Harry’s Place

Off-topic but important: There is a convincing email going round saying Sunday’s rally in Trafalgar Square is cancelled. It is a hoax.

Its an antisemitic hoax.

Yes - but on the BBC “I comes before H” and Israel’s refusal was reported first and given more prominence.

It is antisemitic because it makes British Jews who dare to show solidarity with Israel “part of the conflict” and, therefore, “legitimate targets”.

It was posted here my Michael Rosen

I appreciate that Michael has suffered terrible personal tragedy.

However, I wonder if he has now become utterly unhinged.

Their moral backers in Syria (in this instance) are egging them on, knowing that their only ‘victory’ is a high civilian body count that plays out nicely as news-pornography

Not the only kind of Syrian pornography that the BBC is trying to sell this month in its general campaign of whitewashing the Islamic Republic and Syria,

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7786564.stm

BTW - there is a big lie that goes around about Israel broke the ceasefire in Nov 2008. Just bookmark this BBC report from 24th June 2008 about how the Palestians broke the ceasefire which only started June 19th 2008 http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/7470530.stm

“I appreciate that Michael has suffered terrible personal tragedy. However, I wonder if he has now become utterly unhinged.”

Are there no depths you won’t sink to?

He posted it on the socialist unity site as well. Is he the hoaxer or has he been hoaxed?

Here’s the BBC News Online headline at 12.23 GMT: “Israelis snub UN ceasefire call”.
50 minutes later: “UN Ceasefire call goes unheeded”.
BBC Radio 4 headlines underwent a similar adjustment from 5pm to 6pm.

I’ve just watched a report from Gaza on the reaction via Hiwar TV (based in London). The Hamas spokesman, one Mahmoud al-Misry, was claiming a victory for Hamas and the Israeli Jihad; he was ecstatic that Allah had set the scene for ‘further incursions into Zionist territory’. I know he’s delusional, but the infuriating part came next when 5 callers, one after another, from the UK denounced Israel, used some thoroughly anti-Semitic expressions and claimed Hamas had won. One of the callers even cited Nasrallah’s speech today as an ‘omen’ for the Israelis (Nasrallah claimed the Israelis were losing today in his khutbah).

Looks like Hamas are playing games with people’s lives as you say…

yet inspite of the incessant pro-Hamas/pro-islamist propaganda by the BBC and British media few appear to be convinced … notice the tone of the readers most recommended comments on BBC’s “Have Your Say” comments … they are critical of Hamas by about 10-1 … and this after the usual censoring by the BBC moderator of comments that stray too far from its pro-islamist line.

http://newsforums.bbc.co.uk/nol/thread.jspa?sortBy=2&forumID=5864&edition=1&ttl=20090109180237&#paginator

Lets examine this UN ceasefire idea and realise its bollocks. It took a few more days than everyone said it would because it was supposed to be an emergency. Deep down the major western players at the UN and countries like Saudi and Jordan want Hamas smashed. They KNOW they are terrorists who aren’t going to acknowledge a ceasefire so what did they do?

They made a resolution that is non-binding. Non-binding simply means you can tell the UN to piss off. The USA abstained because they knew it was all bollocks and they want to keep their own powder dry. Its a coded signal to Israel that this resolution is simply the UN getting its tick in the box that they made a resolution.

The resolution calls for a “durable” ceasefire and NOT a unilateral one.

While public opinion will be swayed to “bad Israel” by the BBC’s shilling for Hamas terrorists (oops militants), at a government level THEY know what the deal is and that they have really signalled to Israel to finish it as soon as they can.

Intersting also that the hoax legitimises the idea of the conflict as one between Jews and Muslims as opposed to Israel and Hamas.
Still, I am sure that the mere addition of software should do the trick in future.

