Of British anti-Semites and asterisk Zionists
Of British anti-Semites and asterisk Zionists

Like the foolish “Wise Men of Chelm” (well-meaning dunces), three leading British Jewish authors write an open letter to express their alarm at the galloping increase of anti-Semitism throughout their country – and end up making a case that favors the anti-Semites. 

They are impressive scholars, these who have come to confront Jeremy Corbyn and his Labour Party where hating Jews is all they do practically round the clock.

Back here in America I’ve paid scant attention, until a friend told me that Corbyn might well become Britain’s next prime minister. Attention must be paid.

Corbyn would be no friend to President Trump or to any other patriot of the United States.

So I read all the articles and commentaries pertaining to that open letter, which appeared in The Times of London, and was penned by novelist Howard Jacobson and historians Simon Schama and Simon Sebag Montefiore…all stamped kosher as Zionists. 

Doesn’t get much better than that so far as literary craftsmanship, nor worse when it comes to speaking up for Israel and Jews everywhere.

Finally I read the letter itself. I liked it. The first half. The second half took it all back and proved that not all Zionists are true…but are rather asterisk Zionists…people who are pro-Israel only by a half... never in with both feet…and always ready to compromise and be good sports for the world and Israel’s enemies. 

Non-Jews with Progressive tendencies do the fawning routine just as well and they too need to be careful. 

Corbyn does not like Christians much, either. Muslims fare much better.

Something like that could only have been written by three stooges; never by three men of esteemed learning. 
London already has a Muslim mayor, so Corbyn and the Labour Party are only a logical next step. 

If Britain and the rest of Europe want all that, fine – but it is happening awfully fast. The dominoes keep falling.

Now the letter, yes the letter from those three wise men. First, yes, right on! Like this: “We are alarmed that during the past few years, constructive criticism of Israeli governments has morphed into something closer to anti-Semitism under the cloak of so-called anti-Zionism.”

Good, I’m thinking…keep it going. Go ahead. Give ‘em hell. Tell it straight. Make us proud. 

Instead, this is what follows: “We do not forget nor deny that the Palestinian people have an equally legitimate, ancient history and culture in Palestine nor that they have suffered wrongs that must be healed. We hope that a Palestinian state will exist peacefully alongside Israel.”

Something like that could only have been written by three stooges; never by three men of esteemed learning. 

Makes you wonder if this wasn’t a set-up from the start, a prank. That entire paragraph is a riot of falsehoods. 

Personally to fellow novelist Jacobson, winner of the Man Booker Prize, did Mahmoud Abbas write that?

He could not have said it better himself. It is the language of jihad. 

Take that one phrase about the “Palestinian people” and their “ancient history and culture in Palestine.”

Why should I have to teach this?

There never was a country named Palestine and there were no Palestinian people before thereabouts 1964 when Yasser Arafat made them up out of the blue. Check the archives of the Times and the BBC and find that Zionist leaders like David Ben-Gurion and Chaim Weizmann were always referred to as “Palestinian Jews.”

So there is nothing ancient about the “Palestinian people“ being Arabs, and hence scant history or culture for them, unless terrorism counts as history and culture.

So far as “suffering.” you should know better than to bring that up in the face of the Jewish people.

Better, in fact, if you had thought this through before sending it out for print to do more harm than good.

New York-based bestselling American novelist Jack Engelhard writes regularly for Arutz Sheva. Engelhard wrote the international book-to-movie bestseller “Indecent Proposal” and the ground-breaking inside-journalism thriller “The Bathsheba Deadline.” His latest is “News Anchor Sweetheart.” He is the recipient of the Ben Hecht Award for Literary Excellence. Website: www.jackengelhard.com