donderdag 11 april 2013

De Vuile Pen Award heeft een terechte winnaar

 

Dit artikel over de Vuile Pen Award stond in de papieren editie van het Friesch Dagblad.

 

In zijn reactie op de award schreef Van Hooff dat hem door de ‘objectieve berichtgeving in NRC Handelsblad’ de schellen van de ogen zijn gevallen. ‘Inmiddels is mij duidelijk geworden dat Israël een racistische schurkenstaat is en als zodanig de voornaamste aanstichter van Jodenhaat in de wereld.’

Is dit niet het beste bewijs dat de berichtgeving van NRC Handelsblad alles behalve objectief is? Zie ook het onderzoek naar de berichtgeving van NRC Handelsblad en het boek van oud-journalist Hans Moll.

 

RP

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De Vuile Pen Award heeft een terechte winnaar

Bron: Friesch Dagblad 4-4-2013
Opinie: Wybe Fraanje


Onlangs reikte Werkgroep Accuratesse en Authenticiteit in Reportages (WAAR) samen met de Facebook-groep Like for Israel voor het eerst de jaarlijkse ‘Vuile Pen Award’ uit voor de meest Israël-vijandige publicatie van het afgelopen jaar.

De award ging naar Anton van Hooff wegens een column in De Gelderlander.

WAAR volgt al jaren de manier waarop Nederlandse media het Israëlisch-Palestijnse conflict verslaan op de voet, en publiceert haar bevindingen in onderbouwde rapporten die ze naar de redacties stuurt. De toekenning van de Vuile Pen Award is een nieuwe activiteit van WAAR.


Van Hooff schreef in de gewraakte column dat de staat Israël was gesticht als beloning voor de Holocaust. Van Hooff schreef het niet meer aan te kunnen om herdenkingen bij te wonen waar de Israëlische vlag wappert, en sowieso een gruwelijke hekel aan het woord Holocaust te hebben. Volgens het juryrapport werden hiermee negatieve clichés over Joden (uitverkoren volk, alleen met het eigen leed bezig) bevestigd. ‘Deze clichés zijn niet alleen onjuist maar ook grievend en laten zien hoe dicht antizionisme en antisemitisme vaak bij elkaar liggen.’

In zijn reactie op de award schreef Van Hooff dat hem door de ‘objectieve berichtgeving in NRC Handelsblad’ de schellen van de ogen zijn gevallen. ‘Inmiddels is mij duidelijk geworden dat Israël een racistische schurkenstaat is en als zodanig de voornaamste aanstichter van Jodenhaat in de wereld.’
In zijn jongste column schrijft hij - als ‘bevestiging van het Joodse racisme’ - dat de Joden in 1933 met instemming de ‘nieuwe Duitse staat van nationale opstanding’ begroetten.  

Sinds oud-NRC-journalist Hans Moll een boekje erover open deed (Hoe de nuance verdween uit een kwaliteitskrant) kan niemand meer met droge ogen beweren dat NRC Handelsblad objectieve berichtgeving over Israël biedt. En de reactie van de Zionistische Vereniging in Duitsland op de via propaganda aan de macht gekomen nationaal-socialistische partij was naïef. Ze had de illusie dat er ruimte zou komen voor religieuze, etnische en andere minderheden. In dezelfde brief waaruit Van Hooff citeert spreekt ze de hoop uit op een beschermde status voor de Joden, in afwachting van de emigratie naar het Britse mandaatgebied Palestina. Dat dacht iedereen toen, omdat Hitler dat beloofd had om aan de macht te komen. Van een Entlösung had nog nooit iemand gehoord. De suggestieve interpretatie van Van Hooff is op zijn zachtst gezegd verdacht.
Hij laat WAAR weten graag nog een tweede keer in aanmerking te komen voor de Award. ‘Voor alle zekerheid stel ik nog eens mijn kandidatuur op grond van mijn jongste column.’

