Fake outrage as UK press distorts Israeli president’s remarks about anti-Israel sentiment in Britain and then stokes more anti-Israel sentiment

Robin Shepherd
robinshepherdonline.com
02 August '10

The fake outrage now sweeping through British media and political circles about Shimon Peres’ analysis of anti-Israel hostility in the UK is something to behold. Peres had made a series of remarks about Britain and other European countries to Tablet Magazine.

As anyone who reads the comments can see (link above) Peres was measured and fair in his analysis which centred on long standing pro-Arab sentiment in important parts of the British establishment, attempts to appease Britain’s Muslim population and traditions of anti-Semitism in some quarters. He did acknowledge that there was also some support for Israel in Britain but portrayed that as a minority pursuit largely confined to sections of the British right.

So, nothing much to take issue with here, right? Not according to Conservative parliamentarian Andrew Rosindell who was quoted in the Daily Express as describing Peres’ remarks as “wholly inaccurate” and “inappropriate”. “Maybe he should spend more time here, get to know the British people and realise we defeated the Nazis in the war,” said Rosindell, making the embarrassingly elementary mistake of confusing correlation with causation — Britain’s brave stance in WWII stopped the Holocaust from being completed, but we did not go to war to stop the Holocaust. We went to war to prevent German expansionism and save our own skins.

But it gets worse.

The Daily Mail — Britain’s second best selling newspaper and the best read on the internet — ran a headline saying: “Israel accuses UK of anti-Semitism”. The article slammed Peres for making an “astonishing outburst in which he accused the English of being anti-Semitic”. But he didn’t accuse the English of being anti-Semitic, not at least in the blanket sense in which the Mail implies. And since Peres is very clear on this point — after listing a host of reasons for anti-Israel sentiment he says there is “also anti-Semitism” — this must mean that the distortion is deliberate and malicious.

(Read full article)

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