Gilad Atzmon: What Are They Afraid of?

May 01, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Zionism, identity

UK Zionist network, together with half a dozen Sayanim* within the Jewish Palestinian solidarity network, seem to be strongly united this week.

Acting as a joint effort, they are trying to stifle freedom of speech: they seem to be horrified by the idea that a panel of intellectuals, journalists and an artist plan to explore the intriguing bond between Israel, Zionism and ‘Jewishness’, and thus far they have harassed panelists, threatened an academic institute and have spread lies, smears and defamation.

And yet in doing so they have unwittingly provided us with a tremendous glimpse into a contemporary Jewish secular tribal operation.

And what is at the root of their hysteria? For some peculiar reason, both Zionists and UK Jewish so-called ‘anti Zionists’, insist that discussing ‘Jewishness’ is a taboo which should never be explored, certainly not in public, and definitely never outside of the ghetto.

Gilad Atzmon: The Israeli So-Called ‘Left’

April 21, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Zionism, identity

We learned today that some 300 prominent Israeli left-wingers, including some cultural leaders, gathered in Tel Aviv to call for the Jewish state to embrace the creation of a Palestinian state.

Among the petition's signatories were 17 winners of the Israel Prize and other leding intellectuals and artists.

"We are here to welcome the expected announcement of an independent Palestinian state alongside Israel, according to the borders of our independence, fixed during the 1949 armistice," the petition reads.

The Israeli so-called ‘Leftists’ are welcoming the expected Palestinian State as long as the Palestinians stay behind the wall and do not exercise their right of return. The Israeli humanists basically endorse the Palestinian diplomatic initiative so they can keep dwelling on Palestinian land forever. I am not impressed at all.

Gilad Atzmon: Let Us Talk About Jewishness

April 14, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Palestine, Zionism, identity

One of the main differences between my work and and the writings of other humanists within the peace movement is that I am willing to move beyond the political discussion -- I dig into the ideological and philosophical roots of the Jewish state, Jewish politics and Jewish identity politics. I look into the meaning of 'Jewishness.'

In my work I clearly identify a continuum between Israel and 'Jewish ideology' ('Jewishness'). And since Israel defines itself as the Jewish State, then surely --we must be brave enough to question what Jewishness stands for.

And clearly, Israelis are proud about their Jewishness -- They are far from being shy about it all.

In the following video Judeo-Centric Israeli Law Professor Ruth Gavison spreads some Jewish Tribal ideas at AIPAC conference.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GrpClg2Tn4A

Gilad Atzmon: On Jewish Intolerance

April 09, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Palestine, Zionism, guest post, identity

In a New Statesman article, law professor John Dugard ,who was a Judge on The International Court of Justice as well as being Special Raporteur for United Nations Commission on Human Rights, summarises the Goldstone apology saga : ‘there are no new facts that could possibly have led Richard Goldstone to change his mind about the UN-backed investigation into Israel and the conflict in Gaza.’

While Goldstone claimed that the Israeli investigations produced some results also recognised by a follow-up UN committee report chaired by Judge Mary McGowan Davis, Dugard stresses that the McGowan Davis report was actually very critical of the Israeli investigations, finding them to be “lacking in impartiality, promptness and transparency.”

According to the McGowan Davis report, the Israeli ‘probe’ has resulted in “two convictions; one for theft of a credit card, resulting in a sentence of seven months' imprisonment, and another for using a Palestinian child as a human shield, which resulted in a suspended sentence of three months.”

Dugard is clearly bewildered by Goldstone’s latest zigzag: “Richard Goldstone is a former judge and he knows fully well that a fact-finding report by four persons cannot be changed by the subsequent reflections of a single member of the committee.” What made Goldstone change his mind “remains a closely guarded secret,” says Dugard.

Gilad Atzmon: Taking Deborah Lipstadt Apart

March 30, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Lauren Booth, Shoa/Holocaust, Zionism

In a recent article, Shoa-logist Deborah Lipstadt attempts to reinstate her argument against historical revisionism.

