When Isabel Oakeshott leaked Matt Hancock’s WhatsApp
messages to the Telegraph even though she had apparently signed a non-disclosure
agreement she did something that has become almost unimaginable in Scotland.
We don’t know why Nicola Sturgeon resigned. We don’t
know what she knew about Alex Salmond’s alleged misdemeanours and when she knew
it. We don’t really know anything about what if anything Alex Salmond did when
he was First Minister. There was a court case he was acquitted of all charges.
That’s all we know. We don’t really know anything about the inner workings of
the SNP or the Scottish Government. There are never any leaks. No one delivers
to the papers all of Sturgeon’s emails or messages. No one dares. The last
person who leaked something ended up in jail.
There are rumours of super injunctions, which prevent
us finding out about the real Nicola Sturgeon, but we never get closer than rumours.
The SNP want it to stay this way and so does Nicola Sturgeon. This is why Humza
Yousaf will probably become the next First Minister.
He is the continuity candidate. His policies would
closely resemble Sturgeon’s. The party machine wants him to win. This I think
is why there were such extraordinary attacks on Kate Forbes who on the surface
looks to be the better candidate.
But just as Sturgeon has been keeping the lid on
rather a lot of secrets it may be that Mr Yousaf is doing so as well. While on
the surface he has the most progressive of credentials. I would very much like
to know what he privately thinks.
I have no doubt whatsoever that Mr Yousaf would defend
a Jewish constituent or indeed a Jewish person anywhere in Scotland who was the
victim of racist name calling or discrimination. But this is not the only definition
of anti-Semitism.
The International Holocaust Remembrance Alliance has a definition of anti-Semitism that is widely accepted in the world.
One instance is the following:
Accusing Jewish citizens of being more loyal to
Israel, or to the alleged priorities of Jews worldwide, than to the interests
of their own nations.
Unfortunately, 44% of British Muslims hold precisely this view.
I would like someone in the media to ask Mr Yousaf
what he thinks about this issue and whether he would convict Muslims in
Scotland of a hate crime (i.e., anti Semitism) if they share it?
Here is another instance of anti-Semitism:
Denying the Jewish people their right to
self-determination, e.g., by claiming that the existence of a State of Israel
is a racist endeavor.
Now this is interesting because very few Muslim states recognise Israel. They
all in principle deny the right of Israel to exist. We can assume that the
citizens of these states also deny Israel’s right to exist, otherwise they
would try as best they can to change their government’s policy towards Israel.
Mr Yousaf met the former chief of Hamas when he was much younger. This need not be held against him. He was young. But what does he think of Hamas now?
A recent poll found that 72% of Palestinians support forming new armed groups.We can assume that they wish to do this not to cooperate with Israel but to destroy it. Does Mr Yousaf agree with the armed struggle against Israel, or does he oppose it?
Not very long-ago Mr Yousaf expressed concern for his
wife’s family in Gaza when Israel responded to rockets fired from Gaza. Does Mr
Yousaf think that his wife’s family are among the minority who disagree with
Hamas and the armed struggle against Israel. Does Mr Yousaf’s wife accept that
Israel has the right to exist or does she agree with most Gazans. She is after
all descended from someone from there. Of course, she is Scottish and may not
have an opinion on the issues in the Middle East or may not know more about it
than the average Scot.
A further instance of anti-Semitism is:
Applying double standards by requiring of it [Israel]
a behavior not expected or demanded of any other democratic nation.
If Mexicans who had been displaced by the USA when
the USA conquered parts of Mexico in 1846-1848 were firing rockets into New
Mexico with the hope of turning it into Old Mexico, would Mr Yousaf condemn the
USA for retaliating and trying to destroy those rocket sites?
If Germans who had been displaced from Poland were
firing rockets at Szczecin hoping to turn it into Stettin again, would Mr
Yousaf condemn Poland for retaliating and attacking those rocket sites? No of
course not. No one would.
So why does Mr Yousaf apply a different standard to
the actions of Israel? Why does he not say to the people of Gaza stop firing
rockets and you will be safe from attack?
Someone is not merely an anti-Semite if he refrains
from beating up Jewish people or calling them nasty names or discriminating
against them. Someone is an anti-Semite if he holds certain views about Israel.
These views are nearly universally held in Muslim countries, so it is reasonable
to wonder if the children and grandchildren of people from those countries who
are now Scottish continue to hold these views or not. After all we learn about
religion and much else from our parents and grandparents. Otherwise, Muslims
would give birth to Jews and Jews would give birth to Christians.
Jeremy Corbyn is an anti-Semite not because he met
with Hamas, though that would suggest anti-Semitism because Hamas is clearly
anti-Semitic. Corbyn is an anti-Semite because he thinks Israel ought not to exist
and would welcome the Arab world succeeding in occupying Israel either by armed
force or by means of a right to return that would see Israel become an Arab
state rather than a Jewish one.
It may be that Mr Yousaf and his wife share none of
these anti-Semitic views. I don’t know them. They may be friends of Israel and
regularly watch Paul Newman in Exodus (1960) thrilling to the theme music and
the story of how the Jews fought for their homeland.
But it would be nice to know just a little more about Mr
Yousaf’s private views about religion and Jewish self-determination versus Scottish
self-determination. Because if Jews did not have the right to
self-determination why should Scots and in that case why are Mr Yousaf and his
wife representatives of the SNP?
