The Yale Initiative for the Interdisciplinary Study of Antisemitism
Newsletter
Volume 5 No. 4
21 October 2010
EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR’S LECTURE
Friday, October 22, 2010 @ 3:00pm
“A Discussion on Islamophobia and Antisemitism in an Age of Global Conflict”
Location: Eliezer, 279 Crown Street, First Floor
Speaker: Dr. Charles Small, YIISA Executive Director; Tarek Fatah, Canadian Journalist; Mona Eltahawy, Egyptian Journalist
*Limited Seats. RSVP to obk@279crown.org
YIISA SEMINAR SERIES
Thursday, October 28, 2010 @ 4:15pm
“Blurring the Boundaries: What is the ‘New’ in ‘New Antisemitism’”
Location: 77 Prospect Street, Room A-001 (Basement Floor)
Speaker: Dr. Holger Knothe, YIISA Post-Doctorate Associate
LECTURES OF INTEREST
Monday, October 25, 2010 @ 4:00pm
“American Grand Strategy in the Middle East: On the Road to Failure”
Speaker: Flynt Leverett, Senior Research Fellow
Location: Luce Hall, Auditorium (34 Hillhouse Avenue)
Sponsor: Jackson Institute for Global Affairs
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BOOK SUGGESTION OF THE WEEK
La nouvelle propagande anti-juive by Pierre Andre Taguieff
Les Presses Universitaires de France, Paris, 2010
SPECIAL ARTICLES OF INTEREST
Europe’s Capital of Antisemitism: Budapest Experiences A New Wave of Hate
(Der Speigel) Budapest survived fascism and communism and blossomed after the fall of the Iron Curtain. But the Hungarian capital is experiencing a rebirth of anti-Semitism. The far-right Jobbik is now the country’s third largest party and Jews are being openly intimidated.
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IRAN
Iran joins US for meeting on Afghanistan’s future
(BBC) Iran has for the first time taken part in high-level discussions on Afghanistan after the US said it had “no problem” with its participation.
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Iran’s Nuke Fuel Stockpile Stands at 30kg
(Fars News Agency) Head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran (AEOI) Ali Akbar Salehi announced that the country has, thus far, produced almost 30kg of 20-percent-enriched uranium to supply fuel to the Tehran research reactor.
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What the UN watchdog saw
(Haaretz) It’s only been two months since Olli Heinonen left the IAEA, where he worked for 27 years. In a first interview with an Israeli media outlet, he cautiously explains what is known about Iran’s nuclear program.
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Exposing the Nutrients: How to Improve Enforcement of Sanctions Against Iran
(Foreign Affairs) Sanctions have disrupted Iran’s access to the raw materials and technology on which its nuclear program depends. The United States can bolster sanctions by exposing Iranian companies connected to the Iranian Revolutionary Guards Corps, and forbidding Western firms from conducting business with them.
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Turkey rebuffs U.S. pressure to slash trade with Iran
A top Turkish official says in the U.S. that Turkish firms are ‘free to make their own decisions’ about complying with sanctions aimed at cutting off trade with Iran over its nuclear program.
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Europe shuns Iranian planes
(YNet) Four major oil companies in Europe agreed to put end to business ties with Iran
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MIDDLE EAST
Hamas Isn’t the IRA
(Slate) And when it comes to the peace process, the Middle East isn’t Northern Ireland.
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An Israeli View: Why Negotiations Can not Succeed
(Bitter Lemons) It is naive to think that a conflict that has lasted more than 60 years can be resolved in two years of negotiations, however direct and continuous they may be. A real end of the conflict cannot be achieved for at least another generation, and for several reasons related to those core issues.
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Worldwide hatred of Israel
(YNet) Conference on de-legitimization of Israel highlights multipronged demonization effort
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Hezbollah Riding on a Wave of Confidence
(Der Spiegel) After the visit of Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad to Lebanon, the radical Islamic group Hezbollah is brimming with confidence. But the country is bracing itself for unrest amid speculation that a UN tribunal investigating the assassination of former Prime Minister Rafik Hariri will accuse Hezbollah members of involvement in the killing.
