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Max Blumenthal Tag

Posted by William A. Jacobson on November 14, 2014 7 Comments
David Sheen is a name you probably haven't heard before, at least not the David Sheen who is a leading anti-Israel propagandist. Sheen, along with Max Blumenthal, travels the globe presenting a gross negative caricature of Israel worthy of 1930's cartoons. Sheen and Blumenthal were to present their anti-Israel campaign in the German Bundestag (parliament) until a left-wing German lawmaker, Gregor Gysi, objected (allegedly) on the grounds that the two were anti-Semitic. That objection reportedly almost got Sheen and Blumenthal disinvited, although they did end up giving their presentation. Sheen and Blumenthal then chased the lawmaker down the hallway. Both men got in Gysi's face, and Sheen tried to push his way into a bathroom as the lawmaker tried to shut the door. Sheen, writing at the anti-Israel, anti-Zionist Mondoweiss website, explained how it developed:
At the end of our presentations, Max called upon those assembled to join us and confront Gregor Gysi, and this call was applauded by many in the audience. A group of us then walked to his office, prepared to talk to him politely and explain the consequences of his cavalier political ploy. However, he refused to come out of his office and meet with us, even for a minute. When he finally emerged, he strode right past us at a brisk pace, and – well, you probably saw the rest – I followed him and demanded that he acknowledge responsibility for the repercussions that I would have to face as a result of his actions.
Sheen shot this video: Someone else filmed from a different angle, starting with an initial confrontation (which appears to be outside Gysi's office):

Posted by William A. Jacobson on August 29, 2014 20 Comments
Now I come to praise Elizabeth Warren. Warren long has made sense when it comes to the Middle East, in her strong support of Israel and her understanding of the neighborhood in which Israel lives. Whatever her other positions, we should at least acknowledge when she is right. And she did so again the other day:
But when the man in the green Hawaiian shirt stood up, Warren went from voicing her support for those local causes to defending her vote to send $225 million to Israel in its ongoing conflict with Hamas. "We are disagreeing with Israel using their guns against innocents. It's true in Ferguson, Missouri, and it's true in Israel," said Harwich resident John Bangert, who identified himself as a Warren supporter but said the $225 million could have been spent on infrastructure or helping immigrants fleeing Central America. "The vote was wrong, I believe," he added, drawing applause from several in the crowd. Warren told Bangert she appreciated his comments, but "we're going to have to agree to disagree on this one." "I think the vote was right, and I'll tell you why I think the vote was right," she said. "America has a very special relationship with Israel. Israel lives in a very dangerous part of the world, and a part of the world where there aren't many liberal democracies and democracies that are controlled by the rule of law. And we very much need an ally in that part of the world." Warren said Hamas has attacked Israel "indiscriminately," but with the Iron Dome defense system, the missiles have "not had the terrorist effect Hamas hoped for." When pressed by another member of the crowd about civilian casualties from Israel's attacks, Warren said she believes those casualties are the "last thing Israel wants." "But when Hamas puts its rocket launchers next to hospitals, next to schools, they're using their civilian population to protect their military assets. And I believe Israel has a right, at that point, to defend itself," Warren said, drawing applause. Noreen Thompsen, of Eastham, proposed that Israel should be prevented from building any more settlements as a condition of future U.S. funding, but Warren said, "I think there's a question of whether we should go that far."
For that perfectly logical and appropriate statement, Warren incurred the wrath of Glenn Greenwald.  

Posted by William A. Jacobson on July 18, 2014 14 Comments
There has been a lot of vile anti-Israel propaganda in social media, going along with open anti-Semitism in social media and the streets. It's part of a pervasive dehumanization of Israeli Jews to justify Hamas' deliberate rocket fire into the middle of cities and perpetual war to destroy Israel. This tweet caught my eye because it distills how deviant the propaganda has become comparing not just Israelis, but Zionism itself, to Nazism.  The tweet shows the founder of modern Zionism, Theodor Herzl, giving birth to Hitler: Twitter - @bound0479 - giving birth hitler Zionism As if that's not bad enough, note the reaction from Max Blumenthal, one of the leading anti-Israel and pro-BDS campus speakers and authors:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on April 15, 2014 14 Comments
Max Blumenthal is experiencing what goes around coming around. Having blamed various critics of radical Islam as well as international Zionism for the 2011 mass murder in Norway, unfairly, Blumenthal now is in focus because the Overland Park shooter was a big fan of Blumenthal's Jewish money and Israel Lobby conspiracy theories.  The shooter was a Neo-Nazi and KKK leader for whom Jewish control of the media and international money was a core belief motivating hatred of Jews.  That's a shared space for anti-Zionists of multiple political ideologies and religions. Specifically, the shooter focused on Blumenthal's theory that Jewish campaign donors were trying to buy the 2012 U.S. presidential election for Bibi Netanyahu, as expressed by Blumenthal in a lengthy article and a Russia Today television interview, to which the shooter linked.  It's ugly stuff, but the type of ugly stuff for which Blumenthal has become known. I've been less harsh on Blumenthal than others, The Overland Park murders, anti-Zionist conspiracy theories, and the blame game:
Assuming Cross [aka Glenn Miller] linked to Blumenthal’s conspiracy theories about the 2012 election, would that mean Blumenthal is responsible for the Overland Park shooting? Absolutely not. Is the intersection between neo-Nazi and anti-Zionist conspiracy theories worthy of examination? Absolutely. We have seen in Europe in particular how anti-Semitism and anti-Zionism go hand-in-hand, often based on conspiracy theories about Jewish and Israeli influence. [image omitted] Those types of consipiracy theories regarding the alleged manipulations of Jewish money and interests are as old as hate itself. That is a fair subject of discussion. I wonder if the mainstream media will go there, as it did in the Norway shooting.
Others are more direct in drawing the connection between the shooter's adoration of Blumenthal's anti-Zionist conspiracy theories and the shooting, in part perhaps because Blumenthal tried to lay blame on some of  them for the Norway shooting (Pipes, Geller):

