Israellycool

Anti-Israel blogger Richard Silverstein has had his crowning moment: being cited by rabid anti-Semite David Duke. (hat tip: GabysPoppy)

Of course, it is hardly surprising, considering their shared proclivity for posting false libels against Israel and the Jewish people.

I wonder if Silverstein will have another occurrence of intellectual glow.

Anti-Israel blogger Richard Silverstein has once thumbed his nose at the truth.

In a comment* to this post that “Arabs [in Israel] walk around in perfect safety”, Silverstein responded in his usual shrill fashion:

Tell it to the inhabitants of Jabel Mukaber who would’ve been pummeled by pogromists if they’d dared venture out of their homes. Tell it to the 12 Nazareth Israeli Arabs murdered by the Border Police while demonstrating peaceably during the Intifada. Tell it to the Arabs sprayed with automatic weapons fire by Israeli Arab-hater, Natan Zenda. Tell it to the scores of Arabs who were gunned down in their village under Palmach orders for violating a curfew they didn’t even know existed during the War of Independence. Tell it to the 250 or so murdered villagers of Deir Yassin to whom Menachem Begin’s crew wanted to teach a lesson. I could go on.

Yes, he could go on and on. Problem is, he made a number of errors in his comment, and I submitted the following comment under a different name pointing this out, given his proclivity for banning me (click on below screenshot to see more clearly):

The reason for taking the screenshot was because I (justifiably) knew he would not approve it - even though there is nothing rude or offensive in it - since it shows him to have made many sloppy, factual errors.

Note I especially included my third point because Silverstein, in his very same comment above, berates a pro-Israel commenter who mispelled someone’s name:

His name is “Whitaker,” not that you’d care about accuracy.

In any event, all of the points I raised demonstrate Silverstein’s sloppy fact-checking, and his moderation of my comment demonstrates his disdain for the truth.

Again, many of you are probably asking why I bother with someone like this. After all, he is relatively insignificant (despite his delusions of grandeur), and seems to like the attention. The answer is that while one approach to spreading the truth is blogging my usual fare, another approach is to tear apart the arguments and credibility of those who make it their business to defame Israel and the Jewish people. And Silverstein - despite being Jewish - does not stop bashing Israel armed with an arsenal of lies, half-truths and distortions.

Bonus exercise: If you really have time, have a look at how he treats the commenters who disagree with him, bearing in mind his complaints about nasty behavior in the blogosphere.

(hat tip to Amir, for pointing out his comment and inaccuracies)

* Here is a screenshot of his comment in case he tries his old trick of modifying comments

Another blogger has received the “Richard Silverstein” treatment and has blogged about it here.

The first time I visited his site, he tried to blame Israel for a 20 year-old Palestinian suicide attacker named Mohammed Salem Al-Harbawi, who killed himself and an Israeli woman early last month. Comments between myself and several other people were heated, but not excessively so. However, Silverstein did something I have never seen a web-owner do before. In order to “win” the debate, he misrepresented what I said, and then claimed victory by declaring his own comment section closed so I couldn’t respond to it. To me, that seemed extremely rude, but I figured, it’s his blog after all, and sometimes comments can go on too long. However, I didn’t really understand why he didn’t just use the site controls to shut down comments for everyone instead. But I found out later the real reason he declared it “closed” was because he didn’t like to be challenged on his own site.

Read the whole thing to see Silverstein’s bad behavior, including his tactics of shutting up opponents and threatening them, as I have posted about on numerous occasions.

On one point I have to disagree with the blogger. He refers to Silverstein as a”fairly successful Jewish blogger.”

I wouldn’t go that far.

David Bogner points out how the ardent supporters of our enemies are spinning the premeditated murder of the 8 young yeshiva students last week: by stripping the victims of their presumed innocence. What I call the “but” construct.

David then provides the following example from this blogger:

There can be no justification for the murder of eight Israeli students, studying in the library of their yeshiva.

But an explanation of why now, and why students at a particular yeshiva were selected as targets, could help us understand the seemingly never ending cycle of death in the Middle East.