WAAR wil met de award ‘de discussie over de vaak belabberde berichtgeving over Israël aangaan en roept journalisten, verslaggevers en commentatoren op om zorgvuldiger te berichten.’ Van zorgvuldigheid is Anton van Hooff niet te beschuldigen, wat hem een terechte winnaar van de Vuile Pen Award maakt.

 

Palestijnse gevangene overlijdt in ziekenhuis Tel Aviv

 

Een Palestijnse gevangene die vast zit omdat hij zijn vrouw heeft vermoord is natuurlijk niet zo sexy als iemand die een aanslag beraamde op een drukbezocht café in Jeruzalem. Het is daarom de vraag of de dood van deze man, die leed aan een besmettelijke ziekte, weer tot massale protesten en rellen zal leiden en of er weer reportages komen op de NOS waarin wordt uitgelegd dat de gevangenen allemaal helden zijn voor de Palestijnen die strijden voor hun vrijheid.

 

RP

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Palestinian prisoner dies in Tel Aviv hospital

http://www.jpost.com/National-News/Palestinian-prisoner-dies-in-Tel-Aviv-hospital-309405

By BEN HARTMAN, JPOST.COM STAFF

04/10/2013 23:33

E. Jerusalem resident serving life sentence for murdering spouse dies in Ichilov after suffering from infectious disease, IPS says.

 

A Palestinian prisoner from east Jerusalem died in Ichilov Hospital in Tel Aviv on Wednesday afternoon after suffering from an infectious disease, the Israel Prison Service announced a few hours later.

The prisoner, 59-year-old Ali Kara'in, was serving a life sentence for murdering his spouse in 2010.

He had been suffering from the illness for over a year the Israel Prison Service (IPS) said, and had been treated in a number of Israeli hospitals.

Earlier Wednesday, Palestinian news agency WAFA reported that several Palestinians had suffered from tear gas inhalation during clashes with IDF soldiers that broke in the town of al-Khader south of Bethlehem during a protest over the issue of Palestinian prisoners held by Israel.

The issue has been at the center of Palestinian attention in recent months, particularly following the death of Arafat Jaradat who died of a heart attack in February, and more recently Maissara Abu Hamdiyeh's death from cancer.

Both cases sparked protests and hunger strikes by Palestinians who accuse Israel of medical negligence.

 

'Joodse terrorist' Jack Teitel veroordeeld tot 2x levenslang

 

Vaak wordt beweerd dat Israel de eigen extremisten niet aanpakt, en dat als mensen al worden opgepakt ze er met zeer lichte straffen vanaf komen. In dit geval klopt dat in elk geval niet. Professor Zeev Sternhell, die deze man heeft proberen te vermoorden vanwege zijn felle kritiek op de kolonisten, zei over de uitspraak:

 

Prof. Sternhell said, "The ruling is just, important, deterring and a sign that the courts will not sit quietly in the face of politically and ideologically motivated murders. This ruling has significance exceeding the bounds of this specific case. Teitel is not just another lunatic. He is a result of his surroundings.

 

Terwijl Israel Joden die Palestijnen vermoorden, zwaar bestraft, gelden Palestijnen die Joden vermoorden onder de Palestijnen als helden. Zij worden niet gestraft maar krijgen een heldenstatus en president Abbas heeft opnieuw de vrijlating van een aantal gevangenen geëist als voorwaarde om te gaan onderhandelen over vrede. Het gaat om mernsen die lange straffen uitzitten en vaak bij dodelijke aanslagen betrokken waren.

 

RP

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'Jewish terrorist' Jack Teitel sentenced to 2 life terms

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4365979,00.html

Teitel convicted of two counts of first degree murder of Palestinians; two counts attempted murder; illegal possession of firearm; incitement to violence. Victims: 'He got what he deserved'

Aviel Mengazi

Latest Update: 

04.09.13, 18:44 / Israel News

 

 

"Jewish terrorist" Jack (Yakov) Teitel, who was convicted of two counts of first degree murder of two Palestinians, in addition to a long list other violent offences, was sentenced Tuesday to two life sentences and an additional 30 years in jail by a Jerusalem District Court. Before sentencing Teitel claimed he did not regret his actions.

