Genocide
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Football anyone? Travels in irony
It’s an odd sight, PM Starmer falling over himself to seek additional resources to enable Birmingham police to cope with the ‘high risk’ possibility that were Maccabi football fans allowed to attend their November Europa League game against Aston Villa, violent disorder emanating from the Maccabi fans was a realistic possibility. The ‘high risk’ designation Continue reading
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Trump’s peace plan. Really?
It’s over one hundred years since the then League of Nations, in 1922, bestowed upon Britain a mandate over Palestine. Much has come to pass in the intervening years, yet the spirit of the Mandate, and its anchor point, the 1917 Balfour Declaration, is with us still, finding expression in Trump’s so-called Gaza peace plan. Continue reading
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They know what they do
I’ve said it myself: ‘there is one person who can stop Israel’s genocide in Gaza, and the West Bank too, simply by picking up the phone to Netanyahu.’ That is President Trump. But that statement is not entirely correct, for there is another potential force that were it to be so minded has the capacity Continue reading
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A willed desire not to know
At various points over the years of this blog, I’ve asked whether Israel has the internal resources – psychological, ethical, social, spiritual – to take a critical view of itself, and its founding ideology, Zionism. Thus far, it has not developed such a capacity. In a way, this is not surprising, for so pervasive is Continue reading
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The curtailment of truth-telling: Palestine Action and the assault on freedom
Evil-doers abhor truth. Therefore it must be smothered, distorted, silenced, concealed. That is what thematically connects the British Government’s intention to proscribe Palestinian Action with the Israeli government’s decision to close access to Israeli state archives. The Israeli state archives are the source material upon which Israel’s ‘new historians’ – for example Avi Shlaim and Continue reading
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The Board of Deputies of British Jews: Time’s up?
Mainstream, establishment Jewish opinion on Israel and Palestine, as promulgated and vigorously promoted by the Board of Deputies of British Jews (BoD), is facing a challenge. A challenge from within the depth of the body itself. In a statement to the Financial Times (16 April), thirty-six – out of over 300 – Deputies signed a Continue reading
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Apposite comparison? Nazi attitudes and behaviour, and Israel?
In our daily talk, but also when addressing more specialist areas of endeavour, we deploy the tools of analogy and comparison, comparing one thing or behaviour with another, as aids to understanding and insight. And, sometimes, to remind ourselves of the standards we would like to uphold. In this noticing of similarities, we do not Continue reading
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Is Israel in descent?
Is it too far out of left field to suggest that Israel is crumbling? That the manifestations of its seeming military prowess’ now yet again being visited on Gaza, but also in the West Bank, are actually the gasps of a wounded and failing entity? When a country goes to war, it’s generally expected that Continue reading
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Palestine/Israel: Gramsci has something to say to us
At time of writing, the ceasefire between Hamas and Israel is nominally agreed. ‘Nominally’: Israel, as ever, has conjured pretexts that call into question what was but moments ago cause for cautious, celebratory feelings among both the Palestinians of Gaza and the families and friends of the Israeli hostages – achievement of a ceasefire agreement Continue reading
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Israel: In a dark place
The 7th October 2023 punctured Israel’s belief in its inherent superiority. Disorientated, it knows only one mode of reaction: indiscriminate violence fuelled by a toxic fusion of fear and blood-lust revenge. And a belief that Palestinians and indeed Arabs – witness the Gaza-like decimation being visited upon Lebanon – are not fully human. And so Continue reading
About Me
This is Bernard Spiegal’s blog.
I write mainly about Palestine/Israel and related issues; sometimes other stuff too
Bernard Spiegal 