Meet Captain Israel, the anti-BDS superhero

[Scurrilous]

Creators of a new comic hope that they can counter the 'venomous' Israel boycott movement.

<snip>

"I'm sitting in my den with Mekaal Hasan, one of Pakistan's premier musical artists and producers, who stopped by to visit while on break from a tour with his countryman, Atif Aslam. Mekaal is one of the pioneers of the explosive fusion of metal, prog rock and Qawwali (sufi) styles that is the cutting edge of South Asian pop music these days. If you still think Bollywood soundtracks are cool, you're way behind the musical 8-ball."

<snip>

"Mekaal and I were lamenting how much money gets put into war and the hate-filled propaganda that tear people apart while artists have to beg for funds to bring people together, when I received a seemingly bizarre email. The subject line talked about "Capt. Israel," and when I opened it on my Blackberry, I could see a small part of an image on the screen, which seemed to be from a comic book, and a very strange one at that.

I scrolled up, down and across the screen until the full image began to make sense. Once it did, I ran into the other room to open the message on my computer, as what I thought I was seeing seemed hard to believe.

But it's true. World, please welcome your newest superhero, "Captain Israel!"

http://english.aljazeera.net/indepth/opinion/2011/08/201182113271819381.html

Captain Israel:

http://www.captisrael.com/

[shira]

1. Capt Israel is fighting against the disgusting antisemitic BDS movement. My hero! n/t

[Confusious]

2. Goofy, and a blatant ripoff of Captain America

I didn't read it, but I'm sure he protects Israel from some evil Palestinian child who barely has enough food to eat.

That's usually how these things go.

[Violet_Crumble]

3. That is some seriously funny shit!

'"Captain Israel" means business! His task: Defend Israel at all costs from her most dangerous enemies!

And what enemy is so dangerous that the once-vaunted IDF is no longer able to handle without superhuman (and perhaps even divine) intervention? A nuclear-armed Iran? Gazan terrorists infiltrating from Egypt? A much larger Gaza Flotilla? A million unarmed Palestinians marching to the Qalqaliya and Erez "border" crossings? Members of the Jenin Freedom Theatre?

Don't be ridiculous. The IDF, Shin Bet, Mossad, Border Police, US Congress, "stinky water" (the name really doesn't do justice to the smell), drones, anti-missile shield or various combinations of the above can handle any of these threats.

No, the threat that only Captain Israel can defeat is none other than ... the BDS movement!

Wait, I'm sorry, the "venomous BDS movement".'

It's really hard to take someone in light blue tights seriously. I really think the creator should have fashioned Captain Israel on Dogbert...

[shira]

4. Delegitimzation (BDS) is leading to big spikes in antisemitic hate crimes worldwide...

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=358421&mesg_id=362633

The degree of delegitimization became such that in 2010 the United Jewish Federations of America, the overarching body of all U.S. Jewish communities, made fighting Israel’s delegitimization its number one nondomestic cause, though the group had good reason domestically for doing so. The more vitriolic the hatred against Israel, the more vulnerable Jewish communities become abroad. A relative of mine in Melbourne, Australia, wrote me during the Gaza war that “Israel’s actions in Gaza were making it impossible for him to live as a Jew in Melbourne,” something I would have laughed at, had I not been in Australia at the start of the Lebanon war in 2006 and seen the wave of hatred against Jews both in the media and from Australia’s very large Lebanese community.

[Violet_Crumble]

6. Netanyahu, the purveyor of hatred

The campaign to promote the idea that the Palestinians are delegitimizing the "existence of Israel" has turned the critics of the right-wing government into Israel-haters.

By Akiva Eldar

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is nobody's fool. He certainly knows that photos of policemen dragging away civilians who have come to protest the occupation and the siege do not enhance Israel's standing as "the only democracy in the Middle East." He undoubtedly understands that horse-trading over terrorists' dry bones does not help rebuild the shattered remnants of trust between Israel and the Palestinians.