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Did the Turkey Government offer assistance to Gaza flotilla organizers
(Haaretz) Records of the meeting between the heads of the flotilla two weeks prior to embarkation and other similar documents were found on laptop computers confiscated by the Israel Defense Forces.
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Blood Libel: NIF-Linked Group Blames Israel for Leukemia in Gaza
(Israel Nation News) An international organization closely linked to the New Israel Fund (NIF) has blamed Israel for causing an increased incidence of leukemia in Gaza, while claiming that Hamas suffers from unfair discrimination and has the right to “self defense.” The organization also characterized Israel as “bleating” about antisemitism and accused its soldiers of “merrily” shooting innocents.
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Chavez visits Syria on tour to counter US sway
(Washington Post) On the Mideast leg of an international tour, Venezuelan President Hugo Chavez said he and his Syrian counterpart are “on the offensive” against Western imperialism.
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EUROPE
Some Islamic students at top UK universities are preaching hard-line extremism,’ terror experts warn
(Daily Mail) Think tank Quilliam said they had evidence of hard-line Islamist ideology being promoted through the leadership of the university’s student Islamic Society at City University in central London.
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A survey to deny a problem
(Jerusalem Post) The results of a recent government-funded antisemitism poll in Spain proved to be an effort to address the phenomenon in the country by simply pretending it doesn’t exist.
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Antisemitism in Sweden grows
(National Post) As in many other cities across Europe, a rapidly growing Muslim population living in segregated conditions that appear to breed alienation has mixed toxically with the anger directed at Israeli policies and actions by those Muslims — and by many non-Muslims — to all but transform the lives of local Jews
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Whither goes our loyalty: To Italy as Italians, or Israel as Jews?
(Haaretz) An Italian living in Israel considers the dilemma facing Jews in the Diaspora as her native country prepares to go to the polls.
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MISCELLANEOUS
Will the Academy give an Oscar to a notorious Antisemite?
(Haaretz) Hollywood’s Academy of Motion Picture Arts and Sciences intends to award iconic French-Swiss filmmaker Jean Luc Godard with an honorary Oscar.
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‘Cuban pilots flew 150,000 Jews from Arab states to Israel’
(Jerusalem Post) From 1951-1953, Cuban company set up by Cuban businessman and Israeli flew missions where Israeli planes could not.
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The Jewish Council to Combat Fascism and Antisemitism – A History
(Galus Australis) Philip Mendes writes on “The Rise and Fall of the Melbourne Jewish Council to Combat Fascism and Antisemitism, 1942-1970.”
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College Can’t Fire Antisemetic Professor- He Has Tenure
(Gather) Kaukab Siddique is an associate professor of English at Lincoln University and has been teaching there for long enough that the college is stuck with him. The university acknowledges his comments are troubling but say they can do nothing about it.
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Weekly Quotes (Canadian Jewish Research Institute)
Life must be very good in Canada, or at least dull, judging by the domestic reaction to its failed bid last week for a temporary seat on the U.N. Security Council. Listen to the yowls in the papers north of the border: “A nation reeling,” “humiliating defeat,” “a rebuke from the global community,” “tarnishes our reputation,” “a slap in the face.…” We say: Way to go. Canada seems to have annoyed a sufficient number of Third World dictators and liberally pious Westerners to come up short in a secret General Assembly ballot. The sins committed by Stephen Harper’s Conservative government include staunch support for Israel, skepticism about cap-and-trade global warming schemes, and long-standing commitment to the Afghan war. Americans would be so lucky to get a leader as steadfast on those issues as the Canadian Prime Minister.… Under Mr. Harper’s leadership, Canada has avoided the worst of the global recession and emerged with a vibrant banking system and strong currency (now trading near parity to the U.S. dollar). The courage of its soldiers in Afghanistan, and in other missions, is testament to a nation that honours its commitments. Canadians should wear the U.N. snub as a badge of honour.” —Excerpts from an article by the editorial staff of the Wall Street Journal, commending Canada’s refusal to compromise its values by bowing to international pressure, and suggesting that Canada wear its “UN snub” as a “badge of honour.” (Wall Street Journal, October 20.)
