Netanyahu to press Sweden to condemn blood libel
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to press Sweden for an official condemnation of an article in the Swedish daily Aftonbladet that alleged Israeli soldiers "harvested" the organs of Palestinians. Officials in Jerusalem were only somewhat mollified by a post in the personal blog of Sweden's foreign minister Carl Bildt suggesting that such articles may lead to hate crimes motivated by anti-Semitism.
But in a shocking new development, Maariv’s correspondent in Sweden, Liran Lotker, reported that most of the material in last week’s controversial article is old, having appeared in a book written in 2001 by the author of the article. The book, entitled Inshallah, was actually funded by the Foreign Ministry of Sweden, Swedish labor unions, and some organizations based in the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas.
The current controversy began last Tuesday after Donald Bostrom authored an article in Sweden’s most popular newspaper, the Aftonbladet tabloid, accusing IDF soldiers of murdering Arabs and harvesting their organs. Bostrom based the story on testimony by several Arabs identified only by their first names, and told Voice of Israel Radio on Wednesday that he does not know for sure if their accounts are true.
Over the weekend, Israel stepped up pressure on Sweden by relaying sharply worded messages via various channels insisting the government there issue an official condemnation of the article. The efforts came via the Foreign Ministry, the Prime Minister's Bureau and National Security Adviser Uzi Arad, who spoke with Bildt over the weekend. A political source in Jerusalem told Haaretz that even though Arad and Bildt have known each other for some time, the conversation was "unpleasant."
Arad called the article in Sweden's most popular newspaper as "abominable," saying: "The article is a blood libel of the worst sort. The absence of your response reflects a lack of sensitivity toward every Israeli, irrespective of political views. I expect you to forcefully condemn these claims."
Friday, Israel's ambassador to Sweden, Benny Dagan, in a meeting with Sweden's state secretary for foreign affairs, Frank Belfrage, demanded that Sweden "lift this cloud over ties prior to the visit of Foreign Minister Carl Bildt to Israel." Bildt is scheduled to visit Israel on September 10. The meeting between Dagan and Belfrage was also described as tense. The Swedish state secretary argued that there are constitutional limitations to what the government can do, and that it was impossible to limit what is published in the media, regardless of its veracity. "In the past you responded to similar reports," Dagan said. "Your response to date has been indecisive and your stance on the matter remains unclear to us," the Israeli diplomat insisted.
"The incitement continues since last week," Minister Landau said before entering the weekly cabinet meeting, joining his fellow government members in condemning the Swedish government for not speaking out against the controversial article, but expanding his remarks to the situation in Israel. The affair, he said, validated the criticism of fellow minister Moshe Ya'alon that left-wing group were spreading a "virus" of anti-Israel hatred. According to Landau, "Ya'alon said correct things about the heavy damages caused to the State of Israel by Peace Now, the elites, and the media. The link is that the Swedish affair and the harm caused to Ya'alon were part of a public smearing campaign."
Asked whether he shares the opinion that Peace Now is a virus, the minister said, "Each person has his own style, but Peace Now members – who chanted during their rallies 'Begin is a murderer', 'Sharon is a murderer' and 'the settlers are cancer' – are not exactly the people who can complain about others calling them names. "There is no doubt that we must call for restraint, but I suggest directing this question first and foremost to those who always inflame the situation," Landau continued. "The argument is over the right to express one's opinion so that you are not degraded."
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz of the Likud party said Sunday morning, "We are in a crisis until the Swedish government issues a different response. "The State of Israel, the Jewish people's state, cannot ignore expressions of anti-Semitism, even if they are made in a respectable newspaper. Those refusing to renounce such blood libels may become unwanted in the State of Israel," he said. Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog noted that this was not a one-time incident, "but a media campaign which has been going on for years."