He also presumably knows that open conflict with the U.S. president is detrimental to Israel's long-term interests. And this expert on America most likely took into account that his refusal to meet with a congressional delegation of supporters of the dovish American-Jewish organization J Street did not reveal him to be an enlightened leader.

<snip>


The delegitimization of those who oppose the occupation and injustice is trickling down to the lowest-ranking police officer, as is hatred of the left. Israeli leftists from the Solidarity movement who stubbornly continue demonstrating in East Jerusalem's Sheikh Jarrah and Silwan neighborhoods, activists in Breaking the Silence and volunteers with Machsom Watch tell of harsh verbal and sometimes even physical violence against them by the security forces.

To oil the wheels of hatred, Netanyahu and his spokespeople use hate-filled Palestinian publications that differ little from "Torat Hamelech," a book by a settler rabbi, or the leaflets on the weekly Torah portion that flood synagogues throughout Israel. To deal with this phenomenon among the Palestinians, Abbas told the American administration he was willing to immediately resume the activities of the joint committee against incitement; he has also conveyed direct messages to this effect to the Prime Minister's Bureau.

But Netanyahu prefers to sell hatred of gentiles. He knows that Israelis feel warm and cozy in the bunker, as long as it includes cheap cottage cheese.


http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/netanyahu-the-purveyor-of-hatred-1.372603

[shira]

7. The delegitimizers aren't just against Nutty's RW gov't, but against any Zionist gov't.

That's why it's antisemitism.

There's no sense pretending it's leftwing activism against rightwing extremism.

[Violet_Crumble]

9. Those damned delegitimizers

It was an especially shrewd, if demoniacal, touch to coax the 47 defenders of the God-given Right Not to Have to Listen to Bad People to include settlements in its protected zone.

By Todd Gitlin

That delegitimization crowd is not only vicious but dangerous, all right. It's growing in strength and reach. It can worm its way in anywhere. Anywhere. Forget the flotillas and flightillas - the enemy is already within the gates. It's erasing the Green Line. It speaks piously, but trades birthrights for pottage.

Now these despoilers of Israel's reputation as a light among the nations have infiltrated the Knesset itself, and under cover of darkness - emotional and ideological darkness - have coaxed, suborned, seduced, bribed or otherwise ensured that 47 duly elected members would carry out their evil, self-discrediting work. Imagine! Agents of Hamas, Col. Gadhafi & Co. - aided, no doubt, by the ghost of the grand mufti himself - cunningly contrived this stampede in favor of a national gag order to ban any call to boycott anyone or anything Israeli, that is, tied to "the State of Israel, one of its institutions or an area under its control, in such a way that may cause economic, cultural or academic damage."

Diabolical timing, too. Just at this crossroads in world history, when Egypt and Tunisia - imagine, Arabs! - have been fighting and dying for a regime that would uphold freedom of speech and the press, Israel, the bastion of democracy in a neighborhood well known for its nastiness, has chosen to look like either an Islamist monstrosity or a craven apologist for the cottage cheese industry. How did Israel's enemies manage this insult to democratic rights, not to mention common sense? Did they pay off in dollars, euros or shekels? Won't this be the anti-boycott law that launches a thousand boycotts? Does the devil not quote Scripture?

It was an especially shrewd, if demoniacal, touch to coax the 47 defenders of the God-given Right Not to Have to Listen to Bad People to include settlements in its protected zone. For not so long ago, wasn't the mayor of Ariel suing in Tel Aviv District Court to refund the value-added taxes the locals had paid, on the grounds that "the Ariel local council and the municipality, composed of residents of the region, convenes in the region and is managed from Ariel," and therefore did not belong to Israel proper? For that matter, has anyone looked to see who paid for that mayor's campaign costs?

The delegitimizers are on the march, O ye naive of Israel, and let no one forget it! They dispatched dybbuks into the minds of rabbis to command them to prohibit Jews from renting to Arabs. They organized a Jerusalem Day march where people chanted "death to Mohammed" and "death to all leftists" while the police escorted them. There was a time when such things could not take place in Eretz Israel. But now the disguises of the delegitimizers are transparent. They will stop at nothing.

http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/opinion/those-damned-delegitimizers-1.373320

[shira]

10. The definition of a delegitimizer isn't someone who just criticizes Israel, but actively seeks...

...to reverse the outcome of the 1948 war.

