A good picture can really make a story and the one that accompanies the tale of closet anti -Semitism (they call it anti Zionism) among the ranks of the ALP is just a classic. It certainly makes the young Ms Jackson look rather foolish as much as the comments from her email makes her sound just a little sinister…
In an email addressed “Dear activists”, Ms Jackson wrote to an internet education discussion forum last year: “I oppose Zionism because it calls for the creation of a Jewish state, and I think all governments should be secular.
“No Jewish, Islamic, Christian states anywhere in the world, just good, robust, secular democracies,” she said. “By speaking out on behalf of the Palestinians and Lebanese people, we can give voice to those that some governments and media would wish to silence.”
Ms Jackson, 22, the daughter of ABC television journalist Liz Jackson, was president of the National Union of Students at the time she wrote the email.
She stressed yesterday her email was directed against rabid anti-Israel comments on the website which, she believed, shaded into racism. In it she chastises a forum member who accuses Jews of “a fetish for genocide”.
Asked if her views sat uncomfortably next to those of Mr Newhouse — who is a leading member of the Jewish community and whose father, Arnold, was president of the State Zionist Council of NSW — Ms Jackson said, “I don’t know George’s position on Israel.
“I’m just opposed to theocracy. I certainly support the right of Israel to exist, but not as a Jewish state.”
We all know very well how much hatred and contempt that the left have for the Jews in general and the existence of Israel in particular, lets just hope that the voters of Wentworth are smart enough to see that even the more “moderate” tip of the leftist Ice-berg that wears a Ruddite face conceals a rather more nasty and extreme ideology.
Shalom Comrades
8)


“We all know very well how much hatred and contempt that the left have for the Jews in general…”.
You know, my Jewish friends and my past Jewish partners would probably be surprised to hear that I hate them. Iain, usually I try to be restrained, but the above statement is just plain out offensive bullshit.
As for opposing theocracies, surely it must be a sad day in the mind of many a conservative when they have to rely on the Left to uphold one of the core principles of bourgeois democracy.
SM
There is an exception to every rule but there is no doubt that there is more anti-Semitism in left than there is in other parts of the political spectrum.
“…there is no doubt that there is more anti-Semitism in left than there is in other parts of the political spectrum.”
!?
Last time I looked the Far Right had the monopoly on anti-semitism.
Indeed Iain, off course leftists support the right of Israel to exist, but will they support them in their fight for existence, that’s a whole different kettle of fish.
So Iain – I take it you are opposed to secular democracy?
Or is it just that you find the theocratic model to be preferable to secular democracy?
Why I am pleasantly surprised to see you back here Mondo :)
However I have to disappoint you by saying that I do support democracy and that includes the democracy in Israel, which is not as the likes of Ms Jackson would claim a theocratic state.
The notion that one has to entirely ignore religion when it comes to politics seems to be much beloved by the left, until the person’s religion is Islam then it just has to be respected no matter what.
Beh, no images.
Well this response specifically relates to that picture.
Nice evasion Iain – but you haven’t answered the qeustion. I’m asking if you prefer theocratic democracy to secular democracy.
You Righties are always banging on about the relativism of the Left so here’s your chance to show us how it’s done – do you think that democracy is enhanced by the inclusion of the Church in the apparatus of the State (like in Israel) or do you think that democracy is enhanced by the exclusion of the Church from the apparatus of the State (like in Australia)?
Both models can’t be equally good – which one do you think is better?
You mean after you pulled the stick out of the dogs arse?
What the hell does that even mean?
Since you haven’t answered Iain I’ll answer on behalf of Ms Jackson – who clearly believes that Australia’s secular democracy is superior to Israel’s theocractic democracy.
So proud is she of Australia’s democracy, and so deep is her belief that our model offers the best outcome for its citizens, that she actively campaigns for its adoption in other countries, including Israel.
So explain again how this behaviour is anti-semitic?
Mondo
Israel is not a theocracy. It has political parties that draw their support religious minorities though, which is not inconsistent with democracy.
My argument is simply that when you support anti-Semites like the Palestinians, as she seems to do then you have to expect that some of the hatred that they espouse has to reflect badly upon you, no matter what you claim to personally support.
Calling Palestinians anti-Semitic is like calling Indigenous Americans ‘anti-American’…
So calling for the murder of all Jews soley because they are Jews is not anti-Semetic. You get dumber everyday SM.
[…] those great defenders of freedom and democracy (the usual suspects, I mean) have fallen over themselves, using Jackson’s comments to demonstrate that […]
Iain – please try to read and digest what I have written. I did not refer to Israel as a theocracy, as is quite clear from even a quick scan of my posts, I called it a theocratic democracy. Your comment about Israel’s system ‘not being incompatible with democracy’ is somewhat redundant in light of my description of it as an actual democracy.
But I’m glad that you’ve clarified your definition of ‘anti-semite’ – apparently to you it means any person who supports the Palestinians.
Gotcha. Support for Palestinians = anti-semite. Simple and easy to apply – perfect for the Right Wing Noise Machine.
Mondo
Are you trying to tell me that the Palestinians don’t hate the Jews because they are Jews? Quite clearly they do, and they are then by definition Anti-Semites.
How those who sympathise with the Palestinians deal with that problem is to label that anti-Semitism as “anti Zionism” However no matter what you call it still amounts to hatred of the Jews.
Iain, not all Palestinians hate all Jews, and not even all Israeli’s. The irony is that it has been the US and its Zionist guard-dog that have gone out of their way to ensure that the genuinely anti-semitic elements in the Palestinian diaspora have come to the fore. They have done this by systematically attacking and taking down the secular, nationalist and left-wing forces within the PLO. Of course part of the blame should also be laid at the feet of the Stalinist politics these forces inherited and which created an environment in which corruption could flourish.
However, the more the US and Israel attacked, denigrated and blocked the secular forces within the Palestinian liberation movement, the more a political vacuum was created into which stepped…surprise, surprise, the Islamic fundamentalists who had for the last two decades had been enjoying the patronage of the US (think bin Laden) in many part of the MidEast.
And for the record, most people on the Left are NOT anti-semitic. Many of them are anti-Zionist, and if YOU can’t tell the difference then its YOU who are being racist by saying a political policy (zionism) is inseperable from an ethnic/religous/cultural group. It also fails to explain the existence of Israeli citizens who are opposed to their government’s policies and the zionist project in general.
Iain – the Palestinian’s reasons for hating or not hating the Israelis are irrelevant to your accusation against Ms Jackson.
You didn’t accuse the Palestinians of being anti-semites – an accusation that would be fairly unobjectionable – you accused Jackson (and the Left) of being anti-semites. Further, you justified this accusation entirely on the basis that she (and some on the Left) support Palestinian rights.
Ergo you have clearly outlined your reasoning for the anti-semite slur against Jackson. She opposes the Israeli occupation of Palestine and, by implication, supports the Palestinians – who are anti-semites – and therefore Jackson is an anti-semite.
Your definition is ridiculous, of course, but it certainly sheds some light on your liberal application of the tag.
Sounds like reasonable logic to me.
However if your read my post again you will see that about the only comment that I focus on Rose Jackson personally pertains to the photo used and my suggestion that the quotes could be seen as ‘sinister”. I actually reserve most of my venom for you minions of the left in general, rather than the young Ms Jackson in particular, who may yet be redeemed for the for the forces of good.
Sounds like reasonable logic to me.
I’ll bet it does Iain.