Why the Israel Hating Left Has Finally Shut Up About Israel.

3 March  2012 was  an historic day at Webdiary.  Israel was banned from discussion there.


This blog was opened to display the post that pulled off this astonishing achievement. The final straw.


Yes this is true. It is not an attempt at some form of joke. Australia's most venerable and best known left wing blog  has banned "Israel". No joke. Israel. Banned from Webdiary.


"It is the opinion of the Editors that it's time to end this subject and close the comments box, and, for the time being at least, to add the 'Israel/Zion/anti-semitism' trope to the list of things we won't publish any further comments on." 


To fully appreciate the scale of this achievement you need only go to the blog search facility at WD and type in "israel". I get 29,200 results and that just from a search of topic headings. "Britain" only gets 5,120. The "united states" and "us" only 2,130 between them. "Australia" only gets 33,200.


Now look at the whole list of banned subjects (and why).


"Webdiary will not publish comments or host discussion on the following matters:


"1. Denial of the existence of the holocaust.
"2. Allegations that a Western power or powers were behind the attacks on the United States on September 11, 2001
"3. "False flag" theories.


"Why these three? It isn't just because of the content, but also because experience of these debates tells us that in fact no debate is possible: the two (or more) sides endlessly repeat the same arguments to which the other side isn't listening."


To which we now add


"4. 'Israel/Zion/anti-semitism' trope"


Note the reason. Not because these are havens for every crackpot loony lefty and their nazi allies; but because no one is listening to each other.


The problem for Webdiary was too many people were listening. And rolling around in disgust. And laughing their heads off. 


I didn't mean to get "Israel" banned just like I didn't mean to get the other three topics banned. But I did it and now that it has happened I'm claiming credit for all four.

"Israel" is banned because the Greens are split. BDS was a monumental strategic mistake for them. They have had their Marrickville Moment. On the one side are the Marxist-Leninists who regard Israel as the most important issue in the world and are demanding its destruction via a "one state solution". On the other side are the tree huggers who suspect advocating genocide might be a bit iffy politically especially in an election campaign. To add insult to injury Chomsky and Finkelstein have identified BDS as an "antisemitic cult". The only way the Greens think they can keep the whole sorry cart of crackpots together is if everybody just shuts up about it and hope it just goes away.

Now is the moment to go in hard.