Into the twilight zone: Swedish editor says “I’m not a Nazi” as he publishes second round of allegations that IDF harvests Palestinian organs
Hats off to Benny Dagan, Israel’s ambassador to Sweden. In response to a question from a Swedish journalist yesterday as to why Israel will not investigate claims made in the Aftonbladet newspaper that the Israeli military kills Palestinian children to harvest their bodily organs, he nailed the beast at the heart of this story in style:
“Why don’t we investigate why the Mossad and the Jews were behind the bombing of the twin towers?” he was quoted as saying by the Jerusalem Post. “Why won’t we investigate why Jews are spreading AIDS in the Arab countries? Why won’t we investigate why Jews killed Christian children and took their blood and organs to bake matzot on Pessah?”
Meanwhile, Jan Helin, the editor of Aftonbladet, was quoted by Ynet (the English language version of the Israeli newspaper Yediot Aharonot) as saying today: “I’m not a Nazi. I’m not anti-Semitic.” Under the circumstances, the second point presents us with something of a head scratcher. As far as the first is concerned, I for one believe him. He is probably where Sweden has always been on the question: neutral.
But leaving that aside, the saga just gets more and more bizarre.
On Sunday, the paper ran a second article repeating the allegations despite an admission last week by the author that he had “no idea”, “no clue” whether any of this was true. In an editorial in Aftonbladet about the affair, Helin said: “I’m a responsible editor who gave the green light to an article because it raises a few questions.”
Sorry, there isn’t an editor on the planet who just runs stories because they raise “a few questions”. On that basis, he would have run the Protocols of Zion. But let’s not tempt fate.
The bigger picture here is of a political culture in Sweden (and by extension western Europe as a whole) which has been so utterly degraded by anti-Zionist bigotry that normal standards of decent and reasoned behaviour are simply tossed out of the window whenever the subject of Israel is raised.
As I said at the start of this latest business in Sweden, this has now become routine. It’s just another day in modern Europe, and just another step down on the descent into barbarism.
Tags: Israel
August 24th, 2009 at 10:35 am
Great response by Benny Dagan to OftenBladdered
August 24th, 2009 at 12:22 pm
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3766042,00.html
Another great response
August 24th, 2009 at 12:35 pm
And look at this outrageous spin from the New York Times:
“Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of Israel urged the Swedish government on Sunday to condemn an article in a Swedish newspaper last week accusing the Israeli Army of harvesting organs from Palestinians wounded or killed by soldiers.”
That is not what Donald Boström claimed in the original article. In that he suggested that the Israeli army deliberately murdered Palestinians in order to steal their organs. Had I not know this and simply relied on the New York Times for information, I would have assumed that the Palestinians referred to had been killed in the normal course of military operations. Here’s what Boström actually wrote in the Aftonbladet piece (a translation of the complete article can be found at the link below):
“While the campaign was running, young Palestinian men started to disappear from villages in the West Bank and Gaza. After five days Israeli soldiers would bring them back dead, with their bodies ripped open.”
http://tinyurl.com/nmj7ue
Reading through this again, I realise how closely this does resemble the old blood libel stories, of how non-Jewish children were kidnapped and then murdered by Jews. It’s the kidnapping part that I had missed.
Incidentally, the blood libels in Europe continued right up to 1946 when 46 Jews who had survived the Holocaust were murdered in Kielce in Poland by a rampaging mob. The pogrom had been sparked by a story that Jews had kidnapped a young non-Jewish boy.
For more on fairly recent blood libels in Europe, scroll down this piece until you hit the word “modern”:
http://tinyurl.com/fnyrb
August 24th, 2009 at 2:50 pm
It’s amazing that by Sweden’s own standards, we can say they collaborated with the Nazis during WW2…
Did they?
August 24th, 2009 at 3:03 pm
Also check out the following response from The head of the Israeli Government Press Office, Danny Seaman, deciding to delay issue of press cards for two reporters of Sweden’s Aftonbladet:
“We informed them that it will take some time that it’s necessary to evaluate their request. They asked us why they have to go through certain checks - to the question what checks exactly? We said we were checking their blood type to see if they’re eligible for organ transplant”…
http://rtv.rtrlondon.co.uk/2009-08-23/1c3ea517.html
August 24th, 2009 at 3:04 pm
Nannette: The Swedes were formally “neutral” in WWII. What this means is that they couldn’t make up their minds between Adolf Hitler and Winston Churchill. Enough said then…..
