“In a way, these Palestine enthusiasts resemble medieval Crusaders, who dreamt of recapturing Jerusalem because it was the place where Jesus died and rose again. Muslims, of course, detest the word `crusade’, partly because they deny the crucifixion of Jesus and regard the symbol of the cross as idolatrous, but their mentality is similar, from the other side of the religious fence. The equivalent of a crusader is a jihadi. Some of them assert a sacred right for Muslims to control the third holiest place in Islam, Jerusalem – by force if necessary.
Even those mainly white pro-Palestinian activists, presumably including Mr Polanski, who have no interest in religious questions, regard the place as holy in their political world-view. To them, it is the crucible of the `colonial’ oppression of the `wretched of the earth’ by Americans and British and `Zionists’, with their vast powers conjured up in their fevered imaginations. If I were a voter in Holborn and St Pancras, I would feel angry with any candidate playing this game. And if I were a Jewish voter, I would be afraid.”
– Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph (£)
Moore is writing about next week’s by-election for the parliamentary seat of Holborn and St Pancras. A leaflet image from the Green Party leader, Zack Polanski, a candidate, features a flag in the background that is unidentified but not the flag of his party. It is red, white and green. The unnamed flag is that of Palestine. So a candidate in an election to the House of Commons chooses, as his main flag emblem, that of a disputed geographic area, for as Moore says, Palestine isn’t and has never been a country with its own laws and government.
The late Rod Liddle, who knew how to be rude in his articles with tremendous enthusiasm, once dubbed Mr Polanski a “snaggle-toothed halfwit”. The danger is that it is too easy to dismiss this man as a fool. He is undoubtedly a very foolish man in some ways but he has a certain scruffy cunning.
It is a form of decayed Marxism – Marxism divides the world between the “exploiters” and the “exploited”, the “oppressors” and the “oppressed”.
The Muslims in the area (who the KGB repackaged as “Palestinians” in the 1960s – before then the word “Palestinian” was normally used by the Jews in the area to describe themselves – this was especially true in the 1920s and 1930s) are presented as poor, the Jews in the area are presented as rich – even though both of these things is a generalization (there are poor Jews and rich Muslims).
As all wealth, indeed every good thing of any type, is considered by Marxism (and by the left BEDFORE Marxism – see Rousseau the leading influence on the French Revolution, although he was dead before 1789) to be the result of “exploitation” and “oppression” then the Jews must be “exploitors” and “oppressors” and the Muslims (repackaged, by the KGB in the 1960s as “Palestinians”) must be the “exploited” and “oppressed”.
It is a very neat and easy way of understanding the world – it is how most young (and not so young) people in the West are pushed to think – pushed by the education system (the schools and the universities) and by the media – especially the entertainment media.
By the way….
Russia is NOT different – Mr Putin’s “RT” (I watch it, so you do not have to) presents the Jews as wicked “exploiters” and “oppressors” of the “Palestinians” – just as the BBC and the New York Times does.
Marxists do not like to be reminded that their way of looking at the world – assuming that all wealth (indeed good thing of any kind) must be the result of “exploitation and oppression” and dividing the world between “exploitors” and “exploited”, “oppressors” and “oppressed” is already present in Rousseau – long before Karl Marx was born. They do not like it – because Karl Marx (and his followers) pretended (and pretend) to be “scientific” – and Rousseau clearly was not scientific.
So it is our moral duty to rub Rousseau in the faces of the Marxists (and decayed semi Marxists – such as the Greens) at every opportunity.
The hostility to civilization (and the absurd concept of the noble savage) is also present in Rousseau – as it is in the modern Greens.
David Paulden “Zack Polanski” has a Jewish family background – as did Karl Marx.
Karl Marx on the Jews “What is the religion of the Jew? Hucksterism! What is the God of the Jew? Money!”
Most likely the PRIVATE opinion of Mr Paulden is much the same.
He is a typical “Kapo” (Camp Police) type – there have always been Jews who wanted to exterminate other Jews – including exterminate the seven million Jews presently in the Holy Land.
Not that the Islamic forces would show any mercy to non Jews either – especially not to homosexual atheists.
We are following the attempted hijack of the FlyDubai flight to Israel… One Muslim pilot tried to nosedive the plane, the other hit the panic button and tried to stop him… Israeli passengers broke into the cockpit and subdued the terrorist.
The most telling and poignant cell phone clip shows the “hero” copilot begging the Israelis who helped him not to film his face…. he is afraid of what his own people will do to him.
He Is Afraid Of What His Own People Will Do To Him
That is all you need to know – all you ever need to know about any violent incident involving Muslims.
See the first video player on this page:
https://www.ynet.co.il/news/article/bjvyr8ccfg#autoplay
The unnamed flag is that of a different party: the Arab Socialist Ba’ath Party. Ba’athism, as the full name lightly hints, is essentially Arab National-Socialism, with (although they’re often understandably equivocal about it) everything that implies. It’s explicitly socialist, but rejects Marxism and class-struggle as harmful to the unity of the Arab people. Sound familiar?
