Oh My G-d! What a Cleric Thinks

Paul Oestricher, who is a member of the Church of England's general synod and director of the Centre for International Reconciliation, Coventry Cathedral; he is now a chaplain at the University of Sussex, has published an awful op-ed in the UK Guardian.

His main thrust is this:-

But the main objective of my writing today, is to nail the lie that to reject Zionism as it practised today is in effect to be anti-semitic, to be an inheritor of Hitler's racism. That argument, with the Holocaust in the background, is nothing other than moral blackmail. It is highly effective. It condemns many to silence who fear to be thought anti-semitic. They are often the very opposite. They are often people whose heart bleeds at Israel's betrayal of its true heritage.

I began with the recognition that the cancer of anti-semitism has not been cured. Tragically, Israel's policies feed it - and when world Jewry defends Israeli policies right or wrong, then anger turns not only against Israel, but against all Jews. I wish it were mere rhetoric to say that Israeli politics today make a holocaust the day after tomorrow credible. If the whole Muslim world hates Israel, that is no idle speculation.

He continues,

My concern, however, is to express solidarity with the Israel that is not represented by its leaders or popular opinion.

But he also wrote this line:

"But I know too that modern Israel was born in terror."

which moved me to write him this:

But that terror was Arab terror that needed to be responded to.

Arab terror in Jerusalem April 1920.

Arab terror in Jaffa in May 1921.

Arab terror in Jerusalem in November 1921.

Arab terror in Hebron, Safed, etc. in 1929.

Arab terror throughout the Mandate territory during April 1936 – May 1939.

Arab terror in response to the UN partition resolution beginning in December 1947.

All this terror was initiated by the Arabs who refused any political resolution, any compromise any mediation.

The cleric responded to my letter and wrote:

From: Paul Oestreicher [mailto:paul_oestreicher@yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Monday, February 20, 2006 1:03 PM
To: Yisrael Medad

Thanks. All that is history. All share guilt. My article is about today and tomorrow and my wish that the people of Israel should LIVE.

Shalom

and I replied:

So, why did you bring it up?

You didn't use the word "terror" in describing what the Arabs do.

Seems your morality is duplicitous, as you impugn Israel – unjustifiably – and excuse Arabs. That's no way to achieve peace but to help the Arabs avoid it.