Ignatieff and Israeli apartheid: Then and Now

13 posts / 0 new

Tue, 2010-03-02 13:57

aka Mycroft

Quote:
"When I looked down at the West Bank, at the settlements like Crusader forts occupying the high ground, at the Israeli security cordon along the Jordan river closing off the Palestinian lands from Jordan, I knew I was not looking down at a state or the beginnings of one, but at a Bantustan, one of those pseudo-states created in the dying years of apartheid to keep the African population under control." - Michael Ignatieff, The Guardian, April 19, 2002.

Quote:

"On university campuses across the country this week, Israeli Apartheid Week will once again attempt to demonize and undermine the legitimacy of the Jewish state. It is part of a global campaign of calls for divestment, boycotts and proclamations, and it should be condemned unequivocally and absolutely.

Apartheid is defined, in international law, as a crime against humanity. Israeli Apartheid Week is a deliberate attempt to portray the Jewish state as criminal." -- Michael Ignatieff, March 1, 2010

Issues Pages:

Politics in Canada

Tue, 2010-03-02 14:29

radiorahim radiorahim's picture

aka Mycroft]</p> <p>[quote wrote:
"When I looked down at the West Bank, at the settlements like Crusader forts occupying the high ground, at the Israeli security cordon along the Jordan river closing off the Palestinian lands from Jordan, I knew I was not looking down at a state or the beginnings of one, but at a Bantustan, one of those pseudo-states created in the dying years of apartheid to keep the African population under control." - Michael Ignatieff, The Guardian, April 19, 2002.

Kids say the darndest things ;)

Thu, 2011-03-17 14:30

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

[url=http://www.liberal.ca/newsroom/news-release/statement-liberal-leader-mic... did it again in 2011[/url]:

Quote:
...By portraying the Jewish state as criminal, by demonizing Israel and its supporters, and by targeting Jewish and Israeli students for abuse on our university campuses, the organizers and supporters of Israeli Apartheid Week tarnish our freedom of speech.

"The voices of anti-Semitism and intolerance have no place in Canada, in the Middle East, or anywhere in the world. All Canadians - and all university students - have the right to feel safe and secure in our communities, regardless of who they are or what they believe.

"On behalf of the Liberal Party of Canada and our parliamentary caucus, I urge all Canadians to join with us in once again condemning Israeli Apartheid Week here in Canada and around the world."

Rabble published an "open letter" [url=http://rabble.ca/news/2011/03/response-michael-ignatieff-his-statement-a... to Iggy's nonsense[/url], and the author was then [url=http://rabble.ca/blogs/bloggers/rabble-staff/2011/03/queens-university-r... with dismissal from his position[/url] as rector (elected student representative) of Queen's University. The campaign to get rid of him through a referendum was orchestrated by the campus Liberals and Conservatives in a united front of Zionist-inspired suppression of speech.

Meanwhile, the NDP has missed yet another opportunity to distance itself from the Zionist hysteria, by remaining silent in the face of Iggy's and Harper's attacks on freedom of speech and human rights in Palestine. Even a mild statement in defence of the right to criticize Israel would probably win tens of thousands of voters to the party. But as usual the NDP is more interested in being wrong than in being elected.

Sat, 2011-03-19 08:36

Doug

Probably not. To the extent that voters care ab.out the issue at all, their minds are made up.

Sat, 2011-03-19 08:53

Unionist

Doug wrote:

Probably not. To the extent that voters care ab.out the issue at all, their minds are made up.

Agreed. That's why abortion and sodomy and same-sex marriage and trade unions will never be legal in this country. That's why capital punishment will always be with us. Most people don't care, the others will never change. Best just not to talk about those issues.

And on Israel, why, I don't know who has ever changed their mind on that issue. I grew up in a traditional Jewish family, recognizing Israel from my infancy onward as an aggressive apartheid state that was bad for Jews and murderous to Arabs. It was in my genes, or maybe my cereal, whatever.

Human minds don't change. Observation, experience, external changes, play no role whatsoever. We are hardwired to support reactionary causes and vote our enemies into government. Probably our most productive pursuit would be to roll over in bed each morning and get some more sleep. That way, we will build up a reserve of energy required to prepare for bed earlier that evening.

My rant is over. May the good Lord in His wisdom consign Michael Ignatieff to the Hell which, if it doesn't exist, urgently needs to be constructed just for him.

Sat, 2011-03-19 11:59

NDPP

Unionist wrote:

May the good Lord in His wisdom consign Michael Ignatieff to the Hell which, if it doesn't exist, urgently needs to be constructed just for him.

NDPP

Harvard would do...

Wed, 2011-03-23 19:41

Truguy

This is serious to be sure, but there are other incredibly violent racial crimes that have occured that are not even recognized by our establishment, such as the Turkish genocide of the poor Armenian people in 1905; Then of course there was the Holdomor which was perpetrated upon the Ukrainians in 1917 by the communists. And of course, there was the Turkish enslavement and murder of countless Eastern Europeans over a 450 year period that has not been recognized by our political establishment and the anti-racist activists. I would like to see more discussion and recognition of these horrid crimes against my people.

Wed, 2011-03-23 19:49

Unionist

Why don't you look up the dates of these events, for starters. Then, why don't you talk about the topic of this thread, or take it somewhere else. If you don't think Israeli apartheid is as bad as what happened to "your people", then I suggest you should also look up the meaning of the word "solidarity".

Wed, 2011-03-23 19:49

M. Spector M. Spector's picture

And who exactly are "your people"? Armenians? Ukrainians? Caucasian settlers in Canada who committed genocide against the native populations? Do tell.

Wed, 2011-03-23 19:55

#10

Truguy

Ok, there were millions murdered by the communists in the Ukraine. There were tens of millions of my people murdered in Russian by the very same non-indigenous 'Russians.'

In Armenia, they were absolutely slaughtered and huge numbers of them were sold into slavery.

All I'm trying to do here sir is to open a discussion about these atrocities at the same level as that which is taking place about the poor palestinian poeple's plight. I don't want to drown out that particular discussion, but rather to add to it by telling people about the atrocities committed against my people...atrocities which still in large measure are not even acknowleged by establishment parties. The Armenian Genocide was in fact backed and financed by the White anglo-elites, as was Communism and its various atrocities. Maybe that's why they don't want to acknowlege them.

Cheers

Wed, 2011-03-23 20:01

#11

Truguy

M. Spector wrote:

And who exactly are "your people"? Armenians? Ukrainians? Caucasian settlers in Canada who committed genocide against the native populations? Do tell.

Very fascinating question M. You seem to be implying that because Caucasian people "committed genocide against the native populations" they now deserve to be ethnically cleansed and genocided in return. You are implicitly condoning at the very least ethnic cleansing against White people, if not outright genocide. Actually, I am a Caucasian, that is why I very very strongly identify with these other populations and the genocides which were perpetrated upon them. I hope you don't really want to genocide us there M.