After reading David’s excellent post, I decided to pay a visit to anti-Israel blogger Richard “the victim” Silverstein, knowing his hatred for innocent victims of Islamic terror. And sure enough, his predictability was manifest:

Before I begin this post I want to make clear that I in no way justify the horrible violence perpetrated at Merkaz Harav by the Palestinian gunman who took eight Israeli lives this past week. But it is instructive to note the reception accorded Ehud Olmert and his education minister, Yuli Tamir, when they attempted to pay a condolence visit at the school.

—-

Lest any people doubt what Merkaz Harav is and believe it is pure house of learning, such effrontery gives the lie to this. The institution is the ideological nursing grounds for the settler movement. And clearly not just any part of the movement but the more extreme elements.

—-

Some might argue that in the aftermath of such horror there are bound to be angry emotions and words. Yes, I understand. But given Israel’s bloody history in which a prime minister has already been assassinated, one has to ask what role the settlers and their enablers are playing.

That’s 2 “but’s.” 3 if you count Silverstein himself.

Update: More moral turpitude from the far Left:

Israeli left-wing activist Tali Fahima, previously convicted of aiding Palestinian militants, paid a consolation visit to the family of the terrorist who gunned down students at a Jerusalem yeshiva last Thursday, killing eight.

“I was with the family and I have no doubt that the State of Israel’s security forces are mainly just inflaming [the situation], and causing the killing of citizens - like those yeshiva students, because of the many years-long policy of occupation,” Fahima told Israel Radio.

Eight yeshiva students between the ages of 15 and 26 were killed in the attack at the Mercaz Harav seminary, and nine others were wounded.

According to Fahima, “I would be happy to visit the families of the murdered [yeshiva students], but if I arrive there they would kill me. I belong to an ethical, humane place.”

Fahima demanded that Israel immediately turn the terrorist’s body over to his family. “Give them their body right now. There is no issue here of siding with the act or not,” she said.

The activist said she does not fear responses in Israel to her visit, noting that “also when I stood as a human shield - they branded me a traitor.”

Fahima plead guilty in December 2005 to maintaining contacts with a foreign agent with the intention of harming state security, and was sentenced to three years in prison.

She was specifically convicted of aiding Al-Aqsa Martyrs’ Brigades militants, including the group’s leader in Jenin Zakariya Zubeidi, and was released from Neve Tirzah Prison in January 2007.

So much to scum to choose from, but (unfortunately) I have to go with a home-grown “talent” today, since his crime is so utterly despicable.

The Tel Aviv District Court on Tuesday convicted Attorney Yisrael Perry, convicted of stealing hundreds of millions of Deutsche Marks from clients of the Association for Implementing the Social Security Covenant (AISSC), which he founded, to 12 years in prison. Perry was also ordered to pay an NIS 22 million ($6.1 million) fine.

Most of Perry’s clients were Holocaust survivors, who Perry supposedly represented in reparation negotiations with the German government. Judge Zecharia Caspi noted the severity of Perry’s crimes, and defined his actions as “wide-scale theft and fraud”.

Perry was convicted by of aggravated fraud, embezzlement, obstruction of justice and violation of insurance laws four months ago after a lengthy six-year trail.

In 1973, Israel and West Germany signed a compensation agreement under which eligible Israel citizens would be permitted to join the West Germany’s Social Security Authority’s pension plan. To sign up a one-time payment was required to cover monthly premiums

In 1983, three years after the agreement went into effect, Perry established the AISSC and presented himself as the survivors’ representative in the reparation negotiations with the West German government. Some 30,000 Israelis registered in Perry’s organization.

Perry did not inform his clients that he was the actual owner and founder of the AISSC, and made them believe that this was a legitimate, state-run origination. “The client kept his ownership of the AISSC concealed not only from his clients, but also from local authorities and various courts to which he blatantly lied…this was systematic, elaborate, well- planned fraud,” noted the court.

According to the court’s ruling, Perry did not inform his clients that the terms of the loans he had arranged for them, through companies under his control, led to excessive repayments, part of which he pocketed. In doing so, noted the court, he concealed vital information from his potential clients, defrauding them of exorbitant sums of money.

Judge Caspi utilized the sentencing hearing to harshly criticize Perry’s actions, noting that “Attorney Perry acted in a slick, dishonest, despicable manner. He defrauded his clients, caused them great harm, and committed severe offenses for a prolonged period of time.”

The judge further noted that time does not mitigate Perry’s crimes, or the punishment that he ought to receive, and that Perry’s attempts to establish a compensation fund for his wronged clients are nothing but a “theatrical show that amounts to very little”. He also noted, however, that he hoped such a fund will actually be established.

