Greenstein gives labour zionist quite a start

Here's an email exchange on the Just Peace list that shows Tony Greenstein on true form. It begins with a pseudo-trade unionist's "open letter to George Galloway."

Eric Lee wrote:
I have published the following letter on my personal website, at http://www.ericlee.me.uk/archive/000124.html I thought it might be of interest to members of this group.

Here is the complete text:

Dear Sir:

Last week, following the attacks in London, you wrote:

"No one can condone acts of violence aimed at working people going about their daily lives. They have not been a party to, nor are they responsible for, the decisions of their government. They are entirely innocent and we condemn those who have killed or injured them."

Today a suicide bomber killed two women and injured 24 others in an attack on a shopping mall in Netanya, Israel.

Do you condemn the attack in Netanya today? I look forward to receiving your reply, which I will publish on the web.

Eric Lee

I remember Eric Lee. He told a zionist audience (they called themselves the Alliance for Workers Liberty) that he'd like to hit Roland Rance for saying that Yitzhak Rabin used to get drunk quite a lot. Anyway, I would have happily ignored the guy but that's not Tony's way, and I'm glad it's not. Get this:

Eric Lee,

You condemn the killing of 2 women in Netanya. Where was your open letter about the killing of 3 children last week by the Israeli army? Or do Palestinian children not merit an open letter by an ex-member of the Israeli Defence Forces? Or maybe you just can't bring yourself to condemn your own comrades?

Palestinian suicide bombing, which is entirely counter-productive, is a measure of the desperation of those who have been living under an occupation for nearly 40 years. Your only contribution to that situation is to say little or nothing about the repression of the Palestinians, to refuse to take up issues such as the attempt to ban the Workers Advice Centres in Israel which serve unrepresented Arab workers, (since the apartheid Histadrut does nothing for Arab workers) and to campaign against any effective solidarity action such as the academic boycott.

If anyone is to blame for the suicide bombings it's people like you who do nothing to challenge the racist and genocidal policies of Israel but then point the finger when an Israeli is killed. Why have you said nothing about the latest house demolitions in Silwan and elsewhere in Jerusalem? I can't think of anything more likely to produce suicide bombers than the experience of a child who sees their house demolished before their eyes.

But none of this matters to a fake and fraudulent site like your own. It's clear that it's time to start organising a boycott of your site since it is clear that 'solidarity' with workers in other countries is just a front for your concern to defend the Israeli State and Zionism.

Or in case you don't get the message, why don't you and Labour Start (AWL) just fuck off. Nothing you write is of the slightest interest. Labour Start is just a Zionist front.

Tony Greenstein

These e-groups flood your mailbox but every so often something really hits the spot.