Lipstadt is clearly opposing holocaust deniers whom she also identifies as anti Semites, yet, she fails to define what denial means. She also comes short of suggesting what anti Semitism stands for. I guess that for Lipstadt, ‘deniers’ are those who insist that our past must be revisited, scrutinised and be told from different perspectives. People who hold such views are usually called historical revisionists or simply historians. Yet, historical revisionists are clearly perceived by Lipstadt as anti Semites -- I guess that for Lipstadt , those who dare touch or fiddle with the Jewish past are nothing less than enemies.

The ‘deniers’, according to Lipstdat, are a lively movement that is working vigorously to “distort history and inculcate anti-Semitism”. Yet, it is far from being clear how anyone can ‘distort history’, for history is not a singular set of facts laid down and dictated by one group of people alone. Rather it is an attempt to transform the past into a story aspire to as full a narrative as is possible, drawn from as many points of view and from as wide a body of research as is available. History is an attempt then, to build a narrative. Different people should be entitled to hold different perspectives of their past.

Gilad Atzmon: Europe Turns Against Israel

March 21, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Shoa/Holocaust, Zionism, identity

A German think-tank affiliated with the Social Democratic Party issued a new report last week that revealed “high levels of anti-Semitism in Germany, Poland and Hungary.”

Dr. Beate Küpper, a researcher from the University of Bielefeld who co-authored the study along with her colleagues Andreas Zick and Andreas Hoevermann, told The Jerusalem Post that the study showed a strong presence of “anti-Semitism that is linked with Israel and is hidden behind criticism of Israel, and is not neutral.”

Küpper termed the outbreak of Jew-hatred in Germany “remarkable” because, according to her, “there were widespread Holocaust remembrance and education events in Germany.”

It is possible that Küpper and others in the widely respected University have completely failed to notice a most obvious link here -- It is more than likely that the mushrooming of Holocaust museums actually contributed to the resentment towards the Jewish state. Those who are inclined to interpret the Holocaust as a universal and a moral message against racism and oppression would obviously also identify the Jewish State as a primary enemy of humanity and humanism. I guess that Germans and others expect Jews to be at the forefront of the battle against racism. As it happens, the Jewish State sticks out as the total opposite; it is a leading abuser of human rights. It is a terrorist racist state that locks millions behind walls and barbed wires.

Gilad Atzmon: What About A No Fly Zone for The Palestinians?

March 10, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Palestine, Zionism

“Even the Israelis in Gaza, when they moved into the Gaza Strip, they moved in with tanks to fight such extremists. It's the same thing here” Muammar Gaddafi (France 24)

In the last few days the UN have paved the way for a no-fly zone in Libya.

David Cameron and Barack Obama have also agreed to draw up "the full spectrum" of military responses to the crisis in Libya.

British PM David Cameron outlined his conversation with Obama, saying "We have got to prepare for what we might have to do if he [Gaddafi] goes on brutalising his own people…”

I find myself overwhelmed by Cameron's humanist stand -- it seems he really cares about the Libyan people.

And yet, I am left puzzled, for I have never observed Cameron, Obama or the UN being so touched in the same manner by the death of Palestinian civilians, who are also butchered on a daily basis by Israeli air raids. As it seems, in the quote above, Muammar Gaddafi performs far more integrity than Cameron, Obama and the UN. Gaddafi clearly manages to question the Western moralist agenda. If the UN is so enthusiastic to bomb Libya, shouldn’t it really start with Israel?

Gilad Atzmon: Cairo & Jerusalem

February 12, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Ideology, Israel, Zionism

"It was the moral force of non-violence” stated President Obama in his first comment on the revolution in Egypt. Yet it is far from being clear who was the Egyptian Mandela, Gandhi, or Martin Luther King? I guess that in Cairo it was the people themselves who peacefully transformed their own reality.

