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Last update - 00:00 27/02/2007
MKs seek to try Prof. Toaff over claims in blood libel book
By Ofri Ilani, Haaretz Correspondent

Knesset members yesterday urged the legal authorities to explore ways of indicting Professor Ariel Toaff over his book "Pasque di Sangue," which alleges a factual basis to a 15th-century blood libel.

Speaking at a Knesset Education Committee meeting on the book, MK Marina Solodkin (Kadima) said: "There is reason to put the book's author on trial." She also proposed filing civil suits against him for having damaged "historic truth and the reputation of the Jewish people."

Toaff, who did not attend the meeting, told Haaretz yesterday that he never intended to say that European Jews killed Christians to use their blood, and that he will soon publish an article in an academic journal stressing that such blood libels were false. Ten days ago, Toaff announced that he had stopped distribution of his controversial book.
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The committee also decided to examine the review mechanisms employed by academia in Israel, with the goal of finding ways to ensure that things "that defy logic and morality," in the words of MK Michael Melchior (Labor), are not published.

The meeting was called by Education Committee Chairman Aryeh Eldad (National Union-National Religious Party), who charged that Toaff had "made himself a party to modern blood libels" and that his "punishment must exceed the reward."

Several MKs also used the opportunity to attack the "New Historians," who offer a revisionist and critical view of Israeli history, though Toaff himself does not study Israeli history.

