[Air-l] When I'll be in jail....

Lee Salter l.salter at londonmet.ac.uk
Sun Jun 6 23:47:29 PDT 2004


Dear Rosalind (and all),

Like I said, I didn't want to get into this "debate", but hope that I 
will be allowed the liberty to respond to this comment.

1. By "the rights and wrongs of Israel" I meant exactly what you have 
lead on to - Hizbollah's position on the existence of Israel - which is, 
whether one likes it or not, beyond discussion. Whilst Hizbollah may 
well have had right on their side (note "may"), the call for the 
destruction of Israel is simply untenable.
2. As an atheist, I think that the Party of God are not particularly 
desirable, for Islamists have a greater objection to atheists than to 
Christians or Jews (of course, the Muslim world has traditionally 
treated Jews far better than the Christian world has). My attempt to 
encourage more balanced treatment of the Arab-Israeli conflict and not 
to conflate hate groups was not a defence of an organisation that would 
not tolerate me.
3. I'm sorry if you think history should be rewritten, but Hizbollah 
simply were formed as a response to the invasion of Lebanon by Israel, 
what can I say? (if you consult Israeli intelligence web sites, they 
will confirm this - though of course they don't call it an invasion)
4. My first substantive point was that Hizbollah is a very different 
sort of organisation than "New Order" and to simply refer to the former 
as a "hate group" in the same vein as the latter is not accurate or 
helpful (whatever our personal views on the subject). Further, the 
ground on which the two groups operate is, as we know, very different 
too. This is not to take sides, but to point out the important differences.
5. My second substantive point was that the all too common focus on one 
side of the conflict again reduces the nuance with which any situation 
should be treated. Not only are there the Zionist "hate" groups which I 
provided a link to, but there are also Jewish "hate" groups such as 
Neturei Karta (http://www.nkusa.org/) (or Satmar) consisting of Orthodox 
Jews who call for the dissolution of Israel.
6. My third point was that the concept of "hate" is something that is 
too easily used in Internet research bunching together all sorts of 
people whose primary motivation is probably not hate. No, that does not 
mean that I like them, but if one of my students were hand in an essay 
that described any group as simply a "hate" group, they wouldn't get 
very far - why then should academics be allowed this privilege?

Best,
Lee

Rosalind M. Share wrote:

>Dear Salter,
>
>  
>
>>I don't particularly wish to get involved in a discussion about the 
>>rights and wrongs of Israel, but to call Hizbollah a "hate organisation" 
>>in the same vein as the Neo-Nazis is rather disingenuous to say the  least.
>>    
>>
>It seems, Mr Salter, that it is you who is disengenuous. I agree that this is
>not the forum to discuss the Middle-East and I note that you did not write
>"Middle East" but the "rights and wrongs of Israel".  
>  
>
>>After all, Hizbollah are a response to an invasion by Israel.  
>>    
>>
>I am afraid this statement shows a lack of understanding about Middle East
>politics. I respect the fact that this is not the forum, but if you are
>interested in a balanced view, I respectfully suggest you begin reading the
>many authoritative books on the subject which will clearly show that from the
>May 1948, when the State of Israel was declared by the UN, Israel has been in
>a state of war and has been attacked many times by her enemies. To maintain
>that Hizbollah is an organisation, a response to an invasion, is a perverse
>statement reflecting sadly the bias. Hizbollah and other terrorist
>organisations which include Osama bin Ladin make clear their policies: the
>destruction and annihilation of the State of Israel.
>
>Allow me also to make clear that this extreme view is exactly that and that
>Arab and Jew do co-exist in Israel when allowed. It is also evi
>
>While I believe that every individual has a right to express his/her opinion,
>what is unacceptable is the misreporting, the misunderstanding and the bias
>against any country or any individual, the psychological of which is
>important to acknowledge and understanding. 
>
>  
>

-- 
Lee Salter
School of Law, Governance and International Relations
London Metropolitan University,
62-66 Highbury Grove,
London,
N5 2AD





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