Thursday 9 May 2013

Israel accuses UK of anti-Semitism: MPs outraged by Peres's tirade against English



http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1299415/Israel-accuses-UK-anti-Semitism-Shimon-Peress-anti-English-tirade-outrages-MPs.html


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Israel accuses UK of anti-Semitism: MPs outraged by Peres's tirade against English

By DANIEL MARTIN
UPDATED: 06:16 GMT, 2 August 2010
Outburst: Israeli President Shimon Peres believes Englsih people and the government are ¿deeply pro-Arab and anti-Israeli¿
Outburst: Israeli President Shimon Peres believes Englsih people and the government are 'deeply pro-Arab and anti-Israeli'
Israel president Shimon Peres has angered British MPs with an astonishing outburst in which he accused the English of being anti-Semitic.
The 87-year-old Nobel peace prize-winner claimed the English people and their government were ‘deeply pro-Arab and anti-Israeli’.
The comments come just days after David Cameron angered many in Israel by referring to the occupied Palestinian territory of Gaza as a ‘prison camp’.
But the interview with Mr Peres, for the Jewish website Tablet, was carried out before these remarks.
Last night British MPs reacted with fury at the slur on Britain, which stood alone in 1940 to fight the Nazis who were committing genocide against the Jews.
In the interview, Mr Peres, who was awarded an honorary knighthood by the Queen in 2008, said England’s attitude towards the Jews was Israel’s ‘next big problem’.
He also insisted: ‘There is in England a saying that an anti-Semite is someone who hates the Jews more than is necessary.
‘There are several million Muslim voters and for many members of parliament, that’s the difference between getting elected and not getting elected.
‘And in England there has always been something deeply pro-Arab – of course, not among all Englishmen – and anti-Israeli, in the establishment.
‘They abstained in the 1947 UN partition resolution, they maintained an arms embargo against us in the 1950s, they always worked against us. They think the Arabs are the underdogs.’
 

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Mr Peres made the comments in an interview with historian Professor Benny Morris of Ben-Gurion University of the Negev, published last week on the Tablet website.
Last night, Andrew Rosindell, Conservative MP for Romford, said: ‘I am sad that he has made these wholly inaccurate comments, which do not accord at all with my experience of British views on Israel and people of Jewish faith.
‘It is inappropriate for the president of Israel to make a comment like that. Maybe he should spend more time here, get to know the British people and realise that we were at the forefront of defeating the Nazis in the Second World War. 
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'The fact that we at some point may criticise the policies of Israel does not mean we are anti-Semitic any more than I would be anti-Arab if I criticised the policy of an Arab government.’
Brian Iddon, a Labour member of the all-party Palestine group, said: ‘We are always being accused of anti-Semitism. The Israeli government is coming in for more and more criticism, and because of that more and more people are being described as anti-Semitic.
‘I’ve been accused of that, but I’m not. It’s just that many of us believe the Palestinians are getting a raw deal.’ 
Rabbi Dr Jonathan Romain, minister of Maidenhead synagogue, said: ‘I am surprised at Peres. It is a sweeping statement that is far too one-sided.
‘Britain has supported both Israeli and Arab causes at different periods over the last 50 years. There are elements of anti-Semitism but it is not endemic to British society.’
But Jacob Vince, director of Christian Friends of Israel, said there was a great deal of anti-Semitism in the UK.
He said it was ‘difficult to see how many MPs would not be influenced by the number of Muslim voters in their constituencies’.
Mr Vince accused the government of trying to appease the Arabs. ‘The question is how well they understand those with whom they are seeking conciliation.’

 

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I believe that most of us are. The BBC is anti-Israel, so is Channel 4, the Guardian, and quite a few other newspapers. I'm not Jewish, but I support Israel's right to defend itself against Hamas and other terrorist organisations. And just because we stood up against the Nazis in World War II, doesn't mean that the chattering classes haven't gone all PC against supporting Israel. I mean a lot of people think Adolf was all right.
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If a gentile said this kind of thing, he would be subject to ridicule.
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You will find that it is mostly if not all Left-wing parties with a few Blairites in the Lib/Cons too who do lean toward a rose tinted view of Palestinians, this includes the BBC to the point that they are Anti-Semitic, you only need to look at their track record. You will find that most people are pro-Israeli as it is the only Democracy in the Middle-East and is surrounded by Muslim States that have openly said they want to destroy Israel. The Left in Britain have aligned themselves with the Islamists, the UAF being a prim example and Dave Hug-a Hoodie Cameron is a supporter of these Anti-Semitics.
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I am concerned about the Anglophobia of some Israeli politicians.
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We are not anti-semitic We are anti-zionist Which is not the same thing!
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Criticism of the Israeli govenment`s actions is not anti-semitis any more than the same criticism of America or the UK is "anti" those countries. Those who hide behind calling others anti-semitic are trying to mask their own illegitimate actions. Shame on you.
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Irgun, The Stern Gang; better than most, we in the UK fully understand that Israel was founded by , and is still governed by, terrorists. We are right to be wary of this "failed state".
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Well, aren’t we the lucky ones – the Israelis think we’re anti-Semitic and the Palestinians think we gave their land to the Israelis! Incidentally, the Israelis seem conveniently to have forgotten that they are NOT the only Semites in the World; Middle Eastern people (ARABS) and many North Africans are also Semites, but the Israelis have hijacked the term ‘anti-Semitism’ for themselves (WHAT a surprise!). Although I live in Jordan now, I have always taken great pains to consider and understand BOTH sides of the Arab/Israeli ‘discontent’. However, let’s call a spade a spade; first, Gaza IS a prison camp, and second, any group of people who are mortally offended that they were ‘displaced’ for 2000 years but who, on a daily basis and with NO compassion, displace others who have been quietly living on THEIR OWN land for a similar period cannot – should not – be taken seriously any more.
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The British people are always sympathetic to the underdog. That's why they defended the jews against the Nazis, and that's why they are horrified at the slaughter of unarmed and defenceless arabs as shown on Wikileaks. They are just as horrified by the slaughter of unarmed and defenceless civilians in Gaza. That human streak comes from our desire for mercy, and that comes from our Christian faith. Mr Peres is right that the hypocrites in New Labour's government would have done anything to get our vote, but is he really taking up the Socialist dream of an atheist totalitarian Britain?
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I grew up in an area of Liverpool with a large Jewish contingent. As a result I have had Jewish friends. There will always be bigots and racists who generally just hate people because they are Jewish or Arabic or have red hair. I doubt that many of the people that are against Israel's imprisonment of a nation of people are against Jews, and some are probably Jews themselves. I am against the treatment of the Palestinians which doesn't mean I hate Jews or support Al Quieda. I am just against the mistreatment of people regardless of creed, colour, sex. The problem with Governments is that they are corrupt by nature so they will use any kind of low tactic to gain the upper hand.
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