 

The judges rejected the defense's request for a reduced sentence on the basis of Teitel's mental state and, in addition, the court ruled that Teitel will pay the two victims' families NIS 180,000 (roughly $50,000) each in compensation; he was also ordered to pay two people he was convicted of attempting to murder NIS 150,000 (roughly $41,000) each in damages.

 

Related stories:

 

Teitel, a US immigrant, confessed to the killings, which he committed while visiting as a tourist. He was convicted in January of killing a Palestinian taxi driver in Jerusalem and a shepherd near the West Bank city of Hebron.

 

Teitel, who received the infamous nickname the "Jewish terrorist," was charged with 10 different offences, the most severe of which were two counts of murder in the first degree, two counts of attempted murder, illegal possession and assembling of a firearm and incitement to violence.

 

During sentencing, Judges Zvi Segal, Moshe Drori and Moshe Cohen ruled that his mental condition had no influence on his actions and hence he would be held fully accountable for them.

 


Judges: Teitel 'accountable for actions' (Photo: Gil Yochanan)

 

"There is no doubt in our hearts that there is no causal link between his actions and his mental condition. Hence, we have decided to convict him of the actions attributed to him," the judges said in the ruling. 

 

Hatred in the first degree

The first murder for which Teitel was convicted took place in 1997. The deceased, Samir Akram Balbisi, was working at the time as a taxi driver, offered to drive Teitel to wherever he pleased.

 

Teitel agreed, entered Balbisi's vehicle and then ordered the Palestinian to drive him to a certain location. When he saw that Balbisi's eyes were on the road he shot him point blank in the head.

 

Three months later Teitel decided to kill again. He searched for a victim in the village of Susya and found a shepherd, Issa Jabarin. As Jabarin passed Teital he fired two shots, both from short range, in Jabarin's direction, hitting him in the chest.

 

Teital was also convicted of incitement to violence and terror after he printed posters calling for the murder of members of the LGBT community, promising NIS 20,000 (roughly $5,500) for the person willing to kill "Sodom and Gomorra."

 

He was also charged with planting an explosive device inside a plant near the entrance to Prof. Zeev Sternhell's house in September 2008.

 

Sternhell, a world renowned professor of political science, an Israel Prize laureate and a peace activist, was wounded in his leg when the device exploded.

 

He was additionally charged with the attempted murder of the youth Ami Ortiz in 2008. Teitel placed an explosive device inside a gift basket intended for the boy's father, David Ortiz, with the intent of killing him, because the man served as the head of the messianic Jewish community.

 

The family's maid unknowingly took the booby trapped gift basket into the house, leading the boy to open it, prompting the bomb to go off. The boy was severely wounded throughout his body.

 

In response to the sentence, Prof. Zeev Sternhell said: "The ruling is sign to all those who think that this is the way to get results- Teitel or his friends."

 

Regarding compensation, Prof. Sternhell said: "I don't want any damages from this man, and I don't need anything. I happy that I was only lightly wounded."

 

According to Teitel, Prof. Sternhell, who is known for his outspoken left wing opinions, gained his attention after he allegedly called for the death of settlers.

  

Prof. Sternhell said, "The ruling is just, important, deterring and a sign that the courts will not sit quietly in the face of politically and ideologically motivated murders. This ruling has significance exceeding the bounds of this specific case. Teitel is not just another lunatic. He is a result of his surroundings.

 

"He actualized what others want to do themselves, many who wanted to do the same to me. I know this because of the letters and phone calls I received during that time. This violence needs to be cut off at the stem, even that which currently is rampant in the occupied territories. If not, this violence will seep into every aspect of our society."

 

A number of the victims' relatives arrived at the court for the sentencing.

