Guardian continues the hounding of David Ward

http://davidward.org.uk/

Guardian continues the hounding of David Ward

Guardian NewspaperThe political and media hounding of Liberal Democrat MP David Ward continues despite his public apology for using the generic term "the Jews" when criticising Israel's treatment of the Palestinians.


  • "Having visited Auschwitz twice - once with my family and once with local schools - I am saddened that the Jews, who suffered unbelievable levels of persecution during the Holocaust, could within a few years of liberation from the death camps be inflicting atrocities on Palestinians in the new State of Israel and continue to do so on a daily basis in the West Bank and Gaza."

It's notable, firstly, that Ward uses the generic term "the Jews" in an obviously sympathetic vein to note the horrors of the Holocaust. The second aspect of his sentence is to ask how they, "the Jews", could have gone on to inflict daily atrocities against the Palestinians.

While the first use of this generic term was treated as unproblematic, the second was regarded as an affront. Yet, whatever lack of qualification or carelessness in his words, were we really to believe that Ward meant or implied that all Jews were/are responsible for Israel's repressions and occupation?

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Gilad in Palestine!

GA: Dear friends, after 20 years away, I am returning to Palestine to launch my new book, though only in a cyber form.
 
 

You are cordially invited to A conversation with Gilad Atzmon,

author of The Wandering Who? A Study of Jewish Identity Politics
 
Sunday, 17 February 2013
 
 18h00
 
Presented via Skype
 
Pasha Room, American Colony Hotel-Jerusalem
 
The Bookshop
at the American Colony Hotel-Jerusalem
 Tel: 02- 627 9731
http://facebook.com/Bookshop1

About The Wandering Who?


Jewish identity is tied up with some of today’s most difficult and contentious issues. The purpose of The Wandering Who? A Study of Jewish Identity Politics, is to open up many of these issues for discussion. It examines Jewish identity politics and Jewish contemporary ideology using both popular culture and scholarly texts.  Since Israel defines itself openly as the ‘Jewish State’, we should ask what the notions of Judaism, Jewishness, Jewish culture and Jewish ideology stand for. Atzmon analyses secular Jewish political and cultural discourse, both Zionist and anti Zionist. He looks at the Jewish political attitude towards history and time, the role of the holocaust, anti-gentile ideologies, Jewish pressure groups, Zionist lobbying and more.
 
About the author

 

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Regarding the proposed al-Awda withdrawal of endorsement from BDS

http://www.deliberation.info/regarding-the-proposed-al-awda-withdrawal-of-endorsement-from-bds/

 

Below is a message that I posted to the al-Awda USA listserve concerning a proposed al-Awda withdrawal of its endorsement from the statement currently appearing on the BDS website of the BNC, which is not the same statement that it originally signed.  Since receiving wider distribution, my message has been misinterpreted and criticised for statements and assertions that were neither made nor intended.  Furthermore, since my motives for making the statement have been questioned, as well, I will preface the message with some explanation.

  • I have never criticised but rather have encouraged the practice of, and a movement for, boycott, divestment and sanction against Israel.  Although some do not wish to apply BDS to all things Israeli, I do not wish to discourage them from their partial application of BDS, because all forms of BDS are helpful.
  • I do not wish to cause a split within the movement, nor tell Palestinians what should or should not be their objective or their means.  Not all Palestinians agree about such matters, and I consider my role to be that of solidarity with all Palestinians, regardless of their political beliefs or affiliations.  I am only responsible for my own beliefs and actions.
  • I am in pursuit – as we all are – of truth and justice, although our interpretations of such may be different and our commitment varying.  However, I do not abide the avoidance of truth for the sake of expediency, nor hypocrisy or inconsistency with respect to principle.  Sadly, some would rather apply principle only when it serves their purpose and abandon it when it is no longer convenient.  I believe that the truth sets us free, but that freedom is not gained without sacrifice.  However, freedom is an illusion without justice, and no one is free until we all are free.  Similarly, justice cannot be gained for some at the cost of injustice to others.  This is why none of us should accept a Jewish state, least of all Jews.
  • My message was addressed to al-Awda members with respect to al-Awda endorsement of a particular BDS Campaign referenced in the message, and not the idea of a BDS movement nor the BDS tactics and actions that have been applied with success on many occasions.  My reference point for what may or may not be acceptable in that context are the al-Awda USA principles of unity (with which I happen to agree).
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BDS Better Learn from its Mistakes