Jerusalem, Zionists, and some elements within the Left have demonised Arabs, Muslims and Islam for decades. Yet the people of Egypt just proved how restrained and peace-seeking Islam is for real.

Gilad Atzmon: Global Intifada

February 01, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Zionism

Haaretz reported today that “Israel urges the world to curb criticism of Egypt's Mubarak.”

Apparently Jerusalem seeks to convince its allies that it is in the ‘West's interest’ to maintain the stability of the Egyptian regime. In other words, Israel urges the ‘Goyim’ to ‘keep being subservient to Jerusalem’. Jerusalem was foolish enough to admit that Mubarak was there to serve Israeli and ‘Western’ interests.

Over the weekend Israel called on the United States and a number of European countries to restrain their condemnation of President Hosni Mubarak to “preserve stability in the region.”

Let’s all be clear about it : as far as Israelis are concerned, ‘stability in the region’ means a few million Jews living in ‘safety’ on Palestinian land, at the expense of one billion Muslims. But I guess that this Zionist militant expansionist fantasy is crumbling in front of our eyes now.

Gilad Atzmon: Jews against the King

January 27, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Iraq, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Philosophy, Zionism, identity

Along the years we have heard about ‘Jews against Zionism’, ‘Jews against Racism’ and ‘Jews against anti Semitism’. In the last few days we have learned about a new Jewish collective. They are called ‘Jews Against the King.’

Apparently some Jews in Hollywood are not happy with the great cinematic success of The King’s Speech, the latest British film.

The King’s Speech follows the story of King George VI- a man who never wished to be King, and had trouble with his confidence and public speech as he had an uncontrollable stammer. From a Jewish perspective King George VI was nothing but an anti Semite.

Hollywood blogger Scott Feinberg cites an anonymous email, supposedly from an Academy member, which claims the picture ignores George VI’s role in preventing Jewish refugees from fleeing Nazi Germany to Palestine.

"I'm an Academy member and there are a LOT of us who won't vote for The King's Speech for this reason," the email reads.

Feinberg speculates that the email may be part of “an orchestrated smear campaign”. Critics claim that George VI indirectly conspired with Hitler to prevent Jews from reaching Palestine, which at the time was under British mandate.

I guess that sooner or later Hollywood may have to liberate itself of its Holocaust driven agents.

Melanie Philips: “Israeli Hasbara is a joke”

January 20, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Britain, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Zionism, identity

It is almost amusing to hear Philips dismissing Hasbara (Israeli propaganda) in Britain.

It is also very cheering to learn from rabid Zionist Philips that in spite of the Israeli Lobby, David Aaronovitch, Nick Cohen and herself, the Palestinians are winning the hearts and minds of British public.

I guess that it is about time Philips gathers the fact that humanism may win after all.

Amazon.co.uk

Gilad Atzmon: Shoah Backfires

January 10, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Britain, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Palestine, Shoa/Holocaust, Zionism, identity

Sickening: a screengrab from the Birmingham-registered website. For years Israelis and Zionists have been pumping 'Shoah' into our veins by using every possible propaganda outlet: media, education, Hollywood, music, literature, billboards and so on.

Seemingly they have been very successful : We are all properly ' Holocausted '. We accept the suffering of the Jewish people -- and we have even managed to draw a universal message from it all.

We do accept that a real Shoah is taking place in front of our eyes in Palestine, where the Jewish state locks millions of Palestinians behind bars: it starves them, it stops medical supplies, food, cement, and educational materials from getting in. But it does not stop there -- when the Jewish state feels like it, it also kills Palestinians indiscriminately. It either blitzes them with white phosphorous , or sends in its tank battalions to drive over Gaza.

In preparation for Holocaust Memorial Day, London Zionist mouthpiece The Jewish Chronicle is very disturbed by a UK-based pro Palestinian web site named shoah.org.uk. The site is obviously dedicated to the Palestinian Holocaust.

