In 2009, Israeli athletes were at one point shunned in the United Arab Emirates; humiliated in Vienna; and forced to play without an audience for their own safety in Sweden. The jackals took over the asylum and tossed a prominent Israeli advocate out of the United Nations; J-Street, the allegedly “pro-peace and pro-Israel” organization, held a Soros- and Arab-funded conference; and the calls to boycott Israeli academics continued apace. Today, Departments of Jewish Studies at American universities display anti-Israeli and pro-Palestinian posters on their front doors.
Then there are all the blood libels about Israelis harvesting Palestinian organs for sale or secretly sterilizing Palestinians.
These various allegations and campaigns are all surreal, something only Himmler or Hitler could have dreamed up.
Seven years ago, I wrote about this gathering tidal wave of anti-Jewish hate at least twice a week. In 2003, I published a book about it titled The New Anti-Semitism. I received hate mail and lost most of my political allies and friends. Now, although I have politically more compatible allies and friends, I have begun to write about it less often. Why?
First, because other individuals and mainly grassroots groups are now doing so—and doing it well. I am no longer alone.
Second, because I cannot bear documenting the Big Lies and the atrocities without feeling that doing so can effectively stop them.
The world has gone mad; no sane grown-ups are in charge.
Iran has been increasingly taken over by the most hard-line elements. So many Iranians who marched so bravely in the streets of Teheran have now been jailed, tortured, and murdered. Somalia’s pirates keep hijacking civilians and holding them for ransom. Iran itself just captured five straying British yachtsmen.
Yes, Israel and India are growing closer. Yes, for all I know, Israel and Saudi Arabia are as well. (No Sunni Arab state wants the Iranian Shi’a to take over). Enormous changes may indeed occur at the last moment. Still, none of us are actively working on stopping the Iranian bomb. (Please note: I wrote “stopping” the bomb, not merely talking about stopping the bomb).
The Iranians are not going to stop themselves. America won’t do it, Europe won’t do it. Perhaps, after all, it will all be up to the Israelis. Bitterly, I think: Of course, the Jews will have to do all the heavy lifting. Happily, I think: Thank God for the Israeli Defense Forces.
Someone recently suggested that one way Israel might deter the use of the Iranian bomb and encourage other nations to deter its use might include Israel’s positioning nuclear submarines on every continent and letting it be known that this time, if Israel goes down, they’re not going down alone.
I know: Liberals, including liberal Jews, will condemn this very thought itself. Writing it down might be seen as a capital thought crime.
Alright: What’s your plan?
I’m worried. People like me have failed to stop the tidal wave of propaganda against the Jews, against Israel, against America, against the West. We have failed to convince the fifth columnists not to collaborate with the jihadists. We have failed to stop the anti-Semitism, pro-Arabism, and pro-Islamism in the United Nations, the western and Arab mainstream media, the American State Department and the U.S. Army, which now masquerades as political correctness.
On the one hand, I’ve had it with all those who say we’ve got to nuke 1.3 billion Muslims and abolish all of Islam. Abolish fundamentalism, terrorism, jihadism, fascism—yes. Eliminate Islamic gender and religious apartheid—yes. Eliminate intolerance—yes. But we must also work with Muslim and ex-Muslim dissidents and feminists. They are our natural allies. They are already progressive, their lives are on the line, and they understand who the radical Islamic fundamentalists are. I don’t have to persuade them. And, they are personally very heroic.
On the other hand, we might not have enough time to create the kind of alliances that will stop an Iranian bomb. Or a jihadist shooter, a homegrown terrorist, or the next Soldier of Allah.
Another path would be to mount a pr campaign to expose the arafats, ahmedinejads, assads… not only because they hate israel but because they fail their own nations.
universally immoral people who ally themselves with similarly immoral people.
the iranians and syrians will enjoy the exposure.
they are unhappy if we do not talk about the faults of their leaders.
The hardest enemies to fight are those with no motives. Ahmadinejad, who dislikes Arabs and hates Sunnis, has no practical reason in the world to oppose Isrel’s existence. It’s not as if he cared for the Palestinians. He won’t do anything to alleviate their suffering. He will only arm Hamas and Hezbollah, but not give them help to raise the living standards of their people.
Ahmadinejad has no reason to tempt the world to impose sanctions against Iran. He has no reason to tempt Israel to strike first in order to stop Iran’s nuclear ambitions. That means we can’t figure out how to fight him.