By Gilad Atzmon

It’s almost funny to read the BDS’ leadership’s outraged reactions to top ethnic-cleansing advocate Alan Dershowitz when he tried to stop a discussion with Judith Butler and Omar Barghouti discussing  BDS at NYC Brooklyn College.

It’s funny because the BDS leadership unfortunately is drowning in the exact same Talmudic herem culture as is Dershowitz. Just like Dershowitz, BDS is itself engaged in a relentless assault on fundamental and elementary rights such as freedom of speech and freedom of expression. So often, we learn about BDS embarking on yet another assault on dedicated humanists and intellectuals - in many cases, leading supporters of Palestine – as we watch Palestinian solidarity transformed itself into just another zone of occupation. 

BDS could easily become a positive development if it could only tell the difference between an academic and an avocado. If BDS is really interested in the ‘day after’, it must immediately remove itself from Talmudic herem culture and engage in open discourse driven by principles of ethics, tolerance and pluralism.

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Jazz Journal - Gilad Atzmon Musical Capital

 

 

I am on the front cover of Jazz Journal this month.  A very interesting interview. We discussed art, politics, the state of Jazz and the destructive role of art funding. We spoke about the band,  the political pressure and about life in general.  A very interesting piece

Jazz Journal, February 2013. www.jazzjournal.co.uk

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‘When politicians get involved and decide who will get the money, who should be part of the discourse, we make everything conscious. We are basically killing the existential, libidinal spontaneity of this art form’

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Gilad Atzmon: Musical capital

by Mark Gilbert

 

The Israeli-born, UK-resident reedman, composer and writer talks to MARK GILBERT in advance of five solid months on the road to coincide with the release of Songs Of The Metropolis

 

Gilad Atzmon’s spring UK tour, partially listed in JJ last month, is impressively larger (now around 40 dates) than any tour by his peers in recent memory. How does he get so many gigs, never mind the subsequent appearances in Japan, Argentina, Europe and the USA that take him away from home until mid-June? The Israeli-born, UK-resident reedman who says “I am upset by Israel, by Jewish politics” is known for a certain political notoriety – an often valuable currency in the modern jazz world – and one of my key questions for him is to what extent he has exploited that notoriety to further his musical career.

“My views are read by millions every day [at www.gilad.co.uk], which means it is possible that my audience is bigger than many jazz artists. But if anything my views damage my career. I’ve seen one of the biggest Jewish lobbies in the world putting pressure on the Arts Council to cancel my appearance in festivals that are funded by the Arts Council. I must say about the Arts Council, they really stood for me. They said that they were very proud to give stage to Gilad Atzmon.”

The Arts Council is not alone. Ian Storror, booker at the Bristol venue he appeared at in late January says: “A Gilad performance is always a tour de force. He will have you laughing out loud one minute and in tears or thumping your fist the next . . . never dull. The musicianship is beyond doubt . . . a ‘not to be missed’ gig on any music calendar.” 

As Atzmon’s numerous CD releases attest, there is a strikingly competent and creative musician behind the horns, typically these days the soprano saxophone and clarinet. Both instruments are prominent on Songs Of The Metropolis, the latest CD from Atzmon and his Orient House Ensemble. Gig promoters might just have a vested interest, but no less an arbiter than Robert Wyatt also endorses Atzmon’s musicianship, writing that he is “The best musician living in the world today.”

