Anti-Semitic 9/11 Conspiracy Theories 10 Years Later
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Decade of Deceit: Anti-Semitic 9/11 Conspiracy Theories 10 Years Later August 30, 2011 INTRODUCTION In the ten years since the September 11 terrorist attacks on America, conspiracy theories surrounding the attacks have become an entrenched propaganda industry. These assaults on memory and history attempt to place blame for the attacks on sources other than Al Qaeda, such as the U.S. government. Prominent among such 9/11 conspiracy theories are those that make the anti-Semitic claim that Jews—whether Israeli, American, or both-- were involved in planning and executing the attacks. This anti-Semitic faction is only a part of the so- called "9/11 truth movement," yet it is vocal and pervasive, particularly on the Internet. While its origins began within hours of the attacks themselves, a new chorus of voices—who claim not to be anti-Jewish but simply anti- Zionist—have more recently emerged to become the most popular promoters of these ideas. The goal for these anti-Semitic "truthers" is to convince the public that the actual terrorists never could have masterminded or conducted the 9/11 attacks. Instead, they claim, American and/or Israeli Jews were the only ones who had the "motive, means, and opportunity" to carry them out. Blaming Jews for manipulating world events for their own benefit is not new–it is at the very root of ideological anti-Semitism. Anti-Semitic 9/11 conspiracy theories are merely a recent manifestation of age-old allegations that a Jewish cabal plots deceitful, sinister actions in order to gain or maintain power. Anticipating criticism, a number of these anti-Semitic conspiracists now try to immunize themselves against charges of anti-Semitism by making disclaimers up front about not being anti-Semitic. Their own works and record, however, blatantly contradict their innocuous self-characterizations. The most prominent promoters of these anti-Semitic conspiracy theories today tend less often to be white supremacists and right-wing anti-Semites. Rather they are more commonly members of a group of anti-Israel conspiracists who see the 9/11 attacks as one of a series of "false flag" operations that Israel has carried out to manufacture a war against its Muslim enemies (the term "false flag" operations refers to acts of sabotage or terror conducted by one perpetrator but designed to appear as if conducted by another, with the goal of setting the victim at odds with the false perpetrator). THE EVOLUTION OF ANTI-SEMITIC 9/11 CONSPIRACY THEORIES The initial array of anti-Semitic theories that circulated soon after the 9/11 attacks all still have currency today, but certain conspiracy theories have increased in popularity over the past decade. For example, the most repeated early theory alleged that 4,000 Israelis (or Jews, in some versions) were told to stay home from the World Trade Center on 9/11. This theory, at least in the United States, has receded to the background, while other major anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have come to the forefront. 1 The most popular conspiratorial allegations include the following: The Mossad was behind the attacks. Variations of this theory assert that the Mossad, the Israeli intelligence agency, was behind the 9/11 attacks; the "proof" is the "five dancing Israelis" arrested on 9/11 who were allegedly celebrating as the Twin Towers burned. Although this theory has circulated since 2001, the initial scenario painted the five Israelis as "spies" who knew that the attacks were going to happen and chose not to inform the U.S government. Over time, the theory evolved and today proponents claim that the five Israelis were actually directing the attacks and began dancing when they realized that their mission of creating a false flag operation had been accomplished. Jewish neo-conservatives were behind the attacks. Proponents of this theory claim that neo- conservative American officials of Jewish faith within the Bush administration, particularly Paul Wolfowitz, Richard Perle and Douglas Feith, methodically worked out a plan, with the assistance of the Mossad, to carry out the attacks in order to benefit Israel. This theory alleges that these officials orchestrated a plan well before 9/11, with the goal of invading Iraq and other Middle Eastern countries to allow the U.S. and Israel to seize control of resources and power in that area. The Jewish controlled media and government work to prevent the truth from emerging. The "truth" about Israeli and Jewish involvement in the 9/11 attacks will not be allowed to emerge, claim conspiracy theorists, because Jews were in charge of the 9/11 Commission report and actually control the media and government. In addition to these key themes, a multitude of lesser conspiracy theories also continue to circulate. These range from an alleged Israeli