Although the Syrian and Iraqi branches of the movement were at odds, you can look up the emblems of Assad’s and Saddam’s parties online: both plainly bear that flag, unaltered. Their beef wasn’t deeply ideological; it was over the claim to “true” Ba’athism. Splitters.
It’s very telling that the Palestinian movement has chosen it as its “national” flag, yet nobody ever talks about it. It’s just “the Palestinian flag”. That’s like calling the swastika “the German flag”, or the red hammer-and-sickle “the Russian flag”. It has a much deeper, and more sinister, meaning than a simple patriotic symbol.
It’s become a hackneyed phrase: “When people tell you who they are, believe them”. It would help if more people recognised what they’re telling us.
Sam Duncan – thank you for the information.
In some ways Ba’athism was similar to the ideas of Nasser, the dicator of Egypt.
He believed in Arab Nationalism (the unity of the Arab people eventually under one government – he hoped it would be him) and a socialist economic policy.
It is sometimes forgotten that Israel was NOT always a “right wing” country – in 1948 it was, arguably, more socialist than Egypt was (although the Israeli Labour Party never had an absolute majority in Parliament) – Nasser changed that, he made modern Egypt a state dominated society.
These ideas are disredited now – and economic failure is only part of the reason they are discredted.
As with Ataturk (Mustifa Kemal) in Turkey – this “Statism” does not really address the deepest questions of human existence.
Most importantly “what happens to the me, and the people I care about, after we die?”
Islam offers an answer to this question – a way to live forever. I believe its teachings to be false – but at least it offers an answer.
That is rather more inspiring than setting up more state companies and creating even more “Red Tape” – as with Nasser or “Andy” Burnham (although the latter is a just a figurehead, a frontman, rather than a real ruler).
What do the Christian churches now offer?
Is Pope Leo XIII or Archbiship of Canterbury Sarah Mullally a valiant warrior against Islam?
No – they are not.
Indeed on the 25th Anniversary of 9/11 Sarah Mullally presented a major award (ironically for inter faith tolernance) to a supporter of Mr Ben Laden, and he is also a supporter of the blasphemy laws of Pakistan.
The wife of the Gentleman was present – covered head to toe in black, with most of her face covered, the lady was there so that the Gentleman could avoid touching the hand of an infidel woman (Sarah Mullally would hand the award to the Islamic woman – who would, in turn, hand it to her husband) – as he may only touch the hand of an infidel woman he is taking as a slave (so he was actually being kind to Sarah Mullally – as he was kindly refraining from taking her as a slave, perhaps because the lady is rather plain in appearance – although “I am no oil painting” myself, so I mean no offence concering the appearance of the lady).
And the new Archbishop, who had previously said that her first priorty would be to “root out misogyny” in society, did not utter a word of protest about any of this – the lady, Sarah Mullally, just stood there smiling like an idiot.
It is hard to know whether to laugh or cry.
Very good points by Sam and Paul…
Nasser in many ways was the Godfather (in every sense) of Pan Arab National Socialism. PANS was very effective – in a way – notice how similar the flags in that neck of the woods tend to be…
Effective at the time because their “socialism” (which can cover a multitude of sins) could seem to be effective economically if you have significant nationalisable assets such as oil or a canal and it was also socialist enough to align to the USSR (and/or the PRC) and get lots of weapons.
Of course it had splitters! These things always do. Arguably the most radical was Gaddafi (who was totally mental).
Sam Duncan, many thanks for this information. Ditto to Paul for the Soviet history angle. We tend to forget that much of the demonisation of Israel, certainly since the 1950s, was cooked up by Moscow. Many of the idiots wearing Palestinian insignia and shouting about “from the river to the sea” or “death to the IDF” are, to coin a phrase, useful idiots for the Soviets.
I can recommend Jake Wallis Simon’s Israelphobia as an excellent primer on a lot of the craziness about Israel, and not just on the Left.
Have none of these tunnel visioned, single issue focused Green numpties realised yet, that if their mates in HAMAS had not attacked, raped, kidnapped, or killed Jewish people attending a music festival, the current death toll in Gaza would be zero. Gaza citizens would continue to go to their jobs in Israel, or receive free medical care in Israeli hospitals. Meanwhile, Hamas leaders are living in luxury in Qatar, sitting on enough money to rebuild Gaza three times over, but refuse to do so.
It cannot be the flag of Palestine since that is white with blue stripes and a blue Star of David on it. It might be the flag of “Palestine” an imaginary country ginned up by Islamic fanatics.
Sometimes I really miss “like” buttons. 😉
The idea of calling the area Palestine was invented by the Emperor Hadrian – after he killed many Jews and exiled the rest from Jerusalem – although, repeately over the centuries, Jews returned – and suffered repeated massacres. As for “Palestinians” – this was a word that Jews tended to use for themselves under the British Mandate (after the First World War) – but which the Soviet KGB suggested that Muslims use – which they did, especially from the 1960s (Yasser Arafat had been born and raised in Egypt – but reinvented himself as a “Palestinian”).
