Posted by
Scott Keys on Wednesday, January 10, 2007 12:09:06 AM
Here's a news flash: Apparently when Arabs were treating Jews badly before the 1930's it was just "normal prejudice" accompanied by "oppression and persecution." Real anti-Semitism didn't arrive in the middle east until it was exported by the Nazis and other Europeans. The Arabs weren't anti-Semites - they just hated and killed the Jews! That was what was reported in PBS's
"Anti-Semitism in the 21st Century" on Monday evening Jan. 8. I'm sure it must 've been a comfort to those who were oppressed, persecuted and killed from the 8th century on in the region to know that their murderers didn't hate them for being Jews - they just hated them period! DISCLAIMER: This isn't to say that anti-Semitism wasn't epidemic in Europe from the middle ages through the 19th century and despicable in all of its manifestations(including the repulsive "Protocols of the Elders of Zion"). But, as evidenced by a poll showing that just 5% of Americans have an "unfavorable" opinion(compared to over 95% in, I think it was, Lebanon), this kind of irrational hatred is long past in the West.
Also we got to hear pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel Middle East scholar Rashid Khalidi tell us that if only Israel would give the Palestinians somewhere to go there could be a peaceful settlement of this whole mess. Wow. I'll have some of what he's having.
The program was actually pretty even-handed, in my opinion, except for the laughable premise of the importing of the whole idea of anti-Semitism from Europe. But maybe I just don't know any better. Natan Sharansky was excellent as was Salameh Nematt and a couple of others interviewed. Very watchable - the hour went by quickly.