September 16, 2008

Anti-Semitism in the Scottish Sunday Herald

The Israeli navy, like any navy, does bad things. Unarmed Palestinian fishermen, like all unarmed fishermen, do bad things too. So why is the Scottish Sunday Herald singling out the Israeli navy for shooting at unarmed Palestinian fishermen? Why isn't it devoting column space to when the Chinese navy shoots unarmed Tibetan fisherman? Or when Arab Sudanese nautical militia shoot at unarmed African Darfurian fishermen? By only showing videos of Israeli seamen shooting up Palestinian boats, what they are really doing is exploiting the subtext that "The Jews" -- because the Israeli navy happens to be populated largely with Jews (some of them likely Zionist Israeli Jews) -- are shooting at defenseless Palestinians, seemingly for no reason. It even claims that 14 Palestinian fishermen have died this way. It fails to mention how many Israeli seamen have been killed by unarmed Palestinian fishermen. Thus, they wittingly spread the "naval libel," that Jews shoot Palestinian fishermen for fun. Shame on the Herald. Good on the Israeli embassy for refusing to dignify this Jew-baiting with a comment.



Here the ISM claims the Israeli navy rammed a Palestinian fishing vessel.
The ISM claims the navy yelled over a megaphone, "When the internationals leave Gaza, you will all be made to pay."

UPDATE: from an ISM press release, Sept. 16:

An Italian solidarity activist who sailed into Gaza has been injured today by the Israeli Navy while he was accompanying fishermen in Gaza.

Vittorio Arrigoni was hit by flying glass as the Israeli navy used a high power water cannon against the unarmed boats. The water canon smashed the glass surrounding the steering section of the boat, with shards lacerating Vittorio's back. He was been taken to hospital immediately upon reaching shore, requiring stitches.

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