The Young Swede Who Changed from Pro-Palestinian to Israel Supporter

[shira]

Daniel Berg, a Stockholm University student, arrived in Hebron to volunteer under the auspices of "The International Solidarity Movement" and to his surprise encountered Israeli soldiers who did not match the stereotypes he had expected. Firsthand account: This is how Palestinian propaganda takes advantage of the naivet of the European youth


Up until a year ago, Daniel Berg (28) defined himself as Pro-Palestinian, like many young people his age in Sweden. He was active in the local chapter of the Swedish Social Democratic Party in a small town near Stockholm, and even served as chairman of the local Swedish Social Democratic Youth League. "My outlook was that Israel was a military force that cruelly conquered the poor, unfortunate Palestinian people. I Believed That Israel Was Illegitimate and That its actions Were colonial, "said Berg in a telephone conversation from Stockholm this week. At the start of 2007, Berg, who Was 20 at the time, met Swedish MP Gustav Fridolin from the Green Party, who currently serves as the Education Minister for the ruling left-wing Swedish government. "I respected him as a serious, trustworthy person. He Told me That he Had Volunteered as an Activist for a day in Hebron with the palestinians within the framework of "The International Solidarity Movement" (ISM) and That is what Gave me the idea to go out there myself. "Berg, who is currently a student at Stockholm University, went to Ramallah and Hebron for three weeks. This week, he posted his impressions of the time he spent there on a Swedish news site. It may have taken him a number of years to do so, but his firsthand impressions of the goings-on within the Palestinian Authority led him to cast doubt on everything he had been taught.

"I remember the first time I saw IDF soldiers. It was in Tel Romeida in Hebron, and my job was to inform others when soldiers arrived. All that I knew about Israeli soldiers was that they were supposed to be cruel, but then a Palestinian boy who was around ten years old went over to them and they treated him with great friendliness. It surprised me a lot, but I thought they were the exception and that the rest of the soldiers were bad, just as I had read and heard about them within the party and in the Swedish media. Did not even I know there could be an alternative. "Berg's first experience in Hebron made ​​a deep impression on Him, as well as the others he Underwent over the course of His extended stay in Judea and Samaria. He did not alter his stance and continued to define himself as Pro-Palestinian and anti-Israeli. Later short years Two, When he Went to Israel again at His sister's request, the first Stirring Questions Began. "I Spoke with Israelis who Became my friends over time," he said. "I saw that contrary to what I had read until then in the Swedish media and on the Ha'aretz news site, Israelis are humane. They do not hate Palestinians and are ready for a compromise. My sister and I came to Israel again and again. My friends saw that I had a fondness for Israel but I still defined myself as Pro-Palestinian. During one of my visits, I spoke to Israeli Arabs regarding their situation here, and they said it was good for them. When I Asked if there Was apartheid and racism in Israel, They Laughed at me and said They liked being here and That the situation of the palestinians in Lebanon, Syria and in other places Was far worse than in Israel. "Despite all That, I did not change my mind. Only a year ago, when I heard a lecture given by Israeli lawmakers who came to tell about the other side of the conflict, did my opinion change. They told about the crimes committed by the Hamas and Fatah, and showed how donations arriving from Europe - from my money as a taxpayer - are used to finance terror. It astounded me. These were things that had never been presented in the mainstream Swedish media, so that the average person has no chance of knowing about them. I started asking questions in earnest, and reached the conclusion that I can not refer to myself as Pro-Palestinian because that would be false. My understanding today is that the Palestinians do everything they can to hurt Israel and not in order to bring peace. "


more...
http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/722/014.html

[King_David]

1. Interesting

[Nitram]

2. Reads like Israeli propaganda.

Of course many Israelis are humane. That doesn't change the fact that Israel's policies are inhumane. Building a wall that cuts through Palestinian land and houses. Bombing densely populated Gaza and killing more than 2,000 innocent civilians. Israelis lost 66 military personnel and 6 civilians. 17,200 homes destroyed or severely damaged by the bombing. 475,000 Palestinians are now living in emergency shelters or with other families. Many Israelis are quite frank about their hatred of all Arabs, and speak of them as deceitful, lazy, and dirty.

