InsIde the cIty that was left to dIe | David McMillan the PrIsoner who says ‘no’ to bIg brother | John Pilger tV’s debt to x-man comIcs | J Andrew Deman Issue 180 WRITING WORTH READING n PHOTOS WORTH SEEING MID-MARCH 2019 . Antisemitism, the Israel lobby, and the manıpulation of media and Jonathan Cook, Chris Hedges, Caitlin politics Johnstone, CJ Hopkins, Robert Inlakesh 2 ColdType | Mid-March 2019 | www.coldtype.net wrItIng worth readIng Photos worth seeIng Issue 180 mid-march 2019 Issues 4 Labour Party eruPts Into cIvIL war over IsraeL Jonathan Cook 8 IsraeL’s strangLehoLd on amerIcan PoLItIcs .......... Chris Hedges 14 How (and how not) to beat smear camPaIgn .... Caitlin Johnstone 18 A PandemIc of antIsemItIsm ................................................... CJ Hopkins 21 un rePort sLams IsraeL’s gaza massacres ............Robert Inlakesh 24 InsIde the cIty that was Left to dIe ..........................David McMillan 30 the PrIsoner who says ‘no’ to bIg brother ................. John Pilger 3 34 Monkey busIness ............................................................................Linh Dinh 38 the comIc that InsPIred modern teLevIsIon ........ J Andrew Deman 42 DodgIng nukes In south asIa ...........................................Conn Hallinan InsIghts 45 New statistical shell game for justifying billionaires ........ Sam Pizzigati 47 Britain puts new roof on Skripal house of horrors ........ George Galloway 48 ‘In a mirror darkly’ – the reflection of Donald Trump ....Emanuele Corso 50 It’s time for black women to rule the United States ............. Dell Franklin ColdType 7 Lewis Street, Georgetown, Ontario, Canada LG7 1E3 Contact ColdType: Write to Tony Sutton at [email protected] Subscribe: For a FREE subscription to Coldtype, e-mail [email protected] Back Issues: www.coldtype.net/reader.html or www.issuu.com/coldtype © ColdType 2019 ColdType | Mid-March 2019 | www.coldtype.net COVER STORY / 1 Threats by a Jewish group to split from Britain’s Labour Party is not evidence of antisemitism, but of the party’s long indulgence of anti-Palestinian racism, writes Jonathan Cook Labour Party finally erupts into civil war over Israel 4 n announcement by On the defensive, Corbyn the Jewish Labour was prompted to write to the Movement (JLM) that JLM expressing his and the it is considering split- shadow cabinet’s “very strong ting from the British desire for you to remain a part ALabour Party could not have of our movement”. More than That appeared to be a swipe come at a worse moment for 100 Labour MPs, including mem- at Corbyn himself, who is the Jeremy Corbyn. The Labour bers of the front bench, similarly first leader of a British politi- leader is already besieged by pleaded with the JLM not to cal party to prioritise Palestin- claims that he is presiding over disaffiliate. They apologised for ian rights over the UK’s ties to a party that has become “insti- “toxic racism” in the party and an Israeli state that has been tutionally antisemitic”. for “letting our Jewish support- oppressing Palestinians for The threats by the JLM ers and members down”. decades. should be seen as part of con- Their letter noted that the Earlier this month, the certed efforts to oust Corbyn JLM is “the legitimate and Labour leader renewed his call from the leadership. They fol- long-standing representative of for Britain to halt arms sales to low on the heels of a decision Jews in the Labour party” and Israel following a UN report that by a handful of Labour MPs last added that the MPs recognised said the Israeli army’s shoot- month to set up a new faction the importance of “calling out ing of Palestinian protesters in called the Independent Group. those who seek to make solidar- Gaza’s Great March of Return They, too, cited antisemitism as ity with our Jewish comrades a could amount to war crimes. a major reason for leaving. test of foreign policy”. Despite the media atten- ColdType | Mid-March 2019 | www.coldtype.net 5 FOR THE MANY: graffiti on a wall in spitalfields, London. Photo: Duncan C, via Flickr.com tion, all the evidence suggests publicly coming out in sup- to underscore that there are that Labour does not have port for him and discounting progressive Jews who welcome a problem of “institutional the claims of an “endemic” an- Corbyn’s leadership. antisemitism”, or even a prob- tisemitism problem. In the current hysterical cli- lem of antisemitism above the Some 200 prominent Jews mate, however, no one seems marginal racism towards Jews signed a letter to the Guardian interested in the evidence or found in the wider British newspaper calling Corbyn “a these dissenting voices. It is, population. Figures show only crucial ally in the fight against therefore, hardly surprising 0.08 percent of Labour mem- bigotry and reaction. His life- that Corbyn and his supporters bers have been disciplined for time record of campaigning are on the back foot as they face antisemitism. for equality and human rights, losing