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.

[LoneRangerMassachusetts]

Goofy thing is so many still stay with the democrats

If the Jews left the Democrats and joined the Republicans, just think how venomously the Democrats would label the Republicans as a Zionist conspirators. Maybe the Jews see themselves more secure with the Democrats to avoid such.

[boop]

"Maybe the Jews see themselves more secure with the Democrats to avoid such."

This much is true. One thing that is rampant among Jews that I have been friends with is anti-Christian hatred. I sit there stunned with some of the things they say. And it is a pure hatred. The republicans welcome believing Christians. Therefore in a Jewish mind, republicans are evil. Plus Hitler supposedly was a "right-winger" and a lot of them think that only liberals will oppose the "right-wing" conservatives.

[montag813]

He went on to claim that the Jews — whom he refers to as “bacteria”

If there are real Jews in Turkey, one must take this cretan's life this very night.

[montag813]

This much is true. One thing that is rampant among Jews that I have been friends with is anti-Christian hatred.

Please differentiate between Jews (religious or Orthodox Jews who believe in the Torah, value their Christian friends, and who voted for GW Bush 76% in 2000) and "Jews", or JINOs (Jews-In-Name-Only), for whom both religious Christians AND Jews are the enemy, who support commie lib Democrats, and whose religion is Marxism. They are not real Jews. Thankfully they are dying off (FL, AZ), aborting their babies, intermarrying or turning gay. So hopefully, as with the Israelites after the Golden Calf, these vermin will be cleansed from our tribe within 40 years.

[boop]

I’m sorry, but I’ve only known about 2 conservative Jews in my life. I used to love to talk with this one Jewish guy who told me the main thing that motivates him in supporting republicans was “lowering taxes”. The vast majority I personally know are the atheist,liberal marxist type. Which I thought was weird because a lot of them are physicians. I found it difficult to believe they support politicans who want to tax them to the hilt. But social issues trump everything with them. Especially gay rights and abortion.

[montag813]

The vast majority I personally know are the atheist,liberal marxist type. Which I thought was weird because a lot of them are physicians. I found it difficult to believe they support politicans who want to tax them to the hilt. But social issues trump everything with them. Especially gay rights and abortion.

And these "Marxists" were observant, religious Jews? I think not. Remember, if they aren't they don't count as real "Jews", and soon--thankfully--they will liberal themselves out of existence. Meanwhile religious Jews are having 5.6 kids per family. It is simple demographics.

[montag813]

social issues trump everything with them. Especially gay rights and abortion.

I don't know a single Orthodox Jew who supports "gay rights".

[boop]

Only one of the two conservative Jews I know would be considered Orthodox. Although I knew a guy who was an athiest, but kept kosher, and observed orthodox laws. He was super liberal though on social issues. Even other Jews couldn’t figure that one out. Why he didn’t believe in God, but yet refused to let anyone in his house that was carrying treif.

[Daveinyork]

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

Having just come from High Holiday services at a Reformed Temple, and having heard the Rabbi trash the religious right for being pro-life, I think that it is abortion that is the glue that holds the Democrats together, in spite of any other intra-party disagreements.

[Mr. Mojo]

Actually, I know quite a fair number of nonreligious conservative Republican Jews. They’re quiet bunch, and therefore don’t attract much attention. But they’re out there.

[Mr. Mojo]

I think that it is abortion that is the glue that holds the Democrats together

Abortion and tradition. The latter is a powerful force. Heck, there are even some holdouts among conservative Southerners who still vote Democrat. ...as was their tradition for two centuries before the Reagan Revolution put the brakes on it. Tough spell to break.

As for abortion, the loyalty to the pro-abort cause among many has become irrational. ...almost cultish. I asked a Dem-voting (Jewish) buddy of mine fairly recently why he votes Democrat when he advocates low-taxes, low-spending, strong defense, etc. ...and he's pro-gun. The answer: "Uh well, I, uh.....ABORTION!" I laughed and asked him if he would really care if abortion laws were kicked back to the states, which in effect would happen if Roe v. Wade were overturned. He then cut the conversation short, knowing I had him backed into a corner.

Tradition and brainwashing.