[Scootaloo]

4. Yeah, the parade of straw men falling down one after another does that

All leading to the conclusion, of course, that Palestinians are inherently evil, monstrous liars, and Israelis are flawless and are the ones who are really facing oppression.

[King_David]

12. Yea it must be as bitter as you described it...LOL

Couldn't possibly be from self witness or conviction...




I'm sure armchair American keyboard warriors who have never even been to IP know far better than this dude ...

[Scootaloo]

15. I recognize poor arguments readily enough, David

And this article is just full of 'em.

[King_David]

18. .

[Scootaloo]

19. There's another one

[shira]

8. There's legit criticism & then there are lies, slander, staging scenes, hatred...

....and bigoted reporting that leads people into thinking Israelis are Nazis. The author of the OP is shedding some light on some very ugly truths about Israel haters who support terrorists in every way imaginable. Anyway, the author has a Facebook page if you don't believe him.

Now to your comments....I think all your concerns are legit & you should demand answers if you're truly interested. However...

You think 2000 innocent civilians died in Gaza last summer? That means 0 Hamas militants were killed. Now why did you write that? Were you misled into thinking Israel just went on a murder spree for kicks and giggles?

[Nitram]

22. No, Israel went on a murder spree to pound Gaza into submission.

Doesn't the asymmetry of casualties and homes destroyed bother you in the least? Don't you recognize the abuse of power and force when you see it? You sound like you are in an armchair watching a movie instead of witnessing a tragedy.

[shira]

31. Sure, right. 2000 civilians murdered. Zero Hamas. For shits & giggles....

Had nothing to do with Israeli towns & cities being bombarded with rockets.



Do u take yourself seriously?

As it was, about half of those killed were militants & the other half civilians. The US, UK, and NATO typically kill at least 2 or 3 civilians for every 1 combatant. As to asymmetry in casualties, do you have any idea how other wars were fought in which the US, UK, and NATO participated? I really don't think you do, or else you wouldn't make this absurd argument about Israel. Compare the proportions killed in Iraq, Serbia (Belgrade), Afghanistan, drones in Pakistan. In each of those cases, 0 civilians were killed in the US & UK while hundreds of thousands were killed on the other end by soldiers fighting 1000's of miles away from their homeland. It would be far worse if American and UK civilians were being rocketed daily. But only Israel in your view murders disproportionately. You've bought into some very bad propaganda.

You prove Daniel Borg's point from the OP as it appears you don't realize how badly you've been lied to for years. Here's an example about British hypocrisy, so that you more fully understand how wrong you are:

This from the nation which sent its troops thousands of miles away to invade Iraq and Afghanistan, neither of which were firing even a single rocket at Britain. Your nation helped kill over 100,000 Iraqi civilians, while no civilians in Britain were killed in the fighting, and “only” 179 British soldiers were, tragically, killed. Your nation also ensured the killing of over 20,000 Afghan civilians, while no British civilians were killed, and “only” 453 British soldiers were killed. (Again, tragically.)

What does the “low” British casualty rate tell us? Nothing at all. “Proportionality” does not mean that a “proportionate” number from each side has to die for a war to be fought morally and legally. Whatever your views on these wars (far less justifiable in both cases than Israel’s defensive war against Hamas terrorism), does anybody believe that, because of the low British body count, you indiscriminately murdered civilians? Does anybody believe that you invaded these countries to commit war crimes?

Here’s the kicker: Jack Straw, your former Foreign Secretary, said last week that “for all the vacuous words of the Israeli government and the IDF spokesman, they have no regard for international humanitarian law; they place a completely different and much lower value on Palestinian life compared to Israeli life” and that “the actions that they are taking are completely outwith the United Nations Charter and any idea of how a civilised nation ought to behave.”

Presumably, then, if he’s at all consistent, Jack Straw regards himself as a war criminal who indiscriminately murdered civilians and places a lower value on Iraqi and Afghan life than on British life. And, for consistency, Straw also must regard Britain as an uncivilised country whose actions are “completely outwith the UN Charter.”

What’s good for the goose, Mr Straw, ought to be good for the gander.

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/middleeast/israel/10983452/Britains-hypocrisy-over-Israel-is-shameful.html

[oberliner]

17. "Many Israelis are quite frank about their hatred of all Arabs..."

