For and against the elimination of Israel in Berlin and London

Harry's Place has been running excellent coverage of the rallies in Berlin and London by Iranian-oriented Islamist groups who have been out in support of the recent Iranian call for Israel to be "wiped off the map".

I've already posted on the hypocrisy of British and other European responses to the Iranian president's speech last week. The continuing coverage of the aftermath of the speech has highlighted the attempts by Iranian foreign office and other officials to stress that Iran has no actual intention of eliminating Israel. What this of course ignores is the explicit commitment in the original speech by the Iran president that the dirty work will be done by terrorist groups, particularly Palestinian terrorist groups, who receive a great deal of funding from Iran. And in any case, this post notes that the president subsequently fired the Iranian ambassadors in London, Berlin and Paris, plus another eighteen envoys for not defending his "wipe Israel off the map" speech enthusiastically enough.

Norm has pointed up the persistent way in which The Guardian has downplayed the threat to wipe out Israel by referring to it as "a slur".

Harry's Place featured the vehement rejection of the Iranian call by Saab Erekat on behalf of the Palestinian Authority, who stated their continuing commitment to a two-state solution. All very well, but this ignores the PA's steadfast refusal to disarm the Iranian-supported terrorist groups who are set up by Iran to do the wiping of Israel off the map.

Thanks to the Harry's Place coverage, we know that the Iranian President's speech was no off-the-cuff gaffe where he went off on some little individual exterminist path, because they have a post about the advance publicity for today's London rally. It includes a poster, subsequently replaced by something more anodyne, showing an Islamist sword stabbing through and smashing a Star of David lying over the outline map of Israel. That post also made clear that the rally was supported by the UK's Islamic Human Rights Commission (clearly no human rights for Israelis on offer there) and the UK section of the Muslim Brotherhood. The speakers included Dr Azzam Tamimi, a Palestinian Hamas activist of the Muslim Association of Britain . He is regularly featured in BBC interviews spouting statements about Palestinian suicide bombing being legitimate resistance.

Harry's Place links to Reality Gaps' photo and video coverage of the Al Quds rally in London today. What is really striking is the contrast between the well organized opposition to the rally in Berlin, which included senior German trade union officials, and Iranian and Islamic dissidents, and the complete absence of any organized opposition in London. Reality Gap's video shows something like four hundred people in the parade. I didn't actually count them, but you could do if you watch the video carefully. The women who marched, almost all in Islamic dress, marched at the back of the parade. Some wheeled prams, and there were some children marching with them.

Reality Gaps' commentary explains that many of the demonstrators were wearing Hizbollah capes, waving Hizbollah flags and generally creating

an incredibly pro-terrorism march, with the slogans moving between the classic ‘Palestine will be free… from the river to the sea’ to the more recent ‘Zionism..Terrorism’ (repeat ad infinitum at top of voice).

What was more suprising was the amount of Islamic chanting going on at the rally, about one in five chants was an ‘Allah Akbar’ or a ‘La’ila’lail’Allah’. These were often followed by ‘We are all Hezbollah’ chants and a couple of token anti-war slogans

Reality Gaps' commentary also noted

‘open-minded’, ‘peace-loving’,'anti-war’,'human right activist’ type people, most of whom were carrying Hizballah flags. A common chant was ‘No East, No West…. Islam is the best’ or ‘We are all Hizballah’. Luckily we had a video camera, and managed to capture the 2005 ‘Al-Quds’ anti-Israel Hatefest in London, complete with required Haredi Anti-Zionist Hassidim in tow.

But let's not be entirely pessimistic. There was no organized participation by the legions of Respect and the Stop the War coalition.

Comments

[http://modernityblog.blogspot.com/]

"There was no organized participation by the legions of Respect and the Stop the War coalition."

Not just yet?

[Judy]

I'm not sure. They don't usually miss a trick. And the Iranian president found it necessary to issue threats against Islamic groups that don't fall into line. But you probably are right, because the head of Palestinian Hamas made a speech at the Iranian conference. What I'm sure will happen is that there will be an opposing demo if they try and hold another one in London next year.

[Yusuf Smith]

[But you probably are right, because the head of Palestinian Hamas made a speech at the Iranian conference.]

Let me get this straight - the Israelis let the head of Hamas go to Iran to address the conference?

[Judy]

Yusuf, as far as I know, the guy is based in Damascus. I'm sure the Israelis would like to prevent him from going anywhere except into Paradise, if they only could.....

Besides, there clearly are Hamas senior operatives who are able to get in and out of Israel without being caught.

[jamal]

As i said at the anti-Muslim Harry's Place;

Why should the comments of Ahmadinejads be played down or alternatively receive trial by media. Why do we not put them into context. Some now think this is fuel for the Iran Anti-nuclear argument, not to mention supporters of the Anti-Islam, Anti-Terror, Anti-Palestine and Pro-Zionist arguments. Arguments by the very same natured people that would report on the Israel bombing whilst avoiding reference to the bombings and oppression of Palestine. It is no secret that many become forgetful when reference is made to the atrocities and oppression caused by Israel! To put it into perspective, bearing in mind recent Palestine/Israeli events, the past 50 years and the “War on Terror”, Ahmadinejad is not saying anything that different to the words and subsequent acts of Bush, Blair and Sharon.

[Judy]

Sorry, Jamal, but I don't think you are right about the parallels you seek to draw. Bush, Blair and Sharon have not proposed to wipe any nation off the earth. As it happens, Sharon and the leaders of the Palestinian Authority are both signed up to the Road Map agreement to create a Palestinian state.

And if you read newspapers and listen to the BBC, you will find that there is no shortage of ferocious criticism of Israel.

As far as I'm concerned, there's no "context" in which calls to wipe Israel off the map can be understood or condoned. I'm sorry you feel the need to be an apologist for such calls.