Belfrage tried to explain that Bildt had responded on the matter in his blog. The Swedish foreign minister wrote in his blog on Friday morning that "freedom of speech is a basic value in Sweden" and "part of the constitution." Bildt noted that he was cognizant of the anger in Israel but believed the basic values of a society are best preserved through debate. He expresses his personal reservations about the article but did not condemn it. But he hinted that reports of this kind can stir anti-Semitism and wrote that this "angers" him. He told reporters on Saturday: “There are very few bodies like the Swedish parliament in which opinion against pre-conceived notions and anti-Semitism is so strong, and therefore I don’t want to relate to that specific article.” Aftonbladet itself headlined its Saturday edition with, “Israel fighting against Swedish freedom of the press,” and called for public support.
Israel's Ambassador Dagan was not mollified by Bildt's equivocations and rationalizations: "What does it mean he wrote in his blog? Who does that represent? Is he writing there as a private citizen? As the foreign minister of Sweden? Or as the current holder of the European Union presidency? Israel expects a clear government stance and not views on a blog."
In an unprecedented move, the Swedish Foreign Ministry's Web site included a link yesterday to Bildt's blog entry, suggesting that his position was being adopted as the semi-official stance of the government. The Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's Bureau welcomed yesterday the "change" in the foreign minister's blog. "Better late than never," a senior Israel official said. "The Swedes are beginning to move in the right direction, but from our point of view this is not the end of the crisis, and Israel is still demanding a clear statement on the part of the government in Stockholm."
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the article was a “natural continuation of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” and said that Sweden’s refusal to disassociate itself from it was reminiscent of its “neutral” stance during the Holocaust. Minister Limor Livnat demanded that the “Swedish government apologize for the blood libel against Israel.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the article a “disgrace to Swedish journalism” and compared it to “dark blood libels from the Middle Ages.” Popular Israeli journalist Ayala Hasson told Army Radio that freedom of the press has nothing to do with altering facts: “Freedom of the press means that one may comment as one sees fit – but it does not give license to report made-up ‘facts.’”
In a tit-for-tat measure, Israel's Government Press Office refused to grant an entry permit to Gaza for an Aftonbladet journalist. GPO Director Danny Seaman said newspapers such as Aftonbladet employ leftists in the guise of journalists, who later enter the country to participate in international protests against Israel. 'We may have to examine their blood type to check if they are eligible for organ donation,' the GPO head quipped.
But in a shocking new development, Maariv’s correspondent in Sweden, Liran Lotker, reported that most of the material in last week’s controversial article is old, having appeared in a book written in 2001 by the author of the article. The book, entitled Inshallah, was actually funded by the Foreign Ministry of Sweden, Swedish labor unions, and some organizations based in the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas.
The current controversy began last Tuesday after Donald Bostrom authored an article in Sweden’s most popular newspaper, the Aftonbladet tabloid, accusing IDF soldiers of murdering Arabs and harvesting their organs. Bostrom based the story on testimony by several Arabs identified only by their first names, and told Voice of Israel Radio on Wednesday that he does not know for sure if their accounts are true.
Over the weekend, Israel stepped up pressure on Sweden by relaying sharply worded messages via various channels insisting the government there issue an official condemnation of the article. The efforts came via the Foreign Ministry, the Prime Minister's Bureau and National Security Adviser Uzi Arad, who spoke with Bildt over the weekend. A political source in Jerusalem told Haaretz that even though Arad and Bildt have known each other for some time, the conversation was "unpleasant."
Arad called the article in Sweden's most popular newspaper as "abominable," saying: "The article is a blood libel of the worst sort. The absence of your response reflects a lack of sensitivity toward every Israeli, irrespective of political views. I expect you to forcefully condemn these claims."
