Author of UNESCO’s nixed Israel exhibit decries ‘appalling betrayal’

[Mosby]

Last edited Tue Jan 21, 2014, 12:17 PM - Edit history (1)

Professor Robert Wistrich had bought a ticket to Paris to attend the opening of an exhibition he wrote about the Jewish people’s connection to the Land of Israel, which was supposed to take place Monday at the headquarters of UNESCO. But after the exhibition was indefinitely postponed, without prior warning, due to Arab pressure, he canceled and decided to stay in Jerusalem.

-snip-

“This is such a betrayal. To do it in this way is so disgraceful,” fumed Wistrich, who directs the Hebrew University’s Vidal Sassoon International Center for the Study of Antisemitism and is one of the world’s leading authorities in the field. An “appalling act,” the cancellation “completely destroyed any claim that UNESCO could possibly have to be representing the universal values of toleration, mutual understanding, respect for the other and narratives that are different, engaging with civil society organizations and the importance of education. Because there’s one standard for Jews, and there’s another standard for non-Jews, especially if they’re Arabs, but not only.”

UNESCO’s decision to cancel the exhibit allows just one conclusion, Wistrich added: “That at the end of the day, their mandate, which is to be the United Nations’ organization for the promotion of education, culture and science, is in fact subjected, entirely, to political considerations.”

http://www.timesofisrael.com/author-of-unescos-nixed-israel-exhibit-decries-appalling-betrayal

[mike_c]

1. the circumstance that Israel is a long time serial violator of U.N resolutions...

...surely has nothing to do with it. Yeah, that's the ticket.

[King_David]

2. It was a Jewish exhibit

Now I am pleased to see people linking Israel to worldwide Jews and reinforcing it as the Jewish State.

Thank you...

[mike_c]

3. even the originator cites "political" circumstances rather than religious bias....

...and the OP refers to an "Israel exhibit."

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

29. Sigh...

There you go throwing facts into the path of fabulists.

[Shaktimaan]

48. Sigh

So it's a political issue. The content's historical facts that contradict some of the propaganda that is commonly used to delegitimize Israel.

And the op referred to an "Israel exhibit"

Or maybe the op's making it all up to cover up a story only you deduced and no one else said a thing about. Unesco's trying to fool us I guess. For no reason.

[azurnoir]

49. well that's a keen observation and all but UNESCO never cancled the exhibit

they did however change the date that it would be held, nothing more nothing less, why is that so disturbing? Is there some over riding reason the exhibit which Israel sponsored along with a couple of other countries Canada I believe and Montenegro had to be held this week or during the Peace Talks ™?

[King_David]

50. It's the response to the cancellation that's more revealing

And illuminating than the question as to weather UNESCO actually cancelled the Jews Exhibit or not and then backtracked.

[azurnoir]

51. why the exhibit will go on in June why is that such a problem

why all the false claims?

[King_David]

52. Irrellavence

It's the response and support for a cancellation ( weather it goes ahead or not)

[azurnoir]

53. there was no cancellation though so it's a non-starter n/t

[King_David]

54. Yep

But the support for a "cancelation "of a Jewish exhibition by the so called supporters revealed it's not about Justice in Palestine .. It's about Jews in the world.

[WatermelonRat]

9. No, it doesn't have anything to do with it.

If I were to look through a thorough listing of UNESCO cultural exhibits, I'm sure I'll find plenty from countries like China, Egypt, and Turkey despite the wrongdoings of their governments.

The motive behind this action is the denial of Jewish heritage in the region. It has become popular in the last couple decades to either deny that today's Jews have any relation to the ancient Hebrews (the "Khazar" myth) or to deny the historic presence of Jews in the Levant altogether, with the denial of the existence of the Second Temple being the most prominent example. Many Jewish artifacts have already been destroyed to uphold this myth, and it is for the same reason that this exhibit was cancelled.