 

Ibrahim Balbisi, the father of Akram Balbisi, whom Teitel murdered, said upon hearing the sentence: "There is justice. It hurts my heart every day my son is not with us. Day and night we cannot sleep, our thoughts always wander to Akram. I am happy the sentence sends this killer to jail for the rest of his life."

 

Leah Ortiz, Ami's mother, said: "We are very happy that Teitel received many years behind bars. He said he is proud of what he did and would do it again; he is a dangerous man, full of hate – jail is where he belongs."

 

Yossi Greiber, Ortiz's lawyer, expressed anger at the fact that the State refuses to recognize the family as a victim of a terror attack and afford them the financial assistance such victims enjoy.

 

"We are left with the pain and wounds. They boy is 20 years old and will require medical treatment for the rest of his life. Despite the fact that the background of the attack is identical to that of the deaths of the Palestinians, as the court itself claimed, the State refuses to grant us assistance," the lawyer said.

 

Lawyers Asher Ohayon and Michael Ironi, who represented Teitel, claimed the court ignored the complexity of their client's mental state, opting for the easy solution.

 

"Eight doctors, some who work for the State, think differently from the court (about Teitel's mental condition), but instead of dealing with this issue the court choose to ignore it. Teitel didn't kill because of hatred, he has visions, he received orders which he felt he had to follow. And these resulted from a mental condition that had developed early in his childhood," one of the lawyers said. 

 

Sagi Ofir, for the prosecution, said: "The criminal was sent to jail for the rest of his life, as he deserved. The court affirmed the message towards those who turn to terror. We can only hope this will serve as a deterrent to those who wish to engage in terror activities."

 

 

dinsdag 9 april 2013

Palestijnen bezoeken Yad Vashem

 
'Combatants for Peace' is één van de goede initiatieven die daadwerkelijk een brug willen slaan tussen Joden en Arabieren, Israeli's en Palestijnen, om begrip te kweken aan beide zijden en toenadering te zoeken. Een bezoek van Palestijnen aan Yad Vashem is een initiatief dat op grotere schaal navolging verdient.
 
Wouter
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Palestinians visit Yad Vashem: 'A tragedy beyond words'

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4363898,00.html

Bassam Aramin, whose 10-year-old daughter was killed by IDF rubber bullet, visits Jerusalem's Holocaust museum, says 'I surely can identify with feeling like a refugee – humiliated, weak, lost – but the tragedy of the Holocaust is very different'

Noam (Dabul) Dvir

Published: 

04.04.13, 11:11 / Israel News

Ahmed al-Jaafari, a 43-year-old Deheishe refugee camp resident, stands opposite the list of Jews who were sent to the Sobibor death camp. At a certain point, he turns to the guide, Roee Hanani, and asks "why did they keep such an organized list if they planned on killing them all along?"

 

Hanani replied him in Arabic "the Nazis were very organized. They believed that they were solving a world problem and wanted to take pride in what they did."

  

As part of a unique "Combatants for Peace" trip to Yad Vashem, eight Palestinian Authority residents visited the museum to learn of the fates of European Jews during the Holocaust.

 

"This was a jolting experience for me," said al-Jaafari. "I saw the reactions of people who were here and wanted to experience it for myself. I heard and read about and saw movies on the Holocaust, but nothing comes close to a visit in which I can see it with my own eyes. I don't understand how the world conspired a crime like this." 


Palestinians visit Yad Vashem (Photo: Gil Yohanan)

 

Al-Jaafari continued by making a few comments with which Jews can identify, but likely to cause Palestinians to become irate. "When you look at the background of the Jewish nation, you can try to understand your anxiety and fears. A nation that went through something like this cannot live without scars. I don't agree with the comparison between the Holocaust and the situation in the territories, and people who make this comparison make it out of pain and anger."

 

"Combatants for Peace" was established by a group of Israelis and Palestinians who participated in what they call the "circle of violence" in the region," and have now abandoned their weapons in favor of peace and coexistence.

