B’nai B’rith Anti-Defamation Commission and Jewish Community Council of Victoria condemn AJDS statement on Gaza conflict
The Anti-Defamation Commission (ADC) and the Jewish Community Council of Victoria (JCCV) have condemned in the strongest possible terms the statement dated 22 July 2014 appearing on the AJDS website.
Dvir Abramovich
Both organisations sharply criticised the total lack of balance and disregard for facts in the statement that paints a simplistic and one-sided picture of what is an extremely complex situation. The ADC and JCCV also denounced the AJDS’ analysis of cause and effect that bears no relationship to the facts on the ground.
To speak, as the AJDS does, of thousands of Israelis fleeing rocket fire in the south of Israel is to ignore the immense security threats Israel faces and the reality of the war crime of more than 2000 rockets in July alone being fired at millions of Israeli civilians throughout the country. To fail to mention the network of tunnels allowing Hamas to infiltrate Israel with the aim of murdering and kidnapping Israelis is shameful. To suggest making donations to UNWRA is reckless, given UNWRA’s own admission that Hamas hides weapons in UNWRA schools.
Chairman of the ADC Dr. Dvir Abramovich and President of the JCCV Nina Bassat issued the following statement:
Nina Bassat
“All people of goodwill are deeply saddened by the loss of life on both sides of the current conflict between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but the progress towards peace can only be hindered by statements which totally lack balance, such as that of the AJDS. Sadly, the now common reckless and eager rush to condemn Israel is represented by the skewed and outrageous statement of the AJDS, which zealously attacks and accuses the IDF of a massacre without any facts or evidence. It is a pity that the ADJS keeps choosing to engage in a relentless campaign of propaganda in their continuous bashing of Israel.
What is as disturbing as the absence of substantiated data is the inflammatory and pejorative language used in the statement. Given the world-wide conflation between anti-Israel feelings and anti- Semitism, highly emotive words such as perpetrated and massacre are calculated to arouse anger against not only Israel, but the Jewish community in Australia and are a wilful disregard that language such as this destroys the harmonious nature of our multicultural society.
Where is the ADJS concern for Israeli casualties and the millions of Israelis who for many years have suffered at the hands of Hamas, a movement openly committed to Israel’s destruction that began the cycle of violence and has unleashed a reign of terror using children as human-shields and schools as rocket launch sites? We call on the AJDS to refrain in future from making such irresponsible statements and to stop their longstanding pattern of lambasting and stigmatising Israel”.
“AJDS: As Jews and Israelis living outside Israel, the AJDS recognises its responsibility to speak out against the ongoing violence in Gaza.”
Mmm, this sounds like the voice of the Uniting Nations: “the violence must stop!!” [accompanied by much chest-beating and hand-wringing] And how potent was the presence of the UN, in stopping the initial rocketting of Israel from Gaza, which directly caused this current War? Totally impotent, just as they were in Bosnia, when Dutch UN troops just stood and watched and in Rwanda [sat on their hands, for the age of a raccoon, with catastrophic consequences].
Its perfectly possible that in Australia, our dear, not so little, post-Brittie country at the end of the world, “progressive” is merely a euphemism for “crackpot.” Its particularly shameful when Jews indulge in it though because the whole of the Jewish faith pivots upon Amet/Truth. Shame upon those who profess Jewish blood but cannot think their way out of a brown paper lunch-bag!
Lizzie in Central Vic.
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There are Jewish People around the world that are extremely anti semitic for reasons that are truly unknown to modern society. These people hate themselves so much that they in turn hate everything about themselves including their so called Jewishness. Living in Australia or New Zealand which are island nations that are truly democratic, one must realize that there are few if any threats of any enemy attacking, these two nations, that is unless the inhabitants in Fiji, or Tonga decide to mount a campaign of terror much like Hamas is doing today. I don’t think that will occur any time soon. Fiji and Tonga are peaceful themselves. Israel on the other hand is surrounded by nations that have in their charters the phrase “that it is their duty to destroy Israel” Believe it or not, this is what these worldwide Jewish haters really want and hope for…the elimination of Israel and in effect the Jewish People. They hate themselves so much for the successes of Jews worldwide, that they are willing to act with the enemies of the Jewish People and of Israel proper to see that their ends are fully met and justified. Australians can see through this charade, the question remains…can you?