The Centre of Organizations of Holocaust Survivors in Israel (COHSI) said Tuesday that “the court has done justice with a person who systematically deceived the Holocaust survivors. The verdict and sentence speak for themselves.”

I’d say. Check out the fine again - just over $6 million. A coincidence, but a striking one at that.

Fresh from his show of support for Hizbullah, Anti-Israel Professor Norman Finkelstein reveals more about his views in an interview with Al Jizzeera.

While you can read the whole thing here, here are some observations.

He’s deluded:

Israel’s case [for occupation] has collapsed, it’s not just weak, it has collapsed. You could see in the audience [at Manchester University] there was a row of hostile people who were anxious to hear me finally come to the end, but when I was done they had no objections because you can’t argue the case any more.

I think people know too much.

He’s either ignorant or deliberately skewing the truth (I go for the latter):

The Palestinians have to find a way to act on their own, and I think what happened in late January [the destruction of part of the wall separating Gaza from Egypt] is a good sign.

That is exactly what they should be doing in the West Bank. One million Palestinians armed with picks and hammers should go to that wall and say “The International Court of Justice (ICJ) said this wall has to be dismantled. We are implementing the ICJ decision. We are knocking down the wall.”(This is not what happened - ed).

He support palestinian terrorism against the IDF:

Does that mean you encourage violence?

What happened in Gaza last month was not violence. I advocate what international law allows - that people under occupation can resist occupation using means which are legal under that law. This includes violence so long as you are targeting combatants and not civilians.

He really hates Israel:

George Bush, the US president, has called Iran and North Korea “rogue states”. Do you consider Israel a “rogue state”?

It is more than a rogue state. It is a lunatic state. The only country in the world where the population overwhelmingly supports an attack on Iran is Israel - 78 per cent want to attack Iran. The state has gone berserk. The whole world is yearning for peace, and Israel is constantly yearning for war.

He is unprincipled:

One of the most serious claims against you mentions your invitation to Tehran’s Review of the Holocaust conference in December 2006.

I said I would appear under three conditions. Number one, you have to provide me with a list of who the invitees are because I want to be able to judge if this is a serious conference or if it is a circus. Number two, you have to give me serious time to present my point if view, and number three, you have to let me speak at the universities to the students (yet he willingly attends ‘circuses’ when it suits him -ed).

And he supports Hamas:

What about the claim that you testified as an expert witness for Hamas in a 2006 US court trial?

In Chicago, there was a person who was indicted on some lunatic terrorism charge and I was called in as an expert witness on what Hamas’ record was in Gaza. That’s all I was called in for. I would certainly support them of course, what’s wrong with Hamas? They’re the elected government of Palestine. Who cares what they are considered, the people elected them.

All good to know, especially the next time someone tries to cite him as a credible source in support of their position.

In further evidence that Ha’aretz has completely lost the plot, they have published a piece from none other than anti-Israel blogger Richard Silverstein.

The piece - entitled In Praise of the Jewish Blogosphere - is nothing more than an exercise in self-promotion, and an attempt by Silverstein to get more readership, and blast those who oppose his virulently anti-Israel views.

In praise of the Jewish blogosphere

By Richard Silverstein

I began my blog, Tikun Olam, in February, 2003, one month before the Iraq war began. Even more than opposition to the imminent war, what motivated me was my passion to speak out on behalf of Israeli- Palestinian peace. Military force, I have always believed, though it might serve a legitimate defensive function, ultimately could never resolve the conflict. I have been dedicated to this cause all my adult life, but until blogging developed, I had no regular, public means of expressing my views.

It was lonely at first. The world of blogs, not to mention of progressive Jewish ones, was much smaller five years ago. But what drove me was seeing blogging as a personal expression of angst, passion, anger, identity - whatever are your deepest emotions.

In the beginning, I reached out with mixed success to other like-minded bloggers. In 2005, I created Israel-Palestine Forum, for progressive discussion, and in the hope that this would amplify our message in the greater blog world. But bloggers are fiercely independent creatures. They don’t necessarily want to be organized or part of a community. So I’ve had to adjust my ambitions and set humbler goals.

