Monday, February 01, 2010

Just Fine

My Union, the UCU, in the wake of the continuing rows over a proposed academic boycott of Israel, have at least made a token effort at addressing the issue of anti-Semitism. It is worth reading Robert Fine's speech in full. This was particularly apt.
The struggle for justice for Palestinians and the struggle against antisemitism often seem worlds apart but this is not so. They belong to one another and draw from the same sources. As far as justice for Palestinians is concerned, the antisemitism question is not a red herring. It is a key to breaking out of the current impasse.
It should be easy to grasp, but I despair when I find the Palestinian cause being let down by people whose understanding is limited, whose historical knowledge negligible and propagandistic, and who comfortably elide from anti-Zionism into anti-Semitism. The Palestinians need better friends than that.

Via Jim D

1 comment:

Judith said...

Anyone who reads MEMRI knows that the old European tropes are recycled in the Arab language media. And let's not go into the blood libels on Press TV... Why, I wonder, do the MPs who visit Gaza say nothing about the press and TV there? How is their silence supposed to help the Palestinians?