How Not to Talk About the Nazi Era and Israel/Palestine
The fallout from a witch hunt in which British Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn and his supporters were accused of anti-Semitism reminds us that both sides flinging comparisons with Nazism at each other only distracts from the legitimate issue of Palestinian rights.

Political opportunists used British politician Naz Shah’s reposting of a graphic by U.S. political science professor Norman Finkelstein as a fulcrum in a struggle for dominance of the British Labour Party. (Norman G. Finkelstein)
The manner and tone of what I wrote in haste is not excusable. … The language I used was wrong. It is hurtful. What’s important is the impact these posts have had on other people. I understand that referring to Israel and Hitler as I did is deeply offensive to Jewish people for which I apologize. When the ‘Gaza-Israel’ conflict happened I played an active role in highlighting the plight of the Palestinian people, attended demonstrations to stop the bombing and called for equality in media reporting of the issues. Feelings were running high across the world and Bradford was no different. Hindsight is a wonderful thing and I’m shocked myself at the language I used in some instances during the Gaza-Israel conflict. For this I apologize.Nonetheless, under heavy pressure, Jeremy Corbyn administratively suspended Shah’s membership in the Labour Party, pending investigation.” Ken Livingstone, a former mayor of London and veteran of the Labour left, jumped to Shah’s defense, saying she is “not anti-Semitic” and claiming that “Hitler was supporting Zionism before he went mad and ended up killing six million Jews.” For this Mann denounced Livingstone as a “Nazi apologist.” Livingstone’s membership in the Labour Party also was suspended. WAIT BEFORE YOU GO...
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