and a half of delicately crafted regulations on the treatment of those involved in conflict...The Conventions are the basis of international law in times of war, and not a simple formality or series of guidelines; the American actions in Fallujah are therefore grave indeed."(The Siege of Fallujah and the Geneva Conventions, Jonathan Holmes, quoted in Fallujah; Eyewitness testimony from Iraq's besieged city, Jonathan Holmes, 2007, pp 112-13)
If Adam Bandt had read the following text - IOW, if he'd done his homework - maybe he wouldn't have been intimidated into issuing his apology:
"The siege of Fallujah, carried out by US forces upon a mainly civilian population, contravened 70 individual articles of the Geneva Conventions.
"The US, an original signatory to the Conventions, is in its activities in Iraq currently in breach of nearly every major area of concern identified by them...Those in command have chosen to drive a tank trough a century and a half of delicately crafted regulations on the treatment of those involved in conflict...The Conventions are the basis of international law in times of war, and not a simple formality or series of guidelines; the American actions in Fallujah are therefore grave indeed."(The Siege of Fallujah and the Geneva Conventions, Jonathan Holmes, quoted in Fallujah; Eyewitness testimony from Iraq's besieged city, Jonathan Holmes, 2007, pp 112-13)
Tuesday, February 13, 2018
WAPO/SMH Portrays Israel as Innocent Bystander in Syria
"The Syrian war has seen no shortage of twists this year, but this weekend, it saw one of its most consequential. Despite its proximity, Israel has largely stood on the sidelines over the past seven years. Saturday's airstrike suggests it may soon end up sucked into a conflict that is looking increasingly chaotic." (Biggest step yet, but what's next, analysis, Adam Taylor, Washington Post/Sydney Morning Herald, 12/2/18)
Have you ever read such bullshit? Israel, which violates Syrian and Lebanese airspace regularly and routinely attacks what it calls 'Hezbollah supply convoys' in Syria, has "largely stood on the sidelines"? Seriously?
Now see how this WAPO hack, Adam Taylor, then contradicts himself:
"Still, Israel has conducted dozens of covert airstrikes against Hezbollah weapons convoys in Syria."
Moreover, that sentence is immediately preceded by this one:
"Israel has little reason to support the Islamic State or al-Qaida-aligned Islamist groups that became Syria's primary rivals."*
Can Taylor seriouly be unaware of the much publicised Israeli hospital which patches up jihadis operating in Syria?
Far out...
[*"A former leader of Syria's Al-Qaeda branch commended Israel for striking Syria on Saturday, after the Assad regime shot down an Israeli F-161 fighter jet." (Al Qaeda leader praises Israeli strike on Syria, israelnationalnews.com, 2/11/18)]
Have you ever read such bullshit? Israel, which violates Syrian and Lebanese airspace regularly and routinely attacks what it calls 'Hezbollah supply convoys' in Syria, has "largely stood on the sidelines"? Seriously?
Now see how this WAPO hack, Adam Taylor, then contradicts himself:
"Still, Israel has conducted dozens of covert airstrikes against Hezbollah weapons convoys in Syria."
Moreover, that sentence is immediately preceded by this one:
"Israel has little reason to support the Islamic State or al-Qaida-aligned Islamist groups that became Syria's primary rivals."*
Can Taylor seriouly be unaware of the much publicised Israeli hospital which patches up jihadis operating in Syria?
Far out...
[*"A former leader of Syria's Al-Qaeda branch commended Israel for striking Syria on Saturday, after the Assad regime shot down an Israeli F-161 fighter jet." (Al Qaeda leader praises Israeli strike on Syria, israelnationalnews.com, 2/11/18)]
Monday, February 12, 2018
Off the Top of Greg Sheridan's Head
In case you were wondering at Greg Sheridan's lengthy absence from the pages of The Australian, that rag's foreign affairs editor has been on a junket to the Jaipur Literary Festival in Rajasthan. Here are some priceless thoughts by this notorious Israel luvvie on the subject of said event. Talk about off the top of his head!:
"The event is the brain child of that British lover of all things Indian, William Dalrymple, whose books about India are very good. When he strays beyond India, he's not so reliable." (The Forum, Weekend Australian Review, 10/2/218)
"The main festival site was overwhelming enough. There were nearly 20 000 people there on the day I participated in panels morning and night. I had run into the Indian politician, Shashi Tharoor, in Delhi a few days earlier. He is a kind of Indian Boris Johnson, immensely clever, flamboyant, probably too witty and humorous to be completely successful in mainstream politics, and he seems to write a new book every other month."
