Someone doesn't like Israel...
The New Zealand Palestinian Human Rights Campaign is an ostensible "human rights" organisation, which, like others of its ilk, seems to think that "human rights" should not be extended to Israeli citizens. Working to improve the situation of the Palestinian people sounds like a noble endeavour, sure enough, but when dehumanisation of Israel and its citizens is thrown into the bargain, something is wrong.
Much of the PHRC's on-site literature is by a chap by the name of Leslie Bravery. He appears to be an English ex-pat (judging from an earlier article of his) with something, perhaps personal, against Israel. Yes, Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the occasional abuses this entails are open subjects for debate, but Bravery never misses an opportunity to slander Israel for merely existing, ignoring key facts of the conflict and offering his readers, in occasional letters to The Listener or "editorials" published on the PHRC website, a distorted view of the situation. Ultimately, Israel is cast in a near-demonic light while the Palestinians are guiltless no matter what barbarities they commit. Like any propagandist, Bravery isn't above overstating his case using over-emotive language, hyperbole, misleading quotations and misrepresentations of Zionism's purpose. Here's just a quick sampling:
The wording in the above passage is eerily similar to antisemitic tracts - you know, all talk of "the Jews" casting their evil influence on the world. Bravery has claimed he is not an antisemite ("the Palestinians are semites too, you know"), but this sort of rhetoric makes me a little sceptical.
And, having supposedly grown up in England during the Blitz, he feels qualified to compare Israeli security measures to Nazi aggression:
Elsewhere, he particularly enjoys comparing Palestinian terrorists to the French resistance:
There are many differences between the French Resistance and suicide bombers - and they are not exactly subtle ones. For one, I don't recall reading about French resistors sneaking into Berlin to blow up cafes and buses full of civilians.
In his latest rant, Bravery opens with a description of the "Free Palestine" rally held each month in the Auckland CBD. He meets a young Palestinian gentleman who had entered New Zealand on an illegal South African passport (just like someone else we Kiwis know) - one supposes this is because people holding a Palestinian passport cannot enter the country. He is due to stand trial. He left South Africa, understandably, because it is a violent place and chose New Zealand because it was the clean, green, very friendly and welcoming country it is reputed to be. Then...
The New Zealand government is "friendly" to Israel? Surely, Bravery could've told his new friend about the "Israeli Spy" scandal, which received world-wide attention and prompted Auntie Helen to cut all diplomatic ties with Israel until fairly recently, when she was presented with the apology she demanded. But as the Palestinians are supposed to be a beleaguered people with no friends in the world, such information is easily ignored in favour of a "purer" narrative of Palestinian victimhood and Israeli malevolence.
And here come the comparisions:
Aside from the usual hysterics, no context is provided (note also the disdainful reference to the "Zionist State"). Israel is simply making the Palestinians' lives a misery for sheer sadistic pleasure.
This is a common Bravery tactic - take one horrible (isolated) incident, and blow it out of proportion to present an illustration of how absolutely evil Israel is (and don't forget to bring in the children!) The fact that the evil IDF stormtroopers Bravery vilifies include among their ranks Jews of numerous shapes and colours as well as Arab, Druze and other non-Jewish soldiers (and citizens of Israel) makes nonsense of his allegation that they are somehow "imbued with an ideology of ethnic supremacy". And the fact that I can't seem to find any information about the above incident (and probably wouldn't outside a press release from the lovely ISM) speaks volumes.
In the end, it's funny that Bravery, so eager to condemn collective punishment, supports the idea of refusing entry to Israeli citizens because of the perceived "crimes" of their government.
What a joke.
Much of the PHRC's on-site literature is by a chap by the name of Leslie Bravery. He appears to be an English ex-pat (judging from an earlier article of his) with something, perhaps personal, against Israel. Yes, Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza Strip and the occasional abuses this entails are open subjects for debate, but Bravery never misses an opportunity to slander Israel for merely existing, ignoring key facts of the conflict and offering his readers, in occasional letters to The Listener or "editorials" published on the PHRC website, a distorted view of the situation. Ultimately, Israel is cast in a near-demonic light while the Palestinians are guiltless no matter what barbarities they commit. Like any propagandist, Bravery isn't above overstating his case using over-emotive language, hyperbole, misleading quotations and misrepresentations of Zionism's purpose. Here's just a quick sampling:
Israel’s toxic waste is analogous to the poisonous racism of Zionist ideology, which flows into and infects popular consciousness, subverting perceptions of morality. This pollution of conscience allows the resistance to occupation of an abused people to be almost universally reported as ‘violence’, while the State that is the abuser is admired as ‘the only democracy in the region’ and its leader hailed by US President Bush as ‘a man of peace.’
The wording in the above passage is eerily similar to antisemitic tracts - you know, all talk of "the Jews" casting their evil influence on the world. Bravery has claimed he is not an antisemite ("the Palestinians are semites too, you know"), but this sort of rhetoric makes me a little sceptical.
And, having supposedly grown up in England during the Blitz, he feels qualified to compare Israeli security measures to Nazi aggression:
Memories of growing up in London during the Blitz help me to understand, just a little, what bombardment must mean for Palestinians. Hitler’s air raids did succeed in making people afraid – but not afraid of hitting back – and Nazi bombs, flying bombs and V2 missiles inspired nothing but contempt and defiance.
Elsewhere, he particularly enjoys comparing Palestinian terrorists to the French resistance:
In the recent commemorations of D-Day it was noticeable that very little tribute was given to the French Resistance. These heroic men, women and children played a vital role in sabotaging the Nazi occupation – the Nazis called them ‘terrorists’. Honouring the French Resistance has gone out of fashion, no doubt, because of the uneasy resonance it must have with reactions to present-day injustices imposed by the powerful upon the powerless.
