Re: 'prepare' njc PC

[sl . m]

Colin, I've not suggested that anyone who disagrees with me is a Jew hater - nor has Laurent. On the contrary, I wrote that I believe most people in the West who oppose the government of Israel are NOT anti-Semitic. But Israel's Arab enemies are, and they were anti-Semites (or Jew haters, if you prefer) long before Palestine was ever an issue, which is an important point to note. Here is a diary entry from a 19th century Western visitor to the Middle East: "I have seen a little fellow of six years old, with a troop of fat toddlers of only three and four, teaching [them] to throw stones at a Jew, and one little urchin would, with the greatest coolness, waddle up to the man and literally spit upon his Jewish gaberdine. To all this the Jew is obliged to submit; it would be more than his life was worth to offer to strike a Mahommedan." (From The Jews of Islam by Bernard Lewis).

Another good book on this subject is Myths and Facts: A Guide to the Arab-Israeli Conflict by Miitchell G. Bard. There's stuff in here I don't agree with as it's written very much from the Israeli point of view, but it's a good starting place for anyone who wants to learn the facts. He cites a number of (what he calls) myths, like "Israel cannot claim that its 1982 invasion of Lebanon was defensive", then he gives "the facts" about that claim. It's surprising how many of the things we all believe turn out to be quite false. And what he says is mostly checkable, so you don't have to take his word for it.

Sarah


From: colin <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>
And the comment is much less harsh than the suggestion that we who do not agree with
everyhting you and Sarah write about Isreal are jew haters.