Truly, this goose isn't worthy to tie either Dalrymple's or Tharoor's bootstraps.
"The event is the brain child of that British lover of all things Indian, William Dalrymple, whose books about India are very good. When he strays beyond India, he's not so reliable." (The Forum, Weekend Australian Review, 10/2/218)
"The main festival site was overwhelming enough. There were nearly 20 000 people there on the day I participated in panels morning and night. I had run into the Indian politician, Shashi Tharoor, in Delhi a few days earlier. He is a kind of Indian Boris Johnson, immensely clever, flamboyant, probably too witty and humorous to be completely successful in mainstream politics, and he seems to write a new book every other month."
Truly, this goose isn't worthy to tie either Dalrymple's or Tharoor's bootstraps.
Friday, February 9, 2018
You Must Read These Books!
Here's a review by novelist, Selma Dabbagh, at Electronic Intifada, of two books that should be read by every serious student of Palestinian history:
Radio National's Clueless Fran Kelly
Radio National's Fran Kelly interviews Robbie Sabel, an Israeli professor of international law at the Hebrew University and - ahem - former adviser to the Israeli foreign affairs ministry (Israel issues deportation notices for African migrants, 7/2/18).
Throughout the entire interview, Kelly makes no reference whatever to Israel's expulsion of Palestinian refugees, driven out of their homeland in 1948, and again in 1967, for one reason and one reason only: they were not Jews. Nor does she pick up on the word 'infiltrator', introduced by Sabel. Kelly clearly has no idea that any Palestinian refugee who tried to return was shot on sight as an 'infiltrator'. She is clearly clueless that African refugees, for Sabel and most other Israelis, Africans are simply non-Jews and therefore unwelcome in a Zionist, Jews-only state. Zionism's been around for over 100 years but this simple fact hasn't registered with Fran Kelly:
Fran Kelly: Uganda is denying reports that it's done a deal with Israeli PM Netanyahu to accept thousands more refugees from Sudan and Eritrea who are facing deportation from Israel... Robbie Sabel, why has Israel decided to deport thousands of men, Eritreans and Sudanese, many of whom have been seeking asylum... in Israel for some years now?
Robbie Sabel: Well, these people are not political refugees... Israel is a tiny country which can't absorb large numbers of these people.
FK: Robbie, can I just clarify... when you say they're not political refugees have they been assessed as genuine political refugees?
RS: Everybody who requests political asylum we assess and do not deport until the assessment is finished.
FK: So some have been living there for years. How long have they had their assessment done and have they been deemed to be genuine refugees?
RS: Most of them haven't been given but those who have requested political asylum. there's a backlog and it takes a long time but we do asses them... BTW, even political refugees can be deported but not to a country where they're liable to be persecuted.
FK: So why is Israel doing this now? You say it's about the numbers. How many are we talking about?
RS: Twenty thousand.
FK: That's not very many, is it?
RS: But we're allowing people with families and children to stay. We're talking only about single men and they've moved into the poorer parts of Tel Aviv and it's causing social unrest... And there has been political pressure in Israel to refuse to allow these people to stay permanently.
FK: Where's this pressure coming from?
RS: From the population of Tel Aviv... They say tiny little Israel can't solve the problems of the terrible situation in some African countries.
FK: Nevertheless it does seem there is something else going on here rather than just worrying about the numbers. The language being used. The government is describing some of these people as infiltrators. What is that supposed to mean?
RS: Well, legally they are. They entered the country illegally. In other words, they didn't request visas. They passed into Israel illegally. So legally they are infiltrators... But we don't deport them to countries where they're likely to be persecuted, like Sudan and Eritrea. However, African countries where there's no danger of persecution and they're wanting to go and the countries will accept them we do so.
