MALAIKA MAHLATSI | Response to Adam Charnas: Lies and historical revisionism by the SA Jewish Board of Deputies

On the 25^th of November, Adam Charnas, an analyst for the South African Jewish Board of Deputies (SAJBD) wrote a response to my article titled The Weaponisation of anti-Semitism endangers us all, titled We do not use the term anti-Semitism lightly. Both were published on this platform.

In his response, laden with the historical revisionism that characterises the Zionist response to critique levelled at it, he affirms the very thesis of my initial submission – that the weaponisation of anti-Semitism is a danger to us all. To demonstrate the depth of this danger, we must begin by dispelling the dangerous lies that Charnas wants to present as fact.

Firstly, Charnas claims, falsely, that the International Court of Justice (ICJ) did not find a prima facie case of genocide against Israel. Lies. On page 18 of the ruling, paragraph 54, the ICJ finds that: “In the Court’s view, the facts and circumstances mentioned above are sufficient to conclude that at least some of the rights claimed by South Africa and for which it is seeking protections are plausible. This is the case with respect to the right of Palestinians in Gaza to be protected from acts of genocide and related prohibited acts identified in Article III…”.

This is repeated for emphasis in paragraph 58 on page 19. In paragraph 66 on page 21, the Court goes on to state that the fundamental values sought to be protected by the Genocide Convention “are of such a nature that prejudice to them is capable of causing irreparable harm”.

Recognising the severity of the situation in Gaza, the Court ruling goes on to state, in paragraph 70 on page 22, that: “…the military operation conducted by Israel after 7 October 2023 has resulted, inter alia, in tens of thousands of deaths and injuries and the destruction of homes, schools, medical facilities and other vital infrastructure…”.

In the Conclusions and Measures to be Adopted section, the ruling concludes with a granting of various key measures on the basis that “…conditions required by its Statute for it to indicate provisional measures are met…” and goes on to instruct Israel to prevent acts of genocide as defined in the Statute, outlining them on page 25.

Charnas goes on to state that fans of Israeli football club, Maccabi Tel Aviv, were victims of “anti-Semitic” attacks and targeted because they are Jewish. Damn lies. Ample evidence has demonstrated that the said fans were instigators of the violence that occurred in Amsterdam a few weeks ago.

Even the Dutch government that joined the condemnation of “anti-Semitism” was forced to concede that the Israeli supporters were not “targeted” in a vacuum and that they had been just as responsible for the outcome of the violence. In a 10-page letter to Council by Amsterdam mayor, Femke Halsema, the genesis of the violence is outlined. The letter confirms what has now been factually proven: that Maccabi Tel Aviv fans had gone around Amsterdam pulling down Palestinian flags from buildings while shouting hateful slogans and went on to use their belts to attack a taxi driver.

The letter goes on to state that after the match, at around midnight, “a large group of Maccabi supporters was walking around near Dam Square, some carrying sticks and committing acts of vandalism”. While the letter speaks to cases where Maccabi fans were mobilised against, and uses the deflection language that is cemented in Europe, it could not, perhaps not without attempts to, position Maccabi fans as innocent victims.

Even Charnas does not dispute that the said Israeli nationals did, in fact, engage in acts of vandalism and provocation against Arabs as stated by Amsterdam residents. He does not dispute that they were chanting slogans glorifying the ongoing genocide and the killing of Palestinian children. He cannot dispute any of this because it was captured on videos that have circulated widely. Because it is difficult to dispute such powerful evidence, he opts instead for emotional blackmail.

It Is also important to state that Israeli football supporters are known to be extremely racist, with Maccabi Tel Aviv fans ranked as the second most racist behind those of Beitar Jerusalem.

In a 2023 study by the New Israel Fund (NIF) titled 'Let’s Kick Racism and Violence Out of Israel Soccer', the racism in Israeli football is laid bare. The report notes that most of the racism is directed at Arabs by Jewish fans (at this point, it is important to state that not all Jews are Zionists, and that some of the strongest opponents of Zionism are, in fact, Jews. Charnas intentionally perpetuates the false equivalence of Jewish and Zionists to obfuscate their etymological origins).

Disturbingly, it also found that the fans are not deterred from violating Israel’s laws against racist chanting, largely because these laws are not enforced. Matan Segal, Director of KIO Israel makes the profound argument that football reflects the face of society and that “the events taking place in Israel’s stadiums have taught us how worrying the situation is”.

I touch on this report to demonstrate that the anti-Arab sentiment that was on display in Amsterdam, which Charnas wants to characterise as “anti-Semitism”, is well documented even in Israel.

It is prudent to conclude this article with a reminder that just a week ago, the International Criminal Court (ICC) issued warrants of arrest for Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, and his former Minister of Defense, Yoav Gallant, for alleged war crimes committed in Gaza.

Not unexpectedly, Netanyahu responded to the charges as “anti-Semitic”. The charges were first requested by the ICC chief prosecutor, Karim Khan, in May 2024, after a long investigation with which Israel’s leaders did not cooperate.

What this blatant disregard for international law demonstrates is that Zionists governing Israel want to conduct acts of genocide with impunity, and when they’re held accountable, claim to be victims of anti-Semitism. And this is why the weaponisation of anti-Semitism is so dangerous – because it allows injustice to happen and forces us to keep quiet for fear of being labelled “anti-Semitic”.

We must watch a genocide unfold before our eyes, we must accept that Israeli football supporters could come into our cities to destroy infrastructure and attack Arab people, and we must say nothing because if we do, Charnas and those who subscribe to the theory of new anti-Semitism that seeks to demonise criticism of Israel will label us as “anti-Semitic”.

It’s not going to happen. With investigations by foreign governments being conducted against us for standing on the side of an oppressed people, we will not stop critiquing the colonial and racist ideology of Zionism that threatens civilisation.

With facts in our hands, history on our side and truth in our hearts, we will call genocide by its proper name. We will do so even if our voices shake.