Day: 7 June 2016

This submission has been written by Labour Party members associated with the UK-Palestine Mental Health Network. It has been endorsed by eighty mental health professionals.

1. Why the UKPMHN is making this submission to the Inquiry

The UK-Palestine Mental Health Network is a loose association of mental health workers concerned with the realities of life in Israel/Palestine.  We come from a position informed by universalist values, supporting human rights, social justice and anti-racism. The Occupation has profound consequences for the psychological well-being of the Palestinians (those living in Gaza, the West Bank, and the Palestinian citizens of Israel), but also, in our view, for Jewish Israelis as well. On one side we see the impact of state terror, bombardments, night raids, house demolitions, the incarceration of children, a shoot-to-kill policy, the protection by the IDF of violent gangs of settlers, the humiliations and frustrations that follow from the checkpoints and the de-development of the Palestinian economy, the increasing number of discriminatory laws, the siege of Gaza… On the other, we see an increasingly militarised society, a deepening and more openly accepted popular racism and its open incitement by government officials, the brutalisation of the young as conscripts in the IDF, acceptance of mob rule and routine violence against civilians, intolerance of dissent, as well as the more frequently acknowledged sense of insecurity to which the ongoing struggle gives rise.

This Inquiry is a particular concern for us: anything which impedes our ability to describe what is happening, or to analyse and speculate on the nature of the situation in Israel/Palestine, serves to further hide the truth and inhibit debate – in a world in which the Israeli narrative already has an overbearing influence over political discourse. Our work, and that of many other organisations firmly committed to anti-racist principles, will be hampered if the attempted extension of the public’s understanding of anti-Semitism to include non- and anti-Zionist perspectives is given credence by the Labour Party. The losers will be a people whose lands have already been plundered, their rights traduced, who are living in conditions of intolerable insecurity: the kind of people who, in another world, would be of particular concern to the Labour Party. Continue reading “UK-Palestine Mental Health Network submission to Labour Party Inquiry on antisemitism “

One week on from the controversy over Leanne Mohamad’s award-winning speech, ‘Birds not Bombs‘, the Independent has picked up the story: ‘London schoolgirl targeted with ‘appalling’ online abuse after winning competition with pro-Palestinian speech: Leanne Mohamed was accused of “blood libel”, antisemitism and even supporting Isis after footage went online.’

Bloggers writing on the Israellycool website called it an “Isis recruiting video” that amounted to “blood libel”. Other critics said Leanne did not give evidence for some of her claims, particularly on children’s deaths, and failed to balance her argument with information on terror attacks against Israelis.

The Wanstead High School pupil received widespread support on Twitter but was also labelled an “antisemite” and “advocate for suicide bombers”. “If the Islamist scum is old enough to be on Twitter and spout lies she’s old enough to be ridiculed,” one person wrote.

Responding to the Independent article, Israellycool appeared rattled:

Israellycool were already notorious for defaming respected pro-Palestinian activists and writers, including Richard Silverstein. The extremist Zionist bloggers crossed a line, however, when they made a 15 year old their target.

The Independent failed to mention the name of another blogger, Edgar Davidson: it was his letter accusing the Speakers Trust of ‘supporting vicious blood libels against the State of Israel” and the grovelling response from the CEO, Julie Holness, that was picked up by the Jewish Chronicle. JC then erroneously reported that Leanne Mohamad had been disqualified as a direct result of Davidson’s complaints. Continue reading “UK national paper names pro-Israel online abusers of schoolgirl Leanne Mohamad”