FK: The countries you're talking about, I've heard Rwanda, Uganda, these are poor countries. Why would other African countries accept these people?
RS: Well, Rwanda had accepted nearly 180 000... These people come with a small sum and Israel is very happy to find a country. Presumably, if Canada or Australia is willing to accept them, we might support them there.
FK: Is this a bit of a moral dilemma for many in Israel [!!!], a state founded as a safe haven for Jews fleeing from persecution [!!!]... And here is it chucking out people who come seeking sanctuary. Is that causing a moral debate within your country?
RS: It is causing a moral debate, although these people are not political refugees. They're economic refugees but the mere fact of expelling people is not pleasant... But when it becomes large numbers, 50,000, we have a problem. This is not people being sent to concentration camps. People come here seeking work and they're leaving with a small sum.
FK: I understand there is resistance from some in the community. People are offering to take in migrants.
RS: There is. In fact, as an Israeli I am proud of the people of Israel. Israel is an open, democratic society but logically and economically Israel can't absorb enormous amounts of people who would prefer to work in a prosperous Israel.
FK: What is the population of Israel?
RS: It's about 8m now.
FK: So twenty thousand in 8m, is that really such a threat?
RS: No it's not, but if 50,000 is already a problem and we continue to allow them to come in it would be a problem.
FK: But it's already slowing. Israel built a fence over the past few years on the border with Egypt.
RS: The fence is just the border. If Sinai becomes peaceful again, we might see this issue. Israel can't absorb enormous numbers of refugees.
Throughout the entire interview, Kelly makes no reference whatever to Israel's expulsion of Palestinian refugees, driven out of their homeland in 1948, and again in 1967, for one reason and one reason only: they were not Jews. Nor does she pick up on the word 'infiltrator', introduced by Sabel. Kelly clearly has no idea that any Palestinian refugee who tried to return was shot on sight as an 'infiltrator'. She is clearly clueless that African refugees, for Sabel and most other Israelis, Africans are simply non-Jews and therefore unwelcome in a Zionist, Jews-only state. Zionism's been around for over 100 years but this simple fact hasn't registered with Fran Kelly:
Fran Kelly: Uganda is denying reports that it's done a deal with Israeli PM Netanyahu to accept thousands more refugees from Sudan and Eritrea who are facing deportation from Israel... Robbie Sabel, why has Israel decided to deport thousands of men, Eritreans and Sudanese, many of whom have been seeking asylum... in Israel for some years now?
Robbie Sabel: Well, these people are not political refugees... Israel is a tiny country which can't absorb large numbers of these people.
FK: Robbie, can I just clarify... when you say they're not political refugees have they been assessed as genuine political refugees?
RS: Everybody who requests political asylum we assess and do not deport until the assessment is finished.
FK: So some have been living there for years. How long have they had their assessment done and have they been deemed to be genuine refugees?
RS: Most of them haven't been given but those who have requested political asylum. there's a backlog and it takes a long time but we do asses them... BTW, even political refugees can be deported but not to a country where they're liable to be persecuted.
FK: So why is Israel doing this now? You say it's about the numbers. How many are we talking about?
RS: Twenty thousand.
FK: That's not very many, is it?
RS: But we're allowing people with families and children to stay. We're talking only about single men and they've moved into the poorer parts of Tel Aviv and it's causing social unrest... And there has been political pressure in Israel to refuse to allow these people to stay permanently.
FK: Where's this pressure coming from?
RS: From the population of Tel Aviv... They say tiny little Israel can't solve the problems of the terrible situation in some African countries.
FK: Nevertheless it does seem there is something else going on here rather than just worrying about the numbers. The language being used. The government is describing some of these people as infiltrators. What is that supposed to mean?
RS: Well, legally they are. They entered the country illegally. In other words, they didn't request visas. They passed into Israel illegally. So legally they are infiltrators... But we don't deport them to countries where they're likely to be persecuted, like Sudan and Eritrea. However, African countries where there's no danger of persecution and they're wanting to go and the countries will accept them we do so.
