Lies and incorrect statistics

Am I the only person who gets incensed when the truth is twisted out of all proportion to fit a narrative specifically created to make Israel and the Jewish people look bad?

I’m well aware that those who dislike us for whatever reason will say that I’m suffering from “victim mentality”, and that I believe that there is antisemitism when there isn’t. These same people, who unfortunately are growing in number and generally aren’t stupid, claim that the rise in antisemitism is a myth created by Jews. They claim that, of course, nobody has a problem with Jews, it’s just the Jewish state that is monstrous. Right!

As I was driving into work earlier this week and listening to the radio, I heard a news report about the war Israel is involved in and South Africa’s reaction to it. Obviously, my ears pricked up because I’m interested, but when it began by referring to 7 October in Israel as having been an “attack on 1 000 Israelis”, the anger started. I already knew that what was to follow would be equally shamelessly inaccurate. It went on to make the point that the mighty and ‘genocidal’ Israel went into Gaza and destroyed it, brutally murdering about 40 000 Palestinians who were mostly women and children.

Here’s the thing, with the preface that 7 October was an attack on 1 000 Israelis, the die is already cast in fake news. The image was of a little attack on 1 000 people in which some may have been harmed. There was no indication of brutal gang rape, burning people alive in their homes, and far worse, if that’s at all possible. They also neglected to mention that it was 1 200 innocent people murdered, and many, many wounded and left homeless. That reality, which is our present-day history, was obliterated so easily and swiftly by a respected news station.

Now, this day, 7 October, which is etched in every Jewish mind around the world, and through which every Israeli lived, cannot be deleted or altered like that. In reality, the perpetrators themselves made sure of it because they proudly documented the horror they inflicted by videoing it and putting it up all over social media. Far too many of us have seen the images and the horror. There’s no turning back or ignoring what happened.

Only, soon after 7 October, we started hearing how Israelis had made it up or worse, they did it to themselves to blame Hamas so they could go in and destroy Gaza.

No matter what anyone says, this is pure antisemitism. This week, when we heard the minister of international relations and cooperation giving his reasons why the African National Congress (ANC) and the South African government’s attitude towards Israel was all about being humanitarian and not being antisemitic, it made it all so clear.

“It cannot be that any criticism towards Israel is rendered antisemitic,” he said. He’s 100% correct, only it’s not just any criticism. The ANC criticises everything and anything Israel does as horrifying. Then, add to that a whole host of things Israel didn’t actually do but is blamed for because, well, why not? Has the ANC missed an opportunity to criticise anything Israel has done in the past 18 months, or five years? Has the ANC even acknowledged that this isn’t a one-sided war, and the rockets rain down on Israel every day? Not once!

If just one of those rockets reached its destination in an Israeli city, hundreds would die. The Iron Dome and brilliant Israeli technology are the only things stopping wholesale death and destruction in Israel. But it’s pure antisemitism when it’s all about one side being good, even angelic, and the other side – the Jews – being all bad.

Because of the importance of clarifying why the minister is so wrong, I handed it over to the experts to give a full and clear response. See page 4.

The real problem is that the more lies are spread about a group of people – like us – the less resistant people are to dismissing it, and the more people believe it.

And so we have terrorist attacks, like what happened to Rabbi Zvi Kogan in the United Arab Emirates, and like the attacks in Amsterdam a few weeks back.

Just this week, I had a conversation with an old friend who happened to be Jewish, but was deeply critical of Israel and claimed not to be a Zionist. However, he was clear that no matter how angry he was with the Israeli government, Israel had to survive because as Jews anywhere in the world, our survival depends on Israel.

I suggested that in fact, he was 100% a Zionist because being a Zionist means only that we believe a Jewish state is essential. It doesn’t mean that we have to support Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu or any policy in Israel. It just means the acknowledgement of Israel’s importance, and the need to keep it afloat. If Zionism meant supporting the Israeli government, more than half of the Jews in Israel right now wouldn’t be Zionists. But they are because they love their country, just not their government. And therein lies the importance of a democracy.

Our minister of international relations and cooperation doesn’t believe there’s a need for a Jewish state. He and the government have made it clear that they support the cry, “From the river to the sea; Palestine will be free”. This is a call for Palestinian land to replace Israel from the River Jordan to the Mediterranean Sea.

Dr Imtiaz Sooliman, who has in the past motivated so many in our community to hand over lots of money to help his humanitarian causes, has shown his true colours in recent declarations that show sheer antisemitism. I guess he has stopped even trying to suggest otherwise, as the things he says about us get worse and worse.

What he is extraordinarily wrong about is his insistence that Israel is weakening. It isn’t. Israel and the Jewish world are getting closer and stronger in their resolve and partnership. Israel will prevail and it will – using every humanitarian route possible – win the war.

You may wonder why I say this. It’s simple. Because as the world and our haters look for everything bad Israel has done, they need to emerge with clarity that Israel has in fact been as squeaky clean as possible. And I’m sure that in the end, they will do so despite what our haters want the world to believe. Am Yisrael Chai!

Shabbat shalom!

Peta Krost

Editor