Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Robert Goot, "contemptible".
CANBERRA - JEWISH leaders have slammed the recen
t establishment of the Committee to Dismantle Zionism by two Jewish Australian academics, which accuses Israel of genocide.
Academics John Docker and Ned Curthoys, from the Australian National University in Canberra, said they established the committee last month to “repudiate Israel’s claim that it acts in the name of Jews the world over”.
“We deplore the ‘myth of Israel’ as perpetual victim and rational p
eace-seeker,” the pair released in a statement.
“It seems clear to us that Israel is a genocidal settler colonial society that, since its founding in 1948, continually seeks to destroy the foundations of life of the indigenous Palestinians.”
In another statement posted under the title “How to dismantle Zionism in a few easy steps” on Independent Australian Jewish Voices co-founder Antony Loewenstein’s blog, the pair further clarified the committee’s aims by declaring the idea of a Jewish state to be “absurd, unjust and ultimately untenable”.
Among the committee’s goals is supporting the cultural and economic boycott of Israel, urging Diaspora Jews to renounce the Jewish right of return and endorsing
the “unconditional right for Palestinian refugees to return to their homes”.
When contacted by the The AJN, Curthoys said: “I am only one of a number of Jewish voices who no longer believes that Israel’s aggressive territorial nationalism can ever bring peace to the Middle East or long-term security to its various peoples”.
The duos’ comments have sparked the ire of Jewish leaders, who have called their statements “unsubstantiated” and “extreme”.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Robert Goot said, “The views expressed by this self-appointed father and son pseudo-academic committee of two are so contemptible and so far removed from reality, fact and rational thought that they do not warrant further consideration.”
Zionist Federation of Australia president Philip Chester said that while he was “disappointed” the statements came from people of the Jewish faith, he does not believe their views represent the mainstream view of the Jewish community.
“Because these views are so marginal and these people are not part of any responsible communal position, I don’t believe that they will attract any significant following within the community,” he said.
“Our community was very understanding and supportive of the Gaza operation, as it understood that Israelis could not continue to live with constant, unrelenting bombardment from Hamas in Gaza. Indeed, most western countries also understood why Israel had to undertake this operation.“
Source: AJN.COM
t establishment of the Committee to Dismantle Zionism by two Jewish Australian academics, which accuses Israel of genocide.Academics John Docker and Ned Curthoys, from the Australian National University in Canberra, said they established the committee last month to “repudiate Israel’s claim that it acts in the name of Jews the world over”.
“We deplore the ‘myth of Israel’ as perpetual victim and rational p
eace-seeker,” the pair released in a statement.“It seems clear to us that Israel is a genocidal settler colonial society that, since its founding in 1948, continually seeks to destroy the foundations of life of the indigenous Palestinians.”
In another statement posted under the title “How to dismantle Zionism in a few easy steps” on Independent Australian Jewish Voices co-founder Antony Loewenstein’s blog, the pair further clarified the committee’s aims by declaring the idea of a Jewish state to be “absurd, unjust and ultimately untenable”.
Among the committee’s goals is supporting the cultural and economic boycott of Israel, urging Diaspora Jews to renounce the Jewish right of return and endorsing
the “unconditional right for Palestinian refugees to return to their homes”.When contacted by the The AJN, Curthoys said: “I am only one of a number of Jewish voices who no longer believes that Israel’s aggressive territorial nationalism can ever bring peace to the Middle East or long-term security to its various peoples”.
The duos’ comments have sparked the ire of Jewish leaders, who have called their statements “unsubstantiated” and “extreme”.
Executive Council of Australian Jewry president Robert Goot said, “The views expressed by this self-appointed father and son pseudo-academic committee of two are so contemptible and so far removed from reality, fact and rational thought that they do not warrant further consideration.”
Zionist Federation of Australia president Philip Chester said that while he was “disappointed” the statements came from people of the Jewish faith, he does not believe their views represent the mainstream view of the Jewish community.
“Because these views are so marginal and these people are not part of any responsible communal position, I don’t believe that they will attract any significant following within the community,” he said.
“Our community was very understanding and supportive of the Gaza operation, as it understood that Israelis could not continue to live with constant, unrelenting bombardment from Hamas in Gaza. Indeed, most western countries also understood why Israel had to undertake this operation.“
Source: AJN.COM
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