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Sunday 27 May 2012

Institute of Cynical Appeasement

Wednesday, 8th October 2008

Hamas has made a predictable response to the world economic crisis:

Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said in a statement that the crisis was due to ‘bad administrative and financial management and a bad banking system put into place and controlled by the Jewish lobby.’

This of course is entirely in accordance with the ravings of the Hamas charter which holds the Jews responsible for capitalism, communism and just about everything g that has happened in the western hemisphere since the French Revolution. The driving force behind Hamas is not to advance the interests of Palestinian Arabs but a deranged hatred of the Jews. Their agenda is therefore totally non negotiable and they should be shunned by any decent human being. Which is why even the European Union, historically no friend to Israel, designated it a terrorist organisation and will have nothing to do with it until and unless it renounces its aim to destroy Israel and carry out a genocide of the Jews.

Notwithstanding all this, at the end of this month the Institute of Contemporary Arts in London proudly announces that it is to host a ‘unique’ event, a satellite discussion between the former MI6 agent Alistair Crooke, founder of the lobby group Conflicts Forum, and Usama Hamdan, a member of the Hamas ruling council.

There is nothing unique about such a discussion. Crooke has been talking to Hamas for years; as I reported here, here and here, Conflicts Forum is an outfit that supposedly promotes ‘engagement’ with Islamist radicals but actually promotes their cause, which it terms ‘resistance’. Under its aegis, the Tory grandee Michael Ancram met Hamdan in Beirut three times; the outcome of this ‘dialogue’ was that Hamdan merely reiterated his support for murdering Jews.

This is therefore not so much a discussion as a public love-in between a discredited ex-spy and an Islamist terrorist who promotes genocide and the Islamisation of the region. The aim of this event is therefore to help normalise Hamas and promote its evil cause as a genuine grievance. As Helen Szamuely has noted on New Culture Forum:

Mr Crooke’s aim for whatever motives, is to make terrorists and mass murderers acceptable, their followers objects of compassion and to present the one democratic state of the Middle East, Israel, as an oppressive ogre. No other point of view is to be allowed in his universe.

The ICA is a publicly funded body. What does the Department for Culture have to say about this disgusting abuse of taxpayers’ money?

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John

October 8th, 2008 3:55pm

I know the ICA well from the past and it has always been a "luppy" venue .. nothing changes. But don't expect any support from the DCA they are as left wing as the rest.

phil

October 8th, 2008 4:24pm

well at least they have not blamed the downfall of spurs on the Jews -yet -chelsea must be making them really sick .:)

It's all relative, isn't it? No, it's not.

October 8th, 2008 4:36pm

No more than the sort of idiocy masquerading as 'thoughtful culture' one would expect from the moronic Ekow Eshun. See, for example, his self-serving rubbish here: http://www.ica.org.uk/Gaddafi:%20A%20Living%20Myth+12057.twl

Ronnie

October 8th, 2008 6:00pm

Its temporary Phil, they'll be back.

ahad ha'amoratzim

October 8th, 2008 6:31pm

Amazing. Not that long ago, an Israeli army officer was warned not to deplane during a layover in London because of plans to arrest him for being a "war criminal" based on atrocities that never occurred. Now a leader of a genocidal gang of murderers, who have caused misery to Christians, Muslims and Jews, is invited to be an honored guest at a British conference?

phil

October 8th, 2008 8:25pm

ronnie I hope so :)

raymond joseph douglas

October 9th, 2008 8:48am

Ronnie!You mean the problems at my club,Newcastle united,are not the fault of the Jews either?Oy vey!

phil

October 9th, 2008 10:43am

raymond joseph douglas maybe they need to change their kit to blue and white stripes and white socks ,grow their sideburns a little -who knows :)

Ronnie

October 9th, 2008 2:26pm

I'm sorry Raymond, I just can't think of anything to say that could help. I usually try, '...and this too shall pass.' but I'm not sure in the case of Newcastle United. I still think Phil has reason to be optimistic.

On a slightly more serious note (but not much) the way things are going, all our football clubs will be owned by Arabs and Russians. Won't that be interesting?

Andy Gill

October 9th, 2008 8:43pm

What has Hamas got to do with the arts? Have I missed something?

Harvey

October 9th, 2008 11:47pm

Just to get back on track .

Hamas is just one cog in the Islamist machine which makes no secret of its hatred of Jews [ note not Zionists ]They are quite transparent in their demonisation of Jews although they try their best to use the term Zionist as often as possible.Unfortunately they tend to let the subterfuge slip as often as not.

At least we know where we stand with these groups [ know thy enemy well]. My problem is with the leftist drivel which seeks to trivialize the profusion of virulent antisemitism emnating from across the Muslim world .

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Melanie Phillips is a Daily Mail columnist. She also writes for the Jewish Chronicle and is a panellist on BBC Radio Four's Moral Maze. Her most recent book is 'The World Turned Upside Down: The Global Battle over God, Truth and Power', published by Encounter.

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