Gilad Atzmon

In the last year we have seen some so called Jewish ‘anti’ Zionists working hard to appease their Zionist brothers. Naomi Wimborne Idrissi attempted to run a clandestine operation within our movement. Sarah Kershnar of the IJAN attempted to jeopardise a Palestinian Solidarity conference, we saw the relentless Tony Greenstein harassing Richard Falk, John Mearsheimer, Lauren Booth, Dr Samir Abed Rabo, Sameh Habeeb and myself amongst many others. But now they are all rewarded.

The ultra Zionist, pro war, Neocon Harry’s Place decided today to thank its Jewish ‘anti’ Zionist “allies”. In an astonishing piece called A (small) Thank You to Anti-Israel Jews, Zionist Mouthpiece Anthony Cooper thanks his collaborators within our midst.

Cooper’s article reaffirms what we know for more than a while-there is a clear ideological, political and ethical continuum between Israel and some of the so-called Jewish ‘anti’ Zionists (AKA AZZ -Anti Zionist Zionists).

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Lauren Booth

Lauren Booth (Photo: © Unknown)

This week, the Palestine Solidarity Campaign has revealed itself to be ethically compromised at the highest level.

In recent months it has become clear that the central office of the PSC, are increasingly pandering to the whims of Israeli hasbara activists. Joining with the likes of the rabid Zionist site Harry’s Place in efforts to silence some of this movement’s most outspoken and popular, thinkers.

Last week the British media carried a rare report into the pressure exerted on British news outlets including BBC, Sky News and Financial Times pro-Israeli lobbying group, Britain Israel Communications and Research Centre (BICOM). The report found that BICOM's efforts had produced results, in that major channels and papers had “changed their narrative” to meet the Zionist regime's demands. This week, we see the fruits of Zionist labours in a more surprising arena. Sarah Colborne, director of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, was quoted in the pro Israeli paper, the Jewish Chronicle, as supporting a boycott of the highly renowned musician and academic Gilad Atzmon. Atzmon was booked to perform in his professional capacity as a saxaphonist at an event celebrating political song in Bradford, called 'Raise your Banners.' The musician/author has recently published his best selling treatise on Jewish cultural identity called ‘The Wondering Who’. A work that, unlike Sarah Colborne, I have actually read, and can highly recommend, as it pulls no punches, when asking to what degree the racist idealogy - Zionism, when mixed with the Jewish sense of ‘Choseness’, is to blame for the existence of todays Apartheid Israel. It has been endorsed by some of the finest thinkers and writers on Israel/Palestine of our age.

But the subject matter alone (predictably) proved more than enough to have Atzmon, once again, falsely, branded an anti semite by the sections of the Jewish diaspora committed to stopping debate into their awkward, yet staunch, support for Israeli war crimes.

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Lauren Booth
Gilad Atzmon's Blog

Lauren Booth

"British government now appears to be part of a larger attempt to stifle free speech"

The previously secretive campaign to halt Press TV Ltd, the British production company, from making programs critical of Western Imperialism, is finally out in the open. Thanks to Wikileaks.

Last month, Julian Assange’s incredible agency, released the news Her Majesty's Government (HMG) is now fully implicated in efforts to shut Press TV Ltd down. Backing, quite clearly, US led efforts, to cripple this tiny, yet heavyweight, British production company.

Let me explain. Ever since it first began making programs some four years ago, Press TV Ltd (the British company, who sells documentaries and series to the Iranian channel of the same name), has been under pressure from what Princess Diana would have known as 'dark forces.'

Pressure had taken the form, until recently, of the usual nonsense from Zionist organizations. Letter writers, linked to the Israeli Embassy in London and its web of supporters, have been trying to use Ofcom as some kind of offshoot Hasbara body. Endless letters of complaint were sent to the broadcasting monitor, whenever Press TV, broadcast a news items shedding light on the thuggery, blackmail and racism inherent in Israeli government policy. Thus, faux 'shock, horror' objections to shows like the one I present, 'Remember Palestine' pushed Ofcom to uphold minor criticisms. And have led to negative headlines in the ridiculous Jewish Chronicle against an otherwise excellent UK bureau. Happily, the most recent attempt to besmirch the veracity of Remember Palestine, was so feeble, that Ofcom dug its heels in.

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Gilad Atzmon
Gilad Atzmon's Blog

In her desperate attempt to smear Lauren Booth, Independent writer Julie Burchill, a devout Zionist, proves how deceiving British multiculturalism is.

Indeed the Zionification of this Kingdom has left this country in a disastrous ethical limbo.

“Last year I took the first steps towards converting to Judaism; also last year, I abandoned my attempt”, says Burchill.

But I guess that Burchill didn’t really have to convert -- She is obviously far more Jewish than anyone I can think of. Burchill can teach Rabbi Ovadia Yosef what self-love is all about. She can teach Paul Wolfowitz, David Aaronovitch and David Miliband what moral-interventionism stands for. She can give Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman a crash course in Hasbara. Burchill can lecture Zionist slander operators on how to spread venom.

But most significantly, she displays an astonishing command of Jewish humour. Burchill is indeed very funny.

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Gilad Atzmon
Gilad Atzmon's Blog

London Jazza festival is behind us. It was stressful and we took a massive risk, but it turned into a great success. For some of us, it was the most musically meaningful event we have ever participated in.

