On the BBC, possibly some of the most bizarre news footage I’ve seen in a while, at the Church of the Holy Sepulchre in Jerusalem’s Old City.
Author Archive for Ben Cohen
This is a guest post by Karl Pfeifer, a veteran anti-fascist and journalist based in Vienna.
Flushed with its success in September’s elections, the right-wing extremist Austrian Freedom Party (FPÖ) is urging moves to scrap the Austrian law that bans Nazi activity and attempts to revive Nazism. Norbert Hofer, an FPÖ MP, has suggested a referendum to test public opinion on abolition of the law. He is supported by his party’s leader Heinz-Christian Strache.
Continue reading ‘Austria’s Far Right and Selective Free Speech’
Since we have entered one of those periods when everyone and their dog has an opinion about what the future holds, I want to highlight an excellent piece by Z Word contributor Michelle Sieff which employs rigor and analytical substance, rather than political astrology, to glimpse the continent of Africa one quarter of a century from now.
The various attempts, as the Presidential campaign heated up, to depict Barack Obama as hostile to Israel had minimal impact on American Jews, 78 per cent of whom voted for him. Among young Jewish voters, as this informal AJC poll indicates, the percentage was even higher. Indeed, as we reported yesterday, wariness about an Obama administration is more pointed in the Arab and wider Islamic world. One reason why, today, all eyes are on Illinois Congressman Rahm Emanuel, who has been appointed as Obama’s Chief-of-Staff.
It was an astounding night in America and around the world. Even so, reality is quickly intruding into the jumble of elation, incredulity and anticipation which greeted Barack Obama’s election as the 44th President of the United States. Several news outlets report that Obama is not resting, but is solidly focused on his transition team - and, by extension, the issues they will face.
“The anticipated victory of Obama in US elections signals the end of the Jewish domination - Everything changes in USA and we hope that it will be more democratic and humane”. So said today’s headline of the Greek newspaper Avriani - which, as David T observes, is a mainstream daily. In response, the American Jewish Committee, which sponsors Z Word, issued the following statement:
Continue reading ‘Greek Newspaper: “The End of Jewish Domination”’
In a few days, the seventieth anniversary of Kristallnacht - the terrible night of 9/10 November 1938, when the Nazis launched a vicious pogrom against the Jews of Germany - will be marked. Sadly, if not surprisingly , it seems that some people are bent on portraying this as principally a Palestinian tragedy, rather than a Jewish one.
I share Eamonn’s utter distaste for Victoria Brittain’s bracketing of DR Congo with Gaza. I can understand why the article left Petra “dizzy with nausea.” I want, however, to take a brief moment to spell out why.
I try, inasmuch as I can, to ensure that I cast around the blogosphere for interesting material (same goes for non-blog sources) which deserves a wider audience. In that spirit, I just have to share something that I came across this morning.
Periodically, I’ve heard it said that an excessive focus on Iran’s wretched President Ahmadinejad is a mistake. True, active promotion of Holocaust denial is his own innovation, but threatening to wipe Israel from the map was a favorite theme of Ayatollah Khomeini. Besides, when it comes to Iran’s bewildering power structure, is Ahmadinejad that significant?
Over on the main Z Word site, Anthony Julius has contributed a forceful essay entitled “False Confessions: How Anti-Zionists Incriminate Zionism.”
Continue reading ‘New on Z Word: Anthony Julius on Anti-Zionist Incrimination’
Back in August, I wrote extensively about an organization which bills itself as the “Free Gaza” movement (see here, here and here.) The aim of this organization is to break what it bills as the “Israeli siege” of Gaza. To this end, it has organized two boat trips of activists to the Strip. Each time, the activists have issued hysterical predictions about being blocked by the Israeli Navy. And each time, they have been permitted to dock without so much as a warning shot fired in their direction.
As we reported two weeks ago, Macmillan Reference USA’s “Encyclopedia of Race and Racism” contains an entry on Zionism which leads us to think that this leading publisher is trying to outdo the UN General Assembly, which rescinded its 1975 “Zionism is Racism” resolution back in 1991.
Continue reading ‘New Z Word Podcast: Zionism, Racism and Macmillan Reference USA’
This is a guest post by Karl Pfeifer, a veteran anti-fascist and journalist based in Vienna.
Martin Graf, a member of the extreme right “Olympia” organization, has been elected as the third president of the Austrian parliament with 109 votes (out of a total of 182).
Continue reading ‘Austria: Right Wing Extremist Elected Parliament President’
The Rev Naim Ateek, head of Sabeel - a Palestinian Christian group identified with liberation theology, but which frequently descends into antisemitism - has expressed support for an organization known for its Christian sympathies: Hamas.