BTW - there is a big lie that goes around about Israel broke the ceasefire in Nov 2008

I want to add that the detractors will say that the breaches weren’t by Hamas but other groups. So, the question to throw back is “Do the groups Islamic Jew Killers and Allah Akhbar til the Day I Die terrorist groups running their own rocket smuggling tunnels? Is it like there are different tunnel companies like “Gaza Tunnel Corp” versus “We Dig Jew Haters Mining Company”?

Your Say” comments … they are critical of Hamas by about 10-1

And I think that that 10-1 ratio represents general world opinion. Islamist radicals have committed so many atrocities and killed so many innocent peoplelately that it reflects badly on Hamas and so they’re losing SOME of the traction they once had.

This is not at all like the events of 2006. There appears to be much more sympathy for Israel this time ’round.

Fair enough. Hamas rejects resolution 1860 - or rather it dismisses it. This is bad. As a point of pedantry, perhaps, we might note that Resolution 1860 makes absolutely no mention of Hamas, and says only that “The Security Council condemns all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorist.”. None the less, it is wrong that Hamas reject this ruling from the highest body in the world (is that a fair description of the SC?).

Now, what about Israel? Israel also rejects resolution 1860. Read the resolution (my link above). It makes numerous specific demands on Israel.This isn’t a General Assembly resolution. Its a SC resolution. The American’s abstained, but say they fully support it. Failure to comply with these is why we invaded Iraq, is it not? But Israel openly states it will not comply with this. So, what is our reaction to this? We already consider Hamas a terrorist organisation. Do we also now consider Israel a rogue state?

I went to Israel & Palestine in Nov 2008, to visit some Arab & Jewish schools and the experience was not a good one. In an Arab school in Jerusalem, the 12-year old Arab children looked about 6 years old and the Israeli teachers I was doing the tour with told me not to shake their hands, “Because Arabs are dirty” they said. Us British teachers couldn’t believe it and many more comments like that were made by some of the Jewish teachers. They were telling the sort of myths that the Nazis developed about Jews, before and during the WW2.
We need to condemn the bombing of innocent children and civilians - on both sides - as killing innocent people will only promote more fighting and hatred, which will lead to more violence.

“I appreciate that Michael has suffered terrible personal tragedy. However, I wonder if he has now become utterly unhinged.”

Are there no depths you won’t sink to?

You’re right, at least he hasn’t started up an obscure periodical with his brother. That’s just weird. Do the two of you wear matching clothes and finish each other’s sentences?

I went to Israel & Palestine in Nov 2008, to visit some Arab & Jewish schools and the experience was not a good one. In an Arab school in Jerusalem, the 12-year old Arab children looked about 6 years old and the Israeli teachers I was doing the tour with told me not to shake their hands, “Because Arabs are dirty” they said. Us British teachers couldn’t believe it and many more comments like that were made by some of the Jewish teachers. They were telling the sort of myths that the Nazis developed about Jews, before and during the WW2.

I’m sorry that happened. I can assure you that most Jewish teachers in Israel are not like that. There are some mixed Jewish-Arab schools in Israel, though probably not enough.

Thanks for that stunning dissection of international politics, Brett.

Remember its all about them rockets!

It is amazing how the anti-semites keep their blinkers on…

Did anyone actually think that Hamas would even think of a ceasefire that did not end with them looking like winners? “Peace now” is a utopia. Peace comes from the end of the war, not ending the war.
Crush Hamas and re-occupy Gaza. It worked in the West Bank.

Benj - Do you think it’s to do with the upcoming election then or some other reason?

Mrs McArdle,
What school? where? when?

In fact, people, I don’t want to bang on about this, but this is pretty big stuff. I don’t think Israel has ever rejected a UNSC resolution before, has it? I mean, it says it accepts 242 and the later one (I forget the number) which are the basis for the 2ss. But, what always happens is the US vetoes any resolution Israel finds unacceptable. This might be the first time (and I’m not sure, but I’d like to know) that the US hasn’t done that, and the first time that Israel has openly and directly stated that it will not comply with a UNSC resolution.

This is law breaking at its most egregious, is it not?

