Sunday, February 14, 2010

Grandmothers can be Antisemites, Too

This one's name is Jenny Tonge, she's a British politician from the Lib-Dem party, a Baroness in the House of Lords, she's got a history of animosity towards Israel, but this time she's gone overboard even by the sordid standards of British Lefties:

The latest row followed accusations in the online Palestine Telegraph – of which she is a patron – that members of the Israeli Defence Force (IDF) had been harvesting body parts in Haiti. She subsequently told the Jewish Chronicle: "To prevent allegations such as these – which have already been posted on YouTube – going any further, the IDF and the Israeli Medical Association should establish an independent inquiry immediately to clear the names of the team in Haiti."

It's an interesting provenance: a Palestinian website invents an outlandish anti-Jewish calumny out of thin air. A British Baroness who's one of their ardent supporters picks it up and runs with it, while professing earnest concern for the objects of the calumny by recommending they must clear their name (since it's already being besmirched on YouTube). How touching.

In Hebrew there's a saying "Prove you don't have a sister", which was invented for this type of logic. Note that she doesn't suggest the Palestinians bring evidence that the Israelis might refute. That's not how calumnies work.

In this case, the allegations are so blatant her political boss has been forced to distance himself. Even her own group can't stomach her fanaticism. For all that, she's such a nice-looking grandmotherly type, the kind of nice lady you'd be eager to have over for tea. Antisemites - as I never tire of saying - don't generally have horns nor do they froth at the mouth. They can often be found deep in respectable society; what could be more respectable than the UK House of Lords after all.

4 comments:

Anonymous said...

might it not be a good strategy to force people like her to lay out the exact procedure how the IDF is to refute the charge of "not having a sister" down to the most minute check-lists?
I once was accused behind my back by my boss in the "good ol' times" of being a lesbian. He concluded this on the basis that I wore a shoulder handbag. What could I have done to clear myself? fornicate in front of him? how many? all through the Kamasutra or just part of it?
Silke

Avigdor said...

Prove you don't have a sister

In America, we have another form of this...

How many times have you beat your wife?

Another variant...

How many times have you raped your daughter?

...and so on.

SnoopyTheGoon said...

"For all that, she's such a nice-looking grandmotherly type, the kind of nice lady you'd be eager to have over for tea."

After JC have posted this:

http://simplyjews.blogspot.com/2010/02/baroness-tonge-where-meryl-wouldnt-dare.html

I doubt you will still hold to this opinion ;-)

ModernityBlog said...

Agree with Snoops.

Baroness Tonge has plenty of "form", having made absurd and racist comments over the years.

She'll do it again, that's what they do.

What is a bit more interesting is who actually supports her, not unsurprisingly it is a pile of bigots and conspiracy freaks...

http://modernityblog.wordpress.com/2010/02/14/who-would-defend-baroness-tonges-racism/