After five years of blogging, 2,000 posts, and 6,000 comments, I have a modest but substantial readership with 200 subscribers and 200,000 unique visitors annually. I would like my impact both on the blog world and the broader debate over the Israeli-Palestinian conflict to be larger. But bloggers are often seen by “serious” journalists as shouters, dilettantes and dabblers rather than serious participants in the media discourse. While these generalizations sometimes are true, many of us break important stories and do serious independent research. Some of us have sources, life experience or expertise that few journalists have.

In the age before blogs, Jewish leaders were like political bosses. They ruled their roosts, and anyone who questioned them was easily frozen out of communal discourse. Their politics were conservative and generally supportive of the Israeli right. For its part, the Jewish media was a corporate entity that largely expressed the views of such leaders. The few dissenting individuals and organizations made barely a ripple in the communal pond.

Blogs have changed that. Now, Jewish “bosses” can be held up to immediate public scrutiny. When Abraham Foxman, of the Anti-Defamation League, refused to acknowledge the Armenian genocide, the Jewish press and bloggers took him to task and he backed down. When the Jewish Telegraphic Agency published a quote falsely attributed to Desmond Tutu equating Israel with Hitler, the MuzzleWatch blog brought this to the Jewish community’s attention, and JTA corrected the record.

More importantly, when Israeli policy goes off the rails, as it did during the Second Lebanon War, peace bloggers published almost minute-by-minute coverage documenting the carnage and folly of the military-political decisions that informed the conflict, demonstrating the power of the Internet to circumvent the control of governments and centralized authority.

And if most Israelis who supported the war while it was happening concede today that it was a failure, I would argue that that is, in part, because of the dissenting voices in the Israeli and world media, including blogs like mine and others, which caused a reconsideration of both the cost of the war and the supposed benefits touted by Israel’s politicians and generals.

Bloggers conducted a furious debate for and against the war. No one could pull the plug on us, and even if we weren’t feared or noticed by the Olmerts and Halutzes of this world, we could have our say and people listened.

Not that all’s always well in the Jewish blog world. The breaking down of communal consensus has caused a breakdown of civility, and some blogs are characterized by a barrage of hate, invective and verbal assault.

There has also been a steep rise in partisanship. More radical, violent and racist ideas get more attention than they ever did in the past. I have been unsuccessfully sued for libel for calling militant pro-Israel activist Rachel Neuwirth a “Kahanist.” The owner of another far-right site, Masada2000, started a mock blog in my name, which included pornographic references and a stolen image of my son and me, with a caption saying we were making bombs (we were baking cookies). Masada2000’s owner also threatened me with genital mutilation. Members of the Kahanist Jewish Task Force Web site wished that I would get cancer of the rectum. It would be wrong to see these merely as aberrant Jewish expressions or the actions of lone troubled individuals (though they might be that). For the Internet has given nuts a huge megaphone to amplify and spread their hate.

My aim is to improve the Jewish blogosphere by encouraging more liberal voices to join the debate. We need more prominent communal figures and even journalists to understand the power of blogs and begin writing their own. Some, like Leonard Fein, Bernard Avishai and Daniel Levy have already done so. But there is room for much more. And, as more newspaper readers migrate to the Web, I’m hoping that the mainstream media both in Israel and America will expand their interest in blogs and incorporate what we have to say into their reporting.

Notice how Silverstein talks of the “breakdown of civility”, and blogs which are”characterized by a barrage of hate, invective and verbal assault,” as if his is not one of the prime examples of this.

If you don’t know what I’m talking about, feel free to read any of my posts on Silverstein.

But if you really want to be entertained, you have to read the talkbacks to his article.

Here’s a sample for your reading pleasure.

In a post entitled “Ya Gotta Love That Google Algorithm” anti-Israel blogger Richard Silverstein had this to say:

We’ve all heard about that vaunted Google Algorithm, something like McDonald’s secret sauce. Well, the algorithm sometimes fails as it did in this instance [click on thumbnail- Aussie Dave] in which Google Adsense generated this ad in my sidebar. Somehow, I don’t think many of my readers are seeking careers in anti-terrorism.

At last something we agree on.

I’m just surprised he admitted it.

Anti Israel Professor Norman Finkelstein - recently denied tenure at DePaul University - has long argued that charges of anti Semitism are leveled at critics of Israel in order to stifle the criticism of Israel.

