Leftists exploit anti-Semitism / philo-Islamism to lift Labour (and Democrats) to power

Why British Jews Are Worried by Jeremy Corbyn

Has denying the reality of anti-Semitism become a left-wing loyalty test? By Helen Lewis in The Atlantic December 11, '19

It is an astonishing statistic: Some 87 percent of British Jews believe that Jeremy Corbyn—one of two men who could be prime minister in a few days’ time—is anti-Semitic.

How did we get here? Corbyn’s party, Labour, has strong connections with the Jewish community, dating back to its earliest days. Yet a deep distrust has developed between the two since he became Labour leader in 2015, and the issue has dogged Corbyn throughout this election campaign.
 . . .
At the same time, the other plausible candidate to be the next prime minister—the Conservative leader, Boris Johnson—has faced his own questions over his use of racial epithets and his attitudes toward minorities. Racism directed at faith communities in Britain has therefore become a deeply partisan left/right issue: Any mention of “Labour anti-Semitism” is met with cries of “Tory Islamophobia.”
. . . 
Yet the question of anti-Semitism is also divisive within the left. Jewish voters I spoke with over the past several weeks told me of feeling as though the entire community had been “gaslit”—that the reality of anti-Semitism was being minimized by the party leadership—and that denying this reality had become a way to demonstrate loyalty to Corbyn and his radical anti-austerity agenda. This feeling is aggravated by persistent suggestions from the hard left that anti-Semitism is merely the pretext for a “smear campaign” against Corbyn and the left in general.

Britain’s Jewish community is small, about 284,000 people, or about 0.5 percent of the population, and heavily concentrated in a few areas of North London. That means many incidents that are widely noted by British Jews—such as Corbyn’s over-pronunciation of Jeffrey Epstein’s name as “Ep-schtein” in a televised debate—go unnoticed by the wider population. A Survation poll found that 39 percent of Britons overall believe Corbyn is anti-Semitic. While that is still a remarkably high number, it is far short of the consensus that has formed among Jews. 

The gulf has exacerbated the sense that their concerns are not being treated seriously by the rest of the population. As Britain’s chief rabbi, Ephraim Mirvis, wrote in The Times: “Just a few weeks before we go to the polls, the overwhelming majority of British Jews are gripped by anxiety. The question I am now most frequently asked is: What will become of Jews and Judaism in Britain if the Labour Party forms the next government?”

British orthodox Rabbi Lionel Rosenfeld of The Western/Marble Arch Synagogue, returned for the AIPAC Policy Conference in D.C. this spring with a dire warning to North Americans regarding the Socialist/Islamist influence in the Labour and Democratic Parties in the UK and the US.

 

Question: We have had a year of the Labour Party getting closer to office and - what's the condition of Zionism and Zionists in the political zeitgeist in Britain today, in the UK today?

Answer: Well I don't know if you heard the Labour MP Joan Ryan on Sunday evening Labour Friends of Israel. She's not even Jewish  - she was almost crying because what's happened to the Labour Party is really is what's happened to Zionism in the country. It's just tragic. We're on a downhill slope from last year when I spoke to you. 

We have a Conservative government that is sleepwalking towards Brexit with no real discernible leadership. Everyone agrees on that and we, on the other hand, we have a Labour possible government who haven't really increased in the polls. Normally with them they would be miles ahead - but they're not because of this man, Corbyn. Because of his refusal to eject antisemites from his party, and because of the general fear of so many Jews in Britain that anti--semitism is taking a real hold on what was a great supporter of the State of Israel, the Labour Party. 

Question: Hasn't the Jewish community in the UK traditionally been a liberal-minded politically?

Answer:  Very much so. Very much like the Jews of United States of America, great Democratic supporters - so have - I mean I happen to know that many of great rabbis have been quietly Labour supporters but not anymore. How can they be? Labour does not have any of the values that we espouse.

Question: Particularly with regard to the Middle East and the growth of the spread of anti-semitism in Europe?

Answer: Particularly with that. And also because they condemn the United States and Israel as two colonialist powers and that's how they see the world. It's becoming a left Marxist that no one wants to touch with a bargepole, as you would say. (Watch continuation on video embed).

International institutions' assault on Israel examined by ambassadors at AIPAC Policy Conference

Ambassadors Danny Ayalon, Kristen Silverberg, Keith Harper and moderator

"Regional Outlook: The Middle East in 2018 and The Assault on Israel in International Organizations" - panel at AIPAC.

The dialogue and debate between pre-eminent experts on Middle East affairs. Danny Ayalon, (former Israeli Amb. to the U.S.); Kristen Silverberg (former US Amb to E.U.);  Amb. Keith Harper (US permanent representative to the U.N. Human Rights Council in Geneva). Presented on Monday, March 5th, 2018

Part 2:  International institutions' assault on Israel: Audience' questions and panelists' answer session (with panelists including former Israeli Amb. Danny Ayalon) continues:

Why is ISIS in Egypt's Sinai? At AIPAC Confab, Oren Kessler, Foundation for Defense of Democracies

"ISIS Targets Egypt: Why the group set its sights on the Sinai" by Oren Kessler in Foreign Affairs.  17th May '16.  Edited for Democracy Broadcasting by Scott Jacobs, Senior Editor. 

Earlier this month, the Islamic State (ISIS) launched a massive media campaign in support of the insurgency in Sinai. Officials from 14 of its so-called provinces in Iraq, Libya, and Syria released videos promoting an Egyptian affiliate group, Sinai Province. The videos feature typical ISIS themes, such as condemnations of apostate Arab and Western governments, glorification of successful attacks, and praise for martyred brethren. What sets these videos apart, however, is the sheer number released at once, as well as their focus on Sinai, which previously played a relatively minor role in ISIS propaganda.

