Boycott Season

Hard to believe a year has passed since the first Toronto International Film Festival boycott of Israeli films, instigated by Toronto's infamous Israel-bashers who just happen to be dedicated to aiding the Palestinians by slandering Israel. But these are not anti-Semites, needless to say, they are just people with a mission, one they do not take lightly. This is the renascent, resonating inspirational movement of the left; denouncing apartheid Israel and celebrating victimized Palestinians.

So they're at it again, nipping at the heels of Israeli fascism against innocent Palestinians. Guess they aren't interested in having any knowledge of the fact that Palestinian Authority ministers are growing rich at the expense of ordinary Palestinians, that funding received from abroad is being mis-appropriated by PA ministers. That revelation courtesy of a former PA official, Fahmi Shahaneh, the PA's former - and now threatened with imminent bodily extinction - (anti-)corruption czar.

Guess they're not interested in little factoids like Israel's Minister for Public Security meeting with his Kenyan counterpart in Jerusalem to discuss security. Kenyan's Minister, Prof. George Saitoti explained that Kenya is under threat from extremist Muslims: "The jihad is taking over Somalia and threatening to take over Kenya and all of Africa. No one is more experienced than you in fighting internal terror. I request that you help us in this matter. In knowledge, in training."

But then, why would they? Inconvenient facts getting in the way of their conveniently anti-Israel agenda? Inconvenient facts such as Hollywood director James Cameron and actress-activist Jane Fonda not being aware that their names were placed on a letter circulated to filmmakers, academics and fellow travellers in the anti-Israel movement, to entice them to get back on board for another boycott.

This time it's for Tel Aviv University's student film festival. And Toronto filmmaker Kathy Wazana, along with York University film professor John Greyson are right in there again, urging professors and departmental heads to boycott the festival on the grounds that the Israeli government "actively uses cultural events such as this one to whitewash their tarnished international image."

Tarnished image? Well, they and their soulmates should know a whole lot about that. Their indefatigable and strenuous and hysterical propaganda and sloganeering and slandering has hit the mark, after all. In solidarity with the Palestinians whose own far more successful anti-Israel propaganda has managed to torch Israel's reputation among the West's academics, unions and artists.

Oops, both Mr. Cameron and Ms. Fonda have cried foul, have they, insisted their names be summarily removed? What do they know, in any event? "I'm shocked by this. I never signed such a letter or agreed to let my name be used ... please forward the letter to me so I can get my name taken off and demand a very public apology", Mr. Cameron wrote to a colleague who had questioned him about the issue.

Prof. Greyson and Ms. Wazana were key figures in last year's TIFF boycott, so they're experienced hands at this business of slander and rejection and reputation-bashing. York University, for a change, is sitting up and taking notice. A spokesman released the statement that "The Dean of the Faculty of Fine Arts, as well as students, will not support the boycott he is calling for. York University students are submitting films to the festival."

While admitting that the idea of considering disciplinary action against Prof. Greyson is "being looked into".

As much distance as possible seems like a good agenda for the university, making it quite clear that Professor Greyson is acting as a private individual, certainly not speaking on behalf of the university. For an associate professor at York's film department received an email of enquiry from the Tel Aviv festival organizers, seeking clarification whether this was York U's initiative.

Still, the anti-Israel boycott is definitely not censorship of any kind, or heaven forfend, anti-Semitic in intent or character. "The urgent humanitarian crisis of Gaza demands urgent action. This is one way for all of us - students, teachers, filmmakers - to take a stand. Our action is not against a religion or a people, it's against a government notorious for its human rights abuses".

Human rights abuses. Attempting to separate Israelis from Palestinians intent on blowing them to smithereens. The crisis of Gaza is of Hamas's making. Gaza was emptied of its Jewish presence when thousands of Israelis were unilaterally pulled out of the Strip leaving it to Palestinian Gazans. Gazans know full well the Hamas intent to destroy Israel and their ongoing violence toward that end is the reason for the blockade.

But who wants to know about truth and reality? Truth and reality mean different things to different people, and to anti-Zionist anti-Semites, they know their truth when they invent it.