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Last update - 15:41 16/09/2009
Israeli Minister to Swedish Jews: Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism
By Cnaan Liphshiz, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Anti-Semitism, Israel News 

Anti-Zionism is a new form of anti-Semitism that can be found in foreign media, Information and Diaspora Minister Yuli Edelstein (Likud) told Swedish Jews Tuesday. The comments were made during a videoconference held following the controversial publication in a Swedish paper of an article claiming Israeli soldiers stole organs from Palestinians.

Edelstein took questions from six Swedish Jews about Israel's attitude toward anti-Semitism, criticism of its policies, Jewish communities in the Diaspora, immigration and emigration.

Last month's organ-theft article by the tabloid Aftonbladet - which drew fierce criticism from Israel and Jewish organizations, and which may have led to the cancellation of a planned visit to Israel by Sweden's foreign minister - did not dominate the discussion, but seemed to have at least shaped some of it.
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"Criticism is legitimate as long as it does not border on demonization or denying our right to the land of Israel," Edelstein told Omri Grinberg, who asked the minister whether he "immediately crosses out as irrelevant to his purposes" those who oppose "Israel's ongoing occupation."

"There are many NGOs that use the right to freedom of speech and work under false pretenses of concern for Israel, when what they are actually doing is causing damage to Israel and exposing it to danger," Edelstein added.

John Gradowski asked the minister how Israel balances its efforts to draw more Jews to immigrate with its stated goal of strengthening Jewish communities in the Diaspora.

"Israel does not believe that it is possible or essential that all Jews live in Israel," Edelstein responded, also as part of an answer to yet another question on this topic. "There is definitely a need for flourishing communities in the Diaspora that can both feel a connection to the Jewish people."

Tuesday's videoconference is part of a project initiated by European Jewish Congress President Moshe Kantor, which aims to foster stronger ties between Diaspora communities and Israel. The project will allow representatives from one Jewish community every month to hold a video-recorded discussion with an Israeli official or opinion-shaper. The videos will be posted online at www.leadel.net.

Arie Zuckerman, Secretary General of the European Jewish Fund, who promoted the project alongside Kantor, told Haaretz that the meeting with the Swedish community had been scheduled before the eruption in the wake of the Aftonbladet article.

"While we remain conscious of the great contributions in many areas of large communities such as the British and the French ones, we are trying here to reach out to smaller, more distant communities such as in Sweden," he said. The next videoconference will be held in October with Hungarian Jews, and the one following with representatives from the Jewish community in Milan.


