First Drafts - The Prospect magazine blog

4 Responses

1. Patrick Reay Jehu says:

   May 31, 2008 at 7:02 pm

   The irony of the whole business with Beitar is that their supporters, especially the hooligans known as “La Familia”, behave in just the same thuggish way as the S.A. behaved towards the Jews in Germany. Even more worrying is the racist attitudes and reasons why most Israelis want a two-state solution on Israel’s terms only, with the so-called Palestinian state a series of “Bantustans”.

   Even so, the Israeli regime’s refusal to negotiate, and and to chip away at Palestinian land with their illegal settlements, leads one to the conclusion that their real aim is to effect total ethnic cleansing on the West Bank by making Palestinians lives completely intolerable. Since we know that many strands of Zionist ideology also claim Transjordan, one can only assume that a successful ethnic cleansing of the West Bank will lead to further expansionism by Israel, just like Hitler with his ‘final territorial claims’. Of course a boody war would ensue, partly due to Israel’s confidence in its own military prowess. It helps that this has been dented somewhat by Hezbollah.
2. ploome says:

   June 11, 2008 at 10:36 pm

   ..very depressing

   behavior like that invites contempt for Israel and Jews

   you do not have to love the Arabs, but they should be treated with common respect and courtesy..

   …not for them, but for us

   one hour of these ugly demonstrations, reinforce their murderous hatred..nothing is gained
3. Anon Mous says:

   June 12, 2008 at 11:29 am

   I’m shocked that it took so long to have the beginnings of an Israeli backlash against the Arabs who have been trying to murder and ethnically cleanse them for so long.
4. BobFromBrockley says:

   July 2, 2008 at 4:34 pm

   Yes, depressing article. But also important that Beitar ultras not be taken as typical of Israeli society, any more than Rangers ultras should be taken as typical of Scottish society. They represent an extreme (ultra) version of attitudes that may be widespread, but are not the norm.

   Also depressing that people take the actions of a few as “inviting contempt” for a whole nation. Surely most of us should be smart enough not to have contempt for all Jews because some Jews are disgusting?

   And depressing that some people (i.e. Anon Mous) think that these Beitar fans are acceptable.