How can you urge people to BOYCOTT one particular country, Israel, and stay dead silent on the apartheid and abuses in North Korea, in Russia, in China, in Syria, in Nigeria, and so many other places all over the world?
Why single out Israel? Because it's the JEWISH state. The Jews, the people who have heard "get thee out" for over 2,000 years, are hearing it about Israel, their homeland.
An irony here is that Israel is not just the Jewish homeland. It is important to Christians. Pat Boone, a great student of The Bible, wears both a cross and a Star of David. He put lyrics to Ernest Gold's movie theme for "Exodus." He heard the music, wanted to sing it, discovered there were no lyrics, so he wrote some: on the back of a Christmas card.
If Israel was destroyed, and put in the hands of the Palestinians, would the "Holy Land" sites for Christians be blown up? The Coptic Christians of Egypt have found their churches burned to the ground. So let's not suppose Christians would have an easy time in an Israel divested of Jews and re-named.
Who are among the antisemites who are part of something called "Artists for Palestine?" The list of the more recognizable names is below this:
How INSANE and INTOLERANT is this? Many Bible scholars will tell you that the land IS Israel, and it IS the Jewish land. Jesus Christ was a Jew. His legend inspired Christianity, which obviously did not even exist before Judaism and "The Old Testament." How INSANE AND INTOLERANT that the list of flashy rock stars and other celebrities seems to involve mostly Christians?
Do they really think "Conflating nonviolent measures to end Israel’s illegal occupation and human rights violations with anti-Jewish racism is false and dangerous?" One word: HAMAS.
Check with the Weisenthal Center. They will quote you the number of times Palestinians have provoked and attacked innocent and unarmed Jews. They and others will tell you all about their terrorist tactics. When it comes to TERRORISM, do you declare it's ok for a good cause? That a Jewish child, a Jewish girl, should be blown to bits because of an Arab's brand of religious fanaticism?
The fact is, the sandbox we call the Middle East is loaded with hotheads. The sun is beating down and broiling their brains. The Israelis can be pretty aggressive, but they don't resort to terrorism. They are certainly the most reasonable bunch out there, unless you know something about Iran and Iraq that nobody else does.
Among those who "signed" off on the ridiculous witch-hunt to boycott Israel and harm its innocent people:
Jarvis Cocker, Musician
Brian Eno Composer, producer
Peter Gabriel, Musician
Massive Attack, Band
Cat Power, Musician
Patti Smith, Musician, poet
Roger Waters, Musician
You know Roger Waters...the guy who wears pseudo-Nazi leather and armbands, and has flown a pig balloon and said some extremely antisemitic things. He dismisses it all by insisting he knows some Jews and doesn't spit on them or harm them. Maybe he's even nice to them. But the Jews in Israel, he is certainly on record as wishing harm. Boycotting Israel to the point where the citizens suffer, and are forced to emigrate? Roger smiles about that.
Granted, this is a very small list of crackpots, and there are dozens of other musicians who disagree and have played concerts in Israel. But look at that bunch. Most of them write lyrics that are considered "poetry." Patti Smith and Peter Gabriel in particular are admired by critics for usually being on the proper side of any debate on human rights, and any view of humanity. They might not be vegetarians, like McCartney or Morrissey, but they don't display a great blood lust. And yet, they would have Israelis starve to death.
Think about that. Sanctions against Israel (and not North Korea, Syria, Russia, China etc.) The idea is to punish the people of Israel, for their voting choices. Should America be sanctioned because Trump is President? There are millions who didn't vote for him. Who are apolitical. They should suffer?
When John Lennon simply stated that for young people, The Beatles were bigger than Christ, he and his band saw vengeful mobs breaking their singles and albums and tossing them into the fire, like the bigoted loonies did to "witches" in Salem. Should those who disagree with Patti Smith, Peter Gabriel, Jarvis Cocker (leader of Pulp...whose song "Common People' was covered by the Jew William Shatner)...should they boycott the concerts of these artists? Should I smash to bits all the Peter Gabriel albums I own? Deny his genius in music and lyrics because he's got a moronic, dangerous view on one particular country and its people...a point of view that can easily be described as antisemitic?
Israel is not apartheid. It has a large population of Muslims and Christians, and welcomes anyone to visit the sites that are important to their faith. By contrast, there are countries in the Middle East that refuse to even allow a Jew to play in a tennis tournament, and who stand by while Christian churches burn.
Why aren't these musicians enraged by what goes on in Nigeria, where Boko Haram murders and rapes women?
The list includes a few liberal, traitorous Jews, such as the notorious Noam Chomsky, but few others whose names you would recognize. The only member of the acting world that is on this list is Julie Christie.
This is a grotesque disappointment, as Julie Christie narrated "The Animals Film," one of the most sobering and potent documentaries on the ethical treatment of animals. It changed the views of thousands and thousands of people. Many became vegetarians because of that film. "And Lord, I know, I'm one."
There is a museum called "The Museum of Tolerance." If there's one word that needs to be spoken more often it's "Tolerance." The opposite, intolerance, is what's behind this movement that Peter Gabriel and Patti Smith and Julie Christie are behind. It's a movement that either denies Hamas and other terrorist activity, or sanctions it as a grand alternative for one group of religious fanatics. Iran advocated blowing Israel off the face of the Earth. What does Peter Gabriel advocate? At what point does he think Jews in Israel will have suffered enough? If this insane idea of a boycott took off, when would he say "enough?" When the Jews are starving and look like the ones who were skeletal in concentration camps? When the Jews are crying and boarding boats to take them to America and safety? When the Jews are DEAD?
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