Victor Davis Hanson: Looking for Scapegoat, World Again Turns to Jews - Antisemitism never dies.

National Review Online ^ | September 13, 2007 | Victor Davis Hanson

[neverdem]

September 13, 2007, 0:00 a.m.

Looking for Scapegoat, World Again Turns to Jews
Antisemitism never dies.

By Victor Davis Hanson

 Who recently said: “These Jews started 19 Crusades. The 19th was World War (1). Why? Only to build Israel.”

Some holdover Nazi?

Hardly. It was former Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan of Turkey, a NATO ally. He went on to claim that the Jews — whom he refers to as “bacteria” — controlled China, India, and Japan, and ran the United States.

Who alleged: “The Arabs who were involved in 9/11 cooperated with the Zionists, actually. It was a cooperation. They gave them the perfect excuse to denounce all Arabs.”

A conspiracy nut?

Actually, it was former Democratic U.S. Sen. James Abourezk of South Dakota. He denounced Israel on a Hezbollah-owned television station, adding: “I marveled at the Hezbollah resistance to Israel. . . . It was a marvel of organization, of courage and bravery.”

And finally, who claimed at a United Nations-sponsored conference that democratic Israel was “much worse” than the former apartheid South Africa, and that it “undermines the international community’s reaction to global warming”?

A radical environmentalist wacko?

Again, no. It was Clare Short, a member of the British parliament. She was a secretary for international development under Prime Minister Tony Blair.

A new virulent strain of the old anti-Semitism is spreading worldwide. This hate — of a magnitude not seen in over 70 years — is not just espoused by Iran’s loony president, Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, or radical jihadists.

The latest anti-Semitism is also now mouthed by world leaders and sophisticated politicians and academics. Their loathing often masquerades as “anti-Zionism” or “legitimate” criticism of Israel. But the venom exclusively reserved for the Jewish state betrays their existential hatred.

Israel is always lambasted for entering homes in the West Bank to look for Hamas terrorists and using too much force. But last week the world snoozed when the Lebanese army bombarded and then crushed the Nahr al-Bared refugee camp, which harbored Islamic terrorists.

The world has long objected to Jewish settlers buying up land in the West Bank. Yet Hezbollah, flush with Iranian money, is now purchasing large tracts in southern Lebanon for military purposes and purging them of non-Shiites.

Here at home, “neoconservative” has become synonymous with a supposed Jewish cabal of Washington insiders who hijacked U.S. policy to take us to war for Israel’s interest. That our state department is at the mercy of a Jewish lobby is the theme of a recent high-profile book by professors at Harvard University and the University of Chicago.

Yet when the United States bombed European and Christian Serbia to help Balkan Muslims, few critics alleged that American Muslims had unduly swayed President Clinton. And such charges of improper ethnic influence are rarely leveled to explain the billions in American aid given to non-democratic Egypt, Jordan, or the Palestinians — or the Saudi oil money that pours into American universities.

The world likewise displays such a double standard. It seems to care little about the principle of so-called occupied land — whether in Cyprus or Tibet — unless Israel is the accused. Mass murdering in Cambodia, the Congo, Rwanda, and Darfur has earned far fewer United Nations’ resolutions of condemnation than supposed atrocities committed by Israel. A number of British academics are sponsoring a boycott of Israeli scholars but leave alone those from autocratic Iran, China, and Cuba.

There are various explanations for the new anti-Semitism. For many abroad, attacking Jews and Israel is an indirect way of damning its main ally, the United States — by implying that Americans are not entirely evil, just hoodwinked by those sneaky and far more evil Jews.

At home, there are obvious pragmatic considerations. Some Americans may find it makes more sense to damn a few million Israelis without oil than it does to offend Israel’s adversaries in the Middle East, who number in the hundreds of millions and control nearly half the world’s petroleum reserves.

Cowardice explains a lot. Libeling Israel won’t earn someone a fatwa or a death sentence in the manner comparable criticism of Islam might. There are no Jewish suicide bombers in London, Madrid, or Bali.

This new face of anti-Semitism is so insidious because it is so well disguised, advanced by self-proclaimed diplomats and academics — and now embraced by the supposedly sophisticated left on university campuses.

When national, collective or personal aspirations are not met, it is far easier to blame someone or something rather than to look within for the source of the failure and frustration. More recently, someone must be blamed for getting terrorists (with oil and its profits behind them) mad at us.

That someone is — no surprise — once again Jews.