This media blitz could mark a turning point in ISIS strategy. The group has lost territory in Iraq and Syria, and the videos could signal a reorientation toward North Africa. ISIS may also be trying to boost morale and recruit new members. Finally, the releases could portend ISIS’ growing interest in Israel, and might suggest that the country could be the caliphate’s next target.

AIPAC '17 Policy Conference in Washington in March  AIPAC: Trouble from "ISIS in the Sinai" exclusive video. Oren Kessler, Deputy Director of Research at Foundation for The Defense of Democracies discusses ISIS' insurgency in Sinai- a problem for Egypt and Israel- and the dynamics between them) Recorded . The second-sequential segment is the Question and Answer sequel to Mr. Kessler's main talk.

The scale of the Sinai campaign is nearly unprecedented, rivaled only by an earlier media blitz against the monarchy of Saudi Arabia—a natural target given its significance as the birthplace of Islam and site of its two holiest places. That series, released in December 2015, excoriated the ruling family for working with “Crusader” states like the United States, and called on Saudis to join ISIS’ branch in the kingdom. Similarly, the latest videos accuse the Egyptian government of tyranny, condemning Cairo’s ties to Saudi Arabia and the United States. 

The videos also extend their criticism to the Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated former President Mohamed Morsi for his alliances with secular governments, such as Turkey, and chastise the Brotherhood for ruling Egypt under “man-made” rather than Islamic law. 

The series warns Egyptians against adopting the “new religion” of democracy, and urge them to “wake up and realize [their] salvation is with sharia.” They play up Sinai’s location as the “land of the prophet Moses,” denounce Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi as a new Pharaoh, and curse him for “protecting the Jews.”

In addition to criticizing the Egyptian government, the latest videos dub Sinai the “gateway to Palestine,” from which ISIS will “liberate” Jerusalem and its iconic al-Aqsa Mosque. The videos show Egyptian leaders and military officials meeting Israeli counterparts, and call Israel’s Jews “victims in waiting,” whom ISIS will deal with after the Egyptian “apostates.” As one fighter warns, Israelis will soon meet the same fate as their supposed Egyptian collaborators: “the knives used to slice open the necks of your spies will slaughter your soldiers tomorrow.”

Rubio & Kasich's own state primaries vital on route from R.J.C. to A.I.P.A.C.

The campaigns of Republican presidential candidates Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio face ironic challenges- to win among their own state constituents- in the March 15th primaries. 

Kasich confident after strong finish in Michigan, by Jim Provance, Toledo Blade March 9.

Voicing confidence after his good finish in Michigan on Tuesday, Ohio Gov. John Kasich’s presidential aspirations now rest on his home state on March 15. He hopes to carry Ohio’s 66 delegates as a badge of honor into remaining primary states, and perhaps a contested Cleveland convention. Read more

John Kasich and Marco Rubio face Judgment Day in their home states on March 15. Both are losing. By Peter W. Stevenson, Washington Post, 4 March 2016

Florida and Ohio are almost always two of the most hotly contested states in American presidential politics — in November, not in March. Or at least, not until March 2016, when Ohio Gov. John Kasich and Florida Sen. Marco Rubio desperately need to win their home states in order to stay in the race to the GOP nomination.

We hearken back to the Republican Jewish Coalition Spring gathering where, for the past 2 years, John Kasich and Marco Rubio where introduced to Jewish Republicans (among other candidates) for support.

Video: "The Middle East Today: A post-Arab-spring analysis" from AIPAC Policy Conference. Bret Stephens, Robert Satloff, & Amos Harel (Ha'aretz)

"The Middle East Today: A post-Arab-spring analysis" from the most recent AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, March 2013.

Robert Satloff: Executive Director, Washington Institute for Near East Policy
Amos Harel: Ha'aretz newspaper, military correspondent and defense analyst
Bret Stephens: Foreign affairs columnist & Editorial Board member, The Wall St. Journal
Moderator: David Victor: former President, AIPAC



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Audience questions and panelists' answers 

The WMD ("weapons of mass destruction") which Islamists threaten with- Richard Perkins at AIPAC

Familiarize yourself with the various Arab weapons of mass destruction ("WMD"), biological, chemical, and nuclear, which Western military and political strategists cope to deal with.


Richard Perkins of AIPAC demonstrated and discussed the issues in this original DemoCast video from the annual AIPAC Policy Conference in Washington, DC. Recorded on March 5th.

What effect will events at AIPAC's Policy Conference have on presidential campaigns?

The annual AIPAC Policy Conference is the largest gathering of the pro-Israel movement. Thousands of participants come from all 50 states to take part in “three of the most important days affecting Israel’s future.” The 2012 conference will be held March 4-6, 2012, in Washington, D.C.

Confirmed speakers: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu; Israeli President Shimon Peres; Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY); House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-CA); Senator Carl Levin (D-MI); Senator Joseph Lieberman (I-CT); Senator Johnny Isakson (R-GA).

How will the early AIPAC Policy Conference this year factor in the Republican Primaries?

In this DemoCast video clip, filmed in Los Angeles in 2010, the current Republican polls leader, Gov. Mitt Romney emphasizes his view of American and Israeli moral exceptionalism.



Republican candidates Newt Gingrich and Rick Santorum have been more outspoken about their support of Israel and opposition to political Islamism than Gov. Mitt Romney.



Speaker Newt Gingrich reinforced his Middle East-policy bona fides at this salon appearance following the keynote speech of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu at AIPAC '11.