Antisemites who criticize Israel but work to bring about its destruction, from David Duke to Hamas, cannot expect their criticism to be taken seriously.

[Violet_Crumble]

11. Zionists, relax, Israel is not on the brink of destruction

Rational thinking is highly unpopular in the Netanyahu government, which seems caught in the belief that catastrophe is on the way.

By Carlo Strenger

One of the best-known Yiddish expressions is ‘Gevalt, Yiddelech, Gevalt!', a phrase best translated as ‘catastrophe, Jews, catastrophe!’.

I would suggest that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's coalition officially be named the Gevalt! Government. Listening to the utterances of our ministers, you would come to the conclusion that the State of Israel is about to be erased and the Jewish people are in danger of immediate extinction.

In fact, it is nowadays the bon ton to join the Gevalt! chorus. Those who say that all this panicking is irrational are considered to be unpatriotic. A true Zionist and a good Jew is supposed to be in constant dread and must brace for the ultimate fight for the Masada that Israel has become and that is under threat from everywhere.

Here is another way of looking at Israel’s situation: Israel is quite safe and has a lot of constructive options. Palestinians were never as willing to move ahead toward peace with Israel. In the long run, the new developments in the Arab world are likely to lead to more democracy and stability; Israel still has the option of normalizing its relationships with the Arab world that has now been on the table for almost nine years, through the Arab League Peace Initiative. This is also indicated by a new poll showing that two thirds of Egyptians favor maintaining peace with Israel.

This is not the assessment of some starry-eyed idealist. It is that of the hard-headed and daring former Mossad chief Meir Dagan. The brouhaha that ensued after he gave his assessment showed that the Gevalt! Government is incapable of living with level-headed, calm and rational thought.

<snip>

But such rational thinking is highly unpopular in the current government, and it will continue to fight UN recognition, instead of engaging with it in constructive ways.

For those who are sick and tired of hearing ‘Gevalt, Yiddelech, Gevalt!’ and want to see what a constructive Israeli policy could look like, I strongly recommend looking at the Israeli Peace Initiative that includes former IDF Chief of Staff Amnon Lipkin-Shahak, General Amram Mitzna, former Mossad Chief Danny Yatom and former heads of the Shin Bet Yaakov Peri and Ami Ayalon.

The voice of reason is there to be heard – one just needs to listen.

http://www.haaretz.com/blogs/strenger-than-fiction/zionists-relax-israel-is-not-on-the-brink-of-destruction-1.370455

[shira]

12. I suppose J-Street didn't get the memo and has joined the Gevalt! government...

....WRT being against Palestinian UN recognition, against BDS and one state....

:eyes:

[Violet_Crumble]

14. UN Secretary General: Palestinian statehood is 'long overdue'

Ban Ki-moon says supports two-state solution for Middle East peace, adding that it was up to UN members whether or not to recognize an independent Palestinian state.

By Haaretz

The Palestinian people are "long overdue" in their quest for an independent state, United Nations Secretary General Ban Ki-moon said on Friday, ahead of a Palestinian push for statehood in the UN planned for later this month.

Ban's comments came a day after Palestinian activists launched a campaign for the recognition of a Palestinian state in the United Nations. The move contradicts earlier reports that the Palestinian Authority was the one who issued the request.

In a letter addressed to Ban's Ramallah office, Palestinian activists urged the leader of the international community to "exert all possible efforts toward the achievement of the Palestinian people's just demands."

Speaking on Friday, the UN chief was quoted by the French news agency AFP as saying he fully supported Palestinian statehood: "The two state vision where Israel and Palestinians can live... side by side in peace and security -- that is a still a valid vision and I fully support it."

