The Guardian declines to publish a letter by anti-apartheid campaigners
On 17 January, the Guardian published an editorial entitled The Guardian view on Israel and apartheid: prophecy or description?.
In response, over 300 people signed a letter, including former ANC MPs Ronnie Kasrils & Andrew Feinstein (both in government with Nelson Mandela), Jeff Halper of the Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD Jerusalem), and Linda Ramsden of ICAHD UK.
The Guardian declined to publish the letter.
The letter
The letter reads:
The Guardian editorial takes seriously that Palestinians live under an apartheid regime “between the Jordan River and the Mediterranean Sea” as reported by the Israeli human rights organisation B’Tselem. One week earlier, 60 Israeli high school students (“Shministim”) publicly refused to serve in the military, noting that it enforces apartheid.
Will the Guardian also recognise that when the JNF (Jewish National Fund) expropriates Palestinian land for Jewish people only – this is also apartheid? The Guardian supported the boycott movement against apartheid in South Africa, and no-one thought it was a democracy; no apartheid regime can be. Will the Guardian now defend anti-apartheid campaigners in this country, in the Palestinian occupied territories and in Israel?
Signatories
The following people signed the letter:
Read on...
Max Geller
Selma James, signing for Global Women’s Strike
Michael Kalmanovitz, signing International Jewish Anti-Zionist Network (IJAN) UK
Sam Weinstein, IJAN UK
Yael Kahn
Rob Langlands
Katherine Bligh
Abe Hayeem
Rosamine Hayeem
Sonya Delancey
Linda Ramsden, signing for Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions UK
Owen Holland
Paul Kelemen
Anne Hall
Marie Lynam
Janet Green
Ruth Tenne
Moshé Machover
Luca Salice
Ann Jungmann
Alexei Sayle
Linda Sayle
Prof. Haim Bresheeth, Professorial Research Associate SOAS University of London
Rada Daniell
Kay Chapman
John Tymon, co-ordinator Football Against Apartheid
Caroline Barker
Tom Suárez
Nancy Elan
Tony Greenstein
Susan Wood
Rica Bird
Gill McCall
Deborah Maccoby
Sabby Sagall, Chair Camden PSC
Christine Clark
John Porter
Roland Rance
Elizabeth Morley
Meinir Ann Titman
Dr Joseph O’Neill, Interfaith for Palestine, Swansea, Wales
Annie O’Gara
Paul Wimpeney
David Roger
Ann Hallam
Greg Dropkin
Helena Gilbert
Kyrie du Heaume, Hereford PSC
Iola Davies, member of Brighton & Hove PSC
Geoff Brown
Lynda Gilbert, signatory, Jews for Justice for Palestine
Kathy McCubbing
Miranda Pinch
Dr John Dinnen
Maggie Ronayne, lecturer, NUI Galway
Donald Saunders
Pete Firmin
Frances Kelly
Jessica McGarty
Ian Ferrie
Graham Bash
Lucy Zawadzki
Anne Mitchell
Keith Dimond
R.A. Pitt
Malcolm Hecks, Architect France
Andy Simons
Patricia Sheerin
Prof. James Dickins, chair, Leeds PSC
Peter Balaam
Anne Phoenix
Sue Blackwell
Steve Jack, York PSC
Nathan Mann
Nicola Mann
Sandra Mann
Jean Kendall
Prof. Janet Watson
Angie Mindel
Steve Kendall
Terry Gallogly
John Booth
Kate Toch
Nadia Amara
Gloria George
Frances Bernstein
Dr Marion Roberts
John Chapman
Jean Hill
Kath Card
Eddie Powell
Tina Yemm, vice-chair Sherwood branch, Nottingham East CLP
Ann Moroney
Sarah Perrigo, retired academic from Dept of Peace Studies, Political Education Officer Leeds North East CLP
Caroline Poland, Sheffield Labour Friends of Palestine& Sheffield PSC
Patricia Cockrell
Geoffrey Hill
Jean Hill
Joan Mills
Dr. Kevin Bean
Dr. Ian Saville
Ali Osman, artist
Terry Gallogly
Tony Victor Wright
Duncan Taylor
Seamus O’Connell
Luan Keenan
Roger Higginson
Adrian Briggs
Shaun Cohen
Miriam Scharf
Lesley Bryan
Steve Jansky
Caroline O’Reilly
David Mitchell
Tricia Griffin
Carolynn Ryan
Dr. Rod Walters
Jan Benvie, signing for Scottish Palestinian Forum
Mira Mattar, UK Palestine Mental Health Network
Leon Rosselson
Mohamed El Gomati
Jayne McGlone
Barbara Konig
Glyn Secker
Ruth Harvey, signing for the Iona Community
Colm Doherty
Eurig Scandrett, chair of Scottish PSC
John Nicholson
Pauline Sault
Didi Rossi, signing for Queer Strike
Mike Cushman
Mundher Al-Adhami
Lisa Hitchen
Sue Campbell
Colin McKean, Liverpool Friends of Palestine
Julie Pearn, Chair Sheffield Labour Friends of Palestine
Charley Young
Sue Young
Dr Eddy Knasel
