Mark Gardner, Howard Jacobson and Rod Cox

I did a post on this already but this Rod Cox chap has been so misrepresented by Mark Gardner of the Board of Deputies of British Jews' Community Security Trust that I wanted to focus specifically on that so this is simply a copy and paste of the bottom part of the post immediately below this one:

Cop this from Gardner:

Rod Cox (letter, 10 December) disgracefully accuses Howard Jacobson of blaming anti-Israel criticism for both terrorism and antisemitism, when Jacobson clearly said nothing of the sort.

Nevertheless, the saddest thing is that Cox is merely repeating the self-serving canards that are now so frequently expressed in supposed liberal-left circles. Namely, that any criticism of Israel is immediately denounced by Jews as antisemitic, and that Jews are cunning co-ordinated liars who only cry antisemitism in order to conceal Israel's supposed crimes. For Cox and so many others, Howard Jacobson's identity obviously counts for far more than his many carefully written words and articles ever will.

Mark Gardner

Director of Communications, CST

Goodness gracious! Did you see what the Independent allowed into print? Mark Gardner is right to be so angry. Can you believe that the Independent, a liberal newspaper in the UK allowed someone to go on record saying that "Jews are cunning co-ordinated liars who only cry antisemitism in order to conceal Israel's supposed crimes"? Can you believe that the Independent would publish a letter taking issue with Howard Jacobson's Jewish identity? No? What, you can't believe they'd do that? Well done, you're right. They didn't do that or anything like that. Here's Rod Cox's letter

When Howard Jacobson says "Propaganda kills" (Opinion, 6 December), I agree with him.

I have seen an old Palestinian watch while the Israeli Army bulldozed his olive trees, pushed his wife into the dirt, clubbed his sons, and drove him out of his house "for security reasons." Armed only with his anger and his helpless tears, he faced down their guns by shouting "Who will help us? Where is Osama Bin Laden? I will become Osama Bin Laden."

Since the Israeli Courts, EU or USA will not, and Arab states cannot, help him, I know that Arab youth will. Since even international solidarity movement activists, and MPs, are arrested by Israel, the only vehicle for their idealistic help is Bin Laden.

Just say this, and Howard Jacobson blames you for the terrorism and for anti-semitism. In his mind, exposing Israeli war crimes is an offence worse than the crimes themselves.

If the persecution of Palestinians ends, terrorists would have no support base. If propagandists like Jacobson stopped persecuting anyone who speaks out against Israel, the sooner these crimes would be exposed and ended, and the safer we all will be.

Propaganda kills, Howard, so stop it.

Rod Cox

Chester and Palestine exchanges Ltd, Chester

So where is there anything about Jacobson being Jewish and Jews being cunning and co-ordinated in their cunning? Only in Mark Gardner's mind and in his letter. Not only that, Howard Jacobson did say precisely what Rod Cox accused him of saying. See for yourself.

Still searching for that elusive honest zionist....