A binding Security Council resolution (which this is not; it is, as someone else commented, just an opportunity for politicians to be seen to be doing something) is binding on UN member states only. Hamas is not a legitimate government, and doesn’t rule a UN member state, and the UN has no tools to make it comply with the resolution (even in the unlikely event that it wanted to). A ceasefire binding on one side only isn’t a ceasefire - it’s a surrender. It’s most definitely not the basis for the “durable and fully respected ceasefire, leading to the full withdrawal of Israeli forces from Gaza” that the resolution envisages. Why would anyone in his right mind expect Israel to sign on to that?

Today on two separate occasions and within the space of 25 minutes (around the lunching hour) I heard a BBC news person ask their Palestinian guest why Hamas rejected the cease fire.

Fuck Off TheIrie because your logic is offensive to anyone with an IQ

makes absolutely no mention of Hamas, and says only that “The Security Council condemns all violence and hostilities directed against civilians and all acts of terrorist. (sic no, terrorism).

Well, how come Hamas have stated that they reject it if it makes no mention of them?

Which piece of logic, which are mutually exclusive, do you wish to hang yourself on?

You know, you have to be careful about generalising about an entire nation from a few encounters. I can’t tell you the number of times a British person, upon hearing I’m South African, has taken this as license to make racist remarks of the wink-wink-nudge-nudge variety. I do not extrapolate this. I do not think it provides me with any insight into the British people other than the fact that one occasionally meets unpleasant people with unpleasant attitudes.

Paul M, I commend the sense of your argument about the UN Res being one-sided as it only mentions one “High Contracting Party”. You cannot enforce any agreement between a State and a bunch of Terrorists. Its like trying to make UN Res between The USA and Al Qaeda.

Like I said its for presentation only and the parties who voted for it don’t really expect Israel to comply. Their strategy is to show that Israel rejects it and so cast Israel as the rejectors. Its the UN tick-in-the-box.

You know, you have to be careful about generalising about an entire nation from a few encounters. I can’t tell you the number of times a British person, upon hearing I’m South African, has taken this as license to make racist remarks of the wink-wink-nudge-nudge variety. I do not extrapolate this. I do not think it provides me with any insight into the British people other than the fact that one occasionally meets unpleasant people with unpleasant attitudes.

Brett, it has been my experience that stating that you are from Israel is enough to make Guardianistas faint and throw buckets of excrement over you.

In fact, in the 60’s I had a bit of a negative towards Israel when many friends went on Aliyah and some stayed. I thought Israelis were arrogant and direct, in conflict with my hippy socialist ideas.

When I realised that much hatred of Israel was really Antisemitism then I changed my opinion.

“highest body in the world (is that a fair description of the SC?)”
No: it’s not. The highest body in the world is Mount Everest.

Sorry, Paul, but this is a binding resolution:

“JORGE URBINA ( Costa Rica) said the just adopted resolution had a tremendous moral force. The resolution called on the parties to bring about an immediate cessation of hostilities and attested to the resolve of the international community. He underscored the legal, binding nature of the resolution. It was mandatory that it be complied with by all parties in the conflict. Failure to comply could and should entail serious consequences. He hoped the Council could be consistent with its decision taken today, and would use its authority to ensure respect for the decision.”

http://www.un.org/News/Press/docs/2009/sc9567.doc.htm

I went to Israel & Palestine in Nov 2008, to visit some Arab & Jewish schools and the experience was not a good one. In an Arab school in Jerusalem, the 12-year old Arab children looked about 6 years old and the Israeli teachers I was doing the tour with told me not to shake their hands, “Because Arabs are dirty” they said. Us British teachers couldn’t believe it and many more comments like that were made by some of the Jewish teachers. They were telling the sort of myths that the Nazis developed about Jews, before and during the WW2.
We need to condemn the bombing of innocent children and civilians - on both sides - as killing innocent people will only promote more fighting and hatred, which will lead to more violence.