The Jewish paper insists that the Shoah -- like Israel -- is a ‘Jews only club’. They do not want to 'let anyone else in'.

Gilad Atzmon: Milton Friedman’s ‘Capitalism and the Jews’ Revisited

January 03, 2011 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Philosophy, Zionism, identity

Given the severity and uncertainty of the economic crisis we are all experiencing, I suggest we look once more at the work of Milton Friedman, the leading economist and a staunch advocate of hard capitalism.

During the 1960s -80s Friedman was regarded by many academics, politicians and world leaders as the most important post- World War Two economist. Friedman was chief economic advisor to Ronald Reagan, Margaret Thatcher and Menachem Begin. He also went on record advising the Chilean military dictator Augusto Pinochet.

It is far from surprising to note that more and more commentators have realised in recent years that it was Friedman’s ideology and advocacy of free enterprise, zero governmental intervention and privatisation that has led to the current financial turmoil. It was Milton Friedman’s philosophy that also contributed to the transformation of the West into a service economy.

But Friedman wasn’t just an economist: he was also a devout Zionist and a very proud Jew. Friedman was interested in the role of the Jews in world finance and politics. He also attempted to analyse and understand the attitude of Jews towards wealth. In 1972 Friedman spoke to The Mont Pelerin Society about “Capitalism and the Jews”. In 1978 he repeated the same talk, addressing Jewish students at the Chicago University’s Hillel institute.

I'd suggest that Friedman deserves our immediate attention, since he contributed to the rise of an ideology and school of thought that bears some responsibility for the rearrangement (some might say dismantling ) of the West's economy.

Israelis Are Subject to Palestinian Future Kindness

December 10, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Jewishness, Zionism, identity

A brief address by Gilad Atzmon at the Stuttgart - Palästinakonferenz

Andy Robson: The Struggle Continues, Jazzwise

December 06, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Music, identity, interview

Talking to Andy Robson (Jazzwise, December Issue) about Jazz, Palestine, the Orient House, politics, art funding and music education.

jazzwisemagazine.com

The most outspoken saxophonist on the planet? Probably. But GILAD ATZMON turns the tables yet again, and lets the music do the talking, on his latest album The Tide Has Turned, but he still has plenty to say, as ANDY ROBSON discovers

They call him the hardest-working man in jazz. But even by his standards, it’s been a hectic time for Gilad Atzmon lately. It’s breakfast time on a Tuesday and he has still not had the chance to get off the ever-ringing phone. “I have never been so fucking stressed in my life,” admits the sax man, ripping out his earpiece and finally snapping off the phone. “On Friday it was Ronnie’s and the Orient House launch, last night was Jazza For Gaza at which we launched Robert Wyatt’s album; tonight’s the second night of Jazza and then it’s back to the Orient House tour which is our biggest ever. Oh, and I’m working on Sarah Gillespie’s album for the new year.”

The Tide Has Changed by Gilad Atzmon

Gilad Atzmon: The Burning Bush

December 02, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewishness, Zionism, identity

Disaster in the North of Israel, at least 40 dead as fire rages across the Carmel Mountains. A mass evacuation has begun.

As I am writing these lines, Israeli Fire fighting crews are battling with the flames. They also express no hope of controlling the fire soon. "We lost all control of the fire," said the Haifa Fire fighting services spokesman. "There aren't enough fire fighting resources in Israel in order to put out the fire."

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu hurried to the scene of the fire on Thursday. He requested the help of the U.S, Greece, Italy, Russia, and Cyprus to send additional forces to aid the Israeli firemen. A normal country would probably ask for the help of its neighbours, but the Jewish state doesn’t have neighbours. It made all its neighbours into enemies.

