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antisemitism Britain 

Exhibition of cowardice in Golders Green

Melanie, , ,

Here’s a little thought experiment for you to try. Suppose a synagogue wanted to hold an exhibition commemorating, say, co-existence between Jews and Muslims in medieval Spain. Suppose a group of Jews who objected to anything showing Muslims in a good light intimidated the organisers of the exhibition into dropping it, threatening them with violence if it went ahead. There would be a huge outcry by the wider Jewish community at such behaviour. It would almost certainly make the national papers which would be delighted to show Jewish “extremists” in…

crazy world Israel 

Our crazy world: US Syria pullout, EU antisemitism survey

Melanie, , ,

Please join me here as I discuss with Avi Abelow of Israel Unwired some major events of the past few days in our crazy world. We consider the implications of President Trump’s decision to withdraw US troops from Syria, the ramifications of which are more complex than might be imagined from the shallow mainstream media accounts. You can also read my take on what really matters about America’s approach to Syria and Iran here. We also talk about the recent EU survey of perceptions by Jewish communities in Britain and…

de-radicalisation Global conflict 

Who are the real isolationists in America?

Melanie, , ,

Ever since President Donald Trump astounded the world by announcing the withdrawal of U.S. troops from Syria, commentators have been trying to work out the significance of this decision. Among those conservatives who believe America should make alliances against the enemies of the West and then stand by those allies, there has been shock and consternation. A number of Israeli analysts have expressed similar dismay. The cause of the concern is obvious. By withdrawing the 2,000 or so U.S. troops stationed in the border area between Iraq, Syria and Jordan,…

conservatism Culture wars Israel 

Is the State of Israel supping with the devil?

Melanie, ,

The visit to Israel this week by Italian deputy prime minister Matteo Salvini has provoked criticism and dismay within the Jewish world. Salvini, who heads Italy’s right-wing “populist” Lega party, is controversial because of his anti-immigration stance. Israel’s President Reuven Rivlin declined to meet him, citing “scheduling issues.” Rivlin’s view of political parties such as Lega were made clear, however, when he told CNN that the whole world needed to work against xenophobia, discrimination and antisemitism. “There are neo-fascist movements today that have considerable and very dangerous influence, and sometimes…

Boris Britain Culture wars Europe 

Convulsions over Brexit and the struggle for the western nation

Melanie, , ,

The West is convulsing as a new world order struggles to be born. Nowhere is that convulsion currently proving more agonizing and potentially catastrophic than in the United Kingdom. The fundamental division is between, on the one hand, nationalists who want to defend the nation and its core values and, on the other, those who believe these must be superseded by trans-national institutions and laws. In the first camp are millions of ordinary people throughout the West in revolt against the steady undermining of their countries and cultures, alongside the…

migrants USA 

Echoes of another border invasion

Melanie, ,

When President Trump called the Central American migrant “caravan” an “invasion”, this was promptly denounced as yet more evidence of his racism. Of course. But of course it was an invasion, as is now plain. Yesterday, US Customs and Border Protection agents shut down the San Ysidro port of entry, among the largest border crossings between San Diego and Tijuana, after hundreds of migrants tried to breach the US-Mexico border fence and threw rocks and other projectiles at border police. Trump ordered up thousands of troops to repel them. Tear…

conservatism Britain Israel USA 

The nation as an island: the source of Israel’s resilience

Melanie, , ,

At this week’s annual dinner in London of the Anglo-Israel Association, which promotes understanding of Israel in the UK, the Israeli thinker Daniel Gordis poignantly described Israel as an island surrounded by enemies. This image of Israel under siege is currently all too apposite. With Iran’s regime now entrenched through its proxies in Lebanon, Syria and Gaza, Israel now faces a genocidal enemy on three simultaneous fronts. In the face of these dangers, not to mention the recent mini-war when thousands of rockets from Gaza rained down on southern Israel,…

rocket Israel 

So how would England react to genocidal rocket barrages?

Melanie, , ,

Here’s a thought experiment for British readers. Suppose Scotland and Wales were not part of the United Kingdom. Suppose Scotland was effectively controlled by… oooh, I dunno, let’s say, Russia, which had installed underneath residential buildings throughout southern Scotland 120,000 missiles pointing at England which Russia repeatedly threatened, in the most demented and blood-curdling terms, to annihilate. What do you think the English government would do? What do you think NATO might say or do? Now suppose that Wales, which for decades had been inhabited by people who had long…

border caravan USA 

The onslaught on the US border

Melanie, ,

There are now three waves of central American migrants aiming to force their way into the US across the border. As reported here by JE Dyer, the first group was temporary halted by a Mexican police barricade.  Mexican authorities offered the migrants asylum, jobs, and an array of social assistance programs. When they refused them, the police took down the barricades and the migrants resumed their trek. On Sunday afternoon, the second wave from Honduras reached the border with southern Mexico. The Mexican border guard requested entry in an orderly manner.…

Khashoggi Global conflict 

The story behind the story of Jamal Khashoggi

Melanie, , ,

The disappearance and presumed murder of the Saudi exile Jamal Khashoggi has caused a crisis of relations between the United States and Saudi Arabia. Khashoggi entered the Saudi consulate in Istanbul to sign some papers relating to his marriage and never emerged again. Lurid accounts claim he was murdered in the consulate by a 15-strong team flown from Saudi Arabia the previous day in order to kill him. This almost exclusively Turkish and Qatari narrative includes claims that a pathologist on this team dismembered Khashoggi’s body while he was still…