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      1.   From personal experience anti semitism and anti zionism 06:23  |  ks 16/09/09
      2.   Nonsense 06:47  |  David 16/09/09
      3.   Redefining antisemitism is quite a dangerous concept... 06:50  |  BBSNews 16/09/09
      4.   Nonsense 07:17  |  MB 16/09/09
      5.   Mr. Minister 07:35  |  jay 16/09/09
      6.   You can`t even 08:04  |  Ryan 16/09/09
      7.   Anti-Zionism is NOT anti-Semitism! 08:15  |  Manny Goldstein 16/09/09
      8.   No it`s not 08:19  |  Jonathan 16/09/09
      9.   Mr. Minister please don`t define Judaism for me 08:35  |  Igor 16/09/09
      10.   observation 08:39  |  potobac 16/09/09
      11.   TRANSLATION... 08:42  |  Christopher 16/09/09
      12.   Another blow to the validity of the notion of antisemitism 09:14  |  Ivar 16/09/09
      13.   Wishful thinking, Mrs. Edelstein, wishful thinking.... 09:25  |  Swiss (Dino) 16/09/09
      14.   It`s official folks... 09:28  |  Dean 16/09/09
      15.   Really 10:15  |  Joseph 16/09/09
      16.   `Anti-Zionism is anti-Semitism ` 10:36  |  Colin Wright 16/09/09
      17.   Who is Singling them Out? 10:36  |  Walid 16/09/09
      18.   It is reasonable to say... 11:04  |  Donna 16/09/09
      19.   Israeli Minister 11:21  |  John Spear 16/09/09
      20.   no anti-zionism is NOT anti-semitism 11:26  |  mehmet 16/09/09
      21.   Closing down debate 11:39  |  Sylvie 16/09/09
      22.   Ludicrous. Anti-Zionism is not anti-semitism 11:41  |  Michael 16/09/09
      23.   Of all the countries, that fat finger fell on Sweden... 11:50  |  zmogus 16/09/09
      24.   Anti Zionism 12:17  |  Paul Rose 16/09/09
      25.   mehmet - Just to help - "Right of return" is 12:40  |  17 16/09/09
      26.   :: What tosh! 12:43  |  Matty Groves 16/09/09
      27.   Wishful thinking, Mrs. Edelstein, wishful thinking.... 12:45  |  Swiss (Dino) 16/09/09
      28.   Nr. 7 Mehmet 12:57  |  Jurgi 16/09/09
      29.   Anti-zionism is NOT antisemitism... 13:38  |  Hanna 16/09/09
      30.   #3 Bim potobac, Judaism is not merelya religion 13:47  |  Yonatan 16/09/09
      31.   With a minister like Edelstein, Israel does not need enemies 15:03  |  Ramzi Jaber 16/09/09
      32.   ks 15:18  |  Walid 16/09/09
      33.   #26, Matty Groves 15:21  |  zmogus 16/09/09
      34.   To Manny Goldstein 15:39  |  Gene 16/09/09
      35.   Definition needed of anti-Zionism first 16:08  |  Mark B. 16/09/09
      36.   al you swedes, norweigans, danes etc 16:26  |  Chaphari 16/09/09
      37.   yonatan 30 16:44  |  potobac 16/09/09
      38.   Were all Anti Semites now 17:19  |  Ola 16/09/09
      39.   # 29 Hanna -Got it Right 17:19  |  Stephen 16/09/09
      40.   Anti Semitism/ Zionism. 17:22  |  Joe Kelsall 16/09/09
      41.   To all the thinly-veiled Jew haters on this Talkback 17:31  |  ZISD 16/09/09
      42.   Anti Zionism is Anti Semitism 17:34  |  AS 16/09/09
      43.   Self-serving argument from a rogue state 17:39  |  David 16/09/09
      44.   Israel Has Abandoned Judaic Ideals 17:49  |  Vladek 16/09/09
      45.   Dear #1 (KS) 18:01  |  Torsten 16/09/09
      46.   Swiss (Dino) Misrepresentation of Zionism 18:54  |  David Israel 16/09/09
      47.   Why , 18:56  |  rafi 16/09/09
      48.   Of course is Antisemtism as any other form of ugly racism 19:15  |  Jose Pedro 16/09/09
      49.   Anti-Zionism = No land for jewish people 19:17  |  Jose Pedro 16/09/09
      50.   To Stephen from Florida 19:32  |  Gene 16/09/09
      51.   Swiss (Dino) Misrepresentation of Zionism 19:50  |  David Israel 16/09/09
      52.   To all the "Jew-loving" but "anti-zionist" fraudsters 19:51  |  Martin Luther King 16/09/09
      53.   There is a distinction 20:32  |  RfaelMoshe 16/09/09
      54.   Democracy in the Middle East 21:16  |  Anonymous 16/09/09
      55.   Democracy in the Middle East - 2 21:24  |  Anonymous 16/09/09
      56.   We Are hearing More of This Nonsense 21:27  |  Yaakov Sullivan 16/09/09
      57.   Here`s the Evidence Anti-Zionism IS Anti-Semitism 21:40  |  Alan-NYC 16/09/09
      58.   What? I`m a Christian and making the US a Christian nation. 21:43  |  Ed 16/09/09
      59.   #57, Alan-NYC. Is it "to be continued"? 22:32  |  zmogus 16/09/09
      60.   Of course anti-zionism is anti-semitism 22:35  |  Michaek Greenberg 16/09/09
      61.   anti-zionists are anti-semites 22:36  |  anonymous 16/09/09
      62.   To Ed from KY 22:49  |  Gene 16/09/09
      63.   Political Zionists are... 05:15  |  Maureen Ann 17/09/09
      64.   Zionism is what got the ME into trouble in the first place 06:00  |  Marc Leb 17/09/09
      65.   RAMZI JABER So the vile racist filth about Jews from Hamas 08:17  |  PETER SM 17/09/09
      66.   Thanks for you all 02:30  |  Kareem 20/09/09
      67.   #53 RafaelMoshe 21:13  |  Franco 20/09/09
      68.   Israeli Minister to Swedish Jews 14:25  |  William Sandsjo 28/09/09
      69.   not all jews are zionists... 18:54  |  zizie 05/12/09
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