There it is again...

The ad for the "International Fellowship of Christians and Jews" is showing up on my blog pages again, and this time I decided to pick a fraction of a penny from their pocket, and I clicked on the ad. The page that loaded has a banner picture--featuring the map I posted about earlier, as well as a photo that looks like it was taken during the Egyptian January revolution (with a rock-thrower holding an improvised shield prominently displayed). The text of the page reveals an interesting way of thinking about the wave of protests and anti-authoritarian regime changes that have been sweeping across the Middle East this year:

"Violent street protests are spreading across the Middle East, from Yemen to Bahrain and even into Iran. This upheaval could have disastrous consequences for Israel, threatening the stability of the entire region."

A little deconstruction first. The protests that have swept across Tunisia, Egypt, Yemen, Jordan, Syria, and Bahrain have been almost entirely nonviolent. Yes, the responses by the regimes in power have often been violent, but the protests (and protesters) themselves have been peaceful. The most "violent" of the protests has been in Libya, where the protesters did not resort to violence until after the regime opened fire on protesters and bystanders. Next... Iran??? Ummm, the regime in Iran has not allowed any protests--let alone violent ones.

So this bit of propaganda is rooted in fantasy, in anti-Arab and anti-Muslim paranoia that equates any act or event with a threat to Israel.

And interestingly, the chain of cause and effect is portrayed as "upheaval" --> disaster for Israel --> instability in the region. In the worldview of the IFCJ, Israel is not only maintaining stability in the Middle East, but is the linchpin keeping the Middle East from destroying itself.

"Now more than ever Israel needs committed friends to stand by her. One way you can help Israel during this time of violence and volatility is to show your solidarity with the Jewish state by wearing this free U.S.-Israel flag pin, The Fellowship's gift to you for helping spread the crucial message of support for Israel."

Never mind millions of Arabs peacefully demonstrating in hopes of overthrowing autocratic regimes; never mind the peoples and nations hungering for freedom and democracy; never mind the thousands who have died in efforts to affect change: Israel needs our support and solidarity.

And, to top it off, I'll point out the sop to Israel as a "Jewish state," which excludes the Palestinian Christian and Muslim citizens of Israel, and points out what a farce it is for this organization to call themselves the "International Fellowship of Christians and Jews."