Yellow Stars In France And Bali "Militants"

Two Essays By Steven Plaut

Yellow Stars

France is now leading an initiative in the EU to require that any Israeli products sold in Europe but manufactured in the Jordan Valley, East Jerusalem or elsewhere in the "West Bank" or Gaza Strip be labeled "made in Palestine" or "made in occupied Palestine". The idea is that not only can peace-loving Frenchies boycott the product but that these would be subject to import duties because they would not be counted under the tariff-agreements between the EU and Israel.

But it gets better. The EU does also have a tariff agreement with the Palestinian Authority that allows its exports to enter Europe with little or no duties. So what France is really proposing is that only things produced by JEWS living in the West Bank and Gaza Strip be subject to duties, tariffs and import quotas, but not things produced in the same areas by Arabs.

Which raises an interesting question. When products enter Europe from the West Bank and Gaza, how will the peace-loving progressive Europeans be able to tell if they were made by Arabs or Jews?

I would like to help. Why not just make all boxes entering Europe with things produced by Jews carry a large yellow star? And since all of Israel is occupied Palestine, why not have ALL things made by Jews in Israel also carry a yellow star? And then to make sure the sneaks do not try to slip things in through companies in other countries owned by Jews, why not make all things made by all Jews everywhere carry a yellow star when they enter Europe? And then it goes without saying that any Jews walking about in Europe should also wear yellow stars, just to be sure....


The Bali Difference

I certainly do not mean to detract for an instant from the horror and outrage over the Bali bombing, but at the same time I cannot leave without comment the dramatic differences in the reactions of the world to the Bali bombing and the countless Arab atrocities against Jews.

Not a single media outfit has referred to the perpetrators of the Bali bombings as "activists" or "militants". Not even the BBC and CNN. Indeed, both uncharacteristically used the "T" word to refer to the bombers.

If it turns out that the car bomb was triggered by suicide terrorists, no one in the world will include those dead terrorists in the total body count of the "tragic affair".

Not a single commentator has been insisting that if the terrorists resorted to such violence, then surely they must have legitimate grievances.

Not a single commentator has been insisting that if the terrorists resorted to such violence, then surely they must be fighting for a just cause.

Not a single commentator has been insisting that if the terrorists resorted to such violence, then surely it must be because they are so desperate and mistreated. And no one demanded that Australia ask itself what it has done wrong to earn such hatred.

Not a single commentator has been insisting that Indonesia and Australia need to open dialogue and negotiations with the terrorists because - after all - there is no military solution to the problems of
terrorism.

The Nobel Prize Committee has not suggested that the perpetrators of the bombing be awarded a Peace Prize.

Meretz party chief Yossi Sarid has not suggested that the poems composed by the perpetrators be taught in Israeli schools.

Israeli professors from the Left have not yet organized petitions to demand that the demands of the bombers be met.

Jimmy Carter has not rushed to Bali to endorse the demands of the bombers.

Israeli leftist lawyers have not yet offered to defend any of the bombers caught and indicted.

Student demonstrators in Berkeley did not stage mock street theater representations of the bombings, showing the Australians as villains.

Britain's Chief Rabbi did not declare that only withdrawal from occupied Australia is the solution.

Tikkun's Mikey Lerner did not refer to the bombings as "unrest" and demand that we all feel the pain of the bombers.

The University of Michigan and Colorado College have failed so far to organize Solidarity with the Bali Bombers Conferences.

Canada has not confiscated any leaflets that declare that Australia has the right to exercise self-defense against the terrorists.

The newspapers have not been telling Australians that they brought it all on themselves for being racist and insensitive and obstinate.

No one has yet proposed allowing the terrorists to set up their own state in New South Wales.

No one has described the Bali bombing as "resisting occupation".

No progressive churches or synagogues have offered to host the spokeswoman for the Bali bombers.

No one has described the Bali bombers as moderates who need to be cultivated lest really radical Islamist terrorists gain power.

Shimon Peres and Yossi Beilin have not yet offered the bombers parts of Jerusalem.