Monday, July 25, 2016
Elder of Ziyon
It was already
four years ago that the Simon Wiesenthal Center included the fairly
prominent left-wing German journalist and publisher Jakob
Augstein in its annual
list [pdf] of people and groups responsible for the “Top 10
Anti-Semitic/Anti-Israel Slurs.” The ensuing controversy was
explained in an excellent Tablet article
by James Kirchick.
A few days ago, it became clear that this
controversy still reverberates: when Augstein reacted to news about
the massive
crack-down that followed the recent coup attempt in Turkey by
declaring nonchalantly on Twitter that “Turkey’s democracy is
none of our business; it’s up to the Turkish people,” Many people
noted that his attitude to Israel (and the US) was markedly
different. There was also astonishment that the staunch leftist would
use the term “the Turkish people;” many noted in response that
Augstein seems to feel no concern for Turkey’s minorities,
particularly the Kurds. Unfazed by all this criticism, Augstein
doubled down with another
tweet asking: “What if the Turks have different requirements
for their democracy than we for ours?” Again, this was an attitude
that Augstein apparently reserves for Islamist governments
mercilessly cracking down on their real or perceived opponents.
A sarcastic
comment by the always brilliant Walter Russell Mead could serve as an
excellent rejoinder to Augstein’s eagerness to overlook the
alarming developments in Turkey: reacting to the news that the
crack-down extended to universities, schools, hospitals,
associations, foundations and unions, Mead mocked the argument that
these measures were the prerogative of Turkey’s democratically
elected government by tweeting
“Thank goodness the forces of democracy broke the coup, or
terrible news would be coming out of Turkey today.”
Quite obviously, Augstein’s stance doesn’t make sense, because
what is going on in Turkey is very consequential for Europe, and it
is arguably particularly important for Germany, where Turks
form the largest ethnic minority and the largest group of
non-citizens. Then there is the little matter of the endless debates
and negotiations about Turkey’s accession
to the European Union (EU), which has meant that Turkey’s democracy
and its policies have long been seen as issues that are very much
also the EU’s business. Moreover, given that Turkey is a NATO
member, concerns
about the current crack-down are all the more warranted.
To be sure,
German media are full of critical commentaries about the developments
in Turkey. One report, entitled “Alarm
in Germany over Turkey” even notes that a prominent German
history professor argued that the measures taken by Erdogan “amounted
to a ‘total seizure of power’” as described in history
textbooks “and exemplified in 1933 when democracy was eliminated in
Germany by the National Socialists (Nazis) under Adolf Hitler.”
Since this
history professor is known as a strong supporter
of Israel, Augstein is likely to disagree with him on principle.
Augstein’s
eagerness to shield Turkey’s repressive Islamist government from
criticism throws his eagerness to criticize Israel into stark relief.
In this context it is worthwhile to revisit and update the
controversy that ensued in the wake of the Wiesenthal Center’s
attempt to name and shame Augstein. In the already cited article from
January 2013, James Kirchick summarized the case against Augstein as
follows [emphasis added]:
“To prove its case against Augstein, the Wiesenthal
Center highlighted five excerpts from his articles over the past
year. In one April column,
Augstein alleged that “the president [of
the United States] must secure the support of Jewish lobby groups”
in order to stay in office. In the same column, he wrote that “the
Netanyahu government keeps the world on a leash with an ever-swelling
war chant.” In another column from
November, Augstein wrote
that, “the Jews also have their
fundamentalists, the ultra-orthodox Haredim,”
who are “cut from the same cloth as their
Islamic fundamentalist opponents. They follow the law of revenge.”
In that same piece he referred to the Gaza
Strip as a “lager,” a German word
meaning “prison camp” which is redolent of the Nazi era. And
then, in a piece endorsing Grass, he wrote that “Israel’s
nuclear power is a danger to the already fragile peace of the world.”
Kirchick
rightly notes that Augstein’s views are fairly common “in the
world of anti-Israel polemicism.” However, according to him,
“arguably the worst of Augstein’s columns was one from September
that initially garnered the Center’s attention. The subject was the
riots that erupted in response to the crude video lampooning the
prophet Muhammed.” Augstein wrote there [emphasis added]:
“The fire is burning in Libya, Sudan, Yemen, in
countries that are among the poorest in the world. But the arsonists
sit elsewhere. The angry young men, who burn the American—and more
recently, German—flags are as much victims as the dead of Benghazi
and Sana’a. Who benefits from such
violence? Only the madmen and the
unscrupulous. And this time also—as an aside—the
U.S. Republicans and the Israeli government.”
As
Kirchick went on to explain:
“Arguments resorting to “Cui bono?” usually
have a conspiratorial odor, and this one was no exception. Once
again, the lazy moral equivalence characteristic of Augstein’s
writing was apparent in his comparing the murdered American
Ambassador Chris Stephens with the rent-a-mobs, who regularly ignite
American flags at an imam’s whim, as analogous “victims.”
Augstein’s rant also displayed an astonishing unfamiliarity with
regional politics, for if he knew the first thing about the Israeli
government he so despises, he would be aware that it is hardly made
up of people enthusiastic about the changes the so-called Arab Spring
has wrought.”
Last
December, Augstein again attracted criticism
when he noted in a column about far-right groups in France and
Germany that “fascism was not just a phenomenon of the past,”
while asserting at the same time that it was not surprising that the
German far-right “had no problem with Israel” because the Israeli
government was equally far-right. And while Augstein was worried
about fascist tendencies on the far-right, he saw no reason to worry
about antisemitism.
Now
Herr Augstein sees no reason to criticize Turkey’s repressive
Islamist government. He probably regards Erdogan and his AKP as
“moderate” Islamists – very different from Israel’s terrible
“ultra-orthodox Haredim,” who, as Herr Augstein sees it, are “cut
from the same cloth as their Islamic fundamentalist opponents. They
follow the law of revenge.” Incidentally, “Law
of Revenge” was the title of the column where Augstein not only
asserted that Israel’s ultra-orthodox were the equivalent of Hamas,
but where he also insinuated that Israel was fighting against Hamas
only because – just like Hamas – Israel was motivated by the “law
of revenge.”
Let’s
conclude with a few recent headlines:
“Erdogan’s
revenge: Turkey’s president is destroying the democracy that
Turks risked their lives to defend.” (The
Economist)
“Mr.
Erdogan’s Reckless Revenge” (NYT
editorial)
“The
Revenge of Turkey’s Erdogan” (WSJ)
Looks
like someone is following “the law of revenge” – if only there
was a way to blame Israel for it...
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