To Israel, From India with love
- Otto Preminger filmed the Leon Uris novel
The greatest level of sympathy towards Israel can be found in India, according to international study on behalf of the Foreign Ministry, Yedioth Ahronoth reported Friday.
According to the study, which was unprecedented in scope and was undertaken by an international market research company, 58% of Indian respondents showed sympathy to the Jewish State. The United States came in second, with 56% of American respondents sympathizing with Israel.
A total of 5,215 people took part in the study. Other countries that showed significant sympathy to Israel included Russia (52%) Mexico (52%) and China (50%). At the bottom of the list, the study ranked Britain (34%) France (27%) and Spain (23%) as the least sympathetic countries towards Israel. (via From India with love – Israel News, Ynetnews).
Leopards don’t change
This study was mighty interesting. On three counts.
Western Europe continues with its sterling record of intolerance, xenophobia, the push for ‘assimilation and integration’. In Western Europe (Britain, France, Spain, et al), prejudice against Jews is marked. Whether it was Shakespeare in the Merchant of Venice or Hitler in Europe, Antisemitism is alive, well and kicking in Europe.
Of course, the proxy for Antisemitism in today’s Europe is Israel.
Classic propaganda
Desert Bloc remains the prime exponent of propaganda – maya. Illusion. Something that tricks people.
For this maya, Israel has to thank people like Leon Uris writer of Exodus, (hired by Edward Gottlieb for ‘improving Israel’s image), The Raid at Entebbe, ( the rescue of Israeli hostages from Idi Amin’s Uganda) or the hunt for Eichmann movies.
The propaganda overdrive on the Holocaust won the State of Israel many sympathizers. The propaganda on how the kibbutzim made the desert bloom, covered the open wounds of the Palestinians expulsions.
Propaganda practitioners and PR gurus like Edward Gottlieb and Howard Dietz embraced the Zionist cause and promoted the idea of the State of Israel. Edward Gottlieb, a PR pioneer, author of a PR primer book, worked on the cause of Israel. Edward Gottlieb’s masterstroke was to send Leon Uris to Israel to ‘research’ the story of the Exodus. Howard Dietz, the publicist of Sam Goldwyn, (reputedly behind many of Goldwyn’s malapropisms)was another.
- from Fifty years of Israel By Donald Neff, page 19
The fall guys
The third part of the story is the story of the ‘fall guys’. The classic ‘fall guys’ for this propaganda operation were the distant bystanders. The ‘sympathy’ shown to Israel, comes from typically countries with a small or negligible Jewish populations – like China, Mexico – and India. People who saw these events from far – very far. The Indians, Chinese, Mexicans, et al.
Indians know of the Israeli story through the movies, fiction and ‘war’ stories. In school, the size of the Exodus, made me shirk from the starting the book. But the many ‘rave’ reviews from classmates steeled me to pick up the book – and 1 week later. I was a ‘convert’ to the Jewish cause.
A few years later, it was a different story. My neighbours, some Jordanian-Palestinian students dropped in to see me, in Poona, one night. Over some music and soda, they introduced me to the ‘other’ side of the problem. (I wonder where these Iranian and Palestinian students have disappeared?)
Indians (suckers for propaganda) have been taken in by the maya of Israel.
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Who’s amung us
while u may not have fallen for Isreal’s maya, it is obvious that you have fallen for Ahmadinejad’s maya !! Moral of the story: avoid the company of muslim students!!
Seriously, u seem to suffer from Stockholm’s syndrome (i am assuming that u are a hindu). To expect India to support paletinian muslims verus Isreal. ha ha ha. maybe u expect palestine & the hamas to come in support of india on the kashmir issue. Oh i am sorry. i suppose as per ur logic we shuld hand over kashmir to (demonized) pakistan.
Am I glad!!
And what specific evidence do you have of that!!
Interesting!!
Would it not be more appropriate to apply the label of Stockholm syndrome to those victims who sympathize with their ‘Western captors’ even today!
I am unsure about the reason for your mirth!!