 

However, not all the Palestinians who registered for the tour, made it to Yad Vashem. This is due to the difficulties they had attaining entrance visas into Israel.

No Arab Righteous Gentiles

Upon arrival to the station dedicated to the Righteous Gentiles, Hanani told the participants about a devout Muslim couple that hid the Jewish Habilio family in their home in Sarajevo. The couple also took the father in, who managed to escape a labor camp. The Habilio family immigrated to Israel in 1984 and turned to Yad Vashem; bringing recognition to the Hardega family as Righteous Gentiles.

 

The story did not end there. During the civil war which saw the collapse of Yugoslavia in the 1990s, Sarajevo was under massive attack. Yad Vashem and the Joint Distribution Committee brought Zaynba Hardega to Israel with her daughter, son-in-law and granddaughter. Zayba has since passed away, but the rest of the family still lives in Jerusalem.

 

Hanani explained to the group that there are still no Arab Righteous Gentiles, but the relevant committee is currently discussing a few cases in which North African citizens saved Jews during World War II.

 

"I began taking an interest in the Holocaust 20 years ago when I saw the movie 'Schindler's List,' said Bassam Aramin, who organized the tour on the Palestinian side. "Since then, I have seen it four times."

 

"Less than a month ago I was at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington. When you arrive at a place like this, you forget who you are. This is a tragedy that cannot be described in words."

 

Some five years ago, Aramin's 10-year-old daughter was killed by an IDF rubber bullet. When he hears comparisons being made between the territories and the European Holocaust, he becomes indignant.

 

"This is a big mistake. These are very different things. As a person who lives under occupation, I surely can identify with feeling like a refugee – humiliated, weak, lost – but the tragedy of the Holocaust is very different," said Aramin.

 

Nabil, another participant, said that he didn't think twice about joining the tour. "As soon as I was called I said I was coming. I heard a lot about the Holocaust and wanted to see Yad Vashem with my own eyes. I am not afraid of reactions from the Palestinian side. I think that everyone needs to come here and see it with their own eyes."

 

 

maandag 8 april 2013

John Kerry wil uitgaan van Arabisch Vredesplan met aanpassingen

 
John Kerry wacht de ondankbare taak waarin velen voor hem al gefaald hebben:

Officials say Kerry has proposed two small changes to make it more palatable to Israel. He wants language saying the 1967 lines can be modified through mutual agreement and providing stronger security guarantees. 

But Erekat said the plan could not be changed.

Voor Israel was het Arabische vredesplan niet aanvaardbaar zonder ruimte voor gebiedsuitwisseling, harde toezeggingen voor Israels veiligheid en normalisatie van betrekkingen, en een eenduidige afstand van het vermeende Arabische 'recht op terugkeer'; de Arabieren brachten het echter steeds als een eindbod waarover verder niet te onderhandelen viel.

 

Wouter

______________

 

 

Kerry meets Israeli leaders to push Mideast peace

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4365345,00.html

Following meetings with PA's Abbas, US secretary of state meets with President Peres, PM Netanyahu in hopes of ending Israeli-Palestinian stalemate

Associated Press

Published: 

04.08.13, 13:04 / Israel News

US Secretary of State John Kerry is looking to breathe new life into dormant Mideast peace talks in meetings Monday with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other senior Israeli and Palestinian officials, amid talk of modifying a decade-old Arab plan that's long been greeted with skepticism by the Jewish state.

 

A day after meeting one-on-one with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Kerry spent the morning of Israel's Holocaust Memorial Day at Yad Vashem, laying down a red, white and blue wreath at the nation's official monument for the 6 million Jews murdered during World War II.

 

Related stories:

 

He was to meet privately Monday with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Israeli President Shimon Peres, before a dinner with Netanyahu and other Israeli officials.

 

Kerry is trying to end a 4 1/2-year stalemate between the Israelis and Palestinians during which they've hardly negotiated peace at all. Making his third trip to the region in a period of two weeks, he has yet to outline any new plan but U.S. officials say he is exploring several ideas to try to corral both sides back into direct talks.