Eldad said that "Toaff might have been jealous of the New Historians, who publish modern blood libels against the state of Israel," while Eliahu Gabbay (National Union-NRP) criticized conferences at Israeli universities where "the state of Israel is slandered."
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  1.   how about sending him to an inquisition court? 08:58  |  KA 27/02/07
  2.   ah, ideological crimes! 09:32  |  Leander 27/02/07
  3.   An interesting comparison. 09:40  |  Colin Wright 27/02/07
  4.   Go Toaff, go! 09:53  |  Leon Rosgarten 27/02/07
  5.   A word of caution 09:59  |  Dani Reiss 27/02/07
  6.   How to make a book a best seller!!! 10:14  |  Deborah 27/02/07
  7.   KA from the KKK 10:54  |  Gertie Cohen 27/02/07
  8.   Israel deffinitely needs a Legal Act that would allow to deprive 11:05  |  Vittorio 27/02/07
  9.   Ad populum 11:07  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 27/02/07
  10.   LEANDER.Irving the Holocaust denier was accused.He lost in court. 11:26  |  PETER SM 27/02/07
  11.   Gertie Cohen 11:44  |  fk 27/02/07
  12.   "K.A." Toaf can present ALL his scientific evidence openly 11:54  |  PETER SM 27/02/07
  13.   so much for freedom of speech ..... 11:59  |  Leona 27/02/07
  14.   Jimmy Carter syndrome 12:48  |  Johns Hopkins 27/02/07
  15.   Granting tenure 12:51  |  Ben Azai 27/02/07
  16.   McCarthyism 12:56  |  Joseph 27/02/07
  17.   Don`t make it worse 13:00  |  Sherlock Holmes 27/02/07
  18.   Israel`s Reputation. Ha! 13:08  |  Walid 27/02/07
  19.   LEONA is libel a free kick in your country? no legal recourse? 13:28  |  PETER SM 27/02/07
  20.   a light unto nations? 13:40  |  bram 27/02/07
  21.   Is this worth so much attention? 13:53  |  Edith 27/02/07
  22.   Toaff,Ketchup and Free Speech 14:29  |  Ronnie Wolman 27/02/07
  23.   BRAM Where and when has the state of Israel claimed that 14:33  |  PETER SM 27/02/07
  24.   Bram: Lights Unto The Nations I 14:36  |  Ronnie Wolman 27/02/07
  25.   Bram: Lights Unto The Nations II 14:37  |  Ronnie Wolman 27/02/07
  26.   Bram: Light Unto the Nations III... 14:38  |  Ronnie Wolman 27/02/07
  27.   BRAM Where and when has the State of Israel claimed that? 14:45  |  PETER SM 27/02/07
  28.   fk 15:18  |  Gertie Cohen 27/02/07
  29.   #21 Edith: You ask "Is this worth so much attention?". I answer: 15:25  |  Vittorio 27/02/07
  30.   leona, the Jewish 15:27  |  bev 27/02/07
  31.   enough already! 15:33  |  bev 27/02/07
  32.   Walid`s obsession 15:43  |  Margie from Tel Aviv 27/02/07
  33.   Ronnie Wolman 15:44  |  Walid 27/02/07
  34.   pretty sad, wolman 15:47  |  bram 27/02/07
  35.   peter sm - what a ridiculous riposte! 15:49  |  bram 27/02/07
  36.   Bram 15:56  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 27/02/07
  37.   I wonder if these idiots have considered 16:04  |  Mark Lincoln 27/02/07
  38.   1984 isn`t so far off........ 16:20  |  T A Sheppard 27/02/07
  39.   What will really harm Israel`s reputation 16:35  |  Leander 27/02/07
  40.   Ronnie..how about a list of Palestinian children killed? 16:39  |  Tim 27/02/07
  41.   what`s most annoying about you fools claiming supression of truth 16:41  |  natan 27/02/07
  42.   Boker tov, Iran. Who`s next? 16:56  |  Profesora Isadora 27/02/07
  43.   Tim/Toronto 16:56  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 27/02/07
  44.   Einstein`s Theory of Relativity as it is with this conflict 17:00  |  Ronnie Wolman 27/02/07
  45.   NO CHANCE TO PROSECUTE. HOW CAN 17:00  |  Robert 27/02/07
  46.   Margie of Tel Aviv 17:04  |  Walid 27/02/07
  47.   Toaff is a fake scholar and deserves to be sacked 17:14  |  Chick Corea 27/02/07
  48.   #42. You ask "Who is next?". Answer "You are" 17:30  |  Vittorio 27/02/07
  49.   Walid 17:33  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 27/02/07
  50.   MKs seek to............ 17:35  |  Elias Hazineh 27/02/07
  51.   Advice to Professor Toaff 17:48  |  Tosefta 27/02/07
  52.   Stupid human tricks, and other political party animals 18:04  |  Jacob Blues 27/02/07
  53.   The utter brtuality of the Arab SlaveTrade 18:09  |  Chick Corea 27/02/07
  54.   margie of tel aviv 18:11  |  bram 27/02/07
  55.   Many issues arise from Toaff`s "Blood Lible" 18:22  |  Wendy 27/02/07
  56.   #23 PETER SM. Beginner`s bibliography of "Light onto nations" 18:55  |  zmogus 27/02/07
  57.   bram 19:13  |  ODP 27/02/07
  58.   Walid 19:14  |  ODP 27/02/07
  59.   The Brasillach trial 19:38  |  Seawife 27/02/07
  60.   odp - with all due respect... 19:39  |  bram 27/02/07
  61.   Hey, that is some democracy you guys have 19:57  |  ballistic 27/02/07
  62.   #57, ODP. Enlighten me on your statement 20:07  |  zmogus 27/02/07
  63.   ZMOGUS.I repeat does the State of Israel claim to be a light unto 20:39  |  PETER SM 27/02/07
  64.   BRAM Ridiculous?Give a quote by the State Of Israel please 20:44  |  PETER SM 27/02/07
  65.   #61 ballistic 20:44  |  Lynn 27/02/07
  66.   Ballistic: Protocols of Amazon.com 20:49  |  Ronnie Wolman 27/02/07
  67.   bram 20:50  |  ODP 27/02/07
  68.   Prosecution? 20:51  |  Lynn 27/02/07
  69.   zmogus 20:53  |  ODP 27/02/07
  70.   Kadima and the Knesset 20:54  |  Lynn 27/02/07
  71.   #59, Seawife. Some true parallels 20:59  |  zmogus 27/02/07
  72.   PROF.ISADORA.Re Convoluted explanation of Goldstein`s abomination 21:06  |  PETER SM 27/02/07
  73.   #69, ODP. Looking forward to hearing from you. 21:07  |  zmogus 27/02/07
  74.   peter sm 21:10  |  bram 27/02/07
  75.   ballisitc 21:20  |  Danite 27/02/07
  76.   BRAM The Menorah today represents the miracle of Chanukah 21:25  |  PETER SM 27/02/07
  77.   odp 21:39  |  bram 27/02/07
  78.   peter sm 22:18  |  bram 27/02/07
  79.   #63. PETER SM. "So-what?" argument. Here`s the answer: 22:50  |  zmogus 27/02/07
  80.   ODP 22:56  |  Walid 27/02/07
  81.   Toaff and New historians 23:52  |  ralph 27/02/07
  82.   Exploiting anti-semitism for Zion 00:42  |  Pssd Off American 28/02/07
  83.   Erratum 00:53  |  zmogus 28/02/07
  84.   #75 HIgh horse you say; well, last 07:52  |  ballistic 28/02/07
  85.   #66 Well, Ronnie, I read Carter`s book for 08:33  |  ballistic 28/02/07
  86.   Blood Libels, Da Vinci Codes, etc 13:29  |  Nick Grenbaum 30/05/07
  87.   Blood libels , Da Vinci code etc continued... 13:45  |  Nick Greenbaum 30/05/07
  88.   Blood libels , Da Vinci code etc continued... 13:54  |  Nick Greenbaum 30/05/07
  89.   the bloody passover of Dr. Ariel Toaff 02:14  |  Pam Johnson 22/11/08
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