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Response to Angela Budai, Jews Against the Occupation

Angela Budai of Jews Against the Occupation took offence at my blog entry Sydney Peace Prize Controversy.

Your comment:”The message of the op-ed is clear – zionist members of the Jewish community are trying to inhibit free speech by intimidating “moderate” critics of Israel, who are invariably leftist, anti-Zionist groups such as Jews Against the Occupation. In other words, a moderate is someone who opposes the existence of the state of Israel, while believing in Israel as the homeland of the Jewish people renders you an extremist against free speech”

Is inaccurate. “Jews Against the Occupation” are not an “anti-zionist” group as you contend. All of our members believe in the right of Israel to exist. Our issue is with the Israeli Occupation. Not all Zionists are extremists and that was not the tone of the article. Your comments are misrepresenting the debate that happened in Sydney.

Jews Against the Occupation do not represent a large section of the community, but we do have a right to our opinions and our opposition to the occupation does not make us anti-Israel, nor does it make us anti-semitic. Your comments are not useful to the debate.

It would seem that Ms Budai, who is very active not only with Jews Against the Occupation, but with the Socialist Alliance, is not too interested in my right to speak out. Here is my reply:

I am responding to the comments that you left on my blog “Israellycool.”

You wrote: “”Jews Against the Occupation” are not an “anti-zionist” group as you contend. All of our members believe in the right of Israel to exist. Our issue is with the Israeli Occupation. Not all Zionists are extremists and that was not the tone of the article. Your comments are misrepresenting the debate that happened in Sydney.

Jews Against the Occupation do not represent a large section of the community, but we do have a right to our opinions and our opposition to the occupation does not make us anti-Israel, nor does it make us anti-semitic. Your comments are not useful to the debate.”

Let me respond to the points that you raise.

Firstly, you claim that you are not anti-Zionist and that all members of your group believe in Israel’s right to exist. If this is so, then why is your website filled with criticisms of Israeli actions, such as building what you call the”Apartheid Wall”, “occupation” and “racism”, yet does not contain one single condemnation of palestinian terror against innocent Israeli citizens? Not one! Even worse than that, you link to an article that criticizes the notion that there is no moral equivalence between suicide bombings and Israel’s actions in self-defence. You therefore at least implictly endorse suicide bombings against innocent Israeli civilians!

Furthermore, you support the so-called “Right of Return”, which would necessarily result in the cessation of Israel as a Jewish state, due to its demographic implications. So how can you claim to support Israel’s right to exist?

You also state that your issue is with the “Israeli occupation.” But your website is ambiguous on what exactly is meant by this. Extremist palestinian groups and so-called peace groups define the occupation as the establishment of Israel in 1948. Your site contains references to the occupation of the disputed territories in 1967, yet also contains articles criticizing Israel’s establishment in 1948.

So Ms Budai, please do not insult my intelligence by claiming that your opposition to the occupation “does not make us anti-Israel..” Your positions deny Jews the right to live free from terror in a Jewish state of their own. You only acknowledge the right of the palestinians to live in a state of their own as well as in the Jewish state, thereby obliterating Israel’s Jewish majority and transforming the entire area into a palestinian state. In my book, that clearly places you within the realm of anti-Zionism.

Finally, you say that my comments “are not useful to the debate.” Why are they not useful? Because you disagree with them? I stand fully by my comments and encourage you to educate yourself on the history of the conflict and even visit Israel.

To be continued.

About the author

Picture of David Lange

David Lange

A law school graduate, David Lange transitioned from work in the oil and hi-tech industries into fulltime Israel advocacy. He is a respected commentator and Middle East analyst who has often been cited by the mainstream media
Picture of David Lange

David Lange

A law school graduate, David Lange transitioned from work in the oil and hi-tech industries into fulltime Israel advocacy. He is a respected commentator and Middle East analyst who has often been cited by the mainstream media
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