The distinction beteen left and right Zionism is illusory argues Asa Winstanley; the Zionist socialist project depended on dispossessing Palestinians of their land and labour and boycotting their produce

Ynet publishes an alarmist report of the success of the BDS campaign written by Giulio Meotti, who has written a book on Israel’s victims of terrorism. An interview with him about the book is posted 2nd. 3rd is a report of the protest at the Proms on Thursday night, and lastly a piece written before the Proms protest by Jewish classical music blogger Jessica Duchen arguing for boycotting the Israel Philharmonic

South African Shafiq Morton found much of his critique of Zionist blindness was no longer controversial. The sticking point for his readers was Hamas;despite experience with the ANC of the gap between demagoguery and practical negotiation they could not hear the nuance.

Last May, Larry Derfner wrote that he supported a Jewish state because, despite its unfairnesses, in the end it replaced something worse – anti-semitism. In response, Richard Silverstein argued that such objections would not apply to a democratic Israel and, moreover, classical zionism consigned diaspora Jewry to being a mere bank of money and people to keep Israel supplied

New research by Nurit Peled-Elhanan shows how the bias and distortions of Israeli education inculcate young people with the ignorance and emotional indifference which make them the complacent adults of today’s racist society. Several of the comments on this article and an interview with the author are included at the end.

Sponsored by JfJfP, Professor Yakov Rabkin speaks in London, Cambridge, Coventry, Liverpool and Brighton on Zionism, anti-semitism, the Arab spring amongst other conflicts

In this posting, blogger MJ Rosenberg casts his eye over the latest moves by AIPAC, by far the most influential pro-Israel pressure group in the US, and assesses its and Netanyahu’s strategy (which it faithfully reflects). He believes that stopping a Palestinian unilateral declaration of independence is now Netanyahu’s number one goal. So: smear the Palestinian Authority and place the onus on the PA for the impasse as, once again, ‘there is no partner for peace’.

Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity was formed by Israeli activists who met regularly to protest against Jews moving into the predominantly Arab east Jerusalem neighborhood of Sheikh Jarrah. The Jewish Agency for Israel accuses it of being anti-Zionist, opposed to “the right of Jews to make their home in Israel”…

Labour Friends of Israel is set to rebrand itself, becoming a two-state enthusiast in order to try to stem the tide of criticism and “the erosion in Israel’s diplomatic status”.
This tactical blowing with the wind (or are we being cynical?) was also clear in the Jewish Chronicle of 11 February which was awash with “allowing criticism of Israel” articles…

Subscribers to the haaretz.com newsletter have been sent this: “The Ultimate Mission to Israel”. During a week in May you will be briefed by Mossad and Shin Bet officials, observe ‘a trial of Hamas terrorists in an IDH military court’, go ‘jeeping’ on the Syrian Golan Heights and even tour the airforce unit that carries out “targeted killings” (assassinations, to you and me).

Too good to pass up!

Anthony Lerman looks at the TV series the Promise, of which two of the four episodes have now been screened: “That such a major and challenging series—in which the Israeli characters are drawn sympathetically and realistically, with not a hint of demonization—appears on one of the country’s mass audience television channels and is positively received throws an interesting light on what I believe are grossly exaggerated claims that London is the hub of international efforts to delegitimize Israel and that British Jews are subject to a constant barrage of media-driven anti-Zionist propaganda that borders on, or overlaps with, antisemitism…”

A BBC2 television broadcast, 2nd February 2011: Louis Theroux spends time with a small and very committed subculture of ultra-nationalist Jewish settlers. Plus a BBC Magazine account of his experiences…

Acclaimed writer/director Peter Kosminsky has produced a four-part drama series, The Promise, about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict as seen through the eyes of two Britons from different eras. It screens from Sunday 6th Feb on Channel 4. Here is an interview with Kosminsky published in the Jewish Chronicle, headlined in their summary of the week’s articles as “How the British lost their love for the Jews of Israel”.

The attempt by prominent Zionists in South Africa to denounce Archbishop Tutu as antisemitic and force the South African Holocaust Foundation to dismiss him as a patron has been seen off. Thanks to the over five thousand who signed a petition in his support, including former chief justice Arthur Chaskalson, human rights lawyer Joel Joffe, Annie Lennox, Adam Hochschild, Andrew Feinstein, Neve Gordon, Justice Albie Sachs, Zackie Achmat, Justice Dennis Davis, Geoff Budlender, Barbara Hogan, Pregs Govender and Jan Kavan.

An appeal from South Africa: Archbishop Tutu has been labeled an “anti-Semite” and a “bigot”. Please read the appeal and sign the petition in his support.

StandWithUs, on the openly racist end of the mainstream Jewish institutional world in the United States, has produced a new comic book hero Captain Israel to fight the demons of the present, leading among which is the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions movement, portrayed in Palestinian colours as the evil serpent so beloved by the antisemites. Cecile Shurasky of Muzzlewatch draws out the parallels with Nazi propaganda. Plus Roi Maor comments (added 19 Jan)

Recently the Board of Deputies organised the publication of “Zionism: A Jewish Communal Response from the UK”, with essays by Rabbis Wittenburg, Bayfield, and Rich and also by Dan Rickman, with a foreword by Vivian Wineman. It argues that “both Jews and Christians – including Palestinian Christians – need to acknowledge the depth of each others’ historic and religious connections with the land of Israel if progress is to be made towards peace”.
We will link to reviews of it as and when they come to our attention.

[Judah] Magnes, who died a few months after the creation of the State of Israel, in 1948, is largely forgotten today because, as a passionate advocate of a binational state in Palestine in which Jews and Arabs had equal rights, he ended up on the wrong side of history.
Or did he?

David Landau, former editor of Ha’aretz writes: “What a warm feeling of Zionist solidarity awaits me in London next week. To stand before UK Jewish groups and cry: “Gevalt! Israel is becoming an apartheid state”- and know this warning is no longer repressed heresy but mainstream discourse within Anglo-Jewry.” But Ron Prosor, Israel’s ambassador to the UK, struck back at UJIA chairman Mick Davis over his outspoken comments on Israel, accusing him of using language “straight from our opponents’ lexicon”…

Last week we posted an article by Jeremiah Haber which asked Do you have to love Israel as a Jewish state to be part of the Jewish community? Here are his wider reflections on whether there can be a progressive Zionism and how “when push comes to shove, many progressive Zionists I know will let their Zionism trump their progressiveness”.