Friday, Israel's ambassador to Sweden, Benny Dagan, in a meeting with Sweden's state secretary for foreign affairs, Frank Belfrage, demanded that Sweden "lift this cloud over ties prior to the visit of Foreign Minister Carl Bildt to Israel." Bildt is scheduled to visit Israel on September 10. The meeting between Dagan and Belfrage was also described as tense. The Swedish state secretary argued that there are constitutional limitations to what the government can do, and that it was impossible to limit what is published in the media, regardless of its veracity. "In the past you responded to similar reports," Dagan said. "Your response to date has been indecisive and your stance on the matter remains unclear to us," the Israeli diplomat insisted.
"The incitement continues since last week," Minister Landau said before entering the weekly cabinet meeting, joining his fellow government members in condemning the Swedish government for not speaking out against the controversial article, but expanding his remarks to the situation in Israel. The affair, he said, validated the criticism of fellow minister Moshe Ya'alon that left-wing group were spreading a "virus" of anti-Israel hatred. According to Landau, "Ya'alon said correct things about the heavy damages caused to the State of Israel by Peace Now, the elites, and the media. The link is that the Swedish affair and the harm caused to Ya'alon were part of a public smearing campaign."
Asked whether he shares the opinion that Peace Now is a virus, the minister said, "Each person has his own style, but Peace Now members – who chanted during their rallies 'Begin is a murderer', 'Sharon is a murderer' and 'the settlers are cancer' – are not exactly the people who can complain about others calling them names. "There is no doubt that we must call for restraint, but I suggest directing this question first and foremost to those who always inflame the situation," Landau continued. "The argument is over the right to express one's opinion so that you are not degraded."
Finance Minister Yuval Steinitz of the Likud party said Sunday morning, "We are in a crisis until the Swedish government issues a different response. "The State of Israel, the Jewish people's state, cannot ignore expressions of anti-Semitism, even if they are made in a respectable newspaper. Those refusing to renounce such blood libels may become unwanted in the State of Israel," he said. Social Affairs Minister Isaac Herzog noted that this was not a one-time incident, "but a media campaign which has been going on for years."
Belfrage tried to explain that Bildt had responded on the matter in his blog. The Swedish foreign minister wrote in his blog on Friday morning that "freedom of speech is a basic value in Sweden" and "part of the constitution." Bildt noted that he was cognizant of the anger in Israel but believed the basic values of a society are best preserved through debate. He expresses his personal reservations about the article but did not condemn it. But he hinted that reports of this kind can stir anti-Semitism and wrote that this "angers" him. He told reporters on Saturday: “There are very few bodies like the Swedish parliament in which opinion against pre-conceived notions and anti-Semitism is so strong, and therefore I don’t want to relate to that specific article.” Aftonbladet itself headlined its Saturday edition with, “Israel fighting against Swedish freedom of the press,” and called for public support.
Israel's Ambassador Dagan was not mollified by Bildt's equivocations and rationalizations: "What does it mean he wrote in his blog? Who does that represent? Is he writing there as a private citizen? As the foreign minister of Sweden? Or as the current holder of the European Union presidency? Israel expects a clear government stance and not views on a blog."
In an unprecedented move, the Swedish Foreign Ministry's Web site included a link yesterday to Bildt's blog entry, suggesting that his position was being adopted as the semi-official stance of the government. The Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister's Bureau welcomed yesterday the "change" in the foreign minister's blog. "Better late than never," a senior Israel official said. "The Swedes are beginning to move in the right direction, but from our point of view this is not the end of the crisis, and Israel is still demanding a clear statement on the part of the government in Stockholm."
Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman said that the article was a “natural continuation of the Protocols of the Elders of Zion,” and said that Sweden’s refusal to disassociate itself from it was reminiscent of its “neutral” stance during the Holocaust. Minister Limor Livnat demanded that the “Swedish government apologize for the blood libel against Israel.” Israel’s Foreign Ministry called the article a “disgrace to Swedish journalism” and compared it to “dark blood libels from the Middle Ages.” Popular Israeli journalist Ayala Hasson told Army Radio that freedom of the press has nothing to do with altering facts: “Freedom of the press means that one may comment as one sees fit – but it does not give license to report made-up ‘facts.’”
