The Problem Of A Promise Land...

Marked by a visit by U.S President Bush to the region, this month marks the 60th anniversary of the founding of the state of Israel. Celebrated by Jews across the world, and mourned by Arabs as al-Nakba or 'the catastrophe', the anniversary has shed new light on the original events which lead to the founding of the Jewish state, and speculation on the amount of time it might have left to remain. With Islamist group Hezbollah taking over parts of Beirut in the north, and Hamas increasing in strength and momentum in the south, peace will probably not be a luxury which the region can afford any time soon. But how do we in the west view the existence of a Jewish state in the Holy Land?

It is no secret that the plight of the Palestinians in this age of 'victim culture' has made sense to many on the British political left, and also to terror groups such as Al Qaeda, but the most astonishing development in the opposition to the Jewish state is in that of the mainstream media. The Guardian's evident hatred towards Israel is one I find the most distasteful and sickening, with an apparent desire to do as much damage to the reputation of Israel in Europe as possible. Articles written in the paper almost daily attack the operations of the IDF and Mossad, and yet make no such criticisms of rocket attacks from the Gaza strip or attempted suicide attacks indirectly funded by Iran. The mentality of the 21st century anti-Semite is one that oddly unites those of the political left, Islamists, and white supremacists, and can even seemingly be adopted by the average joe nowadays without much fuss.

This shared doctrine, which spans from opposition to Israel to perpetuated lies about the Jewish 9/11, is an inevitable consequence of the desensitisation of the world since the Holocaust. As with all conflicts and traumatising events in world history, there is a period afterwards of absolute mourning, a sense of injustice which stays for a period of living memory, or at most two to three generations. After this time however, when the people who had memory of those events are all but dying out, it seems that the taboos associated with those memories are no longer relevant. For example, to express support for Napoléon Bonaparte in mid 19th century Britain would have been seen to be almost blasphemous by the general population. Talk favourably of him in Britain today and nobody cares. We are no longer concerned by the threats of Imperial France, nor sensitive to the French Reign of Terror which saw thousands put to death by the horrific guillotine.


My personal standing on Israel has wavered over the years, as a child I grew up with huge admiration for the IDF and Mossad, even though not fully understanding the politics at the time. Upon learning of the ultranationalist Israeli Irgun which fought against the British in the 1940's my views did change for a while, however the passing of my days as an imperialist have led me to believe that the existence of Israel is a great thing. I now see it as the most important western outpost on the eastern frontier, with enough stability and national confidence to ensure the security of the eastern Mediterranean. It is, if nothing else, a cork in the neck of the Islamic world; an assurance to us that as long as it stands the world is free. As an Anglican, my mind is often on the Holy Land and what tragedies could befall it any day. I would hate to learn for example that Holy sites in Jerusalem or Bethlehem might end in the same fate as the Buddhas of Bayman under the orders of some Islamic cleric; the existence of the Jewish state is assurance that this cannot happen.

Israel's determination to survive when it is surrounded by countries that want to wipe it out cannot indefinitely continue without support from the west. We the inheritors of the modern world must ensure that the expressive sentiments of solidarity with Israel does not die from neglect, but continues on. Every day, the anti-Semitic malice of the western media recruits another free voter to its cause using perfected convincing strategies. How long before the actions of the do-gooding medio-intelligencia enable a united Islamic front to finally rid the region of the only significant non-Islamic country there, from under the watchful but placid eyes of the pointless United Nations? One only dreads to think. The problem of the promise land is of course that it is desperately wanted for the re-establishment of the promised Islamic Caliphate...

(Picture 1: Members of Hamas on parade in Gaza.)
(Picture 2: A 100,000 strong anti-Israeli protest in London, 2006.)

Shame on Stop The War...

Liverpool, named 2008 Capital of Culture, has always been synonymous with unions, industry, football, and of course the success of the Beatles; but a row has been sparked in recent weeks about the invitation of a Hezbollah activist to a Methodist Church in the Toxteth area of the city, by local anti-war campaigners. Ibrahim Mousawi, chief spokesman of the extremist Lebanese group, is due to speak at a 'Stop the War' rally on Tuesday evening, to talk about the invasion of Lebanon. Mousawi, who is currently banned in France and Ireland, is known to have been in charge of a 30-part 'documentary' which claimed Jews were behind a secret plot to take over the world, and is also known to have said in an interview with Australian broadcasters that '...pain is the only language the enemy understands...' when referring to the deaths of Israeli civilians. Jacqui Smith, the home secretary, has been criticised for allowing Mousawi into the UK, even though the Government has safeguards to prevent the entry of such people; David Cameron has also condemned the visit by the Hezbollah spokesman, claiming it to be a mistake.

The Stop the War Coalition was formed following the events of the September 11th, openly declaring at the time that they were opposed to any form of response by the U.S against those responsible for it. Amongst it's ranks are Communists, Islamists, and other 'do-gooders' who seem to have known in advance that there would be bloodshed in Iraq and Afghanistan should the countries be invaded. It is most famous for it's 'Not in My Name' posters and it's mass rallies in London; and claims to be opposed to; the American War of Independence, the American Civil War, World War I, and World War II. The group however seems to advocate armed resistance, like in movements such as those against the state of Israel, which from the start jumps out to me to be their first and most obvious ideological flaw. Though it might be too much of me to ask that they look for the trees of hypocrisy, beyond the their dense forests of bigotry.

It seems to me that such an organisation cannot ever gain the credibility it requires to bring about the changes it strives for. Being part of a pacifist movement (like those in many strands of Buddhism) does not involve the advocating of any form of violence or aggression, physical or otherwise; and most certainly does not see armed resistance as acceptable. The Stop the War Coalition is a coalition of left wing, anti-imperialists, many with individual aims and ideologies. Some are anti-capitalist, others anti-Jewish, and some members even claim 9/11 was an American conspiracy executed in order to justify it's subsequent foreign interventions. Despite what their more trivial personal quarrels may be, members of the group rely heavily on common values to get air-time and press-publicity, giving the Government and members of the public the illusion that most people in Britain are opposed to 'War' full stop.

Another problem with the group, due to the fact that it claims only to be 'Anti-War', is that there are many people on the right who also do not agree with the invasion of Iraq or Afghanistan, yet they are not involved at all. Nick Griffin of the ghastly BNP, Peter Hitchens an admirable journalist and critic, and many old-style Conservatives such as Kenneth Clarke and Michael Heseltine, I can't however see any of them joining the coalition any time soon. Could it be perhaps that the Stop the War Coalition has additional agendas as well as the false claim of supporting pacifism, knowing jolly well that anyone (including Islamic militants) can aid their cause quite substantially by speaking at their wretched rallies, thus gaining even more support from people who despise the West we live in.

If the Stop the War Coalition wish to gain any ounce of credibility from the message they so persistently preach, perhaps they should study the true pacifist nature of the Buddhist monks protests in Burma last year, where their behaviour gained them world wide support. The Stop the War Coalition should hang their heads in shame for inviting such hate-fuelled racists to Britain, and Jacqui Smith for allowing it. Although the desire for the abolition of war is something which is to be admired, it is only practically existent in an ideal world. Also it should not be associated with radical political groups which claim to be something that they are not, but rather with true pacifist religious groups like Buddhists and the once existent Cathars of Medieval Europe.

The Stop the War Coalition is now so against what it sees to be a threat to it's leftist ideals, that it is now importing enemies of the West and our allies to talk in our towns and cities. God only knows where the bloody hell such deplorable people would have been put at Dunkirk, probably in the sea I suspect...

(Picture: Ibrahim Mousawi at a recent anti-war rally in Birmingham.)