Thread by @PhilVabulas, There are competing motions to Green Party conference. One to adopt IHRA, [...]

There are competing motions to Green Party conference. One to adopt IHRA, one to actively campaign against it. An advocate of the latter complained that they& #39;d been falsely accused of anti-Semitism and I think is a good example of the fine line, one which I think they crossed. 1)

Before I start, I want to make clear that I support BDS against anybody involved in the OPT and think that the Israeli government is a far-right, racist group. I stand squarely with Palestinians, Bedouins, Ethiopian Jews and all others victimised by that government. 2)

So this person, who I won& #39;t name and will explain why at the end, ran for a senior position in the party. Part of their policy pitch was "stop selling arms around the world and particularly to Israel". So why "particularly Israel"? 3)

Here is a list of total arms licenses approved since 2008. I hope you can see where I& #39;m going with this.
https://old.caat.org.uk/resources/export-licences/value-by-destination
4)">https://old.caat.org.uk/resources...

Israel is 20th on that list. A very abridged extract of some of the countries above Israel:
- Saudi Arabia, currently bombing and starving Yemenis
- USA, #BlackLivesMatter

https://abs.twimg.com/hashflags... draggable="false" alt="">
- Turkey, violently suppressing Kurds
- India, Muslims aren& #39;t safe, especially in Kashmir and Jammu
5)

- Indonesia, natives on many islands are being wiped out

That list is very far from complete and not exactly nuanced, but I hope it highlights that Israel& #39;s atrocities, and they are many, are not unique in this world, nor especially equipped by the UK. 6)

So, why "particularly Israel"? What leads a candidate to single out that country above all others? I don& #39;t think it& #39;s a hatred of Jews, which is why they refute the claim of anti-Semitism, but I do think it& #39;s based on tropes and ideas that have anti-Semitism embedded. 7)

The Israeli government is not uniquely evil, the occupation of Palestine is not unparalleled. They& #39;re allies of the UK, sure, but so are all of those countries above them. They& #39;re a (flawed) democracy, but so are the majority on the list. 8)

If you single them out then you& #39;ve found some unique trait that doesn& #39;t apply to the other countries who we sell more to, and frankly I only see one, Israel& #39;s Jewish majority. I& #39;d be very keem to hear if someone can find another. 9)

That& #39;s why I think it& #39;s fair for people to find that policy pitch anti-Semitic.
I won& #39;t act and raise a complaint, because it& #39;s a singular statement, not a pattern, because I don& #39;t think it would help the fight against AS, because the claim would be weaponised. 10)

But I hope they read this, see why the accusation isn& #39;t false, and apologise. I hope they accept that the motion to adopt IHRA with guidance is well intentioned, not "group-think". I hope, but without optimism. 11/11

Addendum: There& #39;s a clear overlap between people doubling down when justly accused of an anti-Semitic action, and doing the same with a transphobic one. I really wish people could just apologise, listen, and learn, instead of finding comfort in bigotry.

Latest Threads Unrolled: