British Hatred of Israel

Israel should be seen by England as a natural ally, an outpost of freedom, democracy and civility in an otherwise barbaric region. Yet instead of making common cause with Israel against the islamic jihadists, the British establishment is overtly hostile to Israel and has sold its soul to the devil by choosing to align with the savages who seek its destruction and who also seek England's and the entire free world's destruction. You would think that the problems they are having with muslim immigrants would make Brits more empathetic with Israel, but the more trouble they have with muslims, the more hostile Britain is to Israel and Jews. You would think that by now they would see the folly of this outlook. Has England's anti-Israel stance made it less of a target of the islamic jihadists? Absolutely not, on the contrary. So why do they persist? With regard to that terrorist george galloway, rather than serving in Parliament, the guy should be imprisoned for treason. I have come to believe England is getting everything it deserves for becoming a nation of cowards and moral degenerates.

It has been a terrible month for Israel's reputation in Great Britain. The government has announced a partial arms embargo in protest of Operation Cast Lead. The Charity War on Want has held a launch event for a new book entitled Israeli Apartheid: A Beginners Guide. The Guardian has featured commentaries promoting the apartheid analogy as well as accusing Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu of using Nazi language to defend settlement policy. The BBC and other media outlets have given massive coverage to the recent Breaking the Silence report slamming the IDF for committing "war crimes." Barely a day goes by without a new front being opened against the Jewish state.

Those of us who follow such matters are always in danger of getting too close to our subject. But, given that the IDF is not involved in combat operations, I for one have never seen a period like it. On Friday, the Guardian ran two anti-Israel opinion pieces on one and the same day.

There's something in the air. The Israel-haters smell blood, and they're going in for the kill. It could be that we are on the threshold of a new era. But why now?

The simplest explanation is that the relentless, unremitting stream of anti-Israeli invective that has been pumped into the public mind in Britain over the last decade or so was always going to reach critical mass at some point. There is nothing particularly significant about the timing. The clock has been ticking for years. Israel's time has simply come.

ULTIMATELY, THE simple explanation may be the best explanation. But there are a number of other factors now at play which may have helped bring the situation to a head.

First, the election of Barack Obama is perceived by many British opinion formers as heralding a refreshing new approach to Israel from the United States. For linguistic and historical reasons, political change in America is keenly felt in Britain. Obama's comments calling for a freeze on the settlements have provided the pretext for a renewed assault on Israel in general using the American president's huge popularity as cover.

Second, the election of Netanyahu combined with the appointment of Avigdor Lieberman as foreign minister have offered new opportunities to make the attack personal. Even for Israel's most virulent detractors, it was not easy to mount a hate campaign against Ehud Olmert and Tzipi Livni. Netanyahu has been demonized in Britain for years. Lieberman is portrayed as little better than a skinhead. The wolves have been thrown fresh meat.

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