MrsMcArdle is pushing the Israelis/Jews as nazi line and what is going on in Gaza as “genocide”.

She starts with this story about a school and segs to the bombing of Gaza as if the two are intimately connected. The fighting in Gaza is treated as but an expression of what these teachers are alleged to have said.

I’ve heard it all before. The trouble is nowadays one cannot tell nowadays whether she is an out and out nazi or a liberal. Probably a bit of both.

Oh and actually, Jews as dirty was a myth about Jews way before the nazis. It was present in England and elsewhere from the 1880’s So, what McArdle is really saying is that her “nazi” Israelis are just like the Brits. How emabarrasing.

highest body in the world (is that a fair description of the SC?)”
No: it’s not. The highest body in the world is Mount Everest.

The twin peaks of Jordan and the Jordan Valley must surely have some more favourable attraction though.

Oh and actually, Jews as dirty was a myth about Jews way before the nazis. It was present in England and elsewhere from the 1880’s So, what McArdle is really saying is that her “nazi” Israelis are just like the Brits. How emabarrasing.

I remember in the playground of 1950′;s Britain that the phrase “Cheating/Lying Arab” was common as a carry over to post war Britain and its campaigns in Arab countries.

just waiting for TheIrie to tell us how “moderate” Hamas are….for the 200th time

Were Israel to accept the ceasefire while Hamas rejects it, Israel would be acting UNILATERALLY, the worst of sins. Besides, if both sides, with their elected governments, want to go on fighting, doesn’t this make the whole thing a democratic conflict? Who is the UN to interfere with what two adult, grown up countries, territories, whatever want to do consensually with each other? If Hamas, the elected representative of Gaza, and Israel want to fight it out to the end, why not allow them to do so?

About the UN, I like to paraphrase our Gallant Wartime Ally, Good Old Uncle Joe (Stalin) and ask:

How many divisions does the UN have?

The People’s Cube expresses this pretty well.

Failure to comply could and should entail serious consequences.

Just curious, but what would the serious consequences to Hamas be if they didn’t (and of course aren’t) comply? It is due to idiocies like this that the UN has become difficult to parody.

Sorry, TheIrie, but the man from Costa Rica was either talking loosely or was mistranslated - and the fact that you chose to quote him at all, rather than the better-known and more influential people who also spoke, indicates your selectivity. You didn’t quote them because t#what they said doesn’t support your views.
You also seem to be surprisingly inexperienced in reading documents such as this resolution. Try it one more time, paying attention to the verbs in italics. A text that “calls for” or “calls on” people to do things, “welcomes”, “condemns” and “encourages” this, that and the other, and ends with the anodyne phrase “decides to remain seized of the matter” is NOT “binding” in any meaningful sense of that word. It doesn’t actually require anyone to do anything, or prescribe any sanctions if those things are not done. Nice try, but once again your ignorance and your bigotry have let you down.

Now dont get me wrong Israel are so far out of order in this (and many other) battles that they make me think Mr Hitler may have had a point

Quote from a BBC 5Live poster (will be deleted)

Please ignore the “t#” in that comment.

Reading Comprehension 101 - I’m open to the suggestion I have this wrong. Do you have any evidence as to whether or not this resolution is binding?

You’re right, at least he hasn’t started up an obscure periodical with his brother. That’s just weird. Do the two of you wear matching clothes and finish each other’s sentences? ~ Wardytron

What on earth is weird about one of the three co-editors being my brother???

It’s hardly unusual for family members to share common interests or be involved in politics. David & Ed Milliband, Tony & Hilary Benn, Fidel & Raul Castro, Virginia & Peter Bottomley, Wardytron & Forest Gump…

Only important question is whether the United States regards this UN Resolution as binding, etec.