 

Palestinian and Arab officials have pointed to one idea in particular: An attempt to revive, with modifications, the 2002 Arab Peace Initiative that offered a comprehensive peace with Israel for a pullout from territories captured in the 1967 Mideast war.

 

The officials say Kerry is seeking greater Arab-Israeli security commitments and softer language on borders as part of the plan.

 

But key obstacles remain. Israel has not softened its objections and the Palestinians say they turned down a request from Kerry for the proposed changes.

 

Kerry and Abbas met for an hour behind closed doors in Ramallah on Sunday evening, where they discussed "the path to peace," according to a senior State Department official. Beforehand, US and Palestinian officials met in a larger format to discuss strategies for economic growth in the Palestinian territories and how to best create a "positive climate for negotiations." The official spoke on condition of anonymity because of Kerry's orders not to brief reporters.

 

US officials refused to comment specifically on the initiative, which was revolutionary when it was introduced by Saudi Arabia's then crown prince, King Abdullah, and later endorsed by the 22-member Arab League at a summit in Beirut. However, it was overshadowed by fierce Israeli-Palestinian fighting at the time and never won Israel's support. The Arab League re-endorsed the offer in 2007 and technically it remains in effect.

 

In the 1967 war, Israel took control of the West Bank, east Jerusalem, Gaza Strip, Sinai and Golan Heights. Israeli returned the Sinai to Egypt in 1982 in the framework of a peace treaty and pulled out of Gaza unilaterally in 2005. Israel annexed the Golan Heights in 1981 and peace talks with Syria over the territory have repeatedly failed.

 

Israeli-Palestinian peace talks have been deadlocked since late 2008, in large part over the issue of Israeli settlements in the West Bank and east Jerusalem. The Palestinians refuse to talk while Israel settles its population on the occupied territories where they want to establish their state. They have demanded that Israel accept the 1967 lines as the basis for a future Palestine, but Netanyahu rejects a return to the 1967 lines and calls for talks with no preconditions.

 

Abbas spokesman, Nabil Abu Rdeneh, said the Palestinian leader called for a solution based on the 1967 lines in his Sunday meeting with Kerry. He did not say whether the Arab peace initiative was discussed but confirmed Abbas was leaving Monday for talks on the plan at an Arab League meeting in Qatar.

 

There, a special committee will hold an "urgent meeting" on the subject Monday, said Mohammed Subeih, the Arab League's undersecretary for Palestinian affairs. Qatar's prime minister will chair it and the foreign ministers of key countries such as Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the Palestinians will participate.

 

Subeih said the committee would form a delegation led by Arab League chief Nabil El-Araby and the Qatari prime minister to travel to Washington in the coming weeks with the goal of drawing a new roadmap to "end Israeli occupation."

 

The chief Palestinian negotiator, Saeb Erekat, said Kerry has been floating the Arab initiative as a possible way out of the deadlock.

 

Officials say Kerry has proposed two small changes to make it more palatable to Israel. He wants language saying the 1967 lines can be modified through mutual agreement and providing stronger security guarantees.

 

But Erekat said the plan could not be changed.

 

"Kerry asked us to change a few words in the Arab Peace Initiative but we refused," he told the Voice of Palestine radio station on Sunday.

 

Israeli officials refused to comment on the matter.

 

Ben Gurion's eis voor een Joods leger om tegen de nazi's te vechten

 
Er wordt wel eens beweerd door antizionisten dat de zionisten niets gelegen was aan de Europese Joden die het slachtoffer werden van de Holocaust, en soms wordt zelfs vals gesuggereerd dat het hen wel goed uitkwam voor hun politieke doelen. Als enige structurele oplossing voor antisemitisme en vervolging zagen ze inderdaad een eigen staat en daarmee de mogelijkheid om hun eigen belangen te dienen en hun eigen volk te verdedigen. Binnen die visie deed men wat men kon om met de beperkte mogelijkheden Joden uit de klauwen van de Duivel te redden, inclusief een pact met die duivel.
 
