Exposing the Unholy Alliance of Israel Haters
by Uri Goldflam
A friend of mine recently pointed out a small Associated Press article published on Yahoo about the Israeli Ministry of Communications baning the import of the Apple iPad due to a suspected Wi-Fi frequency variance. Since the iPad is only manufactured for the American market, it did not meet the European and Israeli standard. The ban has been lifted but that’s not the story I find interesting. It's the 786 comments (as of this writing) on this seemingly insignificant – and certainly non-political – article. Most contain the usual hateful and extreme language against Israel.
An emerging trend is the unholy alliance of the far left and radical Islam. This can sometimes be comical. For example, in Toronto, Queers Against Israeli Apartheid have been a disruptive force in the annual Gay Pride parade. Thankfully the city of Toronto is showing a great deal of common sense in this matter.
But comedy aside (have Queers Against Israeli Apartheid never been to Tel Aviv?) it is also dangerous. These voices are not pro-peace, they are not even pro-Palestinian. They are anti-Israeli and anti-peace. All good people who support peace must disassociate with these groups.
In another post regarding events in Europe, I wrote: "The West suffers a pathology. A habit of “sitting on the fence”, giving equal weight to both “narratives”, trying to understand the conflict through the narrow prism of the electronic media, forcing a moral equivalency where none exists, the unwillingness to criticize a cultural norm or practice or belief system as such, for a noble yet misguided political correctness – these are all leading to a devastating blow that is yet to come. A day when Westerners will wake up to discover that their world, with all its values, mores, flexibilities, pluralism, rule of law, grace, equality, understanding and compromise – is no longer. Sitting on the fence is not an option any more. Forgiving the violence of radical Islamic groups will lead to more violence."
As the writers of South Park recently learned, that day is closer at hand – and it must be stopped. Because, to quote John Stewart, "Revolution Muslim, your type of hatred and intolerance – that’s the enemy".
It is the same hatred and intolerance you will find on campuses demonstrating against Israel. They are not calling for a negotiated fair and just solution. They are calling for destruction.
My favorite quote from Edmund Burk: "When bad men combine, the good must associate, else they fall one by one, an unpitied sacrifice in a contemptible struggle." In other words, for evil to prevail, good people need only to remain silent. Where there is silence, darkness and evil will prevail.
What can you do?
Be a candle in a dark room. Don't remain silent. Support reason and common sense. And if you have friends who are sitting on the fence, ask to come over to the right side of history.
Uri Goldflam has been working in the field of Israel education, leadership training, and educational tourism for the past 17 years in various positions in Israel and abroad. Click here to read his biography »
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