Danger looms in 'Continua' articles

The most famous piece of anti-Semitic propaganda in history is called the Protocols of the Elders of Zion. Distributed in Russia in 1905, the book tells tales of secret Jewish domination of the world. Such invented conspiracies have often been the pretexts for pogroms or other mob violence against Jews.

COURTESY CONTINUA

Recently, this anti-Semitic custom of accusing Jews of vast conspiracies has made it to Yale in the form of the publication Continua. Apparently, some of the editors and writers of Continua believe, and expect Yale students to believe, that today's world is run by the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC), the pro-Israel lobbying group in Washington, D.C. To have anti-Semitic, hate-inducing, incendiary propaganda circulate at Yale is beyond inappropriate. It is offensive. It is disappointing. It is scary.

The article that carries this implication is titled "A K Street Guide to Middle East Policy." The K Street reference is to the street in our nation's capital where many political lobbies and think tanks have their offices. Alan Audi, DC '02, the author of the piece, claims that AIPAC has in the past decided who will be Secretary of State and who gets elected to Congress. He claims that AIPAC has created a political climate where "speaking out against Israel in Congress is, de facto, little less than flirting with political struggle."

While it is undeniable that AIPAC has traditionally been one of the more successful political action committees around, the amount of power Audi attributes to them is ridiculous. It is a fact that they are well-organized and have collected capital from a large donor base, but not that they seek to, as Audi states, "root out of Capitol Hill lawmakers who [question] the policies of the Jewish state."

But as becomes clear from the rest of the article, even Audi knows that they are not the evil corruptors and controllers that he makes them out to be. Indeed, his main complaint is that Arab-Americans have not been able to organize themselves in a comparable way. But the success of AIPAC does not turn it into the "all powerful and feared" group that Audi describes, but rather into another part of the vast and complex engine that makes American democracy work.

The opening greeting of Continua calls for a "dispassionate analysis of the situation," yet Ali Wick's, CC '02, rant "Of Zionist Colonialism," begins with the author's affirmation of his "solidarity and total devotion to the men and women...who struggle directly on the Palestinian ground." That does not sound dispassionate to me.

The content of Continua varies only in its degree of anti-Israel sentiment. Some of the articles remain within standard anti-Israel language. Many, however, are irresponsible and inflammatory. Continua claims to be a place for "all things radical," but this cannot be used to excuse the dissemination of propaganda.

One of Israel's chief demands of Palestinians is that they stop the anti-Semitic rhetoric on their state television and radio stations. This demand is crucial because it demonstrates an understanding of the link between propaganda of this kind and the translation of Palestinian frustration and hatred into terrorist acts. We should also understand that link.

Whatever one's particular views towards Israel are, the distribution of pamphlets encouraging hatred and intolerance is unacceptable and dangerous. It was unacceptable in 1905, and it is unacceptable for the editors of Continua.

Noam Waldoks is a sophomore in Silliman.

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