At risk of biting the hand that feeds, Atzmon is sceptical about the British arts system, about the addition of form-filling to the musician’s skill-set, and it bears on his musical philosophy in general. For all his political sensibility and evident intellectual capacity (his website bears witness to the volume of writing he has done on musical and nonmusical matters), Atzmon holds that jazz at its best is a instinctive activity, one that is in perpetual danger of having its vital power drained by subsidising bodies propelled by an “Enlightenment” view of music.

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J-BIG Vs. P-small

By Gilad Atzmon

A poorly-written but still revealing briefing was published a few days ago by J-BIG. J-BIG may sound like an Israeli penis enlargement clinic but is in fact an acronym for Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods  -  a Jews Only political organisation set up to promote Jewish interests amongst Palestinian solidarity in general and the BDS movement in particular. The briefing was apparently published in order to “help BDS campaigners to defy the accusation of antisemitsm” and to explain “how the charge of antisemitism applies (actually) to Zionism itself.”

It doesn’t take long for an intelligent person to grasp that Zionism is fuelled by anti-Semitsm. In fact, early Zionists were candid enough on occasions to admit that the enemies of the Jews may actually have a point.

Here are some comments made by Early Zionists about their fellow Jews.

‘The Jew is a caricature of a normal, natural human being, both physically and spiritually.’ (Our Shomer ‘Weltanschauung’, Hashomer Hatzair, December 1936, p.26. As cited by Lenni Brenner

‘The fact is undeniable that the Jews, collectively, are unhealthy and neurotic..’ Ben Frommer, The Significance of a Jewish State, Jewish Call, Shanghai, May 1935, p.10. As cited by Lenni Brenner

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Integrity - Prof. NORTON MEZVINSKY's letter on Today's NYT

 

http://www.nytimes.com/

To the Editor:

 

Re “Amid Criticism, College Says Event on Israel Can Proceed” (news article, Feb. 5):

The president of Brooklyn College, Karen L. Gould, is correct in allowing speakers who are critical of Israeli policies regarding Palestinians in the West Bank and who favor Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions to be allowed to speak on campus when invited by students and/or faculty. Not allowing these speakers to present their views on campus would violate freedom of expression and academic freedom.

Likewise, B.D.S. advocates should realize that their attempts to boycott and disallow speakers and others who support Israeli policies regarding Palestinians and who are in opposition to B.D.S. also violate principles of freedom of expression and academic freedom.

NORTON MEZVINSKY
New York, Feb. 5, 2013

The writer is a professor at Central Connecticut State University and president of the International Council for Middle East Studies.

xymphora -Atzmon and his critics

http://xymphora.blogspot.co.uk/

 

"'The Case of Gilad Atzmon'  Extremely close reading of Atzmon, prompted by his 'Uncle Tom' Palestinian critics, finding nothing but nit-picky problems with Atzmon, and that his critics are extraordinarily sloppy (I would say suspiciously sloppy)."
"I hope the critics enjoy the fancy hotels and conferences that the Jews invite them to." 
"I can't help but note again that friends should stick together, even if they don't agree 100% on everything."
Read more on http://xymphora.blogspot.co.uk/
Read   the "The Case of Gilad Atzmon" on Counterpunch.

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The Wandering Who? A Study Of Jewish Identity Politics  and Sabbath Goyim's spin in particular  Amazon.com  or Amazon.co.uk

More on the Gilad Atzmon controversy – and why it matters...

By Alison Weir

http://alisonweir.org/

I'd rather be researching and writing articles on Palestine-Israel; analyzing media coverage ; placing advertisements and billboards around the country; creating fact-sheets, cards, booklets and other materials on the topic; updating the websites (e.g. here and here and here) we've created to get the facts out; creating new initiatives; and numerous other productive activities for justice and peace.

However, I feel I need to briefly take time out to provide information about the Gilad Atzmon controversy, since I feel the attacks on him are enormously unfair, they continue to occasionally interfere with productive efforts, are sometimes used to try to block my presentations (more on this later), and because an important new article on the topic has just come out.

Gilad Atzmon, an Israeli who moved to London about 20 years ago, is a superb jazz musician who has written several books, and blogs about Israel-Palestine.