[azurnoir]

4. actually the cancelation of this exhibit

only shows the success of those who wished to make Jewish history in connection with Israel and it's occupied territory a political issue it is and at this point in time, that being on going PeaceTalks™ this the result

[Mosby]

5. I don't understand

what are you saying?

[azurnoir]

6. exactly what do you wish clarified?

I stated it quite plainly

[Mosby]

8. ok

So what you are saying is that a well respected Jewish historian developing an exhibit about the Jews 3000+ years connection to Israel and the surrounding areas is inherently political?

That sum up your position?

[azurnoir]

12. reread my comment because that is not quite what I said

is it? but do feel free to interpret however it works for you

[bemildred]

7. Yeah, it works either way, really.

If it runs or it's cancelled, you can make points, so to speak.

[azurnoir]

10. Lemonade from lemons

I would guess

[bemildred]

11. And it's what they know how to do. nt

[azurnoir]

13. yep it would seem so :)

[azurnoir]

25. and lemonade it seems to be because

UNESCO, on its website and in letters to the Center, had always said the exhibit was postponed. The absence of an alternative date, however, gave the impression that the exhibit had been canceled.

On Tuesday, UNESCO posted a note on its website in which it reaffirmed that the exhibit had only been postponed, but not canceled.

“UNESCO is in discussions with the Simon Wiesenthal Center to finalize the last points and inaugurate the exhibition in the month of June,” it said.

http://www.jpost.com/Diplomacy-and-Politics/UNESCO-looks-to-hold-Land-of-Israel-exhibit-in-June-338941

[bemildred]

26. Yeah, that seems to still be ambiguous.

Perhaps he just got huffy and will change his mind when he settles down.

[King_David]

14. Actually the cancelation and the support that canceling a Jewish event is getting

From so called Palistinian supporters here and in the West in general is just proof positive that these boycotts and BDS etc have nothing to do with the occupation at all.

Instead it is what most of us always suspected.... It's all about the Jews.

[azurnoir]

15. well that's what the going story is and always is

however simply repeating a thing does not make it so no matter how much you wish to convince others of that

[King_David]

16. It's fact,

And this incident proves it.

Read the posts on every DU thread on this topic , it's very revealing and the posters are all showing us what we believed all along is true.

[azurnoir]

17. who is "we" ? you and a couple of other posters on this thread?

or are you claiming to be a spokesperson for a larger group and exactly who or what group would that be?

[King_David]

18. We is the people of the world

Who consider antiZionism to be AntiSemitism and ascribe other motives to supporters of BDS that has nothing to do with the occupation .

That's who "we " is...

And this incident proves it.

[azurnoir]

19. well "ascribing other motives" is sort of the point isn't it? n/t

i

[bemildred]

20. This is cool. Finally we have a place to find out what the whole world thinks. nt

[azurnoir]

21. ya that's sort my thought too

[King_David]

22. Re read because I never said what you think you so cleverly

Hinted I said.

"18. We is the people of the world
Who consider antiZionism to be AntiSemitism "

The people who consider antiZionism to be AntiSemitism are certainly not the whole world clearly.

Jews and the Jewish state wouldn't be such a "problem" of that were the case.

[bemildred]

23. Yeah, but you enabled me when you left the subject line ambiguous like that.

Had you put the whole sentence on the subject line, or enough, I would not have been able to do that.

[King_David]

24. Yep I see that ,

[bemildred]

33. I rest my case: VVVVV. nt

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

30. Now you propose to speak for the "people of the world*?"

[King_David]

34. This thread and the other thread on UNESCO

Boycotting a Jewish event is very revealing for the replies from other people who comment on the boycott on this Jewish (and not Israeli exhibit)

It has garnered such support from some people claiming to oppose the occupation , showing extreme hate for the Jewish State that they label it Apartheid Picnic etc.

But these threads reveal it's not about their feeling on the occupation or Palistinians suffering etc...