Many Palestinians are also quite frank about their hatred of all Israelis.

Some of them even extend these feelings towards Jews in general (and/or Zionists).

[Nitram]

21. Yes, many Palestinians hate all jews and Israelis.

But the article states that Israelis "do not hate Palestinians and are ready for a compromise." Events prove that is not true. Israelis have the power and a moral obligation to establish a home land for the Palestinians, just as the world worked to establish a homeland for jews in Palestine.

[oberliner]

25. Agreed

Everyone should be working towards a two-state solution.

[azurnoir]

3. This all allegedly took place 8 years ago as per your original link

Last edited Fri Sep 4, 2015, 10:48 AM - Edit history (1)

Reader Post: Confessions Of A Pro-Palestinian Activist In Hebron 2007

http://www.israellycool.com/2015/08/22/memories-from-my-time-as-a-pro-palestinian-activist-in-hebron-2007/

http://www.democraticunderground.com/1134111898#post8

[shira]

7. Read the article. He remained pro-Palestinian until about a year ago. n/t

[Little Tich]

5. It seems as if Daniel Borg (or Berg) doesn't exist.

I wanted to find out more about the OP, so I did some background checking, and I didn't find anything about this guy. I did find a lot of circular linking however, which for me is a strong indication that something isn't right.

You claimed in another post that Daniel Borg has a FB page. Could you please provide a link? I don't want to heap unwarranted criticism on the OP, so for the moment, I'll just say that it's possible that I'm a bad Googler.

[shira]

6. Here's a link. Go to town questioning him....

https://www.facebook.com/daniel.borg.965?fref=nf

[Little Tich]

9. Sorry, this content isn't available at the moment

The link you followed may have expired, or the Page may only be visible to an audience that you aren't in.

Go back to the previous page · Go to News Feed · Visit our Help Centre

[shira]

10. You need to sign up for Facebook. It's free.

I logged out and couldn't access his page either. When I logged back in, no problem.

[Little Tich]

13. My soul is not for sale, thank you.

Anyway, I got some oblique results from search engines, but they only gave me 3 pages from his FB, and no main page. The content didn't give me any further insights into whether that's really Daniel Borg or not.

Sorry for being such a Luddite...

[shira]

14. Well, anyone checking out his Facebook will realize he's not bullshitting. n/t

[Nitram]

20. You're right, no one would dream of using Facebook for propaganda.

[shira]

26. So go there & question him. See for yourself whether he passes the sniff test...

What are you afraid of, the truth?

[grossproffit]

11. It's most certainly there.

[oberliner]

16. What a bizarre contention

Article:

http://www.nrg.co.il/online/1/ART2/722/014.html

Photo:



From FB:

Isaac Bachman added 2 new photos.
September 3 at 1:00pm · Stockholm, Sweden · Edited ·
With Daniel Borg at the Embassy
============================
A very interesting meeting with former pro-Palestinian activist Daniel Borg, who has come to see the great injustice done to Israel in the circles where he moved for years, including as an activist in the Palestinian territories.
Daniel´s story is deserving of attention, as he started to compare the automatic condemnations and demonization of Israel and its actions prevalent in the organizations he worked for, with realities he consistently saw on the ground - including in the way Israeli soldiers treat Palestinian civilians. Things were far from what he had been taught to believe.
It was a pleasure to host Daniel at the Embassy, together with Asaf Segev, our DCM.


Yaniv Lev-Ami added 2 new photos.
21 hrs ·
It's been an honor to meet with Daniel Borg the Pro Israeli Swedish who has been on headlines recently for supporting our country
— feeling happy with Avital Halevy at Eken Bar & Matsal.

(Note: There are photos with each of these - if you log in to FB you can see them. They are public)

Very odd that you conclude that he doesn't exist for some reason.

[Nitram]

23. It is interesting how this one Swede is held up as proof of the humanity of Israel.

You sound rather desperate to prove your innocence in the destruction that resulted in 475,000 Palestinians are now living in emergency shelters or with other families. Can't you see the imbalance in that? How many Israelis are now homeless as a result of Palestinian rockets and attacks?

[oberliner]

24. Huh?

No idea what this has to do with what I posted.

The other person didn't think this person existed so I provided evidence to show that he does.

