The Gut Reaction

The Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet published a story about organ farming and trafficking by Israeli soldiers from Arab bodies.

Now, why the claim wasn't about Hadassah Hospital, I don't know. After all, the medical facilities are so much better there.

Anyway, the gut reaction of the liberal, progressive we-can't-stand-Israel camp was a) it could be true; and b) if it isn't, Israel must prove otherwise; and c) freedom of the press allows us the right to publish such material. In other words, the gut reaction was it's true.

Israel's gut reaction was this is unadulterated antisemitism of the Nazi style and must be outright condemned.

Of course, both sides really went with their gut reaction.

And who had better guts?

Here:

Much of the material in Boström’s article came from a book he published in 2001, “Inshallah” (the title is something of a giveaway, you can probably already see where this is going), which was jointly financed by the Swedish Foreign Ministry and various other government-backed organisations. Here in fact is what Boström writes in the acknowledgements section (comments in brackets are my explanations):

"Thanks to Diakonia [90% government-financed Christian aid organisation], Forum Syd [government-financed aid organisation], Graphics Industry Union, Stockholm Graphic Workers' Union [part of the Swedish Trade Union Confederation, co-owner of Aftonbladet], the Swedish Christian Study Center, the Brotherhood Movement [Christian branch of the Social Democratic Party], the Swedish Palestinian Solidarity Movement [partly government-financed], Trade union TCO and the Swedish Foreign Ministry for their financial donations."

It appears Foreign Minister Carl Bildt has every reason to be tight-lipped. There’s too much at stake if people start talking, writing or asking questions. Swedes might start demanding some of their tax money be spent on their welfare rather than on organ-harvesting for Palestinian Arabs.