Betty Hunter
Keith Nathan
Sarah Cox
Anne Charvet
Faizah Haider
Catherine Cumming
Jennifer Runham
Kenneth Fryde
Liz Morrison
Barbara Iqbal
Tessa van Gelderen
Albab Jigar Andrabi
Safiya O’Donnell
Mary Adossides
David Plank, Cambridge PSC
Professor D.B.A. Epstein FRS
Peter Jones, Sheffield Labour Friends of Palestine
Leah Levane
Clive Darling
Adam Hurst
Flis Callow
J. W. Freeman
Nick Georges
Omar Mofeed, Palestinian activist
Robyn Dasey
Giorgio Riva
Kate Macintosh
Barry Watson
David Mond, Emeritus Professor of Mathematics, University of Warwick
Kate Macintosh, MBE RIBA
Les Levidow
Christiane van Duuren, UK Palestine Mental Health Network
Teresa Bailey, UK-PAL Mental Health network
Roger Gordon, Newcastle PSC
Ian Battye, Humber PSC
Jenni Stuart-Anderson
Zoe Zero
Jonathan Adams, Group 44, Jerusalem, 2012
Emily Burnham
Roisin Kalmanovitz
Doug Holton
Ronnie Kasrils, former South African government minister
Keith Armes
John Garrett
Wendy Taylor
Michael Shanahan
Anne Rogan
Ronnie Barkan
Deborah Darnes
Patrick Darnes
Sara Callaway, signing for Women of Colour/GWS
Bernard Davies
Ted Clement Evans
Jean Kendall
Rosemary Wadsworth
Dr. Nadia Naser-Najjab
Roger Iredale, Emeritus Professor of International Education, University of Manchester
Hilary Cooper
Moshe Machover
Ron Mendel, Chair Bristol Kairos
Angie Birtill
Sean Taylor
Steve Taylor
Tom Patton
Máiréad Collins
Deborah Burton, Co-founder TPNS Make Apartheid History project
Angie Mindel
Keith Nathan
Marguerite Abbott
John Butterick
John Kelly, Secretary, Liberal Democrat Friends of Palestine
Murray Glickman
Stuart Littlewood
Massoud Shadjareh, Islamic Human Rights Commission
Elizabeth Morley
Jeff Halper, signing for Israeli Committee Against House Demolitions (ICAHD), Jerusalem
Helen Dickson, signing for Liverpool Friends of Palestine
Helen Marks
Peter Reilly
Paul O’Brien
Andrew Feinstein
Dawn Sally Holder
Devorah Marks
Valerie Braganza Morton
Kate Cargin
Adam Johannes
Sarah Stuart Baker
Dr. Rory Allen
Mark Metcalf, NUJ member
Owen Cooper, Manchester PSC & The Big Ride for Palestine
Susanna Grunsell
Margaret Vernon
Diana Neslen
Patrick Bonner, Brent North CLP
Sharen Green
Ruth Tenne
David Cannon, signing for Jewish Network for Palestine
Janet Watson
Crissie Richter
Ben Martin, signing for Payday men’s network
Nina Lopez
Niki Adams, signing for Legal Action for Women
Lorry Leader
Avi Shlaim FBA, Emeritus Professor of International Relations, St Antony’s College, Oxford
Pam Laurance
Tim Ardouin, Priest in Charge North Gower and Bishop’s officer for Interfaith Dialogue, Church in Wales
Enid Gordon
Maddie Wakeling
Tina, signing for the Global Justice Bloc
Denise Fowler
Kuan Begue
Laura Patton
Ariane Sacco
Anna Thompson
Gerald Conyngham
Ruth London
Patrick Lonergan, Unison member
Judy Greengrass
Martin Mayer, Secretary, Sheffield Trades Council
Ann Schofield, Chair Newcastle Friends of Palestine
Judith Nash, Perth, Australia
Andy Balman
Chris Easton, Hexham Labour Friends of Palestine
Bob Jeffery, Chair of Sheffield Trades Union Council
Dr Nicola Hall
David Chadwick
Sarah Sherif, member, SELFriends of Palestine
Dr Jo Tulloch
Pat Price-Tomes
John Leigh-Brown
Penny Leigh-Brown
Martin Kemp Psychoanalyst and UK-Palestine Mental Health Network
Dr. Rodney Watts
Hans Haenlein, RIBA, OBE
Riva Joffe
Professor Marian Hobson Jeanneret CBE, FBA, Emeritus professor of French in the University of London
John Rogers
Roger Luffman, member Bournemouth Labour Party
Patrick Prinsloo
Jim Malone, Dundee TUC
Jon de Rennes
Ann Wright
Rosemary Sayigh
Gwen Backwell
John Blackwell
Sian Scott
Margaret Ling
Simon Quinn
Reba Johnson
Nic Lee
Rose Levinson Ph.D
John Murray
Alison Oliphant
Roshan Pedder
Veronica Leeke
John McKean
Lucy Craig, member of Haringey Justice for Palestinians
Gordon Best
Kate Young, member, Richmond & Kingston PSC
Dr Fiona Leach
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The Guardian has been playing these games for years. A decade ago , it was brave enough to allow comments on the Israel problem in its Comment is Free (sic) section but found itself under attack by the Israeli regime and was summoned to Israel to be disciplined. Yes, really. Subsequently, it stopped allowing comments on any articles about Israel.