While you are expecting a ‘defenceless’ India to go beg Israel for ‘support!’ Israel is ‘supporting’ India by selling arms and armaments, because we pay them!! Not because they love us!!
May be you should look up the meaning of non-sequitur! There is no linkage between the two!!
A word of advice!! Criticize as much as you want!! But take a 2ndlook first.
First, let me thank you for taking the pain to reply to my earlier comment as after all this is your blog and you are fully entitled to your opinions. Second, let me apologize for carrying on with that argument, especially as you must be busy fighting the Swiss ban on minarets!!
Now let me look up ur arguments point by point:
1. what specific evidence I have whether u have fallen for “Ahmadinejad’s maya” or “muslim maya” or “islamic maya.”
Quite simple: anybody who believes that islam is being demonized …. I won’t say more.
2. U then write .. “Would it not be more appropriate to apply the label of Stockholm syndrome to those victims who sympathize with their ‘Western captors’ even today!”
I am sure you are joking. Well being a Hindu from east India (Bengal – Assam), believe me I would Any Day prefer the british or east India company, rather than live under nawab’s, muslim league, tikka khans (u know who was tikka khan, maybe you don’t know about the pakistan genocide of east bengali hindus in 70-71).
Ever head of the begali hindu renassiance in the 18-19 centuries (or for that matter the general Hindu reniasance all over india). I am sure u’ll be upset / angry / bitter to learn that it started once the british has booted out the nawbs / mughals etc and not when Auranzeb or some daula or the other was ruling bengal, whose main business was kidnapping Hindu women or extorting money from Hindu bankers.
3. U are unsure about the reason for my mirth. Well, either u lack a sense of humor or u don’t seem to understand Islam or the concept of Islamic ummah. And why don’t u spell out what India will gain out of supporting Palestinian muslims?
4. Now it’s my turn to be confused. What do u mean by ‘defenceless’ India to go beg Israel for ’support!’ India did not even have diplomatic ties with isreal till a few years back. And why should the Israelis send us arms free wrapped in a gift wrapping? Its all quid pro quo or realpolitik. How may muslin countries came to India’s support in 48, 65, 71 or for that matter during the last 20 – 30 years of Pakistan sponsored terrorism.
5. non-sequitur. No Sir, its not non-sequitur. India was one of the earliest (or the first) countries to recognize the Arafat as a head of state (those were the days when much of the western world labelled him a terrorist), India voted against the formation of Israel, etc etc. and the OIC still routinely passes resolutions on Kashmir in favor of Pakistan. What world are u living in?
Are you suggesting the Shakespeare was anti-Jew? It appears you haven’t read The Merchant of Venice properly. One of the greatest statements of equality are from the Shylock (Shakespeare’s character) and I quote,
“Hath not a Jew eyes? hath not a Jew hands, organs,
dimensions, senses, affections, passions? fed with
the same food, hurt with the same weapons, subject
to the same diseases, healed by the same means,
warmed and cooled by the same winter and summer, as
a Christian is? If you prick us, do we not bleed?
if you tickle us, do we not laugh? if you poison
us, do we not die? and if you wrong us, shall we not
revenge? If we are like you in the rest, we will
resemble you in that..”
Whatever be the argument against Shylock’s character and therefore Shakespeare himself, these words cannot be said by someone who is anti semantic as you claim. Just imagine Taliban writers creating plots in praise of America or the Jews of Palestine. No! Clearly Shakespeare understood the sentiments of anti-semantics and echoed them in his works, but at the same time creating awareness on the oneness on all human kind.
Here is an article from the telegraph discussing these sentiments : http://blogs.telegraph.co.uk/news/danielhannan/3676981/Was_Shakespeare_antiSemitic/
Do be sure what you write before you make such sweeping statements. It is articles such as these that stem from a lack of proper understanding that breed racial hatred among people. I implore you to stop misinforming the readers of your blog.
straight answer neede:
Do you deny holocaust ?
Under attack by Israeli trolls LOL.
Ignore them.You are correct about Shakespeare.