So here I am, trying to work through the whole complex subject of Palestinian suicide bombings (and the nature of Israel’s reactions to them)… But Ze’ev Boim, Israel’s deputy Defense Minister, thinks he might have the answer.
Tuesday, he made a statement in public in which he asked: “What is it about Islam as a whole and the Palestinians in particular? Is it some form of cultural deprivation? Is it some genetic defect? There is something that defies explanation in this continued murderousness.”
According to this story by Yair Ettinger in today’s Ha’Aretz, Boim’s statement created “a firestorm of outrage” in Israel. Ettinger reported on a number of outraged comments made by Members of Knesset from the Labor-and-to-the-left and Arab parties. (Go read them.)
But here’s my question: Where’s the outrage from political or cultural figures in the United States?
Imagine how great, and how rapidly organized, the outrage would be if a deputy minister in an Arab country (or anywhere else) had gone on the record with exactly parallel comments about the Jews! But here is a clear example of hate-speech… And where, oh where, is the outrage– or even, any expression of mild criticism– from pols and other public personalities in the US?
In addition to the various criticisms of Boim’s speech that various political figures inside Israel voiced publicly, Ettinger also reported the following significant reactions from Israeli personalities:
- … Yehiel Hazan, MK (Likud), supported Boim. “What Ze’ev Boim said, it hasn’t been researched, but according to my experience this is true. I think he is correct. It is well known that Arabs have been slaughtering and murdering Jews for more than a generation. I think this it is in their blood. It is something genetic. I have not researched this, but there is no other way to explain it.” Hazan added, “don’t believe an Arab, even one who has been in the grave for 40 years.”
Meimad leader MK Rabbi Michael Melchior slammed the statements as racist and contrary to the tenets of Judaism. He likened them to claims of genetic flaws linked to Jews by the Nazis and others throughout history.
Ronni Bar On, MK (Likud) was one of the few MKs on the right who openly criticized Boim. “His comments are not worthy of anyone from the movement of Ze’v Jabotinsky, and certainly not of Jews, who in the past were labeled as genetically defective. As soon as genetics is mentioned, murder and other horrible things become allowed.” Bar On called on Boim to apologize and retract his statement.
Good job, Melchior and Bar On. And shame, shame, Hazan and–of course–Ze’ev Boim.
A deputy minister, for goodness sake!
Imagine how great, and how rapidly organized, the outrage would be if a deputy minister in an Arab country (or anywhere else) had gone on the record with exactly parallel comments about the Jews!
I actually can’t recall the last time the United States took notice of racist comments from foreign politicians below ministerial rank.
I agree, of course, that Boim’s statement is totally disgusting.
Boim has apologized under pressure.
Jonathan, I am delighted that Boim has apologized. Is there anything there about Hazan, whose statement was, imho, even worse?
I think you may be technically right to say that “the United States” as such doesn’t take notice of racist comments from foreign politicans below ministerial rank. But I wasn’t talking about “the United States” as such. I was talking about “political or cultural figures here in the United States”… I’m recalling the general outcry over, for example, the anti-Semitic (or, more precisely, since Arabs are also Semites, anti-Jewish anti-Semitic) statements made by Joerg Haidar (?sp) in Austria, and how members of Congress and cultural personalities here who maybe could not even find Austria on a map lined up to excoriate him.
Where have they been over Boim?
So do tell me if you hear of any “political or cultural personalities” here who make any comment at all about statements like Boim’s or Hazan’s. Personally, I have huge respect for all those pols over in Israel who understood the dangers involved in any recourse to that kind of “genetic defect” reasoning, and called on Boim to retract his comments immediately.
I think that boms arent such as surprise, the bombs are made every dan in different places. Also how to make bomb, you can read in library, so why we are wondering the causes of this?
We cant stop this destruction, just look aroun yourself and you will see what the world is doing.
You can aslo read many interesting thing about world Here