Sunday, December 2, 2007
Ruthie Blum has an excellent interview with al Dura defendant Philippe Karsenty. Not to be missed: One on One: 'Muhammed al-Dura has become a brand-name'. A couple of snips (but every answer is a keeper):
When you live in a country in which 80 percent of the people are Jewish, you don't know what anti-Semitism is. You are insulated. You do not have pictures of Muhammed al-Dura posted everywhere. Nor do you have the kind of experiences people outside of Israel have. For example, the day after the footage of Muhammed al-Dura was aired, I went to my office - at that time, I had a software company - and one of my employees came up to me and asked in an accusatory tone, "What were you doing in Gaza yesterday?"
I answered, "I wasn't in Gaza yesterday."
He said, "No, I mean your army."
I said, "What? The French army was in Gaza yesterday?"
He said, "No, the Israeli army."...
...Do you think there's a difference between anti-Zionism and anti-Semitism?
Oh yes, they are very, very different. Anti-Semites are frank; anti-Zionists are hypocritical. They hate Jews and have found a way to be anti-Semitic without admitting to it.
Karsenty will be in the Boston area this month. I hope there will be a public event.