In a tit-for-tat measure, Israel's Government Press Office refused to grant an entry permit to Gaza for an Aftonbladet journalist. GPO Director Danny Seaman said newspapers such as Aftonbladet employ leftists in the guise of journalists, who later enter the country to participate in international protests against Israel. 'We may have to examine their blood type to check if they are eligible for organ donation,' the GPO head quipped.
Views: 41
Tags: Swedish libel
Add a Comment
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Comment by Minerva on August 26, 2009 at 9:57pm -
You are right, Tricia. Muslims immigrants intimidate the local population everywhere. Those primitive people have already killed people in Europe. Let’s remember Pin Fortuny and van Gogh; and others are under threat.
According to an essay written by a Jewish scholar, when the Swedes took in the Danish Jews it was evident that the Axis will be defeated and that’s why Sweden changed its attitude. This does not mean some Swedes did not helped Jews; also some Germans did.
But even if they saved Jews, their attitude with regards to the libel is wrong and this is what we are criticising. It is not only that the Swedish government does not condemn the report but also they are financing anti-Israel activities.
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Comment by Minerva on August 26, 2009 at 8:12pm
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Kingdom of hatred
Anti-Israel sentiments have been rife in Sweden even before controversial tabloid report
Adi Porat
Published: 08.25.09, 23:57 / Israel Opinion
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3767155,00.html
Sweden likes to present itself as equal and neutral but considers Israel the greatest nemesis of our time.
The media depicts the Palestinian terrorists as victims of Israel agression.
What is happening? The Jewish community in Sweden is small, whereas there are many Muslim immigrants in the country. The result is hatred for Israel, which in many cases is felt by the people fed by anti-Israel media and Palestinian propaganda.
And this hatred is easily felt: In some stores, the fact that fruits and vegetables on offer arrived from Israel is not noted, for fear they will be damaged on the shelves. Meanwhile, wine produced in the Golan Heights and sold in the national alcoholic beverage chain faced a consumer boycott. In the Israeli embassy in Stockholm, hate mail and hateful phone calls are routine.
It is not surprising to encounter anti-Israel incidents [...]
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Comment by Robert Bernier on August 25, 2009 at 9:11am -
Feedom of speech and hate speech.
Sweden refusing to condemn a blood libel, confuses freedom of speech with hate speech. Free speech should never be taken lightly. Free speech should never be used as a platform to disseminate racial, ethnic or religious hatred. Sweden is a major sponsor of anti-Semitic NGOs which consistently defame Israel with lies, innuendo, propaganda and spin. For well over a decade, Sweden has deliberately and carefully looked for and found ways to secretly and openly fund the Palestinian propaganda and physical war against the Jews. Modern anti-Semitism in Sweden : http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/2009/02/anti-semitism-on-rise-in-sweden.html
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Comment by Minerva on August 24, 2009 at 7:58pm
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The Swedish government said they would not condemn the article because there is freedom of press in Sweden. However, during the 2005 upheavel of the caricatures of the prophet Muhammad, Sweden shut down an Internet site in the country that posted the caricatures, and the Swedish foreign minister wrote a letter of apology to the president of Yemen.
Aug 23, 2009 20:29 | Updated Aug 24, 2009 2:54
Ministers fume about Swedish story
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=1&cid=124941867815...
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Comment by Minerva on August 24, 2009 at 7:42pm
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The Swedish libel is not the only one, unfortunately. I have read this today:
Last update - 20:46 10/08/2009
Dutch journalist: Flu pandemics are Jewish conspiracy
By Cnaan Liphshiz, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Israel News, Jewish World
Holland's largest daily, De Telegraf printed an interview with Désirée Röver, who proposed the bird flu pandemic, caused by the virus H5N1, was part of an international conspiracy to reduce the world's population.
Röver is quoted as saying the conspiracy can be traced back to a group of descendants of the Khazars, a nation from the Caucasus believed to have converted to Judaism 1,200 years ago.