art student spy ring keeping track of the hijackers before the attacks, to Israeli companies controlling U.S telecommunications, to Jewish owners wanting to gain financially from the destruction of the World Trade Center complex. These theories are still persuasive for anti-Semites who want to see a Jewish or Israeli involvement in 9/11 because of their belief that Jews are deceitful, ruthless, and willing to undertake any action, no matter how dire the consequences, to advance their power and influence. CONSPIRACISTS BEHIND THE THEORIES Within days of the 9/11 attacks, anti-Semitic 9/11 conspiracy theories began appearing in the United States and abroad. In the Middle East, Al-Manar, a Lebanese television station linked to Hezbollah, was one of the main sources for the false claim that 4,000 Israelis had been told to stay home on the day of the terrorist attacks. In the United States, publications on the extreme right, particularly the American Free Press (AFP), an anti-Semitic conspiracy-oriented newspaper, also played a big role in promoting a variety of anti-Semitic 9/11 conspiracy theories. Although the AFP is still a regular source of such propaganda, 9/11 anti-Semitic conspiracy theories are now more influentially being promoted by a network of anti-Israel conspiracists who endorse and reinforce each other's work. They blame Israel for numerous nefarious deeds and false flag operations. Among the key figures in this group of conspiracists are Gordon Duff, who runs the anti-Semitic Web site Veterans Today; Alan Sabrosky, a former U.S. Army War College instructor who writes for Veterans Today; and Kevin Barrett, who runs the Truth Jihad Web site and Internet radio show. They have become the most popular promoters of theories claiming that Israelis and Jewish members of the Bush Administration carried out the 9/11 attacks as a false flag operation to provoke a war against Israel's enemies. 2 Articles by Sabrosky and Duff promoting anti-Semitic conspiracy theories have been widely circulated, picked up by the conspiracy press, the extreme right press, and elsewhere, including Islamic media sources in the United States. These articles consistently paint Israel or the "Israel lobby" as devious and complicit in mass murder to further Jewish goals of acquiring power and destroying enemies. They further connect Israel's alleged masterminding of 9/11 attacks to claims regarding Israeli mistreatment of the Palestinians, making the 9/11 theories part and parcel of an overall anti-Israel agenda. Gordon Duff Gordon Duff is an anti-Semitic conspiracist whose innocuous-sounding Web site, Veterans Today, features anti- Israel and Holocaust denial materials. The site also offers a platform for numerous columnists who promote anti-Semitic 9/11 conspiracy theories, as well as Duff's own screeds. Duff's visions of conspiracy are typical of the latter day anti-Semitic 9/11 conspiracists. For example, in a July 2010 essay, "America's Tarnished Military Partnership with Israel," Duff asserts that the "five dancing Israelis" arrested on 9/11 were part of a "team of Israeli intelligence agents" who remotely guided the planes into the World Trade Center with the knowledge of "top members of America's military." He further claims that the U.S.'s own security is threatened by a nefarious and disloyal group of Americans who have dual U.S./Israeli citizenship and who control government organizations and private companies. Indicative of the reach of such writings, this essay was reposted widely across the Internet, especially on conspiracy-oriented and right-wing extremist Web sites. It saw publication in print, too, in places such as The First Freedom, a virulently white supremacist and anti-Semitic Alabama-based newspaper. In other columns, Duff paints Israel's alleged role in the 9/11 attacks as part of a bigger picture of Israel's purported ruthlessness, particularly toward the Palestinians. He depicts Israel as willing to do anything to maintain hegemony in the Middle East. In March 2010, Duff wrote a column that included an interview with Alan Sabrosky, whose anti-Semitic rants have become a mainstay on the Veterans Today site. In the column Duff supports Sabrosky's views. Duff begins the column by asserting that "the Israeli lobby' is "the most powerful and ruthless group in the world." Duff then promotes Sabrosky's view that the 9/11 attacks could not have happened "without the full resources of both the CIA and Mossad and that 9/11 served the interests of both agencies quite well." Alan Sabrosky Sabrosky, a regular columnist for the Veterans Today, is currently one of the most cited sources for anti-Semitic 9/11 conspiracy theories. Sabrosky, like Duff, typically ties these theories to other anti-Israel themes. When Sabrosky alleges that Israel and the Mossad were behind 9/11, he inevitably brings up Israel's alleged treatment of the Palestinians or its attacks on Gaza.