FK: The countries you're talking about, I've heard Rwanda, Uganda, these are poor countries. Why would other African countries accept these people?
RS: Well, Rwanda had accepted nearly 180 000... These people come with a small sum and Israel is very happy to find a country. Presumably, if Canada or Australia is willing to accept them, we might support them there.
FK: Is this a bit of a moral dilemma for many in Israel [!!!], a state founded as a safe haven for Jews fleeing from persecution [!!!]... And here is it chucking out people who come seeking sanctuary. Is that causing a moral debate within your country?
RS: It is causing a moral debate, although these people are not political refugees. They're economic refugees but the mere fact of expelling people is not pleasant... But when it becomes large numbers, 50,000, we have a problem. This is not people being sent to concentration camps. People come here seeking work and they're leaving with a small sum.
FK: I understand there is resistance from some in the community. People are offering to take in migrants.
RS: There is. In fact, as an Israeli I am proud of the people of Israel. Israel is an open, democratic society but logically and economically Israel can't absorb enormous amounts of people who would prefer to work in a prosperous Israel.
FK: What is the population of Israel?
RS: It's about 8m now.
FK: So twenty thousand in 8m, is that really such a threat?
RS: No it's not, but if 50,000 is already a problem and we continue to allow them to come in it would be a problem.
FK: But it's already slowing. Israel built a fence over the past few years on the border with Egypt.
RS: The fence is just the border. If Sinai becomes peaceful again, we might see this issue. Israel can't absorb enormous numbers of refugees.
Wednesday, February 7, 2018
Another 'Clanking Colonel' Enters Federal Politics
Beware the entry of 'clanking colonels' (Bob Carr's phrase for Labor's Colonel Mike Kelly at the time of the 2003 Ashrawi affair) into Australia's federal parliament. It's yet another indication of Australia's appalling decline into USraeli-style reaction, bigotry and sabre-rattling:
"New Liberal senator Jim Molan is making no apology for using social media to share inflammatory anti-Muslim videos from Britain First - the same racist hate group Donald Trump was widely condemned for promoting. Labor has accused Senator Molan of stoking racism and bigotry and the Islamophobic Register of Australia says his actions are dangerous. Senator Molan admits that he cannot verify whether the videos are real [!!!] or whether they really show Muslim violence as Britain First claims but has strongly rejected the racism claims." (No apology by new senator, Adam Gartrell, Sydney Morning Herald, 6/2/18)
Now cop this from the man who has defended Israel's 2008-09 Operation Cast Lead, contributed to the Israeli propaganda offensive against the UN's Goldstone Report, perpetrated Operation Fury against the Iraqi City of Fallujah in 2004, and can see no difference between a Palestinian resistance organisation such as Hamas and a global organisation such as al-Qaida:
"I've put my life on the line for major Islamic, Muslim countries in this world. And I find it deeply offensive that this cheapo back at me has come out on day one,' the former major-general told the ABC..."
"New Liberal senator Jim Molan is making no apology for using social media to share inflammatory anti-Muslim videos from Britain First - the same racist hate group Donald Trump was widely condemned for promoting. Labor has accused Senator Molan of stoking racism and bigotry and the Islamophobic Register of Australia says his actions are dangerous. Senator Molan admits that he cannot verify whether the videos are real [!!!] or whether they really show Muslim violence as Britain First claims but has strongly rejected the racism claims." (No apology by new senator, Adam Gartrell, Sydney Morning Herald, 6/2/18)
Now cop this from the man who has defended Israel's 2008-09 Operation Cast Lead, contributed to the Israeli propaganda offensive against the UN's Goldstone Report, perpetrated Operation Fury against the Iraqi City of Fallujah in 2004, and can see no difference between a Palestinian resistance organisation such as Hamas and a global organisation such as al-Qaida:
"I've put my life on the line for major Islamic, Muslim countries in this world. And I find it deeply offensive that this cheapo back at me has come out on day one,' the former major-general told the ABC..."
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