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 26, 2014 8 Comments
The University of Michigan student assembly rejected the anti-Israel divestment resolution pushed by a coalition of student groups. The greatest contrast during the night was that while the pro-divestment speakers lashed out at Israel with great vitriol, the anti-divestment speakers -- many of whom were critical of some Israeli policies -- were even-tempered and rational. This student rejected attempts to pigeonhole black students into an anti-Israel vote: But the stars of the night were the opening guest speakers. The pro-divestment group picked Max Blumenthal, who gave a predictably flame-throwing anti-Israel speech. While anti-Israel advocates on Twitter and in the room were excited by Blumenthal's tongue lashing of Israel, that excitement dimmed when two real professors took to the stage, one in opposition to the resolution and one selected to give a historical overview. First up was Michigan State - James Madison College Associate Professor Yael Aronoff, who responded directly to Blumenthal. She spoke somewhat quickly so as to leave time for other guest speakers against the resolution, but basically destroyed Blumenthal by pointing out the one sided presentation and the resolution:

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 25, 2014 7 Comments
UPDATE 3-26-2014: After several hours of statements and debate lasting well past midnight, the student assembly agreed to consider the divestment resolution -- but then rejected it on the merits by an overwhelming 25-9 margin. ----------------------- A vote several days ago by the U. Michigan Central Student Government Assembly (CSGA) tabled indefinitely an anti-Israel divestment resolution brought by the usual coalition of Israel haters, using the misleading name Students Allied for Freedom and Equality (SAFE). The basis for tabling the resolution was that it was not properly within the purview of the CSGU. Then the proponents of the resolution took over the offices of the student government, and refused to leave until the divestment resolution was brought up for a vote. And the Michigan administration played right along, while pretending to be neutral, and deflecting acts of physical and verbal intimidation directed at pro-Israel and Jewish students on campus. And the student government caved in too, its president issuing a lengthy statement, including numerous apologies, including this one:
I apologize to any student who has been personally affected by this issue. The issues raised in the resolution extend thousands of miles beyond Ann Arbor, MI, and no student government resolution can bring about any sort of solution. But for thousands of students on this campus, the issues raised are intensely personal and hit close to home. We can, and should, do more so that students can voice their concerns and be listened to, even and especially by those who disagree with them. We should do more so that students feel safe describing their views and sharing their experiences.
Translation: The divestment motion will be brought up again tonight, starting at 7:30 p.m. The viciously anti-Israel Max Blumenthal and Ali Abunimah apparently are making special appearances to argue in favor of divestment. We'll track what happens and let you know.

Posted by William A. Jacobson on March 01, 2014 11 Comments
On this second anniversary of Andrew Breitbart's death, Legal Insurrection and others are remembering Andrew. Some of Andrew's enemies in life, however, continue their efforts in his death. I seriously thought about not calling attention to such people, but that would be a cop out. At the Breitbart Awards in Providence in 2012, the only blogger conference I've attended so far, numerous people spoke to how Andrew thought of himself as the point man in the movement, the person who drew the fire so that others didn't have to. It's important to remember what and who Andrew faced. When I scrolled through a Twitter search for Andrew Breitbart's name, I saw a tweet by Max Blumenthal referring to Andrew reaching his "tweet limit" and linking to an article by Blumenthal from May 2013 mocking how "it was convenient that Breitbart's heart exploded when it did...." I didn't remember what the beef was between Andrew and Blumenthal. So I did a search and found this video by Lee Doren (via an Erick Erickson post) explaining the whole incident and confrontation at CPAC 2010:
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