Back to basics with Craig Murray

Lesson 1: Israel should not exist

That's what the man said. Craig Murray is the former diplomat who got the push, I think, for opposing the war in Iraq. Something like that. It could have been Afghanistan or it could have been the Brit-Asians languishing in Guantanamo Bay. Or was it the Britain's support for the Uzbekistan regime? Now I think of it, there's so much to choose from, he could have got the push or even resigned(I can't remember that either) for any one of quite a lot of things but most likely it's Iraq. Well he has a beef over the west's war on the Palestinians, aka, Israel, as well. Let's see what he says:

Let me say it loud and clear. I do not believe in Israel's right to exist. It is a militarised, evil entity founded on a racist premise and a lot of religious hokum. It should be replaced by a single, secular state in which the Palestinians are free to live, and in which they receive either their stolen lands or genuine equivalent financial compensation, in either case plus damages.

That's the ticket! Now what did he say just before that?

The Israeli attack on Gaza is unconscionable. It is wildly disproportionate and plainly the attacks on schools yesterday were only the most blatant examples of Israel's continual breaches of the laws of warfare - war crimes. But it is only an episode in the terrible ethnic cleansing and destruction of the Palestinian people by the Israelis who have stolen their land.

But then he finds himself getting into some more basics:

I have not deleted a single pro-Israeli comment from discussion on these pages, though I disagree profoundly with many. I have deleted three anti-Jewish comments. I should make it plain that I am in profound disagreement with those commenters who conflate Israel with Jews in general. We have had commenters excusing anti-Jewish comments on the grounds Jews are not a race, and positing claims of a world conspiracy of Jews and freemasons. I have only deleted three of these, because in general I believe the suppression of any opinion to be an evil which requires major justification. I find it hard to define the exact line which leads to deletion.

The great John Stuart Mill said it was legitimate to express the opinion that all corn merchants are thieves of the people's bread; but it was not legitimate to shout the same thing to a howling mob at night carrying torches outside a corn merchant's house. He was, as ever, right.

So almost any opinion can be expressed here. But I would be grateful if those people who have a serious grudge against Jews in general, would go and express their views on their own websites.

UPDATE

Michael has overstepped the mark by a posting about "Jews with their Satanic Smirks" (long overdue yellow card) and then introducing the Protocols of Zion (automatic red card offence). All of his 31 comments have therefore been deleted.

I'm not sure about his complete agreement with John Stuart Mill so I'd better not visit his site. Here's one of his responses to a comment by a chap called Tristan:

Tristan,

I don't think that is true. If you deliberately incite someone to an action there is a measure of guilt. Lady Macbeth was guilty!

Actually you are free to express almost any view on this site, except the view that John Stuart Mill was wrong about anything.

Hmm, I wonder what Mill would say to that.

Some of these diplomats who speak out after they have flown the diplomatic nest make me wonder what were they doing while in post. I don't have to ask that in the case of Craig Murray. He cut his career short on principle. It was a human rights issue, I just can't remember which one.