August 24th, 2009 at 3:19 pm
Nannette: It’s worth noting that Sweden supplied steel to Hitler’s Germany during the war, for tanks and various armaments.
August 24th, 2009 at 3:36 pm
Absolutely disgusting…and to think that there are people that will accept this as the truth, unflinchingly (such is their hate of israel that they will set aside their norms for decency and just accept anything that confirms to their views of Israel).
Although, I had a little chuckle of Danny Seaman’s comments. If there is a god, please let this be a real quote and not an internet “it never happened” quote!
August 24th, 2009 at 4:07 pm
“The Swedes were formally “neutral” in WWII.”
From an article in Wikipedia:
“A few of the concessions, and sometimes embreachments of the nation’s neutrality, the Swedish government made in favor of both the Nazis and the Western Allies were:
* Allowing the Wehrmacht to use Swedish railways to transport the 163rd Infantry Division “Division Engelbrecht”, along with war material freight, i.e., howitzers, tanks and anti-aircraft weapons and associated ammunition, from Norway to Finland
* Transiting soldiers on leave between Norway and Germany - The so called permitenttrafik.
* Training “Police Forces” for use in Denmark and Norway, after the Nazi defeat.[2][page needed]
* Selling precision ball bearings for Nazi tank turrets, and when found out, selling the tooling to create the ball bearings to Nazi Germany.[citation needed]
* Producing and exporting weapons to both the Axis and the Allied powers.[citation needed]
Throughout the war, the Swedish policy favored the side currently having the upper hand, but were always opposing Soviet interests.[citation needed]”
http://tinyurl.com/6xq2sc
There is also quite a detailed account of, inter alia, Swedish attitudes towards Jewish refugees (very bad) and the collaboration by Swedish businesses with the Nazis in this book by David Cesarani and Sarah Kavanaugh (page 381 onwards):
http://tinyurl.com/lo2c2m
About David Cesarani
http://tinyurl.com/mfeuoa
August 24th, 2009 at 4:52 pm
Robin Shepherd says: Let me just say a big thank you to everyone who participates in this site, especially those who contribute comments. It is very much appreciated.
August 24th, 2009 at 5:32 pm
Here’s the latest from Jan Helin, the editor of Aftonbladet. I have no comment as words fail me:
‘Jan Helin, editor-in-chief of Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet, which published an article accusing Israel Defense Forces soldiers of harvesting organs from Palestinians, told Ynet Monday that he was disappointed in the Israeli government, saying “I was saddened to see extreme rightist populists using this article as vulgar propaganda.”
Having previously explained in an Aftonbladet article that he was not anti-Semitic, the editor criticized Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who said Sweden had reverted to World War II sentiment.
“Rightist populists in Israel, especially Lieberman, took advantage of the publication for their own personal aims,” he said. “The government of Israel is becoming more and more isolated from the world in its views. I think the official responses should be understood as related to the local and internal opinions in Israel, which are harming Israel.” ‘
http://tinyurl.com/l7bumo
N.B. An emendation to my post above in which I provided a link to a book about Sweden and the Holocaust. It appears that David Cesarani was not the author of the particular piece but instead the editor of the book in which it appears. The actual author was Sven Nordland and the piece was entitled “Jewish refugees and the Swedish Labour market in the shadow of the Holocaust”. However, Norland does in fact cite as a (primary?) source “Bystanders to the Holocaust” by David Cesarani and Paul Levine. The article begins at page 380.
BTW, Dr. Shepherd, it is we who owe you the thanks. With Melanie Phillips off on her hols, you appear to be single-handedly holding the line against the forces of darkness. There are others (a couple of blogs and a certain newspaper) who claim to be doing likewise, but their pieces tend to be so riddled with ifs, ands and buts that half the time one isn’t sure which side they are on. This is not to say that you support blindly; you do not, and you give your condemnation where you believe it is necessary. However, it is also obvious that you know the difference between black and white and right and wrong, and in this society which has been so corrupted by moral relativism, that is not just a relief but also a blessing to the many Jews who feel under threat at the moment.
