Subscribe to Print Edition | Sun., November 23, 2008 Cheshvan 25, 5769 | | Israel Time: 01:12 (EST+7)   Back to Homepage web haaretz.com Haaretz Toolbar Diplomacy Defense Jewish World Opinion National Print Edition Car Rental Books Haaretz Magazine Business Real Estate GA 2008 Travel Week's End Anglo File

Peres, protesters, and UK Jews By Anshel Pfeffer For once, journalists and officials were in entire agreement. President Shimon Peres' appearance at the Sheldonian Theatre had been a resounding success. As one of the reporters said on the way back, "every Israeli politician is now going to want to come here and be heckled." The security detail was worried going in. They had been monitoring radical pro-Palestinian websites and were aware that demonstrators were not only going to be picketing the theatre from outside, but also placing activists among the audience. And there was no way of screening those coming in to the lecture. The university had to allow anyone with a student's card in. So Peres got up to speak and every few minutes a heckler got up, shouted "I am here representing 800 thousand Palestinians ethnically cleansed by Israel" or "I am here representing 50 thousand farmers whose land was taken by settlers" and other various versions and Peres just carried on, unflappable, as if nothing had happened. Advertisement Only once did he answer a student to say "it is important to open your eyes and ears and use the mouth a little later." This normally is a very cynical column, but I have to admit here, Peres was fantastic, there is no other way to put it. And it was just him up there, an 85 year old showing everyone else how it can be done. Which leads me to the next observation. After the Oxford lecture, one of his advisors said to me, "Wherever we have gone in the world, there have been pro-Palestinian protests against Peres. But in every place, there were counter-demonstrations by the Jewish community supporting Israel." It's not as if the Jews of London were indifferent to Peres' coming. They held two receptions in his honor. A large one, at St Johns Wood synagogue and another, more select one, at the Dorchester Hotel. Another Israeli diplomat asked me the same thing the next day. "Why are the Jews here so eager to go to receptions and dinners, but not prepared to stand out in the cold?" Just before the lecture, a Jewish student at Oxford told me that lately there have been meetings between Jewish and Muslim students to see how they can get along. "They went fine," he said, "everything was very friendly but we learned one thing: never to talk with them about Israel. If we do that, it will all go to waste because its impossible for us to hold a reasonable debate with them, they just go all radical. We just don't speak about Israel." A veteran observer of the British community said to me later that if Israelis expecting the local Jews to make protests in support of Israel, they are totally misreading the community. "We might be the oldest and best integrated Jewish community in the western world but we believe in working through back-corridors. Jingoistic flag-waving will never be our way. Only right wing hardliners are going to go out on protests, never the mainstream. We don't do street fighting." This June there was a large Israel rally in Trafalgar Square for Israel's 60th anniversary. This was a rare occurrence and the organisers later admitted how hard it was to harness the community and that it will certainly not become an annual event. This is probably difficult to understand for Jews in the United States where Israel rallies are held every year in all the big cities, and for French Jews who take to the streets to protest with a drop of a hat. But America is an immigrant society, where every group holds their marches and national days, and the French have a proud history of street activism going back to the Revolution. The Jews in Britain also have a proud tradition. In 1936, they took part in the Battle of Cable Street when they, along with other activists, blocked a parade of Fascists intent on marching through the Jewish areas of East London. But there was a clear objective to that, as there was to the rallies taking place in London throughout the 1970s and 1980s for Soviet Jewry. Just going out there and saying - "We support Israel" just won't work for them. Perhaps this is just another sign of how well the Jews of Britain are integrated. In this also, the English are different. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Mikaeel Jackson Report: Pop star Michael Jackson converts to Islam. Peace now Abbas calls on Obama to enact Arab peace plan as soon as he takes office.

Read & React 20,000 Jewish pilgrims to descend on Hebron amid settler violence Responses: 222 Experts argue: How close is Iran to its first nuclear weapon? Responses: 135 Video: Prof. Avi Shlaim says settlements turn Israel into Apartheid state Responses: 181 Debate over Museum of Tolerance - an exchange Responses: 23 PLO official Yasser Abed Rabbo: The Palestinian people need Obama's help Responses: 76 Gideon Levy: Israeli left was born in sin and died because of a lie Responses: 91 More Headlines 21:39 Settler teens attack Border police in Hebron 21:55 Qassams strike western Negev in latest threat to fragile truce 00:20 Obama's Mideast peace platform is coming into focus 15:00 Abbas calls on Obama to enact Arab peace plan as soon as he takes office 22:13 Top Israeli diplomats in Turkey kicked out of Istanbul university 22:49 Hollywood in Netanya: Ben Stiller and Chris Rock in coastal city for 'Madagascar 2' premiere 00:22 Hezbollah: 'Zionist Lobby' behind Germany's decision to ban Al-Manar TV station 10:08 Iran executes man convicted of spying for Israel 23:00 Visiting Argentine president offers Libya help with nuclear power 13:11 Your land is my land 20:47 Report: Pop star Michael Jackson converts to Islam 19:59 Peru police nab Israeli for plotting to smuggle a half a ton of cocaine to Europe 13:10 Report: Hezbollah carries out military drills in south Lebanon 16:10 Syria: No more UN visits to alleged nuclear site Previous Editions Select Day 21 nov 20 nov 19 nov 18 nov 17 nov 16 nov 14 nov 13 nov 12 nov 11 nov 10 nov 09 nov

Special Offers Advertisement Living in Israel Studying in English Click & Meet our students from all around the world Dan Boutique Jerusalem New Dan Hotel in Jerusalem Young, Fun & Distinctively Dan Book Now Online! Fattal Hotel Chain Perfectly located hotels on best resorts of Israel. Car rental in Israel Shlomo Sixt Receive $15.00 from our low rates. Dial 013 for your long-distance calls and get all your money back US CITIZENS Vote for real change. Request your ballot today! Eldan Rent a Car Israel's leading car rental company offers you a 20% discount on all online reservations Jewish Singles Personal Ads Find the love of your life on JDate.com Israel's Premier Real Estate Website www. israel-property.com Hebrew Summer courses From $39.95 Junkyard Junk a car - get free towing nationwide and a tax-deductible receipt

Home | TV | Print Edition | Diplomacy | Opinion | Arts & Leisure | Sports | Jewish World | Underground | Site rules |

Real Estate in Israel | Travel to Israel with Haaretz | Hotels Israel | Restaurants Israel | Tourist attractions Israel | Shops Israel

birthright Israel | Search engine marketing

Haaretz.com, the online edition of Haaretz Newspaper in Israel, offers real-time breaking news, opinions and analysis from Israel and the Middle East. Haaretz.com provides extensive and in-depth coverage of Israel, the Jewish World and the Middle East, including defense, diplomacy, the Arab-Israeli conflict, the peace process, Israeli politics, Jerusalem affairs, international relations, Iran, Iraq, Syria, Lebanon, the Palestinian Authority, the West Bank and the Gaza Strip, the Israeli business world and Jewish life in Israel and the Diaspora.

© Copyright  Haaretz. All rights reserved