I just debated with some idiot who insisted that Israel has broken millions of UN Resolutions. I pointed out that UN Resolutions can be summed up thus

“Look guys if it isn’t too much trouble could you do a ceasefire thingy cos we’re a bit concerned. Well, in fact we have to make it look like we’re concerned. Any Chance? No! Oh well, we tried. See everyone, we tried”

or

“We are a bit miffed that you held a parade in Jerusalem even though we asked nicely for you not to do so. Just thought we’d let you know we’re a bit annoyed. Well not so anoyed we’d do anything about it”

or

“Mindful of the fact that UFO’s landed in Area 51, and considering that we can’t agree whether Assam tea is nicer than Darjeeling, and taking into account previous calls to give us your mother’s recipe for chicken soup, we respectfully request that you put less sugar in the fish balls. ……………….”

David - You’re Stalin comment is very telling. I don’t know if you realise what you’re saying, but I don’t think many (sane) people will back you up.

TheIrie, if the UN Res doesn’t mention Hamas then how come Hamas put its hand up and said “Please sir, we reject the UN Resolution that doesn’t mention us”

You are obviously avoiding answering because I Fisked you. (an easy thing to do)

As of 8.00pm BBC Ceefax still had a headline “Israel shuns UN Ceasefire” with not a word about Hamas.
What do we pay these W….rs for?

David & Ed Milliband, Tony & Hilary Benn, Fidel & Raul Castro, Virginia & Peter Bottomley,

Or these three:

http://tinyurl.com/shirt58

Hang on. Can we just clarify this. Does the Irie think that the UN has a permanent army of its own????

David & Ed Milliband, Tony & Hilary Benn, Fidel & Raul Castro, Virginia & Peter Bottomley,

Or this trio:

http://tinyurl.com/shirt58

Zin,
please, don’t forget Michael, Sonny and Fredo Corleone.

Of course not Graham.

It’s hardly unusual for family members to share common interests or be involved in politics. David & Ed Milliband, Tony & Hilary Benn, Fidel & Raul Castro, Virginia & Peter Bottomley, Wardytron & Forest Gump…

No Zin, you’re more like Norris & Ross McWhirter, except they were more likeable and less creepy. PS you’re not “involved in politics”, you scribble together on your own. My guess is you’re the - for want of a better word - “brains” of the outfit. Is this you on the left?

Blair on Newsnight Fri 10:30 pm. Blaming Hamas.

And then ther’s Karl, Harpo, Groucho, Chico and Zeppo

Obama aides reject notion expressed in The Guardian that Obama would talk with Hamas http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1054008.html

Mrs Mc teacher - shouldn’t it be “WE teachers”?
I guess that says it all…..

The Irie: - I thought you would be pleased that I paraphrased your idol Stalin.

Graham: Good one

Good news that people in Britain are seeing through the slanted coverage of the BBC aka Radio Teheran.

A more even handed story from CBS News online:
“Israel, Hamas Defy Calls for Cease-Fire” at http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2009/01/09/world/main4709370.shtml?tag=topHome;topStories

I see that that doubts have been raised about a CNN story involving Mads Gilbert. The same story also aired on Channel 4. Any opinions?