Professor Norman Fenton had been a life long leftist till he caught the left telling endless lies about the Holy Land – for example that there had been no Jews in the land in the 19th century – part of his own family has been born there, in the 19th century, indeed Jews were the largest group in Jerusalem – although that place was quite a small town in the 19th century (there were no large towns in the land in the 19th century – most of the land was desert or malaria filled marshes) Jewish economic development of the land led to many Arabs moving there – the British government restricted Jewish immigration, but not Islamic immigration (“two tier” policy is not a new idea). Christian Arabs also existed – although they tend to decline dramatically in areas under Islamic rule.
NickM – most of the flags of the area were designed by a Englishman.
BenDavid.
One of the two Muslim pilots (who was from Oman – a “moderate” Islamic nation) was trying to carry out an Islamic attack to kill over a hundred Jews and others – the other pilot prevented the attack.
To Islam that means that the other pilot (the person who prevented the attack) was a TRAITOR – and that he, and his family (unless they disown him – and kill him) should be killed so they can go to Hell to be tortured for all enternity.
You know this – but many people in the West do not understand Islam.
As you know some Jews do not understand Islam either – they think they can “deter” followers of Islam, or can make “deals” with them.
Hopefully these fools (and worse) will not win the election in a few weeks time.
Paul,
I think being called a hero by Netanyahu firmly stamps his card. It was a brave act and a tricky one – nobody ever wants a fight in a cockpit – way to many important things to collide with ensuing disastrous results.
As to the flag design(s) – clearly a man of limited talent.
I was recently clearing things out at my Mum’s house (she wants to downsize) and I found my Observer’s book on heraldry from when I was a kid. Design has always interested me. I am greatly interested in vexillology*. So, I do graphics for websites and other things. I have only recently figured that I have always been interested in graphic design. I guess if you have always been interested in something it is hard to notice because it’s always there so you just get used to it.
As to getting on with Islam… I dunno. I have known quite a few muslims who are good people but I suspect this was because they were not very good muslims. The Camp David Accords have lasted. Any “deal” with the PLO/Hamas/Hezbollah will last – until the next arms shipment turns up. It is simply a hudna – a strategic truce. This goes back to the Treaty of al-Hudaybiya in 628AD. Merely a cessation of mutual hostility until the muslims felt they had the better hand.
Whilst the above possibly sounds overly hopeful I am cautious. If the “moderate” Gulf States were genuine friends then how does one explain Bin Laden or the fifteen of the nineteen 9/11 hijackers. All from our “Key Ally in The War on Terror”, Saudi Arabia.The Saudis can never be our “friends”. At best they are enemies of our enemies – Iran.
*For some reason I’m picturing Les Dawson in drag, “Oh, he’s into vexillology!”
A lot of times these red parties (for green is just a cover for red) it is based on the idea that the government is all powerful and can fix things.
I was particularly bemused when I saw that the State of Tennessee failed TWICE to execute this woman Christa Pike. Irrespective of your thoughts on this case (and, FWIW, I am sympathetic to the defense’s argument) one has to ask the question — how incompetent do you have to be to not be able to kill someone? I mean any old idiot with a knife and some dutch courage can kill someone, and yet here was this woman, powerless and tied to a gurney and they still couldn’t get it done.
The incompetence and fecklessness of the government at almost everything they do is hard to exaggerate. And their utter incompetence is perhaps the best argument against the death penalty. But it just makes the argument that these leftie parties make “give the government the power and they will fix it” so utterly laughable, or at least laughable were it not so dangerous and damaging. The really amusing part of this is that there are no organizations as good at killing random, innocent people as our various governments.
FWIW, I do not understand the obsession with lethal injection. You can buy a rope or a bullet at any hardware store, and a very small amount of competence, small enough that you might even expect it from a civil servant, is required to use those to bring about death almost instantaneously and painlessly. I really do wonder if the torture the family of the victim is going through due to this carnival of incompetence qualifies as “cruel and unusual” under the US Constitution.
NickM – interesting points Sir!
Fraser – yes the situation in Tennessee, the botched lethel injections, is a horrible mess.
At this point, after 30 years of punishment – and after this torture (and botched execution efforts are torture) it-has-to-stop.
And I in no way excuse the horrible murder the woman committed – had she been at-the-time I might have supported that. But not all this – no.
If the woman recovers – the punishment must stop.
Only the copilot is a Muslim (from Oman), he attacked the captain who is a Hindi from India.
Alisa – thank you for the correction, I did not know that the Captain of the aircraft was a Hindu, I, foolishly, assumed he was also a Muslim.
Paul, there was nothing foolish about that, since there were and still are many conflicting reports floating around the internet. However, there was a video where the pilot took a phone call from PM Modi, telling him among other things that it was his Hindu faith that compelled him to do all he could to save the people on the plane and probably many on the ground as well (which he did by unlocking the cabin door). All in all, a truly unbelievable set of circumstances.
I found out from the bbc that the co.pilot was barred from flying in his native Oman due to evidence of radicalization.
I also found out that he used to be a student at Buckinghamshire New University. At first i thought that is how he was radicalized, but it turns out that it was distance learning.