August 24th, 2009 at 6:37 pm
To mailman, Danny Seaman’s comments were published in the Jerusalem Post online a day or two ago. I think that makes them pretty reliable, so I hope the retort gives you some added satisfaction!
August 24th, 2009 at 7:06 pm
There’s no getting away from it, Dr Shepherd. You are much loved!
Robin Shepherd says: Thank you very much. By the way, it’s plain old Robin, no Dr. or Mr……very much appreciated….
August 24th, 2009 at 8:37 pm
And here’s one gentile who is also very grateful that you take the time and effort to expose modern day anti-semitism in such a professional and erudite manner. I’m sure there are many more like me.
August 25th, 2009 at 7:14 am
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1251133671059
Petra in the Post today
http://cifwatch.com/2009/08/24/freedman-on-the-aftonbladet-libel/
Louise on ‘CIF Watch’ - the new blog on the bloc
August 25th, 2009 at 8:48 am
Jonny,
Fantastic!
Robin,
Indeed, thanks for the brilliant website. Unfortunately though, I fear that people like yourself are wading against he tide of virilent hate and misinformation being deliberately spread so as to attempt to destroy Israel.
As Ive said a number of times in the past, peoples hatred of Israel is so deep rooted that it clouds their judgement and things like this article, which any normal upright citizen would dismiss in an instant instead gains a kind of traction that cant easily be dismissed (in turn).
Lets just hope that common sense prevails because if it doesnt, then that will be bad news for EVERYONE!
Regards
Mailman
August 25th, 2009 at 8:49 am
SNOPES states categorically that there have been no verified cases of involuntary organ theft. It is an urban legend. http://tinyurl.com/nr2mbu
The Aftonbladet article is not only false it is ridiculous.
August 25th, 2009 at 10:27 am
What struck me though was the talk of people going missing and then being returned to their families. Is it not entirely possible that its Hamas thugs or Aqsa Martar brigade terrorists or any other criminal group operating with freedom through the West Bank and Gaza doing the kidnapping, which is then blamed on Israel to divert attantion away from their activities?
Im just asking questions…thats all!
Mailman
August 25th, 2009 at 1:19 pm
“Is it not entirely possible that its Hamas thugs or Aqsa Martar brigade terrorists or any other criminal group operating with freedom through the West Bank and Gaza doing the kidnapping, which is then blamed on Israel to divert attantion away from their activities?”
That is a fairly recent phenomenon and wasn’t, if memory serves, occurring during the early 1990s, the period relating to the main charges laid by the Swedish newspaper. However, in another step into that Twilight Zone referred to by our host, it now seems as if the Gaza family “at the centre of the organ-theft story” as JPost puts it never told the Aftonbladet journalist Donald Boström that the organs were taken by the Israelis. Get this, though, having read the story, the mother now believes it is possible Israel is stealing organs. Oy vey!
Palestinian family: We didn’t say organs taken
1) ‘The family and relatives of Bilal Ahmed Ghanem, the Palestinian at the center of the organ-theft story in the Swedish tabloid Aftonbladet, said on Monday that they didn’t know if the accusations were true or not.’
2) ‘He was a Fatah activist who was wanted by the IDF for his involvement in violence.
His mother, Sadeeka, said he was shot by an IDF sniper as he walked out of his home. “The bullets hit him directly in the heart,” she said.
Ghanem’s younger brother, Jalal, said he could not confirm the allegations made by the Swedish newspaper that his brother’s organs had been stolen.
“I don’t know if this is true,” he said. “We don’t have any evidence to support this.” ‘
3) ‘The mother denied that she had told any foreign journalist that her son’s organs had been stolen.
However, she said that now she does not rule out the possibility that Israel was harvesting organs of Palestinians.’
http://tinyurl.com/lmdqo9
August 26th, 2009 at 1:06 pm
So the only thing missing was his teeth?
So if no one told the swiss paper that the organs were taken…then where did they get their story from?
Mailman
August 30th, 2009 at 4:22 pm
Dear Robin
Let us not agree upon being on the “descent into barbarism”. We shall fight racism at every turn, certainly. But you are obviously not running for the hills yourself so why suggest that your friends do so?
There are good forces at work throughout Scandinavia, as there are in the UK. Our goal is to win.
Best regards
Karl