"And I support also the statehood of Palestinians; an independent, sovereign state of Palestine. It has been long overdue," Ban told reporters in Canberra, adding that a "recognition of a state is something to be determined by the member states."

http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/un-secretary-general-palestinian-statehood-is-long-overdue-1.383504

[King_David]

5. I guess they needed him in Australia

Where their idea of 'BDS' degenerated into blatent antisemitism ,as it usually does.


http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x362646

[Violet_Crumble]

8. I doubt it. He hasn't got any cool superpowers...

I mean, unless he some hidden gift of endowing intelligence in Tony Abbott or Barry O'Farrell, he's as useless as tits on a bull to us....

That was one hell of an incoherent and poorly written article you linked to. Did you happen to notice (assuming that you read past the headline) that he makes the accusation, but doesn't follow up by explaining how boycotting Israel because of its policies towards the Palestinians is antisemitic. Glad to see on reading the comments, which I assume are mostly from locals now the Convoy of No Confidence has limped off to lick its wounds, that the vast majority of those who commented noticed the same thing and weren't taken in by his crap...

btw, I'm curious to know how someone who doesn't think saying that hating Muslims is Islamophobic manages to read antisemitism into just about anything and everything...

[azurnoir]

13. but he wears a really pretty shade of blue

and his legs look so nice in those tights :-)

[Violet_Crumble]

15. He's got to put more effort into it to beat Tony Abbott's outfit...

http://www.heraldsun.com.au/news/opposition-leader-tony-abbotts-wife-bans-speedos/story-e6frf7jo-1225812609552

[azurnoir]

16. oh my I learned a new term

"budgie smugglers " I kinda like that one

[King_David]

17. It is quite obvious that boycotting Jewish

Business's and pretending that ,it's BDS against Israel ,
is antisemitism .

[Violet_Crumble]

18. But they're not boycotting Jewish businesses...

Feel free to give me a list of Australian Jewish businesses that are being boycotted if you think that's what's happening. It's called putting yr money where yr mouth is. If that was what was happening, then I'd agree that it was antisemitic, but it's not what's happening. There's absolutely no pretence that the boycott is aimed at Israel because of the way it's treating Palestinians and the human rights violations it commits against them.

[King_David]

19. This is what the new Greens MP told Sky News

'The new Greens MP told Sky News on Monday he stood by the NSW Greens policy of supporting the BDS campaign. He also refuted claims of anti-Semitism arising from the New Matilda interview, where he was quoted as saying in response to extreme actions against The Greens, “these Jews provide cover for extreme actions if they occur. If there’s a sniff of you being critical of Israel, such Jews will attack you and cut you loose.'

Again he was talking about JEWS :


“these Jews provide cover for extreme actions if they occur. If there’s a sniff of you being critical of Israel, such Jews will attack you and cut you loose.'


http://www.jewishnews.net.au/parker-wins-balmain-but-not-support-of-the-bds/20136






How can anyone PRETEND it is about the occupation and not about JEWS ?

[Violet_Crumble]

20. Yes, the Greens support boycotting Israel. How about answering what you were asked?

You were asked to put yr money where yr mouth is and show examples of Australian Jewish businesses that are being boycotted. You didn't provide even one example, so that claim can be thrown on the Complete Bullshit pile...


Again, no-one's pretending anything. Accusing people of antisemitism for daring to criticise the occupation is extremely ugly and disgusting. Next thing you know someone will be calling them Nazis...

on edit: I'm not sure what you think repeating a false accusation against a NSW Green that was already debunked in an earlier thread when you posted it achieves. For those who aren't into knee-jerk accusations of antisemitism, here's what the person who did the interview had to say:

'News Ltd has had a field day over an NM story about the Greens, including claiming that we misquoted newly elected NSW Greens MP Jamie Parker. Antony Loewenstein responds

Last week, New Matilda published a story by me about the Greens and the NSW election campaign. The loud response it attracted from the corporate media was marked by misrepresentations and outright falsehoods. My story has been quoted extensively in Murdoch outlets across the country, usually without attribution. The context about which I was writing has been deliberately skewed.

