Comments on: Obsessed (2): The Question of Rape http://blog.z-word.com/2008/11/obsessed-2-the-question-of-rape/ Commentary about Zionism, anti-Zionism, antisemitism and the conflict in the Middle East Mon, 21 May 2012 14:39:13 +0000 http://wordpress.org/?v=2.5-RC1.1 By: shriber http://blog.z-word.com/2008/11/obsessed-2-the-question-of-rape/#comment-1900 shriber Tue, 04 Nov 2008 02:04:50 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=476#comment-1900 "As Eamonn and you point out, it’s an “obsession” to look the other way when it comes to any suffering that is not somehow attributable to Israel – and real people, millions of them, pay dearly for this obsession that some of the media so willingly feed." Directly or indirectly antisemitism always lead to the suffering of more than the Jews. We should never forget that in order to exterminate the Jewish people the Nazis ended up killing many more non Jews than Jews. Hence the antisemitic obsession should be of concern to more than just Jewish people. “As Eamonn and you point out, it’s an “obsession” to look the other way when it comes to any suffering that is not somehow attributable to Israel – and real people, millions of them, pay dearly for this obsession that some of the media so willingly feed.”

Directly or indirectly antisemitism always lead to the suffering of more than the Jews.

We should never forget that in order to exterminate the Jewish people the Nazis ended up killing many more non Jews than Jews.

Hence the antisemitic obsession should be of concern to more than just Jewish people.

]]> By: Petra http://blog.z-word.com/2008/11/obsessed-2-the-question-of-rape/#comment-1895 Petra Mon, 03 Nov 2008 22:40:06 +0000 http://blog.z-word.com/?p=476#comment-1895 Ben, against my better judgment, I did join the debate on Ms. Brittain's piece on Cif, not least because I was greatly disturbed by her casual remark about "the assorted warlords whose troops have been living by rape and pillage in the area for more than a decade" -- taken together with her call to politicians not to waste too much energy on the conflict in Congo, but rather focus on the plight of people in Gaza, I feel that is really openly racist. You highlight here an important dimension of the terrible tragedy in Congo, Darfur and elsewhere in Africa. Since my husband works a lot on Africa, I know perhaps a bit more about the problems there than I otherwise would, and there is frankly so much heartbreak that it is difficult to know where to start. The cynicism that it takes to come out, like Ms. Brittain did, and worry that the problems of Africa might get too much attention, is simply beyond any publishable characterization. As Eamonn and you point out, it's an "obsession" to look the other way when it comes to any suffering that is not somehow attributable to Israel – and real people, millions of them, pay dearly for this obsession that some of the media so willingly feed. Ben, against my better judgment, I did join the debate on Ms. Brittain’s piece on Cif, not least because I was greatly disturbed by her casual remark about “the assorted warlords whose troops have been living by rape and pillage in the area for more than a decade” — taken together with her call to politicians not to waste too much energy on the conflict in Congo, but rather focus on the plight of people in Gaza, I feel that is really openly racist.

You highlight here an important dimension of the terrible tragedy in Congo, Darfur and elsewhere in Africa. Since my husband works a lot on Africa, I know perhaps a bit more about the problems there than I otherwise would, and there is frankly so much heartbreak that it is difficult to know where to start. The cynicism that it takes to come out, like Ms. Brittain did, and worry that the problems of Africa might get too much attention, is simply beyond any publishable characterization.
As Eamonn and you point out, it’s an “obsession” to look the other way when it comes to any suffering that is not somehow attributable to Israel – and real people, millions of them, pay dearly for this obsession that some of the media so willingly feed.

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