When Corbyn was Leader, The Guardian joined in the anti-Semitism hoax with gusto while one of its few left of centre writers, Owen Jones placed himself squarely with the JLM section of the party….not that the JLM is a group for Labour members exclusively. But that’s another story.
Meanwhile, it censored cartoons at the behest of one of its editors and, more recently, failed to report the summary executions of Palestinians by the IDF, even when the victims were children.
Many of us loyal readers- in my case, with a family connection dating back over sixty years, stopped buying the newspaper. Nothing that it does now surprises me; the accusation of selling-out is too easy to make nowadays but in this case it is true as the newspaper seeks to extend its US readership.
I no longer read ANY British newspaper!
Regardless of opinion on who is right or wrong, simply to print a one – sided story isn’t journalism. No context is now given to the dispute whatever. Most people seem unaware that many Israelis are against what is being done in their name and many Jewish people throughout the world resent the idea that their religion (and them personally) are being coopted against their will as if they have anything to do with this and are wholeheartedly behind it. Doing so is in and of itself anti-semitic. And, as we have seen, it is not beyond the press to call a Jewish person anti-semitic if their views aren’t ‘appropriate’
The story, the reality of what is happening, is being crushed. We hear nothing of how the Israeli government is oppressing Palestinians, how it deals with foreign nationals who come to live in Israel (usually black foreign nationals) in regard to the ‘Deposit Law’ and many other day to day items of oppression and corruption.
The press have written an open letter to Downing St regarding blacklisting but are self censoring themselves in writing anything remotely detrimental to the public image of the Israeli state. Is it fear, is it payment, is it both??
It looks like another mouthpiece that once upheld honourable standards of journalism is now “bought and paid for”.
Time to speak out !
“First they came for the Jews ………”
Ironic, isn’t it ?
Has anyone tried to get the Guardian’s ruling body (the Trust) to intervene please? With what result?
My experience has been that any of the following of my posts get removed (I don’t know who initiates the removal, whether the Guardian does it off its own bat or whether another reader / monitor does so):-
– refusal to allow even mentions of the leaked Labour report, let alone discussion of its contents (until recently when the information can’t be hidden and is old hat)
– criticism of the IHRC definition of antisemitism (by whomsoever, including Jews, lawyers and academics)
– comment about the unrest within Labour relating to Evans, Starmer etc and criticism of Evans and Starmer’s competence in their roles …until the story became unstoppable
– criticism of the coverage of Corbyn and of the credibility of the antisemitism allegations being made against him and against Labour
Sadly I haven’t yet followed through on my own intentions to take up these issues with the Editor or Trust …
Not just me then! Same topics as you too. Began drafting an email to moderation after umpteenth comment profile disabled but decided I couldn’t be bothered. Perhaps I should approach The Trust too. I can’t work out whether it’s rightists parading a personal bias on CiF or the G’s equivalent of D Evans has issued a diktat which is rigidly enforced.
Yes, I tried. And I even received a reply, stating that the Trust had asked the editor for a response to me complaint.. None was forthcoming. I informed the Trust that Ms Viner (the Editor) hadn’t answered. The Trust didn’t reply.
I sent a complaint to:
[email protected]
I got an automated response, which implied that I was unlikely to receive a detailed reply.
Some months ago I realized that the Grauniad was no longer offering the ability to comment on any item the published that had any possible Jewish connection. Clearly they have become just another rag that is no longer interested in real journalism, seeking public input. They might as well be just another Rupert Murdock megaphone for all I care now.
If people are ignorant enough to still believe in God(s) that’s is okay with me. But when they persecute people with a different belief I am opposed to them. Jews, Hindus, Catholics, Muslims, etc., are all ignorant. Zionists are violent criminals. The UK and USA need to stop supplying weapons and money to the Zionists in Palestine. They should recognize a Palestinian State now. Until this happens I will do everything in my power to eliminate any of my money being sent to Zionists in Palestine. I do not recognize any State called Israel. It is a fake country created by criminals.