The United States and most of the rest of the world closed its doors to Jews trying to flee Europe in the days when fleeing was still possible. Similarly, today the world is ready to condemn Israel for any attempt it makes to pre-empt Iran’s plans to nuke it.
I can’t imagine what to do in this situation.
There is a thing people can do. DIVEST from Iran. Push state after state, counti after county, town after town, to DIVEST from ANY company that has any kind of commercial activity with Iran. Capitalism and global trade can go to hell! For heaven’s sake. There are pressure groups who are already doing it. Just help them speed the whole process.
I think it shocking that Israel is the only advanced society that is STILL having to keep the barbarians at bay.
Their enemies are the Arab countries who have absolutely nothing to offer the world except oil which is their sole source of income. If they ever succeeded in destroying the western world that income would stop and they’d be back to living in tents and riding camels.
It makes no sense to me.
I have to ask; Why is Israel loosing the support of the Western world?
Phyllis, our children here in America have been sold a bill of goods by the government and the teachers’ unions. History has been rewritten to make us the bad guys. You are right, the world is upside down. Double-speak is here; good is bad and bad is good and everything is relative. We need to pray.
Phyllis, the false piety of the 20th and 21st centuries, political correctness, has to be taken on. I propose that preparatory regimes for those parts of Asia, Africa & South America on the lines of what FDR had in mind for Vietnam (as described in “The Lost Crusade: America in Vietnam” by Chester L. Cooper), or what Natan Sharansky had towards the end of his book, “The Case for Democracy”, be utilized.
People like Wafa Sultan, Walid Shoebat, and all those on your rolodex Phyllis, will be on those governing councils which show the inhabitants of failed states, how to properly govern.
Read the pages of those two books which deal with preparatory regimes, and frankly
people will be galaxies ahead of where they are in understanding and accepting these proposals, as compared to where they are now.
“There is a thing people can do. DIVEST from Iran. Push state after state, counti after county, town after town, to DIVEST from ANY company that has any kind of commercial activity with Iran”.
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There’s not enough time for these measures to be effective. Perhaps if it was done years ago it might have worked. The reality is that the only way an Iranian nuclear bomb is going to be stopped at this point is through military force. This is the last option left. People like to say it should be the last resort, well we’ve come to that point.
Sanctions usually fail to work in the way expected. The sanctioned government explains that the west (or whoever) is against their country and causing their people pain. Saddam did that for 10 years, and sanctions plus flyovers did not change things for the better. It didn’t work against Germany or Japan prior to the run-up to WWII. If anything, sanctions seem to make their target even more aggressive. Notably, they haven’t worked in the Arab sanctions against Israel. As Laura noted, it’s too late for these mild policies (which haven’t even been started). Force should not always be the last resort. It can save a lot of misery if applied smartly.
You need to read Scott Ritter. For instance:
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/cifamerica/2009/sep/25/iran-secret-nuclear-plant-inspections
Israel will definitely have to do the heavy lifting but I think this is an opportunity for Israel as she is the only nation being threatened by Iran.
I like the idea of Israel having a nuclear sub in every continent. I have no doubt whatsoever that Israel’s intelligence and the IDF, the best in the world, have considered and are considering all such options.
By Israel attacking Iran before it attacks her, she also gets rid of the funding for Hamas and Hizbollah. Without the funding, neither will have the ability to do ‘effective terrorism.’ Thus, Israel will have to be the Lone Ranger.
If only Germany (Irans most important business partner) would cut its economic ties with Iran, Ahmadinedschads regime would get into major trouble. Iran depends heavily on German technology (especially in the energy sector). Germany on the other hand doesn’t depend on Iran at all.
Phyllis, we are indeed in dark times. So it must be. If Hannukah were celebrated at the summer solstice, who would notice or care? Without the darkness, the lights of truth, justice, and freedom could not shine brightly. Do not lose hope, your efforts have planted many seeds and have not been wasted. The efforts of all of us who stand for the dignity of the human spirit will bear fruit and blaze forth. With God’s help, good will triumph.
The world’s mismanagement of the Iran crisis is extremely distressing, as is the vehement anti-Israel sentiment expressed in universities and with the unions who want to boycott Israeli products.
I sincerely hope that Israel will not be the fall guy and be manipulated into becoming the only action based “defender of the free world”…….(and then be blamed for using disproportionate force)by all the armchair know-alls who think that the middle east just needs to solve the Pal/Israeli conflict and then peace will reign in the region. This is an extremely complicated tribal area ruled by fear and force, not by openeness and acceptance.
