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Nisan 20, 5767, 4/8/2007

A Strange Free Speech Victory in Israel

by Steven Plaut

It sounds like one of the silliest court cases in Israel but it actually is an important one.

A Tel Aviv magistrate's court in Israel actually just defended freedom of speech. And it is a court decision that carries implications for other cases.

The court case was a libel suit filed by municipal veterinarian of Raanana and Kfar Sava, Dr. Israel Glass, against another veterinarian and animal rights activist, Dr. Yuval Samuel, because the latter had written in an internet forum and elsewhere had accused the former of being a Gestapo member and operating concentration camps. It all had to do with animal rights. You see, in 2004 there were some outbreaks of rabies in Israel and the Raanana vet ordered stray cats killed. The animal rights nuts got their knickers in a twist about that and attacked him. Glass filed a libel suit against Samuel (for details, Hebrew only, see this). Glass is himself son of Holocaust survivors.

The judge in the case, Avigail Cohen, tossed the suit out. It was protected speech, she insisted, whether or not one agrees with the claims or the style of speech of the animal nuts. It is legitimate debate about public matters and issues.

Now I mention all of this because of how dramatically it illustrates how selective free speech is being protected in Israel and how outrageous and anti-democratic was the court ruling of the Arab woman judge Reem Naddaf in the Gordon-Plaut case, a case that bears some distant resemblance to the above suit.

While calling a private citizen (a veterinarian) a member of the Gestapo is protected speech in Israel, criticizing the political opinions of an anti-Semitic extremist academic and a public figure who writes columns for neo-Nazis and anti-Semites all over the world is libelous, ruled Judge Naddaf of Nazareth magistrate court last year. When Neve Gordon, an anti-Israel extremist from Ben Gurion University, and his destroy-Israel anarchist friends illegally entered Ramallah to interfere with Israeli anti-terror military operations and to prevent the arrest of wanted Palestinian murderers, he was denounced by me as belonging to a group of "Judenrat wannabes". I also denounced him for his long campaign to promote and endorse Holocaust Denier Norman Finkelstein, who evidently is being fired this month from DePaul University for HIS Neo-Nazi activities.

Gordon filed a malicious frivolous "libel" suit against me in Nazareth court hoping to get a radical anti-Israel Arab judge. He got Judge Nadaff, who ruled that calling practitioners of such illegal anti-Semitic pro-terror behavior "Judenrat wannabes" is libelous. In her verdict the judge also justified and legitimized Holocaust revisionism. Prof. Alan Dershowitz denounced the judge and described Gordon thus: "It is my opinion that Neve Gordon has gotten into bed with neo-Nazis, Holocaust justice deniers, and anti-Semites. He is a despicable example of a self-hating Jew and a self-hating Israeli." Naddaf wants to create a system in which animal rights nuts can say whatever they want as protected speech, but Zionists criticizing the criminal behavior of anti-Semites and traitors may not. Her verdict will soon be reversed on appeal.

Israeli anti-democratic judge trying to suppress free speech

For more details on that Gordon-Plaut court case see this and this and this and this.

Nisan 17, 5767, 4/5/2007

British Scary Leaders vs. Israeli Pusillanimous Ones

by Steven Plaut

Brit Footsoldier who Failed to Understand The Other

It is there in the headlines. The Iranians released the British hostages because they are afraid of the British. The Brits were not about to respond to Iranian atrocities by lecturing their own people about being sensitive to The Other. The Brits were not going to offer to take the cross off their flag in order to gain understanding with the Islamofascists.

The Brits do not believe in strength through weakness, in courage through cowardice, in victory through capitulation.

Gosh, how backward of them. Maybe they need Shimon Peres to educate them in the correct way.

Israeli soldiers remain in captivity because Israel pursues peace through weakness and capitulation.

Nisan 13, 5767, 4/1/2007

Alexander Cockburn - In Time For Passover

by Jack Engelhard

As a reminder that in each generation new tyrants (new and improved Pharaohs) will seek to destroy the Jewish People, well, heeeere’s Alexander Cockburn! Even as we speak, right now, this minute, Cockburn is on C-Span TV, live and taking questions from those who agree with him. Others, who disagree, get cut off, as I did.

A previous caller slammed him for being part of Left Wing anti-Semitism. I dialed in, got through, and asked Cockburn what he meant by referring to that caller as “your kind.”

Well, that pretty much ended my half of the “conversation.” Cockburn began a rant that went on for about 10 minutes. I tried to explain that – oh heck, what’s the difference. There was no sense in even trying as he kept on hollering. This man is a pro. Knocking Israel (and America) -- this is his business. His main point? Israel is not PERFECT.

Compared – I asked – to whom? I don’t think that got in. I said, “Your hostile agenda against Israel is so transparent.” This, I think, did get in, and about here he accused me of reading from notes. What notes? How can I be reading when neither he, nor the C-Span host, would even let me speak?

Never mind four questions. How about one?

No, this was the Alexander Cockburn Show. More piling on upon Israel because Israel is NOT PERFECT.

Click, and I was off the air. To make room for people who were “so glad” that his views (against Israel) were being heard.

(Shades of THE JIMMY CARTER SHOW on the same C-Span.)

Cockburn has been around. Wikipedia notes that back in the 1980s he was dropped by The Village Voice for apparent “conflict of interest.” You’re welcome to read about this “conflict” back there at Wikipedia online. But Cockburn was not silenced. He found a new gig at The Nation. (Plus CounterPunch.)

HIS KIND – they never let up. They never let go. They keep on coming. They do indeed arise from generation to generation.

From Pharaoh through Haman up to this very instant – they will always be with us, THIS KIND.

This is important to remember. As THAT KIND persists, so must Israel persevere from strength to strength.

They seek to destroy us, but they can’t and never will.

What perfect timing, the proof of this lesson. Just in time for Passover.

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