Standing for truth against JC fantasies
Professor Avi Shlaim in debate. He is professor emeritus of international relations at St Antony’s College, Oxford University and the author of The Iron Wall: Israel and the Arab World, and Israel and Palestine: Reappraisals, Revisions, Refutations. Uncredited photo from Mondoweiss.
Anti-Israel activists attack JC for challenging Jeremy Corbyn
By Marcus Dysch, Jewish Chronicle
August 18, 2o15
Dozens of prominent anti-Israel activists have signed an open letter attacking the JC for highlighting of Jeremy Corbyn’s links to antisemites and Holocaust deniers.
It follows the publication last week of seven key questions for Mr Corbyn to answer regarding his alleged ties to Holocaust denier Paul Eisen, his defence of controversial Anglican vicar Stephen Sizer, and support for blood libel cleric Raed Salah. Mr Corbyn has also previously called Hamas and Hezbollah “friends”.
Signatories to the letter include Tony Greenstein, Professor Haim Bresheeth, Abe Hayeem, Miriam Margolyes, Professor Ilan Pappe and Michael Rosen.
Professor Haim Bresheeth at the protest against the Habima theatre at the Globe.
It states: “Your assertion that your attack on Jeremy Corbyn is supported by ‘the vast majority of British Jews’ is without foundation. We do not accept that you speak on behalf of progressive Jews in this country. You speak only for Jews who support Israel, right or wrong.
“There is something deeply unpleasant and dishonest about your McCarthyite guilt by association technique. Jeremy Corbyn’s parliamentary record over 32 years has consistently opposed all racism including antisemitism.
“Jeremy Corbyn has nothing to apologise for in his meetings with representatives of Hamas and Hizbollah. Hamas was democratically elected in Palestinian elections generally accepted as fair, and Hezbollah also has strong electoral support in Lebanon.
“You report Paul Eisen as saying that Jeremy Corbyn donated to Deir Yassin Remembered. So did many people before discovering the existence of antisemites and Holocaust-deniers in the organisation. Many people attended the occasional fundraising concert that DYR organised, without either knowing of or sympathising with Mr Eisen’s views.
“As supporters of Israel, perhaps you agree with the racist statements of Israeli government ministers such as Eli Dahan that Jews have higher souls than non-Jews? Or Miri Regev’s belief that asylum seekers are a ‘cancer’? Or, would this be guilt by association, as in your character assassination of Jeremy Corbyn?”
Michael Rosen [above, with JfJfP supporting parrot] also signed the letter attacking the JC
The signatories:
Tony Greenstein
Ruth Appleton
Graham Bash
Prof Haim Bresheeth
Rica Bird
Mike Cushman
Laurence Dreyfus
Nancy Elan
Tom Eisner [above, LPO violinist]
Deborah Fink
Kenneth Fryde
Lynda Gilbert
Claire Glasman
Michael Gold
Abe Hayeem
Rosamine Hayeem
Selma James
Riva Joffe
Michael Kalmanovitz
Ros Kane
Paul Kaufman
Richard Kuper
Leah Levane
Dr. Les Levidow
Deborah Maccoby
Miriam Margolyes
Beryl Maizels
Diana Neslen
Esther Neslen
Dr. Daniel Ozarow
Prof Ilan Pappe
Dr. Susan Pashkoff
Roland Rance
Valerie Remy
Frances Rifkin
Dr. Brian Robinson
Michael Rosen
Prof Jonathan Rosenhead
Ben Samuel
Glyn Secker
Prof Avi Shlaim, FBA
Inbar Tamari
Dr. Philip Ward
Sam Weinstein
Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi
Devra Wiseman
Miriam Yagud
Notes
Early in the morning of April 9, 1948, commandos of the Irgun (headed by Menachem Begin) and the Stern Gang attacked Deir Yassin, a village with about 750 Palestinian residents. 
The village lay outside of the area to be assigned by the United Nations to the Jewish State; it had a peaceful reputation. But it was located on high ground in the corridor between Tel Aviv and Jerusalem. Deir Yassin was slated for occupation under Plan Dalet and the mainstream Jewish defense force, the Haganah, authorized the irregular terrorist forces of the Irgun and the Stern Gang to perform the takeover.
In all over 100 men, women, and children were systematically murdered. Fifty-three orphaned children were literally dumped along the wall of the Old City, where they were found by Miss Hind Husseini and brought behind the American Colony Hotel to her home, which was to become the Dar El-Tifl El-Arabi orphanage.
Part of the struggle for self-determination by Palestinians has been to tell the truth about Palestinians as victims of Zionism. For too long their history has been denied, 
and this denial has only served to further oppress and deliberately dehumanize Palestinians in Israel, inside the occupied territories, and outside in their diaspora.
Some progress has been made. Westerners now realize that Palestinians, as a people, do exist. And they have come to acknowledge that during the creation of the state of Israel, thousands of Palestinians were killed and over 700,000 were driven or frightened from their homes and lands on which they had lived for centuries.