The NSW election produced a stunning Labor defeat, a massive Liberal victory and an impressive Greens vote. After 26 March, the mainstream media focused largely on the decimation of Labor and supposedly poor Greens showing, reportedly due to the NSW Greens and Sydney’s Marrickville Council backing the global justice movement of boycott, divestment and sanctions (BDS) against Israel to force it to abide by international law.

My piece analysed the failures and successes of the Greens campaign and the complex political realities of BDS both within the party and the wider community. Since the piece was published, the inner city seat of Balmain has been claimed by the Greens, the first lower house seat in NSW ever won by the party.

For my story I interviewed NSW Senator-elect Lee Rhiannon, Galaxy Polling head David Briggs, NSW Greens MLC David Shoebridge, just retired Greens MLC Ian Cohen and now Balmain Greens MP Jamie Parker. I took detailed, accurate notes of all the interviews. In the case of Parker, I read back his quotes to confirm what he said. He was happy for me to publish them.

You can therefore imagine my surprise when I read in yesterday’s Sunday Telegraph a piece by union leader Paul Howes that claimed Parker had denied making this quote, which I had attributed to him in my original piece:

"These Jews provide cover for extreme actions if they occur. If there’s a sniff of you being critical of Israel, such Jews will attack you and cut you loose."

Again, context is important (and Howes doesn’t provide any). When Parker said this, he was referring to the silence among the local Jewish community when the Greens suffered death threats, hate calls and Nazi swastikas on their signage during the campaign because of BDS.

I stand by my article and Parker’s quotes and I have the notes to back this up.

http://newmatilda.com/2011/04/04/loewenstein-responds-news-ltd

[Name removed]

22. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

[Violet_Crumble]

23. You didn't bother reading a word of what was posted, did you?

I proved these wankers mean Jews, they do not even cloak there language.

So, just mentioning the word Jew is antisemitic according to you, even though you think someone saying 'I hate Muslims' isn't bigoted against Muslims. Oh-kay...

If you'd read the article that was posted, you'd see that there were attempts by some rather stinky types to take what he'd said completely out of context, and the person who did the interview with him has stated that. Y'know, antisemitism actually exists, so trying to turn things that aren't into it, like labelling criticism of Israel antisemitism, actually causes harm by having the Boy Who Cried Wolf effect...

No need to answer what you asked,


I do not follow orders. (Unlike my ancestors)

Well, when someone makes a claim that looks like bullshit and someone asks them for even one example of what they claim and they refuse, then it's a fair bet that the original claim was utter bullshit. Pro-Palestinian groups in Australia do NOT boycott the businesses of Australian Jews, they boycott Israeli owned companies in protest of the treatment by Israel of the Palestinians...

Two last things. Try to learn the difference between a request and an order (mine was the former). And I don't give a flying fuck about yr ancestors...

[King_David]

24. `And I don't give a flying fuck about yr ancestors...`

Yes you have made that abundantly Clear .


(and insulting to half the people posting on this forum,who share them with me. )

[Violet_Crumble]

25. I didn't realise this was a genealogy forum...

Is there some hidden thread where DUers get together and trace their family trees and discover they're all related to each other? Why haven't I been invited yet?

I figure no-one would give a shit about things my ancestors did, and I couldn't care less who yr ancestors are or did. If that insults you, then a tougher hide is required, as this is merely an internet discussion forum and nothing to get all bent out of shape over...

[azurnoir]

26. it sounded like he was implying anti-Semitism to me

unless of course his ancestors are not Jewish

[Violet_Crumble]

27. Hey, want to see something funny?

I'm apparently supposed to know and care who this posters ancestors are, and it's supposedly damn insulting that I don't, yet only a few days ago this is what he had to say to someone in this forum who said they were Jewish.

'I have no clue if you are really Jewish or not,


Nor is it relevant and nor do I really care.'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=362384&mesg_id=362404

[Name removed]

21. Deleted message

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.