© 2007 TRIBUNE MEDIA SERVICES, INC.

[neverdem]

ping

[PanzerDeutscheschafferhund]

HAPPY NEW YEAR

[Jaysun]

This antisemitism defies logic. Always has, always will.

[DesScorp]

It’s getting back to the days when it wasn’t safe to be a Jew. And I’m ashamed to say a lot of Democrats are just fine with that.

[SkyDancer]

Like Hitler ... blame the Jews for everything! God will avenge ....

[umgud]

Antisemitism will someday split the dem party.

[Tolik]

Thanks. It was pinged here: http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/1895714/posts?page=1

[boop]

"Antisemitism will someday split the dem party."

Doubt it. Listen to Michael Medved's show sometime. It seems like all of the liberals who call him are anti-Semitic. And this is the BACKBONE of the democrat party. This is the group that Hillary panders to.

[umgud]

My point......... how can Jews remain in a party that is so antisemetic?

[ClearCase_guy]

How can blacks remain in a party that has done them so much harm?

The cohesion of the Democrats has amazed me for years. I keep thinking it will shatter from internal inconsistencies, but it goes on and on and on.

[elcid1970]

General George S. Patton Jr. said this about Nazis:

“Kill the bastards!”

(Wherever you find them and in whatever guise)

):^(

[uncbob]

Big turn around here in the states from the 50s and 60s where the Jews were forefront and very influential with the liberals

Now they are the target of many so called liberal groups

Goofy thing is so many still stay with the democrats

[SkyDancer]

In the movie “Patton” Patton likened the Nazis to the Dem’s and Repub’s ... mentioning that they were just a political party in Germany like ours in the US ... and of course the MSM of the time lambasted him for that .. one of my favorite movies .....

[ChildOfThe60s]

This new face of anti-Semitism is so insidious because it is so well disguised

This is the only comment of his with which I disagree. To me it is not well disguised at all. It is almost universally ignored and glossed over, though.

It is very scary, and bad things will come of it; a lot of lives will be lost.

[goldstategop]

Of course Jews have never been forgiven for insisting Man remember he owes obedience to the True King and must hate that which is evil and do that which is good. As I think about the Ten Days, that began last night, nothing is so remarkable about Judaism - not so much the fact the New Year begins with the change of seasons as in the reminder that one must humble oneself before God and clean the slates so to speak - so one can merit being written in the Book Of Life for another year. And nothing better speaks of the Jews than their celebration of life, which is God's greatest gift. Perhaps that why l'chaim is such a popular toast and all the same with all this going for them, the Jews nevertheless are hated. Being a witness for God is the price to be paid for their belief - which Christianity adopted - in contradistinction to paganism - that the best days of mankind are still ahead. And so they are.

"Show me just what Mohammed brought that was new, and there you will find things only evil and inhuman, such as his command to spread by the sword the faith he preached." - Manuel II Palelologus

[NRA2BFree]

The Jews are God’s chosen people and that has caused jealousy and envy since the beginning of time. Whether people want to admit it or not, it’s true, so that just makes it easier to hate them. The fact that America has been a solid ally adds to the anger and jealousy of the Arab nations, and the rest of the world. If it weren’t for them knowing that the US would wipe out whoever attacked Israel, they would have been attacked many times. What really does concern me is that the US, especially the State Dept under the direction of Ms Rice has been cuddling up to the Palestinians.

[ClaireSolt]

The success of Jews in America is the strongest evidence I know for survival of the fittest.

[dustoff339]

I am:

1. A Jew
2. A medically retired soldier (and a 17 year veteran of Special Ops)
3. A committed conservative (which usually means a Republican, but not always), and
4. An American, born and bred.

Having said that, I can honestly say that any Moose Limb or DemoRat that tries to take me, my wife, or our children out will be answered by a hail of 5.56 mm lead.

I AM NOT some sort of survivalist nut...I am the owner of a (thus far successful) small business (post-medical retirement from the Army), a father and husband, and an American (whose family has been here since 1697).

Bottom line: we Jews have had good times, and we have had bad times in the US. All in all, short of Heaven, this is as good as it gets.

I have considered (any number of times) moving to Israel, but...I am an American first, and foremost (who happens to be a Jew, as my personal religious faith).

As an old soldier, I can only hope and pray that my fellow Americans realize how much b-—s—t is being put out now a says.

Having said that...I have LOTS of 5.56 mm available if someone tries to hurt me and mine.

Dustoff 339

[SoCalPol]

ping