This exhibit was a Jewish exhibition about Jews submitted by a Jewish group and Canada and Montenegro.

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

38. See post #37.

[shaayecanaan]

27. They probably should have offered to "balance" it with a Palestinian exhibit...

the hasbarados could hardly argue with that, seeing as they insist on the same whenever a Palestinian appears on screen or print.

Given the author's POV on the Palestinians (he claims that the Palestinian refugees "voluntarily fled" from Palestine, although those two words don't go together very well), that should be enough to kill it.

[Mosby]

28. There was balance fwiw

UN kicks off international year of solidarity with Palestinians
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.570039

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

31. Perhaps there can be a joint Israeli / Palestinian exibit

where the former slowly invades, slowly chokes off and kills the latter.

[King_David]

32. Except it wasn't an "israeli" exhibit bing boycotted. . It was a "Jewish"

exhibit .

Which means nothing to the BDS crowd except it proves what was suspected all along.

This business of boycotting Jews or calling Israel an Apartheid state or supporting the Palestinian struggle is not about the occupation at all....

It's all because they Jews....

[shaayecanaan]

35. Yes, I'm sure it has nothing to do with Israel

after all, it only concerns the LAND of Israel, which really is a world apart from the State of Israel. Absolutely nothing political about it, really.

I hear one of the exhibits is of the author with a stick of butter in his mouth, which magically does not melt. The miracle of the butter, they call it.

[King_David]

36. Makes no difference it's a Jewish exhibition and therefore it should be boycotted

By the usual "Israel is Apartheid " suspects. -BDS crowd.

All Jewish businesses and exhibitions are boycotted.

( even Nature Karte Jews can not separate "Jews" from "Israel" it's in their Torah and Siddurs and politics )

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

37. .

[azurnoir]

39. A question exactly when was this exhibition supposed to run originally?

what dates do you know?

[King_David]

40. More interesting than your question

is the posts by DU members in these UNESCO threads and their comments when it was understand by all that unesco was boycotting a "Jewish" exhibit for the sole reason it was Jewish.

Very revealing and illuminating indeed.

These threads should be pinned to the top of IP group as they reveal the "Apartheid picnic" crowd , the BDS crowd, the ones who say they are "anti occupation " crowd etc are really the Boycott the Jew crowd .

[R. Daneel Olivaw]

41. More revealing is your lack of content

WRT answering other's queries.

Just keep the victimization spin cycle going at full farce if you will.

[Violet_Crumble]

43. I don't think that'd work too well for you, Dave...

See, most DUers understand the difference between the words 'cancellation' (which actually was a postponement') and 'boycott'. The comments in this thread are about a cancellation, not a boycott. You seem to be the only person throwing that word round as though yr getting paid per minute to pump it out...

As for the last bit of yr post accusing those who support the occupation of being anti-Semitic, that's the usual pile of steaming crap I'm used to reading here...

[King_David]

44. Really?

Read this thread, start with posts 1,2,3

http://www.democraticunderground.com/?com=view_post&forum=1134&pid=56345


QED indeed.

[Violet_Crumble]

45. Yes, really. No-one but you is calling it a boycott...

A suggestion for you. There's this thing called a dictionary. It gives the definitions of words, including the very different words 'cancellation' and 'boycott'. Making use of it may save you several hundred posts of repeating the same incorrect thing...

Have a lovely evening!

[King_David]

46. You tha heavy damage control ?

LOL

Reread posts 1 ,2 and 3

[Violet_Crumble]

47. I don't understand what yr saying...

It doesn't matter how many times you tell someone to read something where what you claim is said there isn't there. Yr the only one throwing the word boycott around, and you clearly have no idea what the definition is. Don't be shy. The dictionary can be yr friend...

[TomClash]

42. I think Wistrich sums up Non-Jewish life in Israel quite nicely

"Because there’s one standard for Jews, and there’s another standard for non-Jews, especially if they’re Arabs, but not only.”

Oh wait . . .