Iran’s recently avowed intention to wipe Israel off map if it or any other nation poses a real threat to its nuclear ambitions, only makes Israel’s enemies truly delighted!
I sincerely hope that the situation of imminent destruction will not force Israel’s hand. Now more than ever Israel needs solid support and not well intentioned supporters pushing her to the brink!!!
To Rachel, #13, love your post!
The world has gone mad; no sane grown-ups are in charge.
That’s your penance, Ms. Chesler, for your past crimes against sanity. (I’ve read your pre-2003 books.)
My plan, Dr. Chesler is this:
Our reservists in Israel must be motivated by a grass roots campaign (in Hebrew) to get rid of the American and European puppets ruining this nation. Netanyahu’s cowardice, and Barak’s viciousness and combined their fear of Obama all work in favor of this basic solution.
Then we can do what we need to do to defend our nation – and to negotiate with the many Muslims who really understand the Qur’an – so as to work a peace between the Children of Abraham.
This plan will require guts and courage – more courage than it took for Matatyahu haKohén to run a sword through one old man who worshiped a Greek idol 2,100 years ago.
But Matatyahu is the dugmá for us today.
Iranian bomb? What bomb? The only nation in that neighborhood with nuclear weapons is… Israel. To be afraid of Iran is akin to checking the closet for monsters before turning the lights out.
“the only nation in that neighborhood with nuclear weapons is… Israel”.
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Thank God for that. I pray that Israel keeps it that way.
R Greener? That’s a hoot! Your climate science, your political science and your geography are all kind of sketchy. For your information, both nuclear armed Pakistan and India are close enough to be in the neighborhood which is all beside the point. When you talk about these sorts of weapons on large intercontinental ballistic missiles, we are all in the neighborhood. Despite your little Pollyanna act, Iran is rushing nearly unopposed to acquire nuclear weapons and their willingness to use them in an offensive manner is public knowledge. Stop getting your “news” from Jon Stewart, for crying out loud.
Bombing Iran is a good start, but Isreal needs to do 2 very important things. One is to stop fighting its enemies in a way thast disadvantages itself. Stop informing the enemy when you’re about to be attacked, just do it. The world will denounce them no matter what they do. (Hey, this is an existential war, a war of survival) And second, when you bomb Iran, nuke the mecca and the kabaa- wipe it off the face of the earth and give the islamists something to cry about. (This would also go a long way in destableizing the saudi regime).
And by the way, maybe Isreal shoud resign from the UN and pressure the Western democrocies to do the same. (Germany should go along just on general priciple- they owe it to the Jews). There is no reson we should pay for and keep around a corrupt organization like the UN!
Terric,
I track with you almost entirely – except here:
nuke the mecca and the kabaa- wipe it off the face of the earth and give the islamists something to cry about. (This would also go a long way in destableizing the saudi regime).
You got this all wrong. You nuke Riyadh and wipe out the Saudi regime – then you fund the Jordanian king to take back his cities, Makka and Medina. The Islamists (Wahhabi heretics) and the Saudi regime are the same people. Get rid of one, you get rid of the other.
If Muslims refuse to negotiate with us in Israel in good faith after we have gotten the stinky trash of the Wahhabi heretics off their necks – then we can consider nuking Makka and Medina and deal Islam a fatal blow. It’s always nice to have an ace up your sleeve when playing existential poker.
#20 – “climate science” huh? You confuse me for someone else? As for geography, if you really consider Pakistan and India part of the Middle East you’ve opened a new school of geographic measurement. Count the miles. I doubt you know much (if anything) about ICBMs because no nation involved in this regional issue has any and that includes even your stretch to Pakistan and India. Israel is an acknowledged nuclear power – even they don’t deny it. Iran can’t even enrich uranium to a level needed for medical procedures which are probably available in every decent hospital in the United States and Western Europe. The idea that Iran could – or will – make a nuclear bomb is really rather silly and supported by no evidence whatsoever. Besides, even if Iran had such a weapon, how would they send it anywhere? Their air force has no capacity to carry one. There is nothing to indicate that Iran has a rocket large enough to hold a warhead or with a range greater than 650 miles. At this point in time, Jewish fear of Iran is entirely based on paranoid fantasies.
*Bombing Iran is a good start, but Isreal needs to do 2 very important things. One is to stop fighting its enemies in a way thast disadvantages itself*- i more then agree with thaat but unfortunatly its impossible as every our step is used against us in the world media