Let me congratulate Robert Fulford who published a defence of Israel, or rather an attack on the style and methodology of Israel's cricis, writing in "When criticizing Israel becomes ritual" that

"Opposing Israel has become an institutionalized ritual....In my personal observation, enemies of Israel often turn out to be anti-Semites as well. The true agenda of anti-Israel activists often is reflected in their style of propaganda, and in the exclusive attention they give to one particular country...[their way is] a way of setting the final terms of an issue before it can be discussed.  The most distressing quality of the attacks, however, is their singularity...Those who oppose Israel's policies have a right to their opinions and their anger, however unreasonable. And those, like me, who are infuriated by the relentless and totally selective drumbeat, also have a right to our grave suspicions."

What made me latch on to that?

Try these three examples of anti-Israel propaganda:

1.     Sweden's Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has rejected Israeli calls for an official condemnation of a Swedish newspaper article about organ harvesting, saying freedom of expression is a cornerstone of democracy.

Er, does he support publishing a new batch a Muhammed cartoons?

2.  Five Israelis were taken in for questioning this week after they accidentally entered Palestinian-controlled Jericho.   Israelis are forbidden from entering Jericho, defined by the military as Area A.

Is that "apartheid"?  Or is the threat of Arab terror not included in that definition?

3.  I read that "Since 1947, the Christian Exodus from the Holy Land has reduced their numbers from 20% of the total population to less than 1.3%".

Really?  Well, ask yourselves:

a. What is the territorial definition of "Holy Land"? Israel only, Israel and Judea and Samaria, Israel and Jordan, Jordan and Judea and Samaria?
b. Since 1947 to include the first Arab-Israel War initiated and launched by the Arabs in an aggressive illegal act of violating a UN resolution?
c. Can we have a breakdown: 1947-1949; 1949-1967; 1967-1993; 1993-2009?
d. How many Christian women have been raped by Jews, how many by Muslims?
e. Has the Christian population in Israel, within its Green Line borders, grown or decreased since 1948?

These three cases illustrate the lopsided battle that supporters of Israel from all over the world, no matter what nationality, gender, religion or race, have to deal with.

But we can do it.

If you haven't as yet, go read a story about IDF soldiers "farming" Pal. bodies for organs.

But if these Swedish antisemites want atrocity stories, they should go to the English Historical Review, Vol. 124, No. 507 to read an article by Matthew Hughes on "The Banality of Brutality: British Armed Forces and the Repression of the Arab Revolt in Palestine, 1936–39*.

It seems that the British killed Arabs with their rifle butts; left them out, in Halhoul, in a cage in the sun with no water to die; loaded 50 Arabs on to a bus and drove it over a landmine after one of their patrols had earlier been ambushed near Bassa in the North; regulary smashed, slapped and beat up Arabs in police stations and machine-gunned villages as part of 'punitive' measures; and it goes on and on.

Now, I wouldn't want you to think that I am asking you to forgive immoral and illegal actions taken by IDF troops just because someone else did something similar or even worse.

But I just can't fathom the warped minds who hate Jews not because we actually did anything but because they need someone and something to hate.

Can I ask you what is your definition of "Palestinian"?

Is it a geographical residency?

Or religion?

Or ethnicity?

Or race?

Or national status?

Or just plain not at all?

What I mean by "Palestinian" is like in here, the very last line:

    Abraham Lincoln Incentive Grants Program West Bank/Gaza 2009-2010

    Investing in the Future of Young Palestinians

    AMIDEAST is now accepting applications for the Abraham Lincoln Incentive Grants Program, funded by the United States Department of State through the Middle East Partnership Initiative and the Consulate General in Jerusalem. The program will provide grants (financial assistance) to promising, academically qualified but economically challenged students who will be in grade eleven in the academic year 2009/2010 from both Gaza and the West Bank to assist them in competing successfully for scholarships to pursue their undergraduate studies in the United States. The program will assist the selected students to become competitive applicants for U.S. college and university admissions and scholarships. This program is the first of its kind in terms of providing direct assistance to students who would otherwise not be able to realistically consider the idea of U.S. study because of the expenses required during the preparation process – testing, preparation courses and application fees, visa fees, etc.

    ELIGIBILITY REQUIREMENTS

    In order to be considered for the Abraham Lincoln Incentive Grants Program, a student must meet all of the following requirements:

    * My family is unable to meet the costs of applying to a U.S. college or university
    * Be a Palestinian resident of the West Bank, East Jerusalem or Gaza Strip

Are there any lawyers out there you can answer my next question:

can a Jewish resident of one of these areas apply?

And if not, is that discrimination?

You know, like in...racism?

Remember this exchange:

QUESTION: Minister Lieberman...about some interesting proposals on settlements.  Could you elaborate on what they might be?...And then for Secretary Clinton, does that mean there is some wiggle room to your statement that there should be no such settlement activity?

FOREIGN MINISTER LIEBERMAN: ...we cannot accept – we cannot accept this vision about absolutely completely freezing call for our settlements. I think that we must keep the natural growth. Prime minister spoke about this in his speech. I think that this position, it’s – this view, this approach, it’s very clear.

SECRETARY CLINTON: ...we want to see a stop to the settlements...And in looking at the history of the Bush Administration, there were no informal or oral enforceable agreements. That has been verified by the official record of the Administration and by the personnel in the positions of responsibility...

Well, we dug into whatever we dig into and we found this picture

My captions:

1.  "So, do you think that in four years time they'll claim we didn't reach understandings with them?"

2.  "Why isn't anyone writing these minutes down?"

3.  "Do you think we should leak the full contents of our talks with some senior Democrats?  Columnists like Charles Krauthammer?"

4.  "When do I leak these conversations to Akiva Eldar?" 
     "No, that won't help.  Maybe Yoel Marcus."

Do you have any suggestions?

There was a report in Haaretz yesterday that the U.S. administration has become convinced that it would be impossible to freeze West Bank settlement construction.

That came as a shock to Israeli peace activists.

So what did they do?

"The activists quickly handed over to the Americans documents proving the legal system's approval of a settlement freeze, containing High Court of Justice rulings in which the justices rejected petitions filed by settler organizations in a bid to prevent the settlement freeze."

There must be a word to describe that activity.