Hasbara parrot speaks for EU

I've just been copied into some bizarre correpondence between Universities and Colleges Union activist, Haim Bresheeth, and the EU presidency spokesman, Jiri F. Potuznik. What triggered Haim Bresheeth's email was the statement on behalf of the EU presidency claiming that Israel's slaughter of Palestinian civilians in Gaza is defensive. According to Norman Finkelstein's site, Daniel Machover, scourge of the air mile chasing Israeli generals, wrote to people asking that they write to the spokesman to protest. Here's Haim Bresheeth:

Dear Mr. Jiri F. Potuznik,

I am shocked and disgusted as a human being and an EU citizen, I am now represented by a rogue regime in Prague, little better than the Israeli government, in that it supports its war crimes by calling them 'defensive'. I call on you to resign forthwith - you are not fit to represent anyone, let alone the presidency of Europe. In the few days that your country held this important office, you have shamed both the office itself and the EU. As someone who supported the Prague Spring in 1968, I find this even more bizarre, as the last thing Europe now needs, is a presidency supporting the continued murder of hundreds of civilians, the indiscriminate bombing of cities and towns, and further support to the Israeli regime, by calling its actions 'defensive'.

Shame on you! Resign now!

Prof. Haim Bresheeth
Citizen of the UK and Israel

Well here's the weird reply:

From: jiri potuznik jiri.potuznik(at)gmail.com
Date: Sun, 4 Jan 2009 17:26:54 +0100
To: Haim Bresheeth
Subject: Re: Resign now!

Dear Mr. Haim Bresheeth,

let me deeply and personally apologize to You - my mystake and misunderestanding was not the support of any murdering. Information I have recieved but have not confirmed was the opposit. That is my shame, not the bad intention. I proposed my resignation anyway.

Best whishes

Jiri F. Potuznik

And back comes Haim:

Dear Mr. Potuznik

Many thanks for your message below. I note however, that you have not resigned, and continue to represent the EU, which seems to me a travesty. I have some personal questions to pose to you:

1. How could your statement have been a mistake, when the whole world knew what was going on? Are there no papers in Prague, or no television?

2. How could you, as the spokesperson of the Current EU
presidency, be so cut off from the news, to think that destroying
Gaza was ‘defensive action’?

3. As I am someone whose whole family was murdered by the Nazis,
because no one cared or did anything about it, I want to ask you
what you have learnt from the Holocaust as a Czech, a human being,
and a journalist? Was the Soviet attack on Prague a ‘defensive
action’? I remember that this is exactly what the Soviets said
when their tanks entered Prague! What have you learnt from that
little episode?

4. Now that you have apologised (but not resigned!) you have still
not found it possible to condemn, in no uncertain terms, this
ongoing war crime, worse than Prague 1968 and even Guernica. Why?
How many Palestinians do you, or the EU, need to lie dead and
mutilated before you will admit that those are war crimes of the
worst kind, and do something to stop them? Will you ever stop
Israel, or is allowed, alone amongst nations, to do anything it
chooses?

5. Lastly, but not least – the EU has decided to upgrade its links
with Israel, despite the fact that Israel has broken every law,
international convention and UK resolutions which deal with
occupied territories, for the last 40 years. Are you not ashamed,
that at the time Israel is, again, committing massive war crimes,
the EU finds it necessary and justifiable to reward this criminal
behaviour with improved links with the leaders who have actioned
those crimes?

I hope you will find the decency to answer this letter, as you have
answered my last one, below.

Yours,

Haim Bresheeth

I can't help feeling sorry for the guy but what or who made him say what he did in the first place?