TheIrie: I’m still trying to work out if you’re remarkably stupid, remarkably naive, or a bit of both, but I shall strive to be charitable. If you simply don’t know what “binding” means - whether in ordinary English or in legal jargon - there’s not a lot that any of us can do to help you. But here we go one more time.
First, as far as the legal formalities go (and for what little they are worth), the resolution was not made under Chapter VII of the UN Charter, the one that gives the UNSC powers to make resolutions (about sanctions, severance of diplomatic relations, armed intervention and the like) that are generally agreed to be binding on UN member states. The actual word “binding” doesn’t appear in the Charter, but the differences between Chapter VI and Chapter VII are fairly clear even from a curosy reading - it’s the difference between “recommendations”, as in this resolution on Gaza, and “measures”, as in resolutions on, say, peacekeeping forces. UNSC resolutions that merely “call on” members to do things are generally considered to be non-binding. Next time you want to pontificate to us all about international law and related matters, try reading the text of the Charter and a reliable scholarly text or two about it, rather than relying on some Pilgerite or Chomskyite third party’s misreading of it.
Second, as far as use of English is concerned, please stop and think for a second before posting yet another comment, and ask yourself: how on Earth could words such as “calls for”, “calls on”, “welcomes”, “condemns”, “encourages” *bind* anyone, even if the UNSC were foolish enough to claim that they could? If I call on you to stop commenting at Harry’s Place, or welcome your departure from a comments thread, or encourage you to stop sounding off at the drop of a hat on topics you are incredibly badly informed about, am I binding you to a course of action? The answer (unfortunately) is No.
Now, if the UNSC had used words such as “requires” or “demands” or “orders”, maybe you’d have a point. For that matter, even if they’d used “insists” or “very much hopes”, the resolution would be tougher than it is. But in fact the diplomats who drafted it chose precisely the phrasing they needed to get as close to a consensus as possible. Is that some kind of news to you?
Finally, do you understand how the UNSC works, or do you imagine it is a judicial body or a law enforcement agency? If you could just get over your credulity about the magic initials “UN”, you might grasp that UNSC resolutions are exercises in Realpolitik and are not (as you seem to imagine) direct statements of international law. The resolution cannot be binding on Hamas, it is not binding on Israel, and you are a fool.

I haven’t had time to read all comments, but did anyone else receive a hoax email from someone claiming to be from The Board of Deputies saying that the rally on Sunday has been canceled?

Oops just read the first comment here, doh! Obviously others got the email. God, they must be desperate. Apparently everyone on the ZF list got it.

Yes I got the hoax email. Ruth Gledhill (Times Religion correspondent) was hoaxed but it was pointed out to her and she has now corrected her blog. If you are on Facebook please invite people to to following event

http://www.facebook.com/event.php?eid=59114330154#/event.php?eid=43700488171

so that no-one is taken in by the hoax

Hamas’ ‘dirty tricks’ department can only strengthen our resolve…

Anon: How do you know it was “everyone on the ZF list”?

Well, actually that’s just an assumption really. I asked a few people I know if they got it, and the ones who did seemed to be the ones who had at one time or another signed up to one of the ZF lists.

I have heard from several people who received it and some of them are not on the ZF list. I wonder how the dirty tricks guys got the email addresses ….

It is a little concerning. I’m not actually on the ZF list, I’m on one of the off-shoot lists for “young people”. But to be honest, I sign up to so many things at Israel events that it could be any number of them.

@Danish Cartoonist

A couple of days ago Harry’s Place had a thread all about Mads Gilbert:

http://www.hurryupharry.org/2009/01/07/mads-gilbert-doctor-pundit-shill-for-terrorism/

If CNN had read it, they’d have been forewarned and might have saved themselves the embarrassment of making a public display of their inability to tell the difference between news footage and a Pallywood tearjerker.

Benj - Do you think it’s to do with the upcoming election then or some other reason?

Upcoming Israeli election, last days of Bush, general design of the Arab/Israeli conflict, Israeli interests, Hamas/PA interests/conflict, wider power play in region, etc.

The rockets are one small element.

History of Arab/Israeli conflict, US interests… etc…

TheIrie: I’m still trying to work out if you’re remarkably stupid, remarkably naive, or a bit of both

You don’t think it could maybe, just possibly, be that he is a deranged Jew-hater? Nah …

Maven,
The increasingly screeching tone of Al Bowen’s outright lies tells me that he and the rest of the thugs are getting desperate at (a) Israel proceeding as per plan, (b) public opinion being generally behind Israel.

This is law breaking at its most egregious, is it not?

No.
The UN is not a sovereign body and the SC is not a court of law.
Next!

They were telling the sort of myths that the Nazis developed about Jews, before and during the WW2.

So from one or two chance encounters, you conclude that the Jews are like the Nazis.
I know who the racist one is here.