[Nitram]

33. oberliner, the original article posted was not about a Swede who came to love Israel?

I'm afraid you lost me there. You are doing backflips to avoid answering the questions I posed. I begin to suspect you have no answer when it comes to Israel's obvious military dominance of Gaza, and overuse of force in civilian areas.

[oberliner]

35. Huh?

I'm not understanding what you are talking about. I've made no comment about this person other to say that there is evidence that the person exists.

[Nitram]

40. Huh?

[Little Tich]

27. I managed to see his FB page without logging on, finally...

Daniel Borg does indeed exist, but I seriously doubt that he ever was a member of SSU (Swedish Social Democratic Youth) or the ISM - They would have kicked him out head first... I don't know if it's OK to call Arabs "cockroaches" in Israel, but it's not OK in Sweden.

Anyway, I found some posts that would strongly indicate that Daniel Borg is a racist. Would you care to comment on that?

Source: Daniel Borg's FB page

-------------------

Daniel Borg it is smile emoticon It is called survival and celebrating life...
2 · July 4 at 5:46am

Nadja Borg I just say in hebrew after to the arabs " haavta et haarets?" Rav todot! Sababa smile emoticon And they already got themselves bruised badly. Just fyi.
1 · July 4 at 5:50am

Daniel Borg Maze?
July 4 at 5:53am

Daniel Borg I always use emchi haiwan khalas...I did use this many times in hebron when the arabs started to act like cockroaches...it was the first words I learned...the first day...those good old days..
July 4 at 5:55am

-------------------

Daniel Borg
July 3 · Edited ·
Radical Islam means terrorism, and "moderate" mainstream Islam means grave human rights abuses. Let us oppose them both in the name of the Universal Declarations of Human Rights of 1948...The wording is clear, literal, legally binding. Therefore we need to oppose both radical and mainstream Islam. Just read this declaration of 1948 and u will understand my point. This is the biggest human rights challenge of our time...

---------------------------------

Daniel Borg
July 3 · Aljazeera English Website ·
Let me quote the Prime Minister of France (the next president of France): "We will expel all these imams, all these foreign preachers who denigrate women, who hold views that run counter to our values and who say there is a need to combat France"....Merci Monsieur Valls..but...if these are your standards you need to expell a lot more Imams..and close down a lot more mosques..but this is a good start, Merci heart emoticon

------------------

Daniel Borg
June 26 ·
The beach in Tel Aviv is empty, thank u Allah, sometims u actually manage to get people scared. But rest assured we are not afraid of cockroaches and we will crush u..

Read more: https://www.facebook.com/daniel.borg.965?fref=nf

Note: My bolding of the word "cockroaches"

[Nitram]

34. Damning quotes. nt

[oberliner]

36. Wow that is pretty creepy

Sounds like Mondoweiss in reverse.

[Little Tich]

28. Do you think that Daniel Borg's use of the word "cockroaches" for Arabs is OK?

I finally got hold of his FB page, and that was something I noticed...

[oberliner]

29. That is just completely made up

There is no such thing on his FB page.

I guess you are acknowledging that this person actually exists now, though.

A step in the right direction!

[Little Tich]

30. Check again... n/t

[oberliner]

37. You are wrong

He only uses that to refer to extremists and terrorists, not all Arabs. He says nice things about other Arabs.

Like how when people use pejorative terms in relation to Zionists, they don't mean all Jews. Like Mondoweiss is super critical of a lot of Jews, but they have nice things to say about the Jews that agree with them.

[Little Tich]

39. What does "emchi haiwan khalas" mean?

Is that some kind of greeting? Do you think I should use it next time I go to Israel?

[shira]

32. No, it's repulsive. So you believe he lied in the OP above because....?

What he wrote has been confirmed by many other people in many other reports over the years. Let me put it this way: I'm not at all shocked by his revelations. There's nothing there that is new to me. You've been wrong about an awful lot here, so what makes you think he's lying?

[Little Tich]

38. I believe that Daniel Borg always was a racist, and that his stint with ISM never happened.

After all, israellycool.com is a racist website that only puts up lies, so why should this case be different?

The burden of proof is on you, and perhaps you should post an OP detailing the nefarious activities of ISM...