Wouter
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1942: Ben Gurion's censored demand for Jewish army

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4365298,00.html

IDF archives reveal David Ben Gurion's demand from Allied Forces of Jewish army to fight Nazis; else, he warns, 'Your hands will be soaked in Jewish blood'; excerpts censored by British now published

Roi Mandel

Published: 

04.08.13, 11:57 / Israel News

"In the name of all Jews, we demand of you, rulers of England, Russia and the United States, our right for a Jewish army," thus David Ben Gurion opened his 1942 speech calling on the allied forces to let Jews form an independent force to fight the Nazis.

 

The speech was revealed in its entirety by the IDF archives and the Defense Ministry, including the parts rejected by the British censor for hinting at Jewish independence.

 

Related stories:

 

The bold text, including the opening phrases, are the parts erased by the censor. The full speech will be made available online by the IDF.


David Ben Gurion (Photo: AFP)

 

The speech continues: "… Our right to fight the greatest of our enemies as Jews, in a Jewish framework, Jewish organization, Jewish headquarters, Jewish discipline and under a Jewish flag.


The speech, courtesy of the IDF archives and Defense Ministry

 

"Our needs will not be met by the crumbs allowed us here to protect our homeland and the surrounding countries."

 

Hitler's regime, Ben Gurion foresaw, would be vanquished, but "we do not know if the victory of democracy, liberty and justice will not find in Europe an immense cemetery strewn with the bones of our people, men and women, old and young."


 

He continues: "The Jewish people's delegates are called today to challenge from Zion, before the world, the spilling of our Jewish blood"

 

He does not know how many were already killed and how, Ben Gurion said, but their massacre "is due solely for one sin, that these are Jews. For only Jews have no protector, no warrior."

 

But Ben Gurion's call for outright independence and criticism of the British was rejected by the censor: "For Jews have no standing, state emblem, no Jewish military, no Jewish independence and no free and safe homeland."

 

Ben Gurion pled the allied forces' leaders to "prevent the annihilation of a jailed, shackled, defenseless nation," and urged them to allow Jewish children to immigrate to Palestine.

 

"Reject the disgraceful edicts to the effect that a Jew from an enemy state isn't allowed to return to his homeland. As long as this shameful decree exists, as long as our land's gates are shut to Yisrael's refugees, your hands will be soaked in Jewish blood, spilled in the Nazi inferno."

 

In the speech, Ben Gurion demands the British to allow Jews to fight the Nazis as a Jewish army: "Every Jew will carry proudly the yellow star, and if we meet our brother from the Nazi ghettos we'll carry them on our arms with the yellow star. It will be a flag of honor, a mark of martyrs and saints.

 

"Not the Nazis, but you, civilized nations, are dishonoring us when you deprive our right as a people, an equal nation, of our right to fight Hitler as Jews."

 

Ben Gurion's demand was not for an auxiliary force, such as the Jewish Brigade Group, but for an independent Jewish army, a demand which was also censored: "We want to fight as a Jewish army. All Jews who aren't duty bound to enlist in some other military, all Jews free to do as they please, we demand their human right, we demand their honorable right to enlist in a Jewish army under a Jewish flag, as an equal partner to the allied forces."

 

At the speech's climax Ben Gurion calls for Jewish independence in Palestine: "And we demand not only our right to fight as Jews, we demand the right that every nation in world has, be it big or small, for an independent homeland.

 

"All the unnecessary victims, all the thousand, hundreds of thousands and maybe millions of victims are the product of discrimination of the Jewish nation.

 

"These are the victims of a nation which has no country and no freedom. We demand of you to correct this wrong: Equal national standing, homeland and independence for the Jewish people."

 

Ben Gurion concluded: "We'll do what we can to avenge you and we'll give ourselves no quarter until we save you from the Nazis and from the atrophying Diaspora, and we'll bring you, all of you, to us, to our salvaged land."