De Telegraaf quotes her as saying that these descendants are now "praying to another god; Lucifer, Satan, or however you want to call him" and "are called Rockefeller, Rothschild, Brezinski and Kissinger."
In full
http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1106530.html
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Comment by Robert Bernier on August 24, 2009 at 9:20am
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Anti-Semitism
Anti-Semitism, the hate of Jews, is a phenomenon on which much has been said and written. Anti-Semitism doesn’t even need Jews in order to prosper (It existed in Japan although there were no Jews living in Japan). Anti-Semitism is one of the ugliest defect in human kind and it provokes the appearance of the most primitive and bestial instinct in human nature. Do not ignore History’s lessons on hate and Anti-Semitism. As to antisemitism in Sweden : http://israelagainstterror.blogspot.com/2009/02/anti-semitism-on-rise-in-sweden.html
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Comment by Minerva on August 24, 2009 at 12:28am
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Sweden Funded Anti-Israel Allegations
News of the funding was broken Sunday morning by Maariv/NRG. Maariv’s correspondent in Sweden, Liran Lotker, reports that most of the material in last week’s controversial article is old, having appeared in a book written in 2001 by the author of the article. The book, entitled Inshallah, was funded by various bodies, including the Foreign Ministry of Sweden, Swedish labor unions, and some organizations based in the Palestinian Authority-controlled areas.
Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt later wrote on his blog that the government cannot get involved in “correcting all the strange claims in the media.” He compared the issue to a recent controversy over Muslim accusations that Swedish media articles had smeared Islam and Mohammed, and concluded, “I think we reached the understanding that it is through transparency that we best achieve the tolerance and understanding that are so important in our society. I believe that it is the same in this case.”
However, though the Swedish Foreign Ministry expressed a mild form of apology at the time, it has not done the same in this case vis-à-vis Israel. In addition, Sweden once closed an internet site that had been accused of offending Moslem sensibilities.
Six months ago, Israelis had another unpleasant experience with Swedish journalism. Islamists fired rockets and threw pipe-bombs at pro-Israel demonstrators in the Swedish city of Malmö, injuring no one. At least one attacker was arrested, yet southern Sweden’s largest newspaper, Sydsvenskan, headlined its report, “Several arrested during Israel demonstration” and reported that "the anticipated violence did not occur."
In full:
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/133042
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Comment by Minerva on August 23, 2009 at 11:49pm
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The Swedish newspaper has published a follow-up article today, defending the report published by journalist Donal Bostrom last week. The article insists that Israel should demonstrate its innocence.
In addition, the opines that no one is is "sympathetic to the idea that Israel should be able to steer American public discourse," also stating that "not many deeply sympathize with [Prime Minister] Binyamin Netanyahu's policies."
Is that what made the “journalist” publish the blood libel and this article support his view?
Aug 23, 2009 20:29 | Updated Aug 23, 2009 20:48
'Aftonbladet' publishes article defending 'organ-theft' report
By JPOST.COM STAFF
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418678153&pagena...
Aug 23, 2009 19:07 | Updated Aug 23, 2009 19:09
Video: 'There's no free press in Sweden'
By IBA
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418677847&pagena...
Aug 23, 2009 0:31 | Updated Aug 23, 2009 2:18
Palestinian news agency 'confirms' organ snatching story
By KHALED ABU TOAMEH
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1249418671248&pagena...
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Comment by Campbell Randt on August 23, 2009 at 3:26pm -
Superficially, claims about organ "harvesting"
are absurd enough to belong (at best) under
the rubric of "Urban Legend."
Nevertheless, I favour dealing swiftly and
decisively with such nonsensical accusations,
. . . lest these ludicrous claims -- if twisted
and amplified by Anti-Semites / Fascists /
Neo-Nazis -- find their way into some revised
editions of the infamous "Protocols."
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