Just imagine: you take to the streets to protest for Tibet, Cambodia, or the massacre in Sudan—no problem, freedom of expression is guaranteed by the Constitution of a country that is (still) democratic. But if, by some misfortune, you protest against Israel to stop the massacre/genocide/slaughter (take your pick) in Gaza and elsewhere in Palestine, or in Lebanon, or in Tehran, you’ll be prosecuted for anti-Semitism! In Britain, this law has led to several thousand arrests—including that of a blind senior citizen who was protesting with a “Free Palestine” sign. The High Court of Justice overturned it, but the Labour Prime Minister—who is no stranger to disgrace—filed an appeal, and in the meantime, the law remains in effect.
Caroline Yadan—in principle a member of the National Assembly but in fact a representative of the Israeli far right—wants to pass this law on April 16 with the support of this government and the parliamentary right. But also with the support of Socialist deputies, the very same ones who, for the sake of consistency, should be sitting with the right (Hollande, Guedj, and their ilk).
The worst part is that they do not realize the ignominy, the assault on democracy that this represents. Or even the racism: every country has the right to commit war crimes except Israel, because it is composed mostly of Jews. De Gaulle, Chirac, Mitterrand, and the greats like Mendès France and Blum must be turning in their graves.
It feels like a nightmare, and of course the spokespeople for Israeli propaganda—the BHLs, Einthovens, Arams, Fourests, Finkielkrauts, and others—see nothing wrong with it, failing to understand how much this contributes to reinforcing anti-Semitism and the justified opposition to the power of the Jewish lobby. Ms. Yadan wanted to pass a law requiring every naturalized citizen to recognize the State of Israel!
Vote against it by sending your objection to the National Assembly via this link. If, by any chance, the far right comes to power, this law will provide the means to imprison trade unionists, opponents, and scientists who have the misfortune of speaking ill of Israel, this state blessed by the gods that can get away with anything by claiming to be the victim—a situation unique in the annals of history, however dark they may be. There have been colonialist countries—almost all European countries—but to my knowledge, none have ever claimed to be victims.
Let us emphasize, for all the great critics of anti-Semitism—especially where it does not exist—that this is by no means about questioning the existence of the State of Israel, but simply about reminding people that it commits war crimes all over the place and, as such, is open to criticism just like any other state. There is a universal justice that accepts no exceptions. It will simply have to eventually accept sharing Palestine as planned for 80 years and integrating into its neighborhood rather than being a U.S. enclave in the East.
A French or American settler arriving in the West Bank has no right to expel and kill the indigenous people who have lived there for ages simply because he is Jewish and has rights granted by Abraham. Land registry evidence based on quite a few myths is a bit lacking!