B’nai Brith Canada regrets that Canada was forced to withdraw its bid for a seat at the UN Security Council. However, of particular concern are the efforts of the Canadian Arab Federation to exclude Canada from taking its rightful place on the world stage. In advance of the vote, an email was widely circulated by Khaled Mouammar, head of the Canadian Arab Federation, titled “Don’t Give Canada a Security Council Seat.” CAF’s Mr. Mouammar also made a comment in advance of the vote which appears on the Al Jazeerah website stating, “it is feared that if Canada gains a seat in the UN Security Council, it may be used against Arabs and Muslims around the world.…” At a time when strength and unity are required to face ongoing national and international challenges, the Canadian Arab Federation has engendered a divisive relationship between Arab Canadians and their fellow citizens.” –Excerpts from an email circulated by B’nai Brith Canada, in response to the Canadian Arab Federation’s lobbying against Canada’s Un Security Council bid. There has been widespread speculation that Canada’s support for Israel played a role in its failure to secure general assembly support for a seat on the Council. (B’nai Brith Canada, October 13.)
“[We] are united against the kind of rhetoric and actions that Iran is taking, and the threat that Iran poses with its pursuit of nuclear weapons and with its support of terrorism.…¦ When the Iranian president goes to Lebanon, and we know that they are supporting financially and in every other way Hezbollah, which is on the border of Israel …then that is a volatile situation. So this man coming and being so volatile and using language that is inflammatory is just true to form. We saw him do it in New York , we see him do it around the world, and it reflects an attitude in the Iranian Government that unfortunately has caused many in the region to be quite concerned about their intentions and their actions.” — U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in an interview with ABC News, speaking about the Iran-related volatility in the Middle East, and expressing concern over growing Iranian influence in Lebanon. Summing up, Clinton said that “they [Iran] are defiant and they are incredibly difficult to deal with, but that the U.S. is committed to trying to prevent them [ Iran ] from acquiring a nuclear weapon, which, in the hands of leadership like we’ve seen, would be incredibly destabilizing. (Jerusalem Post, October 15.)
Our plan, to which we, as faithful believers, have no alternative, is to establish an Islamic state under the rule of Islam. Lebanon should not be an Islamic republic on its own, but rather, part of the Greater Islamic Republic, governed by the Master of Time [the Mahdi], and his rightful deputy, the Jurisprudent Ruler, Imam Khomeini.… We belong to this path, we make sacrifices for its sake, and we expose ourselves to dangers, because we are convinced that the blood we shed flows for the sake of the Rule of the Jurisprudent. –Excerpts from a video interview of Hassan Nasrallah, before assuming Hizbullah’s leadership, expressing his desire for Lebanon to become an Iranian proxy. (MEMRI, October 13, 2010)
Short Takes
U.S. USES ATTACKS TO NUDGE TALIBAN TOWARD A DEAL—(Kabul) Airstrikes on Taliban insurgents have risen sharply in Afghanistan in a coordinated effort by American commanders—termed by some a major policy shift—to pressure Taliban leaders to negotiate an end to the war. Afghan President Hamid Karzai, motivated by concerns about U.S. President Obama’s withdrawal plans, has for months been trying to engage the Taliban in hopes of fostering political reconciliation. To date, however, little progress has been made although Afghan and Arab sources recently confirmed that leading segments of the insurgency now appear to be seriously exploring the possibility of a settlement. (NY Times, October 14 & Washington Post, October 14.)
