The Terror of Zion

There is undoubtedly a radicalization of Islam in many countries, and as we are speaking the great divide is growing to the point where I will soon have to concede to Samuel Huntington we are headed for a Clash of the Civilizations.

I do not think, however, it was inevitable or even likely, when he put forth the meme; in many ways it is a self-fulfilling prophesy fuelling the staunch anti-Islamic rhetoric by the New Right in USA and Europe.

If it does come to this, and I think it will, Israel will most likely be the trigger.

The Middle East Conflict is the flash point of the entire conflict for more than one reason; historically it has been the centre of the most bitter fighting between Christian and Muslim forces; stratetically it is a key position; religiously the sacred places invoke strong feelings among the followers of the three major monotheistic religions; ethically the conflict about the ownership to the land is a conondrum to be matched only by the Gordian Knot.

Like the Knot it invites quick solution through brutal means.

The radicalization of the Zionists

I have always been in support of Israel, even if I was fully aware of the tainted prehistory of the Jewish nation-state and critical of the discriminatory laws and the extreme conduct of the Jewish government and military forces.

My support was founded in three factors: Holocaust, proving the necessity or justification of a sanctuary for Jews, the fact that Israel is a democracy and was meant to be a secular state, and the strategic position as an ally to USA and NATO.

These are no small arguments.

The three things that changed my view, making me slowly change my approach are: The potential for Israel to become the trigger of a hot global conflict involving nuclear weapons, the inability and unwillingness to cooperate with efforts to secure a Two State Solution and, first and foremost, the growing influence of Zionist terrorism and revisionism.

By Zionist terrorism I am not only speaking of the recent Israeli incursions into Lebanon and Gaza which, even if provoked, were grossly dysproportional and callously indifferent to the loss of civilian lives. I am not questioning the general intent or restraint of Israeli military personnel except for the individual cases in which investigation is in its place; I am criticizing the policies behind the maneuvres.

Now, there is another aspect of Zionist terror, one I have myself felt the edge of. I always thought there would be greater chances of me being targeted by the New Right fanatics, the fanatics among Anglo-Saxon Protestants, who I also frequently criticize.

I even considered it likely I could find enemies among Islamic radicals, because even if I do object to the careless equating of Islam with terror popular among the New Right pundits and politicians, I also openly side with the West against Islamic terrorism and often go against left wing pundits arguing against better knowledge it is a small or limited geopolitical problem.

But the first death threats I received were from Zionists, more accurately a group called Jewish Defense League, which is a militant group present in both America and Europe, recognized as a terrorist organization by both Washington and EU.

These are serious people; they're known to assault and assassinate opponents.

The Jewish Defense League will, now and then, send me information about their gun practice rallies, and on one occasion they have intercepted private e-mail and let me know they read it, as well as adding thinly veiled death threats.

Allergic to criticism Zionists want immunity

The whole thing began over one article I wrote about the Law of Return, explaining how most agitators in Israel and Palestine, regardless of what side in the conflict they belong to, argues along the lines of territory and demographic displacement. They will display maps and feverishly point to little dots and jagged lines to prove how the other side is "carving out the country" trying to establish ethnic and religious strongholds.

Having seen this for myself in the very year, month and week the Al Aqsa Intifada broke out, I wanted to convey how the Law of Return and associated legislation per definition is discriminating and imperialistic. These laws favour Jews from any country in the world merely because they can claim Jewish bloodline - an arcane and profoundly undemocratic principle - and the simple math states that these new Israeli Jews will need, pardon me, Lebensraum, which necessitates the policy of turning a blind eye to Jewish settlers, which until recently was common practice in Israel.

The demographic displacement will automatically marginalize Palestinians, and since the Law of Return is fundamental to the state of Israel and to the Zionist project, I realized that Palestinians and Arabs have always seen this coming and had much better cause than anyone in the West will allow themselves to admit.

I wrote this analysis in a sober and sombre tone, without prejudice or slur, on a social website called Newsvine, run by MSNBC and featuring breaking news from AP staff writers.

It had good viewing and triggered an interesting debate.

Unfortunately, it also made me a mark for Zionists all over the web. At first only a small fringe group of dedicated Zionists on Newsvine itself took offense, and they became very agitated and deliberately - at least so it would appear to me - made a pact to sabotage me and slander me in any possible way, a method I was to learn is called "trolling".

Apparently these defenders of Israel feel this nation, as the only one on Earth, is excempt from criticism. Exactly how allergic to criticism Zionists can be I was soon to discover.

If they disagree, label them anti-Semitic

This group now took upon itself to label me an "anti-Semite" at any given possibility, with or without context. I wrote under my real name, and I kept doing so, even if it was becoming evident to me they were trying to spam the Google algorithm to make my name associated with Holocaust-denial and anti-Semitism.

This, in itself, can be problematic, but it isn't dangerous. At some point it becomes harrassment, but it's not lethal to anything but your career.

It is, however, libel and slander.

In many countries in Europe, where I reside, Holocaust denial and anti-Semitism is illegal. You can be prosecuted for such accusations in Germany or Austria, and you can be denied entry int United Kingdom.

For a journalist who lives off his good name, essentially a public person without the privileges of politicians or celebrities, this can be quite serious.

I was not too concerned, since they would have a hard time proving any connection to Holocaust denial or quoting me for an anti-Semitic statement, but it was frustrating, and it bothered me I could not sue these anonymous characters for libel and slander.

