The conflict between Israel and the Palestinians brings out the best in some politicians, inspiring them to dedicate large chunks of their time and political capital to the task of mediating between the two sides, designing peaceful solutions and advancing diplomacy. Others are inspired by compassion, empathy or an understanding of one or both sides’ national narratives to stand in solidarity with one or other party in the conflict, helping to explain their cause with eloquence and passion.
Then there are some politicians who do not quite rise to the occasion and, rather than making a brave stand, end up running along behind what they perceive to be public opinion, making statements that do not help the public understand a complex conflict because they resort to trite and sanctimonious phrasing to describe Israel’s decisions which they would never use to describe the difficult calls they themselves have or would make in government.
Then there are people whose interventions are just crass or embarrassing. The frontbencher who helped anti-Israel boycott protesters shut a branch of Sainsbury’s – for having the temerity to stock Israeli produce, some of it from settlements in the disputed West Bank, some not – in their constituency springs to mind. I have no idea how such a gesture is supposed to advance the cause of peace in the Middle East as opposed to looking like an endorsement of organised mob thuggery that inconvenienced and caused fear, distress and intimidation to customers and shop workers. This is the sort of juvenile stunt I would expect from a branch of the Socialist Worker Student Society, I do not expect it from Shabana Mahmood MP who is otherwise an extremely capable and intelligent asset to Labour’s team and likely to be an effective government minister in a year’s time.
But the prize for crassness and embarrassment and general unhelpfulness to peace and understanding in reacting to the Gaza conflict must surely go to Grahame Morris, Labour member of parliament for Easington, for asking the prime minister this:
Will British citizens fighting in the Israel defence forces be treated in the same way as those returning from Syria and Iraq?
False analogies that invert the truth about Israel are sadly common currency for those that seek to delegitimise and demonise the Jewish State. The worst examples of this we see include the offensive comparisons between Israel and the Nazis made by people including Liberal Democrat MP David Ward. Holocaust Inversion seeks to portray the Jewish people who were the victims of genocide as perpetrators of one.
And now Morris is seeking to portray the IDF as comparable to Isis. This inverts the truth. Israel was the first victim of Islamist terrorism, with hundreds of its civilians killed by suicide bombings in pizzerias, nightclubs, hotels and buses. The IDF’s actions in Gaza, whether you agree with them or not, were an attempt to deal with Islamist terrorists firing rockets at civilians and digging tunnels to launch attacks on civilian communities. Hamas and Isis may not be the same organisation but they share much of the same ideology, including a genocidal hatred of Israel and Jews.
Morris, and anyone else, is entitled to criticise Israeli government policy and the IDF’s actions if they disagree with them.
But to draw a comparison between Israel and its armed forces and Isis, a terrorist organisation that is seeking to create a medieval theocracy, butchering any minority group that does not convert to its extreme version of Islam, and publicly beheading journalists, goes way beyond acceptable discourse.
For Morris’ benefit the facts are:
- Israel is a democracy that shares our values and way of life.
- The IDF are the armed forces of a democracy and accountable to an elected government and the law. Isis and Hamas are proscribed terrorist organisations that deliberately target civilians.
- Israel is our ally, with whom we share vital defence, security and intelligence information, and equipment, which has saved British lives from terrorism at home and abroad.
- The vast majority of IDF troops are young conscripts doing their national service, or reservists called away from their jobs, homes and families to protect them.
- A small minority of IDF soldiers are foreign volunteers who are inspired to protect the Jewish State and what it stands for.
- The Isis volunteers returning to the UK from Syria and Iraq represent a terrorist threat here in the UK; people who have served in the IDF do not.
I am embarrassed that a Labour MP would make this sort of fatuous comment in the Commons. Morris should be ashamed of himself.
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Luke Akehurst is director of We Believe in Israel. He tweets @lukeakehurst
I am a Christian and, although the Middle East is none of my business, it would be nice to have peace there and the world might benefit. Whatever one may think of the actions of Grahame Morris and Shabana Mahmood, this article is, as one might expect, pure Israeli government propaganda.
My worry is that it can, or will, be construed as Labour Party policy and may be detrimental to Labour’s electoral prospects.
I do not wish to get involved in discussing the merits or otherwise of the Israeli government’s stance, but it so happens that, today, on my Facebook stream, one friend, who has just gone to Jordan on a teaching mission, reported how she had heard of the suffering and distress of the displaced people living there as refugees. Another friend posted a link entitled “Israel confiscates nearly 1,000 acres of Palestinian land in the West Bank” ( http://www.america.aljazeera.com/articles/2014/8/31/bethlehem-israelconfiscates.html ). This story is also on The Independent’s website today.
I seek the truth and I would ask Progress to commission an article to give some balance to its columns – if, of course, other persons commenting on this article do not fill that need.
Not so “ashamed” that you won’t be supporting Labour though, I assume.
What is the point of this empty hand-wringing?
“the disputed West Bank”
Hi Luke. I think the word you’re looking for is ‘occupied’.
It seems to me that there are contradictions between Anthony’s statement of ‘I am a Christian’ and ‘the Middle East is none of my business’ and ‘I do not wish to get involved in discussing…’ Surely a Christian has a concern for the Middle East generally where the Church is undergoing suffering and persecution in many countries. Christians are called to share in the sufferings of their brothers and sisters. How can a Christian have the attitude of ‘Am I my brother’s keeper? Very sad!
Its is so sad with all the knowledge we have in our world some of us would believe in a perversion of history. I can see how we would ever have peace in our world. The first think is we seem to forget how the state of Israel was formed, with good intentions. All the trouble stated when we introduce european Jews who been through the Holocaust. Luke seem to have for gotten what Began and Goldmere them them self use to do, today they would be called Terrorist. Another problem added into the mix was American Jews from the land of the free. I don’t think that the Israel government really want peace because there mind set is the Palestine land Biblically was given to them by god.
Luke Akehurst, your should be ashamed yourself
by condemning the morris on the truth he was speaking. it takes a lot to say the truth you are so ignorent and blind in the enemosity of palestinian that you cannot see the massacare and gennoside of thier nation byyour fellow jews in israiel. Get advise on your heartless feeling and cruel mind.
In 1947 the well armed and British trained Israeli army and the Stern and Levy gangs were terrorising Palestinians, murdering their children and forcing them to leave. They were remorseless and cold blooded terrorists. The Palestinians were the first to suffer from Israeli Occupation. If you can’t get your facts right, then don’t purport to know what you are talking about. This: “Israel was the first victim of Islamist terrorism, with hundreds of its civilians killed by suicide bombings in pizzerias, nightclubs, hotels and buses” statement is utter tripe and misrepresentative of the situation as evidenced by available facts. The Nakba is not some made up event – it happened and it’s been happening for 70 years, since 1936. The Israelis are Nazis in all but name. The difference between putting a bullet in the head of a child in order to force the unarmed Palestinians to leave their village and ISIS beheading a journalist or westerner to demonstrate their willingness to commit heinous murder is an obvious and stark reality. Israel has been killing the “beasts” “little snakes” for nearly 80 years, ISIS hasn’t quite stooped to the level of killing children in the past 5 years. Israel is attacking ISIS it’s killing Syrian civilians and ISIS isn’t attacking Israel or the US – there’s a reason for that.
I hope that Progress will not be inviting Luke the Israeli troll and propagandist back for more of his sickening sanctimonious claptrap. He is the one who should be embarrassed and I for one, would rather he did not associate himself with the Labour Party of JC and his following, it would make the party look bad and undermine our credibility.