With that in mind, I bring you this IHT report of Finkelstein’s meeting with fellow anti-Israel critics Hizbullah. A meeting to, you know…criticize Israel.

A vocal American critic of Israel met Monday with a senior official from the militant Hezbollah group and visited villages in southern Lebanon that witnessed heavy fighting in the 2006 war between the guerrillas and the Jewish state.

Norman Finkelstein, who resigned last year as a political science professor at DePaul University in Chicago, met Hezbollah’s commander in south Lebanon, Nabil Kaouk, in his office in the coastal city of Tyre.

He visited the border village of Maroun el-Rass where heavy fighting between Hezbollah guerrillas and Israeli troops took place during the two side’s 34-day war in the summer 2006, according to the state-run National News Agency and Hezbollah’s Al-Manar television.

Finkelstein also toured the border village of Aita al-Shaab, the location from where Hezbollah guerrillas triggered the war after they crossed the border, killing three Israeli soldiers and capturing two others in hopes of trading them for Lebanese prisoners in Israeli jails, according to the report.

The 2006 Israel-Hezbollah war left more than 1,000 Lebanese, mostly civilians, dead. About 160 Israelis, including 119 soldiers, also died in the fighting.

“After the horror and after the shame and after the anger there still remain a hope, and I know that I can get in a lot of trouble for what I am about to say, but I think that the Hezbollah represents the hope. They are fighting to defend their homeland,” the Brooklyn-born Finkelstein told reporters. The U.S. government has labeled Hezbollah a terrorist organization.

Finkelstein is on a one-week visit to Lebanon where he is scheduled to hold lectures and visit Palestinian refugee camps.

The Daily Star has more on Finkelstein’s show of support for Hezbollah.

Sunday will see Finkelstein travel to the southern town of Qana to hold a public meeting with the title of “Why Pro-Resistance Lebanese Were Right to Give Human Rights Watch the Boot,” at 3 p.m.

—-

Regarding “Israel’s brutal war of aggression” on Lebanon in the summer of 2006, the Jewish author disputed the notion that actions by Hizbullah were to blame for the onset of hostilities. Finkelstein said that Israel had long been planning the war, which claimed the lives of 1,200 Lebanese, mostly civilians, and 160 Israelis, mostly soldiers. The US, he claimed, signed off on the invasion with the hope that it would destroy Hizbullah, thus facilitating a US strike on Iran. While Finkelstein said that there is never a victor in war, he added: “However, it is also true to say that the Lebanese resistance inflicted a historic and well-deserved military defeat on the invading foreign army and its chief supporter.”

“It should also be mentioned that after the war the US-based organization Human Rights Watch whitewashed Israeli war crimes and made false accusations against Hizbullah,” he said. “This cowardly and mercenary act deserves contempt.”

Of course, Finkelstein will justify his meeting with Hizbullah since they are just anti-Israel and not at all anti-Semitic.

Yeah, right.

Within a month of Nasrallah’s taking over as leader, Hezbollah (with the help of Iranian intelligence) bombed the Israeli embassy in Buenos Aires, killing 29 and injuring over 200. The next attack perpetrated by Hezbollah—again with Iranian help—was the bombing of the Jewish community center in Buenos Aires, killing 86 and injuring over 200.

The widening arena of Hezbollah’s attacks stemmed from Nasrallah’s perception that Jews anywhere are legitimate targets. In fact, Nasarallah has said:

If they (Jews) all gather in Israel, it will save us the trouble of going after them worldwide. (Daily Star, Oct. 23, 2002)

Shiite scholar Amal Saad-Ghorayeb analyzed the anti-Jewish roots of Hezbollah ideology in her book Hezbollah: Politics & Religion. In it, she quotes Hassan Nasrallah describing his antipathy toward Jews:

If we searched the entire world for a person more cowardly, despicable, weak and feeble in psyche, mind, ideology and religion, we would not find anyone like the Jew. Notice, I do not say the Israeli. (New Yorker, Oct. 14, 2002)

Nasrallah also incoroporates anti-Semitic rhetoric in speeches. For example, he has characterized Jews as the “grandsons of apes and pigs” and “Allah’s most cowardly and greedy creatures.” (MEMRI: Al- Manar, Feb. 3, 2006)

And it’s not just Nasrallah:

“Just like Hitler fought the Jews, we are a great Islamic nation of jihad, and we too should fight the Jews and burn them.”