from Labour an affiliate including consistent support for group of 2,000 members who initiatives against antisemitism, represent a section of the UK’s Also largely ignored by the is formidable.” Jewish community. British media, and Corbyn’s At the same time, a new But paradoxically, the loss opponents, is the fact that a organisation, Jewish Voice for of the JLM may be inevitable if growing number of Jews are Labour, has been established Labour is serious about becom- ColdType | Mid-March 2019 | www.coldtype.net ing a party that opposes racism rights to almost all land in Isra- ultra-nationalist government of in all its forms, because the JLM el, and corralled into their own Benjamin Netanyahu. His coali- has proved it is incapable of separate and massively inferior tion allies seek not a two-state meeting that simple standard. school system. solution, but the takeover of While the Labour Party has All of these policies were most of the occupied territories been dragged into an increas- instituted by Israel’s Labor and ultimately their annexa- ingly fractious debate about Party, the sister organisation tion, again in violation of inter- whether anti-Zionism – opposi- of the JLM in Britain. The JLM national law. tion to Israel as a Jewish state not only refuses to oppose these Ella Rose was appointed – equates to antisemitism, eve- policies, but effectively shields director of the JLM in 2016, ryone has been distracted from Israel from criticism about them straight from a post at the Israe- the elephant in the room. from within Britain’s Labour li embassy. In fact, it is political Zionism, Party. Times – and politics – move at least in the hardline form on. The JLM is a relic of a peri- adopted by groups such as the od when it was possible to claim JLM, that is racism – towards The JLM has remained mute to be anti-racist while turning Palestinians. on the structural violence of Is- a blind eye to the oppression of Zionism, we should recall, rael’s occupying army, and the the Palestinian people. Social required the ethnic cleansing of systematic racism – encoded in media and Palestinians armed 750,000 Palestin- with camera phones – ians to engineer not just Corbyn – have a “Jewish state” Israel’s most ardent supporters, and made that evasion no on the ruins of Corbyn’s enemies, in Labour will play dirty to longer possible. 6 Palestinians’ Labour giving pride homeland. It protect Israel and their own role from scrutiny of place to groups such fuelled Israel’s . as the JLM or Labour hunger for an Friends of Israel – to enlarged territory that led to it Israel’s laws – towards the fifth which 80 of its MPs proudly occupying the West Bank, Gaza of its population who are Pales- belong – is, in the current cir- and East Jerusalem, and fur- tinian citizens. cumstances, as obscene as it ther dispossessing the Palestin- Meanwhile, the JLM’s would have been 40 years ago ians through illegal settlement mother body, the World Zion- for British parties to host their building. ist Organization, has a division own Friends of South Africa Zionism has made it impos- that – to this day – finances the groups. sible for any Israeli government establishment and expansion of The Labour Party bureauc- to offer meaningful concessions settlements in the West Bank, racy is being dragged, kicking to Palestinians on statehood to in violation of international and screaming, into the mod- create the conditions necessary law. ern world by its members, who for peace. It has justified policies Added to this, an Al Jazeera have felt liberated by Corbyn’s that view “mixing between the undercover documentary leadership and his history of races” – between Jews and Pal- broadcast in 2017 showed that supporting all kinds of anti- estinians – as dangerous “mis- the JLM was covertly work- racism struggles, including the cegenation” and “assimilation”. ing with an Israeli government Palestinian one. Furthermore, Zionism has official, Shai Masot, to damage While Britain has major kept Israel’s Palestinian citi- Corbyn because of his pro-Pal- and pressing issues to tackle, zens a segregated minority, estinian positions. from dealing with its exit from hemmed up in their own ghet- Israel, remember, has for Europe to imminent climate col- toised communities, denied the last decade equated to the lapse, Labour’s energies have ColdType | Mid-March 2019 | www.coldtype.net been sidetracked into a civil lution declared: “Let the Arabs hang on to outdated, hardline war about Israel, of all things. be encouraged to move out, as Zionist positions. The old guard want to be the Jews move in.” The JLM’s claim to speak allowed to support Israel, even That is exactly what Israel for all Jews in Labour has been as it heads towards full-blown did by expelling 750,000 Pales- challenged by anti-racist Jews fascism, while much of the tinians, more than 80 percent of like those of the Jewish Voice for membership want to dissociate the Palestinian population, in Labour.