The Assault on Israel’s Legitimacy by Letter.

Regular readers of The Guardian and CiF will no doubt have noticed both the somewhat disproportionate (to take a word out of the Guardian’s dictionary) number of anti-Israel letters published on the letters page and the fact that a significant number of those letters are signed by members of a certain group of people known for their associations with the BDS and other anti-Israel campaigns.

In order to check whether my initial impression of lack of balance was justified, I decided to take a look at the letters printed over the last six weeks in order to assess the ratio between the space provided to those intent on undermining Israel’s legitimacy, and those seeking the right of reply.  During that period of time, seven anti-Israel letters were published compared to one letter of reply in defence of Israel.

1)      October 7th, 2010:

A letter stating that “The JNF is actively complicit in the ethnic cleansing of Palestinians”, signed by:

Tony Greenstein  (founding member of the Palestine Solidarity Campaign, Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods and of course, sometime CiF contributor.)

Naomi Wimborne-Idrissi (yet another member of Jews for Boycotting Israeli Goods, a member of Jews for Justice for Palestinians and an occasional CiF contributor.)

Emeritus Professor Moshe Machover  (a founding member of ‘Matzpen’, virulent anti-Zionist and apologist for suicide bombers. )

Michael Mansfield QC (an English Barrister who supports the Muslim Brotherhood lead ‘Free Gaza’ campaign.)

Dr Chris Burns Cox  (advocater of BDS –on all goods from Israel. )

Professor David Pegg, (of York Palestine Solidarity Campaign.)

Leon Rosselson  (one-stater and longtime advocator of a cultural boycott against Israel.)

Dr Sue Blackwell  (a major promoter of academic boycott against Israel.)

Pete Firmin,  (apparently goes in for something called ‘Organised Rage’.)

Abe Hayeem  (CiF contributor, supporter of boycotts against Israel and member of ‘Architects and Planners for Justice in Palestine’.)

Professor Myriam Salama-Carr, (yet another supporter of academic boycotts against Israel.)

Dr Rumy Hasan  (CiF contributor and promoter of the concept of Israel as an apartheid state.)

Roland Rance  (member of ‘Jews against Zionism’)

Dr Monica Wusterman (York Palestine Solidarity Campaign.)

Deborah Fink (of ‘Just Peace UK’ and anti-Israeli Christmas carols fame.)

Jackie Alsaid  (member of ‘Britain to Gaza’ and PSC supporter.)

Ken Baker (St Jerome Publishing and supporter of cultural boycotts on Israel.)

Professor Mona Baker (promoter of academic boycott against Israel and Israelis.)

David Bangs

Dr Judith Brown (Arab Media Watch advisor.)

Ruth Clark (Jews for Justice for Palestinians.)

Adam Darwish

James Dickins  (supporter of BRICUP initiative to boycott ‘Israel Science Days’.)

Greg Dropkin  (Liverpool based anti-Israel activist and member of ‘Gaza Freedom March’.)

Jackie Fearnley (supporter of Vanunu and objector to the BBC’s Mavi Marmara documentary.)

Alf Filer (Socialist Resistance.)

Naomi Foyle (Brighton Palestine Solidarity Campaign and ‘British Writers in Support of Palestine’.)

Kenny Fryde  (PSC)

Terry Gallogly (York PSC and apparent would-be poll rigger.)

Anne Gray  (Green Party candidate and supporter of PSC.)

Cliff Hanley  (passenger aboard the Mavi Marmara as part of the Muslim Brotherhood organized flotilla.)

Rosamine Hayeem  (JfJfP and anti-Israel boycott supporter.)

Bob Jarrett

Ros Levy

Kevin Moore  (advocator of a boycott on all Israeli goods.)

Beryl Maizells

Zoe Mars (Chair, Brighton & Hove Palestine Solidarity Campaign)

John Metson  (Durham PSC)

Safiya O’Donnell  (representative for ‘Islamic Relief Worldwide; an organization with suspected links to Hamas.)