I tried to get the Newsvine staff and their moderaters involved - the first wave of attacks was before MSNBC bought Newsvine - but they avoided to intervene, clearly if not openly because they sided with the Zionists.

No wonder, since the majority of people in the West sees terrorism as the largest problem and the gravest crime, while largely supporting Israel, sympathizing with the plight of the Jews and condoning many offenses in the name of national security.

The second wave of accusations was so fierce even some people I considered friends or sympathizers would pick up the rhetoric and turn against me.

In the third wave a list of names was compiled and published on the Jewish Defense Leage website, and my name was on it.

There were other real, easily identifiable names of people, people who would join the public debate without a pseudonym or an "avatar", as it is called on the web.

Most of the names were, however, way off base - they were people who never even dared to get involved in a discussion about Israel, merely targeted because they were friends of some who did.

In the sight of murderers and terrorists

To add to the paranoia, Jewish Defense League members have committed murders world wide, mostly on Holocaust deniers.

When so many people are publicly targeted and listed as anti-Semites to be fought by any means, you suddenly find yourself at risk of becoming the victim of some mad zealot with a gun.

Even at this point the staff did not intervene, arguing they could do nothing about a list published on another website.

The people targeted began their own investigation, and they were able to identify a number of accounts belonging to leading members of the Zionist terrorist organization.

The staff began to look into the accounts, and verifying the connection they were forced to delete the identifiable accounts, since we are talking about a registered terrorist organization employing violence to reach their political goals.

At this point some Zionists, not members of Jewish Defense League, began to become radicalized and employ more extreme methods of intimidating political opponents.

Until then I had, quite naively, considered Israel the more reliable part in the conflict and, by irrational extention, trusted Zionists to be less radical than Arab critics of Israel.

I had refused to take a pseudonym and reduce the value of a brand I had built up over 3 years.

But when people began to collect research from other social platforms, such as Linked In, deliberately breaching the social circles and networks in order to collect information about business partners and drag their names into the completely irrelevant political discourse, I had to pull the plug.

It was my professional duty to stop these companies from potential damages to their names, and it was in my own professional interest, so it made sense.

It was, however, with great regret I deleted my account and created a new one under a new name, hoping to be able to stay below the radar.

Not so. Even after a period of months, where I had been inactive, I received the death threats and the hints that my private mail was being intercepted and, possibly, my personal computer hacked.

It was obvious to me from the context and the content one or more of the Zionist radicals was behind it.

Now proto-terrorist methods apply on a wider scale

I wasn't going to make a big deal about it, because in the end I incurred no significant loss. I am still alive, and I have never been easily scared, and I have nothing - no statements or documents or illegal material these hackers can use against me.

In the end, none of the friends who turned against me for a moment seriously consider me an anti-Semite; they were just not used to having their preconceived notions about Israel challenged.

Calling critics "leftists anti-Semites" has simply become habitual to the point, where it is a social and professional hazard to speak critically of Israel.

Also, the harassment and the terrorism of Zionism today has become so punctual, so well organized and so insidious, it actually has the power to marginalize the public debate about one of the major geopolitical hot spots in contemporary politics.

It's an assault on free speech, on parliamentarism and on democracy, all the things Israel was supposed to stand for.

My view on Israel as such has not changed, but my support is no longer enthusiastic. Israel has a history of terrorism stretching way back to the days before Palestinians picked it up, and the favoritism of Zionist terrorism does not speak favourably of the West, even if there may not be a direct link between the official Israel and the Zionist terrorists.

The sheer volume and intensity of these campaigns against me and other people who dare speak out convinces me we are facing a real threat to the open society, a tabooization and sanctification of a nation based on disciminating laws and in no manner above or beyond criminal or questionable methods all nations, at one point or another, employ for selfish purposes without regard for victims, collateral damage or the wider political consequences.

Today I observe that vicious attacks, organized slander and insidious, borderline criminal or even terrorist methods are applied to people who have the audacity to proest, when some pundit claims "all Muslims are terrorists" or that "Islam is the greatest threat to the world".

It isn't just about terrorism, and you don't have to mention Israel anymore. It was only a year ago the Zionist harassment against me peaked, but today the target group has already widened to include anyone who will defend an Arab or Muslim perspective.

Perhaps it has to do with the dwindling numbers of the GOP and with the general radicalization of the New Right. Since many of the Western Zionists are found among secular conservatives or in the Religious Right it makes sense that the marginalization of the Republican Party has made more Israel supporters and anti-Muslims more prone to extremes.

In the end we will pay in blood

On MSNBC owned Newsvine, my global political thermometer for almost four years now, the staff still won't intervene. Extensive data collections and evidence of organized harrassment, violations of the Code of Honor and even, as in my case, breach of privacy and public slander, do not matter.

This tells me another disturbing thing about the media environment and the reality of the corporately employed in the information businesses:

The New Right radicals, the Zionists extremists and the organized anti-Islamic groups spreading hate-messages will get away with it - kind of like they got away with slandering Barack Obama in any possible way, until of course he got elected. Even liberals will often approve, simply because in the end we are all more Western and all more allies of Israel than anything else, including humane, reasonable and fact based.

That's a real conondrum posing a real danger of losing objectivity, peace and in the end, your soul.

I do not know what can change this picture when it comes to Israel and Palestine and Islam and the West.

But I am way beyond the point, where I care about my own life, reputation or career - because if this continues, we are all going to pay for allowing this blind spot to grow, and we will pay in the ancient and universal currency of blood.