RUTHFULLY YOURS

“If I can speak on behalf of the community tonight I would like to express my appreciation to the prime minister, Tony Abbott, who has been a staunch friend of both the Australian Jewish community and Israel”

So proclaimed Australian Jewish News publisher Robert Magid at the launch in Sydney of a book celebrating 120 years of his newspaper. 

‘….[T]here are dark clouds on the horizon.

Only yesterday it was revealed that at a rally in Sydney demonstrators chanted: “Khaibar ya yahud, jaish Muhammad saya’ud” – Look out Jews the armies of Mohammad are coming.”

While the chanting is seen on the streets of Sydney, the problem starts with the world’s media. 

Hamas is a terrorist organisation that rules Gaza with an iron fist, tortures Palestinians, throws people from the roofs of buildings and executes citizens without due process.  It diverts humanitarian aid to build rockets and terror tunnels.  Its schools teach children to kill Jews.

Its aim is the extermination of the State of Israel.  Yet none of this is reported by the media for fear of retribution by Hamas.

On the other hand, Israel is a free society.  One can write the most mendacious reports about Israel with impunity and the international media takes full advantage.  There is group-think among international journalists based in Israel which has contributed to the demonisation of Israel.

Many of the appalling features which are prevalent in Palestinian society are perversely attributed to Israel in a complete inversion.

Most of us in this room know about Israel’s amazing technological advances, its flourishing culture and the fact that it sends rescue teams to natural disasters throughout the world.

But you will not see the media reporting this because they are focusing rather on settlements, conflicts, the lack of progress in negotiations for which Israel is purportedly solely to blame.

Non-Jewish Australian businessmen who visited Israel last year during the war with Hamas said that media reporting of Israel in Australia did not reflect the reality they experienced.

In a recent British poll asking which country people most abhor, Israel came second only to North Korea.

Every murderous, totalitarian regime which kills gay people, treats women as chattels, practises apartheid, arrests dissidents without charge, tortures prisoners, executes for misdemeanours and where no freedom exists is preferred to Israel.

 The Boycott Israel movement is spreading around the world.

So should we boycott Israel?

Only if we use the same yardstick for Israel as for every other country, such as China, Russia, Sri Lanka, Pakistan, all Arab, African and Latin American countries.  The result would be total isolation.

…. The campaign to boycott Israel is an antisemitic policy.  Why would you boycott the only liberal democracy in the Middle East?

There is only one answer: because you have an irrational hatred of Jews.

….  While the majority of Muslims in the West might be repulsed by the behaviour of jihadis in their midst, their distorted understanding of the Israeli Palestinian conflict contributes to their widespread anger and hatred toward Israel, which morphs into hatred of Jews.

As a result, the main threats to the Jewish communities come mainly from hotheads in the Muslim community….

Our immigration policies have been a success because immigrants have been free to express their values insofar as they are consistent with Australian values, values such as sexual equality, tolerance of their fellow citizen’s beliefs, freedom of expression and the rule of law.

But this isn’t the case for all communities.

There is a small but vocal section of the Muslim community that has not accepted Australian values.  The onus is on the leaders of the Muslim community to purge imams, teachers and other members of their community who promote violence and hate speech and refuse to embrace the moral foundations of Australian society….

We should support an immigration policy which blocks entry to anyone who is likely to destabilise Australian society….’ {Emphasis added]