Nicola Ostreicher

Ernesto Paramo (‘Free Gaza’ – Hamas linked)

Dinah Rahman

Roger Reeve

Professor Dee Reynolds  (supporter of BDS.)

Michael Sackin (JfJfP)

Miriam Scharf   ( East London NUT, PSC, Hamas supporter.)

Michael Shanahan  (apparently a fixture outside the Ahava London shop.)

Ruth Tenne (Israeli ‘Human Rights Activist’, JfJFP and BDS activist.)

Yvette Vanson

2)      October 11th, 2010:

A letter claiming that the “IDF did use violence on Gaza relief boat” from Glyn Secker of JfJfP .

3)      October 16th, 2010:

A letter from Samuel Hayak of JNF UK, refuting the claims made in the letter of October 7th.

4)      October 20th, 2010:

Two letters attacking Samuel Hayak’s reply, one signed by Tony Greenstein (yet again), in which he claimed that “This is not sustainable development but colonial expansion at the expense of the indigenous population” and one by Barry Stierer of JfJfP and also of the Brighton PSC.

5)      October 29th, 2010:

Leon Rosselson was back with a letter claiming that “when it comes to resolving the conflict, Zionist thinking has nothing to contribute”.

6)      November 12th, 2010:

A letter demanding that British Telecom divest itself from business in Israel, signed by:

John Hilary,   (War on Want)

Rev Canon Garth Hewitt, ( Amos trust)

Hugh Lanning,   (Palestine Solidarity Campaign)

Diana Nelsen,   (Jews for Justice for Palestinians)

Ken Loach  ( instigator and supporter of boycotts on Israel)

Mark Thomas (‘activist comedian’)

7) November 20th, 2010:

A letter promoting the ‘Russell Tribunal’ kangaroo court and demanding divestment from business in Israel by G4S and Veolia, signed by:

Stephane Hessel (Flotilla supporter and BDS advocate)

Archbishop Desmond Tutu (Boycott promoter and Israel delegitimiser)

Ken Loach (yet again)

Mark Thomas

Jeremy Irons

Alice Walker (BDS and ‘Codepink’ supporter)

John Berger (cultural boycott instigator)

Juliet Stevenson (supporter of PSC and StWC anti-Israel initiative)

John Pilger  (advisor to the Muslim Brotherhood-linked ‘Free Gaza’ movement)

Miriam Margolyes (IJV and supporter of a cultural boycott against Israel)

Ilan Pappe (if it’s against Israel, he’ll sign it.)

Saffron Burrows

Paul Laverty (advocates boycotting Israel on the Guardian’s pages)

Colin Salmon

Ghada Karmi (PSC patron and one-stater)

Karma Nabulsi (CiF contributor and former PLO representative, supporter of the Russell Tribunal.)

As is quite plain to see, these published letters do not come from ordinary citizens of the ‘disgusted of Tunbridge Wells’ or ‘worried in Wakefield’ genre. They are part of a highly organized and well funded campaign to turn up the volume of the assault on Israel’s legitimacy and include what to sensible people should be a worrying number of people with connections to Hamas and Muslim Brotherhood linked organizations. A significant number of the signatories are also Guardian contributors and peddle their wares in articles on its pages; quite a splendid little mutual appreciation society going on there.

The proportions of anti-Israel letters compared to those in support of Israel seem to indicate that the Guardian is a willing collaborator with the campaign to attack Israel’s legitimacy and that it is blissfully compliant in the attempts by supporters of proscribed terrorist organizations to bring about the demise of a sovereign democratic state.

I think it is time for some answers from the Guardian’s letters editor Nigel Willmott as to why he is providing such a verdant platform for known supporters of organizations as far removed from the newspaper’s supposed libertarian ideals as it is possible to be (and in some cases proscribed by the British government) under the guise of concerned public opinion.

So; over to you Nigel.

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