— Hisham Shamas, political science student, at a symposium hosted by Hezbollah’s Al-Manar TV at Lebanon’s largest and only government-run university, Université Libanaise, November 29, 2005

I found that relatively easily with Google. It is a wonder that the scholarly Professor Finkelstein, who likes to think of himself as a meticulous researcher, would be unaware of Hizbullah’s very real Jew hatred.

Unless, of course, he knows fully well that the “anti Zionists” to which he is coddling up, really do hate Jews.

But I guess it is ok by him, since they don’t hate all Jews. Especially not the self-hating kinds like him.

Update: And perhaps Finkelstein can also explain how he can claim to support a two-state solution to the Israeli-Arab conflict, yet show support for a terrorist group that openly tries to bring about a one-state solution (that state not being Israel).

We always knew anti-Israel blogger Richard Silverstein was a nutcase. But he really outdoes himself in this latest post in which he once again goes after blogger Lisa Goldman, who has been nominated in this year’s Brass Crescent Awards.

As usual, the writing is verbose, so I’ll summarize the post for you if you can’t wade through it.

Don’t vote for Lisa Goldman in the Brass Crescent Awards because she is editor of the Global Voices Israel section which has featured right-wing anti-Palestinian blogger, Aussie Dave, and has not included wonderful blogs such as mine - oh, no wait, she has not contributed a post to GV in a year and may no longer be the Israel section editor. But I’ll continue with the diatribe anyway.

Actually, here’s a real quote from his post:

I also never understood why Tikun Olam, which regularly deals with the Israeli politics and society was rejected for the Israel section while other blogs are included though the blogger does not live in Israel (this is also true of other national sections). The Palestine and Lebanon GV editors have included links to my blog, but not the Israel editor. It’s a little strange if you ask me.

Because I’m a giver, I have offered Richard Silverstein the probable explanation: his posts are full of lies and distortions, and not particularly well written.

Note: In the comments to Silverstein’s masterpiece, Lisa claims I wrote to her to complain, when she was still writing the roundups about Israel, that she did not mention me frequently enough for my tastes. For the record, this is exactly what I wrote to her during the Lebanon War:

Hi Lisa,

Not even one mention on Global Voices?! Crikey, I have been spending all my free time on this, and have been interviewed by the BBC with more interviews to come (although Sky bumped me last night).

Oh, the disappointment!

David

This was a half tongue-in-cheek mail, which Lisa took in the right way, as indicated by her reply to it. So I was rather surprised by Lisa’s characterization of our correspondence (not to mention her silence in the face of yet another Silverstein accusation that I am anti-palestinian, considering I have defended Lisa on here on many occasions). But I’ll go easy on Lisa, since she probably has enough on her mind at the moment.

Lisa’s comment gave Silverstein the opportunity to take another potshot at me.

Why does that not surprise? God’s gift to the Israeli blog world would certainly believe he should be quoted everywhere at every time.

Which is ironic, considering this is exactly what Silverstein was arguing about his blog in the post.

Update: Silverworm responds, betraying further how desperate he is for attention.

Talk about lies & misinformation.  I’ve been interviewed & mentioned in a NY Times front page article.  That ever happen to you?  I’ve got a chapter in an essay collection coming out through Verso Books this fall.   Anyone ever ask you to write a book or even a chapter of a book?  No?   What a surprise.  It must be because a book editor see’s my writing style a bit differently than you do.  And btw, on what basis do you critique my writing style?  Do you have any expertise in the subject?  Ever take a writing course?  Ever edit a book, magazine or newspaper?  Ah, just as I thought.  Typical self-appointed know it all critic.  The kind the right produces so many of.

You got on TV and radio.  Whoa, way to go Dave!  I’ve done both already in my career as well.  Big deal.

So sorry to see your Alexa ranking is down to 544,000, Dave.  Don’t look know but we progressive Jewish bloggers are gaining on you.  In fact, we’re on the way up & have passed you & you’re on the way down I’m sorry to say.  Maybe it’s you who no one wants to read.

And if you’re talking about my alleged lies about your right-wing, anti-Palestinian views, I’m still waiting for that libel lawsuit, Dave.   I’ve got pretty good legal representation and we’ve defended ourselves pretty well against Rachel Neuwirth so far.

