Belgian Writer Braves Anti-Semitism Bugaboo
WARNING : from muslim-website:
http://www.islamonline.net/English/News/2004-02/26/article07.shtmlCatherine traced back the decade-old Israeli settlement project through documents, maps and pictures
By Hadi Yahmed, IOL Paris Correspondent
PARIS, February 26 (IslamOnline.net) - Lucas Catherine, a Belgian researcher and expert on Arab and Mideast affairs, lashed out at the anti-Semitism bugaboo used by Zionist lobbies to head off any criticism to Israel and abort any endeavor to restore Palestinian rights.
In an interview with IslamOnline.net marking the release of his new book Palastine la derniere colonie? [Palestine..The Last Colony], Catherine braved the pressures of the Zionist lobby in Europe which scares people off so as not to unmask Israeli practices against Palestinians.
Vocalizing his staunch support for the Palestinian cause, the expert boasted being an anti-Zionist but repudiated anti-Semitism allegations.
The Zionist lobby in Europe is trying to terrorize people with the anti-Semitism charges but most Jews in Europe realize that the whole issue is nothing but an Israeli scheme to pressurize advocates of Palestinian rights, he added.
Catherine recalled that during his trips to several Belgian cities most Belgian Jews were reluctant to have Israel as their representative.
They believe that Israel is the cause of problems facing Jewish minorities around the world, he added.
Bogey
Having lost so many diplomatic battles, the latest being over its separation wall in the West Bank, Israel is only using anti-Semitism clichés to cover up its crimes, said the Belgian expert.
Catherine asserted that the idea is not new to the Zionist mindset, adding it dates back to 1923.
In November 1923, Vladimir Jabotinsky wrote in the Russian Rassvyet newspaper that Jewish settlements (in Palestine) can not be protected or separated from locals (Palestinians) except through building an iron wall, he recalled.
The International Court of Justice (ICJ) wrapped up Wednesday, February 25, three-day hearings into the legality of the Israeli controversial barrier.
The U.N. General Assembly called on the ICJ in December 2003 to rule on the legality of the wall , although any verdict is advisory and non-binding.
Land Confiscation
The Belgian researcher pointed out that the method currently used by Israel to lay hands on Palestinian lands in the West Bank and Gaza is the selfsame one used before the creation of Israel in 1948.
In his new 300-page book, he traces back the history of the Israeli settlement project using Israeli documents, maps and pictures.
Catherine lived for a long time in Israel and visited Palestinian villages razed to the ground in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
The statements came amid a heated debate across Europe over the issue of anti-Semitism.
A play by French comedian Dieudonne M'Bala M'Bala was taken off stage over accusation of anti-Semitism.
American superstar Mel Gibson’s new movie "Passion for the Christ" also came under fire by Jewish leaders who said it would fan anti-Semitism.
Gibson, who produced, directed and co-wrote the film, has said repeatedly that he is not anti-Semitic and that the project was a deeply personal expression of his own faith.
Last month, a diplomatic row erupted in neighboring Sweden when the Israeli ambassador was kicked out of the National Gallery of Antiquities after vandalizing a work of art, saying it was a terrible insult to the Israeli people.
The work’s Israeli-born creator rejected the charge, saying the work had a message of openness and conciliation.
A recent E.U. Commission survey which disclosed that some 59 per cent of Europeans believe Israel is more dangerous than North Korea and Iran, was immediately dismissed by Israel as anti-Semitic.
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Can somebody commment on the claims by Lucas Catherine, "a Belgian researcher and expert on Arab and Mideast affairs"?
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