We need to condemn the bombing of innocent children and civilians - on both sides - as killing innocent people will only promote more fighting and hatred, which will lead to more violence.

Standard “I am occupying the moral high ground and am holier than thou pompous phrase” no. 17 (b) (iii) k; and
Standard “Moral equivalence ignorance and obtuseness” fallacy no. 5/b (4).
Israel has been very patient as its citizens were being murdered. You want them to continue doing nothing, right? Is it because those Jews are like the Nazis anyway?

To all those people who have mocked and twisted my original comments (Observer / Israeli Nurse / Nearly Oxfordian)…I do not support terrorists: Hamas or the Israeli army. But by your comments, I can see that you support the Israeli army. You make assumptions about me and yet you say I think that all Jews are Nazi, which is complete rubbish. If you knew the reason I had been chosen to go out there and that everyone had been carefully hand-picked (interestingly on both sides), you may not these assumptions about me.
Gene - Thank you for your thoughtful words. We did visit a lovely mixed Jewish / Muslim / Christian village & school, called Neve Shalom and it gave us some hope. There were lots of forward-thinking and hard-working people there (from all three religions), working together in difficult conditions. I just hope they stop the killing of innocent people and that a peaceful solution can be found soon.

I see that that doubts have been raised about a CNN story involving Mads Gilbert. The same story also aired on Channel 4. Any opinions?

I nominate Dr Meds Gilbert for an Academy Award in both the Best Actor AND Best Director catagories. Were he to don a wig and coo in his next resussitative production, I’d add ‘Best Actress’ to that list.

And I look forward to his acceptance speech which will be, no doubt, an anti-sem….er… anti-zionist ‘infomercial’.

Mrs Mc Ardle: and the Israeli teachers I was doing the tour with told me not to shake their hands, “Because Arabs are dirty” they said. Us British teachers couldn’t believe it and many more comments like that were made by some of the Jewish teachers. They were telling the sort of myths that the Nazis developed about Jews, before and during the WW2.

Every comment made by “Mrs. Mc Ardle” above is a lie. The truth is that Mrs. Mc Ardle has no British teaching colleagues, never heard Jewish Israeli teachers making racist anti-Arab comments and never saw Arab children looking half their age (insinuating that presumably Israeli Jews were starving Arab children).

I’ll leave it to others to explain why “Mrs. Mc Ardle” persists in creating grotesque libels out of whole cloth followed by special pleading that she isn’t an antisemite.

To the Israeli teacher who guides tours for British Teachers at Arab schools:
What is the matter with you? How weird can you get!? Can’t you just accept that not all Jews and Muslims (or anyone else) are perfect and that some will make racist comments? We are all human afterall. I am a Primary teacher and I also have close links with HET (Holocaust Educational Trust) too.
This website seems to have some racist and / or one-sided people commenting on it. Hence, I think I’ll stick to more balanced and educated forums in the future and not comment on this website anymore.
Lets hope that those who are justifying something they would never wish on your own family will see the hypocrisy in their arguments and look for a fair and peaceful solution.

Yes there are bigots everywhere in the world. There are undoubtedly Jewish, Muslim, Christian, Hindu, Sikh and atheist bigots. There are also teachers and professors who are bigots. However you Mrs. Mc Ardle are a liar. No Israeli public school educator guide ever heard a teacher telling a group of British teachers not to shake hands with Arabs qua Arabs because they are dirty. Were your story true and a tour of British teachers with an Israeli educator as a guide heard endless racist comments from Jewish teachers about Arab adults and children, there would have been complaints to the Ministry of Education from the guide, significant media attention, a huge public outcry, a full investigation and disciplinary measures taken against the teachers who made those remarks by the Ministry of Education, not to mention civil suits in the courts. Israel is by no means perfect, but your lies on this website render your accusation that “this website seems to have racist and / or one sided people commenting on it” entirely credulous. You are the pot calling the kettle black and I claim my five pounds. Weirdo.