There are many differences between the French Resistance and suicide bombers - and they are not exactly subtle ones. For one, I don't recall reading about French resistors sneaking into Berlin to blow up cafes and buses full of civilians.
In his latest rant, Bravery opens with a description of the "Free Palestine" rally held each month in the Auckland CBD. He meets a young Palestinian gentleman who had entered New Zealand on an illegal South African passport (just like someone else we Kiwis know) - one supposes this is because people holding a Palestinian passport cannot enter the country. He is due to stand trial. He left South Africa, understandably, because it is a violent place and chose New Zealand because it was the clean, green, very friendly and welcoming country it is reputed to be. Then...
He finally asked me, "Why is the New Zealand Government so friendly to Israel?" I couldn't think of an adequate reply.
The New Zealand government is "friendly" to Israel? Surely, Bravery could've told his new friend about the "Israeli Spy" scandal, which received world-wide attention and prompted Auntie Helen to cut all diplomatic ties with Israel until fairly recently, when she was presented with the apology she demanded. But as the Palestinians are supposed to be a beleaguered people with no friends in the world, such information is easily ignored in favour of a "purer" narrative of Palestinian victimhood and Israeli malevolence.
And here come the comparisions:
Israeli passport holders enjoy visa-free visitor status when entering this country, while every possible obstacle is placed in the way of Palestinians wishing to do the same. Israel does not allow the Palestinians free right of entry or exit from their own land. The Zionist State does not even allow freedom of movement to Palestinians within their own land. As you may read above, Israel does not, at times, even allow Palestinians the freedom to enter or leave their own homes. Worse still, Palestinians all too often are not even allowed the freedom to move from room to room within their own homes!
Aside from the usual hysterics, no context is provided (note also the disdainful reference to the "Zionist State"). Israel is simply making the Palestinians' lives a misery for sheer sadistic pleasure.
A Palestinian mother has within the past 48 hours been beaten up in her home and her children terrorised by soldiers imbued with an ideology of ethnic supremacy.
This is a common Bravery tactic - take one horrible (isolated) incident, and blow it out of proportion to present an illustration of how absolutely evil Israel is (and don't forget to bring in the children!) The fact that the evil IDF stormtroopers Bravery vilifies include among their ranks Jews of numerous shapes and colours as well as Arab, Druze and other non-Jewish soldiers (and citizens of Israel) makes nonsense of his allegation that they are somehow "imbued with an ideology of ethnic supremacy". And the fact that I can't seem to find any information about the above incident (and probably wouldn't outside a press release from the lovely ISM) speaks volumes.
The Occupation and the settlements are in flagrant violation of the human rights and international law that New Zealand claims to support. It looks very much as though New Zealand is selective when it comes to demanding that other countries respect human rights. "Why is the New Zealand Government so friendly to Israel?" That's a very good question.
New Zealand should redeem itself by withdrawing the special favour it accords Israeli passport holders until Israel accords a similar dignity to Palestinians.
In the end, it's funny that Bravery, so eager to condemn collective punishment, supports the idea of refusing entry to Israeli citizens because of the perceived "crimes" of their government.
What a joke.
posted by Evan at
6:23 am
3 Comments:
Amen, brother. That website is a propaganda portal where any information, other than that which vilifies Israel, goes down the memory hole.
By
Anonymous, at 4:17 pm
I agree that it's unfortunate and wrongheaded that a human rights organization is so rooted in bias, that they're content to reveal that bias, and that in fact they work to uphold that bias. However, your critique is no less guilty of such bias. Your reference to "the occasional abuses this entails" pretty much exposes your position on the matter and the highly subjective manner in which you will criticize Bravery. The first block quote you present is indeed concerning. "The poisonous racism of Zionist ideology" is a pretty nasty turn of phrase, as are Bravery's repeated labelling of Israel as "the Zionist State." Your response to this is to immediately raise the issue of antisemitism which, though valid, further perpetuates an adversarial and alarmist debate. You could've set in on his offhanded assesment of media/global perception of the situation, which would've been an informational argument, rather than an accusatory one. Later you bring up the problems of comparing Palestinian resistance to the French Resistance. In your rebuttal you exclusively refer to the Palestinian opposition as "terrorists" and "suicide bombers," again betraying a lack of objectivity. And as far as blowing up German civilians goes, there's surely a difference of approach, but Allied Forces (though not necessarily the French Resistance) did blow up numerous civilian cafes and buses, not to mention the bulk of Dresden, so I'm not sure I can take that argument very seriously.
By
Anonymous, at 11:06 am
Thanks for leaving a comment, devil's. I understand passion can often cloud reason. It's something one should be careful of in the future, though still I believe that there may be something a little sinister behind Bravery's demonology of Israel.
About the "resistors". Bravery is (perhaps purposefully) ambiguous on the subject of resistance. If he was refering to armed Palestinians fighting it out with the IDF in the territories, I would see that as classic guerilla warfare. Yet if you look at the first block quote, he basically implies that suicide bombing is resistance ("however misguided" he once suggested) - as that is the Palestinian violence that is normally reported in the news media. Bravery has even termed Islamic Jihad and Hamas resistance groups - organisations that specialise in the murder of Israeli civilians, not soldiers. This is not wartime resistance - this is deliberate murder.
Finally, I don't think the Allies one day out of the blue decided to go on a bombing spree in Germany and blow up civilians in cafes for the hell of it. There was a war going on, and however atrocious the outcome of wartime bombing, I wouldn't compare it with the wanton killing of civilians in a non-war situation.
By
Evan, at 11:33 pm
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