CHINESE FIRMS HELPING IRAN DEVELOP NUCLEAR WEAPONS
(Washington ) The Obama administration has concluded that Chinese firms are helping Iran to improve its missile technology and develop nuclear weapons, and has asked China to stop such activity. China’s involvement in Iran’s energy sector and the role that some of its companies are believed to be playing in Tehran’s military modernization could disrupt U.S.-Chinese relations. “China now is the only country with a major oil and gas industry that’s prepared to deal with Iran,” an anonymous U.S. official was quoted as saying. “Everyone else has pulled out. They stand alone.” (Washington Post, October 18.)
77,000 IRAQIS KILLED FROM 2004 TO AUGUST 2008 (Baghdad) The U.S. military has released its most detailed compilation of data on Iraqi casualties during more than four years of the Iraq war. The report estimates that 63,185 civilians and 13,754 members of the country’s security forces were killed from the beginning of 2004 through August 2008, with at least an additional 121,649 Iraqis wounded. The number of Iraqis killed in the more than seven-year-old war is a hotly debated topic, with estimates ranging from fewer than 100,000 to hundreds of thousands. The report can be viewed on the U.S. Central Command Web site. (Washington Post, October 14.)
HIZBULLAH ACCUSES UN OF MEDDLING IN LEBANESE AFFAIRS— (Jerusalem) Hizbullah has accused the United Nations of interfering in Lebanese civil affairs, following the release of a UN report on disarmament in Lebanon, and a warning issued by Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon of growing instability in the country. This comes as the The Special Tribunal for Lebanon, tasked to investigate the murder of former Lebanese Prime Minister Rafik Hariri, prepares to release its findings. There is widespread speculation that Hezbollah will be held responsible for the assassination, and the potential for indictments has fueled the volatility in Lebanon. (Jerusalem Post, October 20.)
SCOUT IN MUMBAI ATTACKS WAS DEA INFORMANT—(Washington) U.S. officials have acknowledged that David Coleman Headley, a U.S. citizen of Pakistani Muslim extraction, who confessed to being a terrorist scout for the November 2008 Mumbai attacks, was working as a Drug Enforcement Administration informant while training with terrorists in Pakistan. Reports show that the FBI had been warned about Headley’s terrorist ties three years before the Mumbai attacks, when, following a domestic dispute, his wife told federal investigators about his involvement with the terrorist group Lashkar-i-Taiba. Despite a federal inquiry into the tip, Headley spent the next four years doing terrorist reconnaissance around the world, including five spying missions in Mumbai to scout targets for the attack by Lashkar that killed 166 people. (Washington Post, October 17.)
POLLARD FILES CLEMENCY REQUEST WITH OBAMA—(Jerusalem) Jonathan Pollard has filed a clemency request with U.S. President Barack Obama amidst a wave of calls for freeing the Israeli agent following the release of new evidence which suggests government malfeasance in the case. Former Minister Rafi Eitan, who was Pollard’s “handler” , revealed last week on Israel Radio that the US had violated an oral agreement with Israel to free Pollard after 10 years; Eitan accused the U.S. of deliberately violating Pollard’s plea agreement by giving him a life sentence. (Jerusalem Post, October 17.)
GERMAN CHANCELLOR CALLS MULTICULTURALISM A FAILURE—(Berlin) Angela Merkel, the German chancellor, has said that attempts to create a multicultural society in Germany have “utterly failed”. Amidst growing anti-immigrant opinion in Germany, Merkel claimed that the idea of people from different cultural backgrounds living happily “side by side” has not worked. Merkel’s remarks come after a recent poll showed that one-third of Germans believe the country had been “overrun by foreigners,” and 55% of Germans believe that Arabs are “unpleasant people.” (Guardian, October 17.)
GERMANY MOUNTS HITLER EXHIBIT—(Berlin) The German Historical Museum in Berlin has opened an exhibition called “Hitler and the Germans,” which focuses on the love affair between Hitler and broad swaths of German society. The exhibit seeks to dispel the myth of Hitler as an “evil genius” who hypnotized with propaganda, instead “show[ing] the active [pro-Nazi] Germans,” according to co-curator Simone Erpel. (Wall Street Journal, October 16-17.)