My work here is complete. I’ve wanted to get Silverworm to look as ridiculous as possible, and I’ve succeeded. Now if anyone reading this (or the comments on his blog) actually assign to him any credibility or intellectual abilities, I cannot help you.

Anti-Israel and anti-cyber-bullying campaigner Richard Silverstein on online harassment:

Tell me if you ever figure out what his [mine - Aussie Dave] real name is (I know it’s Dave L.). He likes to hide in semi anonymity on the web & I’d love to out his real name.

—-

But it’s funny he would visit this site directly from extremetracking, his site stat program, & show his login ID (better change that Dave, you wouldn’t want us snooping around in yr account).

On respect:

I so detest this right-wing Arab-hating blogger, Aussie Dave, that I don’t want to give him the pleasure of visiting.

On honesty:

Second, I have edited portions of the most stupid of his comments because I just didn’t have the stomach to answer them (though I’ve only done this twice I think & only removed minor snippets).

Bonus: Silverstein repeating past slander:

Davey used to be a member of Pajamas Media which is a right wing blog aggregator featuring sites like Little Green Footballs, Solomonia, Pamy Geller, etc. Dave used to be a member till they winnowed out the chaff fr. the wheat & dumped him (but don’t tell him that–he CHOSE to leave don’t ya know). (I left voluntarily after not being happy with their direction - Aussie Dave)

All this and more on Silverstein’s Israel Palestine Forum (from which I was banned after Silverstein saw a visitor come via my stats program).

Tikkun Olam indeed.

Warning: reading the posts there may cause nausea.

One of the blogosphere’s most dishonest bloggers - Richard Silverstein - today posted his latest lie:

The implication of this post is that Israel has currently induced power cuts, an implication made stronger considering the topic has been in the news, with Israel (justifiably) contemplating such measures in response to the daily barrages of Kassam rockets into Israel.

Of course, this is not true. As I asked in the comments:

Do tell, Richard, during which power cut this picture was taken. I am curious, considering there have been no power cuts after Israeli Attorney-General Mazuz decided to block such a sanction while he reviews the legal ramifications.

The only power cut so far was in Sderot, after a Kassam struck an electrical pole in the town.

Please resist the temptation to launch into the usual condescending snark, and answer my question.

Needless to say, he did not satisfactorily answer my question, since he merely refers to a post on a blog called Lawrence of Cyberia, which showed the above photo with the caption “Photo: A Palestinian boy stands next to a candle inside his family’s house during a power cut in Gaza City July 28, 2006. (REUTERS/Suhaib Salem) .”

In other words, Silverstein’s defense is that he is in fact, referring to some power cut from almost a year and a half ago, and not the power cuts recently threatened.

Given Silverstein’s long history of engaging in dishonest conduct to bolster his anti-Israel positions, it is almost certain that he purposefully left off the caption - with date - from the photo he posted, and worded the post in a way that strongly insinuates that Israel is currently inducing power outages.

Needless to say, he also employed his other tried and tested tactic - banning me from the site. And while I also suspect he added the section of his post in parenthesis, I won’t accuse him of that since I am not 100% sure.

Update: Noah writes:

I wonder if Richard would ever post a photo of an Israeli child from Sderot sitting in a bomb shelter by candlelight? No, that would be too jingoistic, it would provide too much fodder to the warmongers. Silverstein is a modern iteration of some of the most shameful Jews in history. Some of the most effective anti-Semites have been apostate Jews. The ritual murder libels that were started in the middle ages, the Host-desecration libels and the Talmud burnings were almost all the creations of apostate Jews who sought favor among Christians (and I suppose it’s worth adding that the most vigorously anti-Jewish parts of the New Testament are the creation, also, of apostate Jews). Silverstein is particularly grating because he doesn’t have the courage of his convictions to just abandon Judaism and become an atheist or a Muslim or whatever form of nihilism he admires so much. If any non-Jew was involved in the propagation of the number of lies, distortions, and smears that Silverstein has committed against Israel, that person would rightly be called an anti-Semite. Silverstein is so cynical and so opportunistic that the primary reason for his exhibitionist employment of our religion in his campaign to incriminate Israel is precisely to deflect the charge of anti-Semitism.

He is scum.