It occurred to me a while back that as far as Palestinian affairs are concerned, the tide has indeed changed -- The struggle of the Palestinian people has now become a part of a Western collective conscience. We are a mass movement becoming increasingly aware of itself. At our last week's first Jazza Festival, leading artists of all genres united together with an audience from all walks of life to side with the Palestinians. In the Scala London, we stood together, protesting against Israeli brutality. Funds were raised for the Free Palestine Movement, an organization that challenges many aspects of the occupation, and will soon bring the all important question of the 'Right of Return' right to the heart of Tel Aviv.

Jazza is an event though, which is above political agendas: like the peace activists on board the Mavi Marmara, we have a humanitarian mission to accomplish. We are artists who very simply believe that beauty is hope. And we know that it is our duty to depict an alternative reality through our music.

Naturally enough, we were supported by every possible Palestinian and Arab media outlet: The Palestine Telegraph rallied with us, as did the Palestine Chronicle. Middle East Online covered the production process and covered the event. Press TV promoted us and sent a team to cover the event.

We were supported by the dissident network too: the SWP featured us on its front page, as did The Truth Seeker, Salem News, Whatreallyhappened.com, Rense.com, The People Voice, Uprooted Palestinians and many others.

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Jeff Halper

From a 2008 humanitarian flotilla: Boisterous
reception...Lauren Booth, one of the activists.

Jeff Halper exhorts Israelis to shun the “victim” mentality that blinds them to Palestinian suffering. In an open letter specifically to the Israeli Jewish public, published in Hebrew on the popular website Ha'oketz before the attack on the Freedom Flotilla, he says Israelis must embrace the campaign to end the Gaza siege – for the sake of humanity and their own self-interest.

If we were not Israeli Jews, if the nine ships bringing 800 peace-makers from 40 countries would be sailing with humanitarian aid to an imprisoned population of a million and a half to, say, Haiti, the flotilla now on its way to Gaza would be hailed as a monumental event and the government of Israel would donate another 50 tons of food and materials and a brigade of army volunteers from the “rescue corps”. But we are Israelis, and the fact that such an operation is being launched against a siege we imposed on a civilian population three years ago – actually, the blockade goes back to the late 1980s – should cause us all to reflect upon how we and our country have arrived at this sorry state – how the “light unto the nations” has become one of the most oppressive states on earth, subject to international protests like this one.

The flotilla is sailing with a number of messages. First and foremost, to the government of Israel: Lift the siege on Gaza! The siege is absolutely illegal in international law, and for those of us who believe that the rule of law and human rights is the only recipe for a better world, it is incumbent upon us to join the flotilla’s call to lift the siege. Civilians cannot be the object of military and political attacks, as is the case in Gaza (which the Goldstone report roundly criticized), nor can they be collectively punished for the policies of their political leaders. The very idea that people can be brought to their knees and forced to accept being permanently controlled and dominated, which is the thrust of Israeli policy, is both unconscionable and counter-productive. As the situation in Gaza shows, it has only stiffened resistance to the occupation.

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Lauren Booth

Lauren Booth shows her Palestinian passport, given to her by
Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas as a token of gratitude and respect.

One of the most striking trends following the flotilla attack has been how quickly Israeli hasbara is being exposed by internet journalists. The doctored IOF audio clips, where amateurs with mock Arab accents hiss ‘Go back to Aushwitz’ to Israeli naval officers. Well they didn’t take long to pull apart did they? Then there are the (so-pathetic-they’re-almost-funny claims the flotilla was linked to Al Quaeda. I laughed out loud to read in an Israeli paper that humanitarian activist (and former US marine) Ken O’Keefe was going to Gaza to; ‘train a commando unit in Hamas.’ I know Ken fairly well. Quite frankly I’m not sure who should be more insulted by this stupidity him or Hamas? Either way flinging the words ‘Hamas’ ‘Jihadists’ and ‘Israel’s security’ around is no longer having the same shock and awe effect on journalists or the public at large.

The internet now shapes the world’s story, not the Israeli Foreign Ministry.

Meanwhile, like a soccer star caught cheating on his wife. Instead of saying ' I messed up big time, forgive me' Israeli government sources and other shysters are screaming; ‘it’s not fair to watch us all the time, that's mean!’ and ‘this is our business, leave us alone!' Bad luck for them that as it stands, more of the IDF's minging dirty washing, is being aired in public than ever before; via facebook and twitter. The Zionists sobs of 'no faiirrrr!' are sounding ever more bizarre. But more about the Isra-bots later on.

Israeli Intelligence (some mistake surely?) have been busy since the massacre. Erasing the memory sticks and hard disks of what my premiliminary research estimates to be some 800 video cameras, around 1200 mobiles and 600 lap tops. All items, looted from the passengers of the Freedom Flotilla, whilst they kneeled, handcuffed and in stress positions, on the hot deck of the Mavi Marmara for up to 12 hours after the attack. Before the bots cry 'why so much money on board, why so many cameraaas!' Let me explain, the good individuals on board had been raising money for months in the local communities around the world to take useful gifts tot eh people, schools and children of the besieged Gaza Strip. Besides which -the cameras were the only 'weapons' those on board had with which to arm themselves in the event of an attack at sea.

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