Gilad Atzmon: 200 Israeli War Criminals Better Hope For Palestinian Amnesty

November 24, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Ideology, Israel, Zionism

A few days ago, British Chief of Defence Staff General Sir David Richards admitted that victory in Afghanistan is unachievable. "In conventional war,” said Richards, “defeat and victory is very clear cut and is symbolised by troops marching into another nation's capital."

It took a few years for British military elites to admit that the war in Afghanistan cannot lead anywhere : a valuable lesson to learn from mid to late 20^th century warfare, is that conventional military might cannot easily defeat mass civilian resistance.

It is interesting to reflect too, that the Jewish state has exercised a ‘strategy’ of occupation for sixty two years -- and for some reason the penny has still failed to drop. The Israelis are still convinced that they can manage to knock down the resilient Palestinians using siege, indiscriminate killing, carpet bombardment and chemical warfare.

The results are pretty obvious: and bearing in mind that Israel considers itself to be a ‘Jews only democracy’, then every Jewish Israeli is complicit in a colossal war crime against a civilian population.

But it goes further: more and more Israeli soldiers of all ranks are directly involved in an endless list of crimes -- some stop pregnant women from receiving urgent medical attention , while others drop bombs on populated neighbourhoods. Some use children as human shields, while a few perform executions of peace activists. And others just feed the cannons with white phosphorus shells.

The perpetrators of these crimes are actually subject to universal jurisdiction laws. They can be detained everywhere around the world. They may end their life in jail.

A few brave Israelis must be very concerned with the moral condition of their state, because a few days ago, a document identifying 200 Israeli soldiers suspected of war crimes leaked out of Israel. It made it to the internet. The list included the names, ranks, military posts, pictures and addresses.

Gilad Atzmon on Zionism and Jewish Identity

November 18, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Zionism, identity

A talk I gave at poke at the Mercury Cafe in Denver on July 1, 2010.

I am very proud of it and I hope you also find it interesting.

Special thanks to the incredible Jason Bosch who took the footage and supported me all along.

Gilad Atzmon on Zionism and Jewish Identity from Jason Bosch on Vimeo.

Gilad Atzmon: Watch some Isolated Voices of Jewish Reason

November 09, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Jewishness, Zionism, identity

It is hard for me to decide what is it that delegitimizes the Jewish State.

Is it the ‘loyal oath’, ‘the occupation’, ‘the settlements’ or the execution of peace activists on the Mavi Marmara?

The Jewish protestors in the following clips think that:

The Settlements Delegitimize Israel

The Occupation Delegitimizes Israel

The Siege of Gaza Delegitimizes Israel

The Loyalty Oath Delegitimizes Israel

Silencing Dissent Delegitimizes Israel

I would suggest that the idea of a 'Jewish state' is hardly legitimate to start with, for it is categorically and spiritually racist and inherently ethno-centric.

I do not find anything legitimate in the Jewish state

Young Jews Disrupt Netanyahu at Jewish General Assembly from stefanie fox on Vimeo.

Gilad Atzmon: Julie Sabbath Goy Burchill

November 02, 2010 by Gilad Atzmon in Analysis, Cultural Criticism, Ideology, Israel, Jewish Power, Jewishness, Lauren Booth, Zionism, identity

In her desperate attempt to smear Lauren Booth, Independent writer Julie Burchill, a devout Zionist, proves how deceiving British multiculturalism is.

Indeed the Zionification of this Kingdom has left this country in a disastrous ethical limbo.

“Last year I took the first steps towards converting to Judaism; also last year, I abandoned my attempt”, says Burchill.

But I guess that Burchill didn’t really have to convert -- She is obviously far more Jewish than anyone I can think of. Burchill can teach Rabbi Ovadia Yosef what self-love is all about. She can teach Paul Wolfowitz, David Aaronovitch and David Miliband what moral-interventionism stands for. She can give Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman a crash course in Hasbara. Burchill can lecture Zionist slander operators on how to spread venom.

But most significantly, she displays an astonishing command of Jewish humour. Burchill is indeed very funny.