This week’s postings@JfJfP.com

This week, October 10-16, 2016 has been a disturbing one at the JfJfP offices. First, an unknown hand inserted an encomium to Shimon Peres (our own coverage had been less than flattering), then deleted without trace our 3-part posting on Hannah Arendt of which two parts were highly critical of Israel. Then our posting of the speech made by Hagai El-Ad to the UNSC similarly disappeared without trace. As articles we ourselves delete or remove for various reasons always leave a trace we assume the unknown hand is very skilled at this sort of interference, censorship and time-wasting.

Of course, the biggest event this week was the release on Sunday of the report of the Home Affairs Select Committee. It is critical of Corbyn and of Chakrabarti – but not in a vicious way – and attributes most antisemitism to right-wing groups. A more extensive investigation of anonymous online antisemitic abuse would have been useful – though hard to do without more powers – and it’s very regrettable that they invited the Board of Deputies chairman, the mouthy Jonathan Arkush, to lay out the problem for them rather than anyone who is actually an expert on UK antisemitism:
Media coverage skews antisemitism report

One of the deleted posts, a discussion on Arendt’s Eichmann in Jerusalem and the Banality of Evil had 3 takes (2 restored) on the value of that now hackneyed phrase. The one that is critical of Israel is by Eva Illouz who thinks the ‘current colonialist regime bears a family resemblance with other evil regimes’. But Ada Ushpiz berates her for not recognising that Arendt does distinguish between different sorts of evil and doesn’t think any of them banal:
Transforming evil into morality

Also removed was the speech by B’Tselem’s executive director Hagai El-Ad to the UN Security Council. He listed the heavy restrictions which weigh down Palestinians on the tiny rafts of their cantons and fears they are sinking below the Israeli sea. He was very sharp on the way the Israeli state manages to dress up or disguise these restrictions.
Israel’s cunning disguises

He was speaking on behalf of the PNA’s approach to the UNSC on the illegality of settlements:
PA brings in peace groups to make its case

Before, the US has always used its veto to protect Israel. There are hopes that, now Obama has nothing left to lose, he may order the veto not be used:
Status of settlements at last shuffles to Security Council

Yesh Din – volunteers for human rights – has analysed the means Israel uses to confiscate Palestine land and declare it state land. It has various ways of making its theft appear legal:
The ways of making seized Palestinian land ‘legally’ Israeli

Roaring out in the open last week, across all parties, was the Israeli response to UNESCO’s report on Haram al-Sharif/Temple Mount. Antisemitic! (a new definition – NOT mentioning Jews). UNESCO referred to Israel as the occupying power, which it is, and chastised it for failing to maintain the compound:
UNESCO unites Israelis in fury

Perhaps the new world of antisemitism which Corbyn fails to recognise is not so much the madhouse of anonymous Tweets but a Britain in which, for the first time, attitudes to Israel’s occupation correlate with Left/Right divisions:
Israel now divides Labour’s left from its right

Or in this case, defends or persecutes Jackie Walker. Tony Greenstein defends.

Here in the UK our media may be biased – largely by ignoring Palestinians – but we have the freedom to protest about that and publish other views. This is not true in the Middle East. The Media Line casts a jaundiced eye over the denial of free speech throughout the region:
Operation target journalists

Hamas, the PNA and Israel all enforce restrictions on the occupied territories and Gaza which Israel, at least, would not dare enforce on its home ground. All the governments are primarily concerned with maintaining their authority not freedom of speech or a well-informed citizenry:
No freedom of speech in the oPt

The governments of Gaza and of the West Bank – supposedly unified – are both primarily concerned with maintaining their authority as is Israel. They want good PR people – not journalists.

But on social media at least Palestinians let it be known how strongly they objected to Abu Mazen’s attendance at Shimon Peres’ funeral. How unPalestinian to display sadness at the death of a man who had been instrumental in the quashing of Palestinian hopes:
Abbas defies home hatred of Peres

Limited free press – and no elections. The sudden halt to the local elections in the oPt upset many but not, it seems, Fatah who are now suspected of having manipulated the cancellation of much-wanted elections:
Fatah fears Hamas gains in West Bank