His most recent book, and the center of the controversy, is The Wandering Who: A Study of Jewish Identity Politics, in which he draws on his background in philosophy (he has a Masters degree in the subject) to explore the Jewish connection to the Jewish state.

Some activists found this topic impermissible and began to launch attacks on Atzmon, which largely seemed geared at preventing others from reading his work for themselves.

In February 2012 a public letter denouncing him was launched with 33 signatories, none of them Palestinian. (One signatory, listed first, is Lebanese; the full list is below).

The letter was circulated widely and reposted various places; eventually accruing 173 names. This time a handful were Palestinian.

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Counter Ouch

http://www.counterpunch.org/2013/02/01/the-case-of-gilad-atzmon/

Today Counterpunch and Redressonline published this incredible analysis by Blake Alcott.

It proves beyond doubt that Ali Abunimah & Co. never read my work or understood any of my ideas.

Activists who talk like ZionistsI guess that some of our Palestinian activists may have to self-reflect. Those who believe in one democratic state would be well advised to engage debate and endorse the notions of tolerance, pluralism and integrity.

Let us all leave Talmudic Herem to Israel and its sayanim.

 

 

Weekend Edition February 1-3, 2013

To Shun or Bury the Hatchet?

The Case of Gilad Atzmon

by BLAKE ALCOTT

Panel at Cooper Union NYC led by Anne-Marie Slaughter, 28 September 2006:

Tony Judt:  I just… I’d just like to say one very quick thing about [the difficulty of getting anything critical of Israel into the mainstream media]. When I submitted an article about the Israeli Lobby debate — that Mearsheimer and Walt kicked off — to a very well known American, North American, newspaper [NY Times], I was asked by the editorial directors would I mind telling them whether I’m Jewish or not. They felt it was something they would like to know before they published it.

Martin Indyk: But they published it.

TJ: I told them I was Jewish.         (Audience laughs.)

This review of Gilad Atzmon’s book The Wandering Who? A Study of Jewish Identity Politics and the anti-Atzmon essay by Ali Abunimah and some 20 co-signatories called Granting No Quarter: A Call for the Disavowal of the Racism and Antisemitism of Gilad Atzmon is an effort to unite the movement for one secular, democratic state (ODS) in historic Palestine of which both Atzmon and Abunimah are adherents. Edward Said wrote,

The absence of a collective end to which all are committed has crippled Palestinian efforts not just in the official realm, but even among private associations, where personality conflicts, outright fights, and disgraceful backbiting hamper our every step.

In his last years Said put such a “collective end” into words – for coexistence between Jews and Arabs in one state – and now, at the end of a decade that has witnessed outstanding articles, books and conferences articulating this vision, a chasm opens up. If our effort is not to be crippled both sides must bury the hatchet.

Abunimah, Omar Barghouti, Rafeef Ziadah and other signatories, as well as other ODS supporters known to me who have disavowed Atzmon, have made enormous contributions to justice for Palestinians. Their accusations are worth examining, which requires examining The Wandering Who? and some of Atzmon’s blogs and videos with an eye out for the racism, ‘antisemitism’ and Holocaust denial of which Granting accuses him. I haven’t read everything, of course, and there are certainly mistakes in my judgment, so I welcome any feedback and debate.

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5 Broken Cameras (2011)

5 Broken Cameras (2011) from Rebel Videos on Vimeo.

A documentary on a Palestinian farmer's chronicle of his nonviolent resistance to the actions of the Israeli army. When his fourth son, Gibreel, is born, Emad, a Palestinian villager, gets his first camera. In his village, Bil'in, a separation barrier is being built and the villagers start to resist this decision. For more than five years, Emad films the struggle, which is lead by two of his best friends, alongside filming how Gibreel grows. Very soon it affects his family and his own life. Daily arrests and night raids scare his family; his friends, brothers and him as well are either shot or arrested. One Camera after another is shot at or smashed, each camera tells a part of his story.