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Name: Antony Loewenstein
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Tuesday, October 18, 2005

Courting controversy on emotive issue

The following article appears in this week's Sydney Inner-West Courier:

Inner City Author generates fierce debate.
Report LAWRENCE CONWAY

Annandale freelance journalist, author and blogger Antony Loewenstein has attracted controversy for his work on the Middle East and the Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Since Mr Loewenstein wrote his first major article on the conflict for the Sydney Morning Herald in 2003 he has received hate mail, abusive phone calls and threatening emails. The condemnation continued after he contributed a chapter about Hanan Ashrawi's visit to Australia in last year's best-selling book, Not Happy, John!

His first solo book about Australian attitudes towards the Israeli-Palestinian conflict is months away from publication, yet Federal MP Michael Danby has already called for it to be banned. Mr Loewenstein said he started writing about the Israeli-Palestinian conflict after becoming concerned that the debate in Australia was one-sided.

"There are few people in the mainstream media discussing what the Israeli occupation really means," he said. "Everything is always framed in terms of what is good for Israel. So the idea behind the book is to ask why and to hear different voices, both in Australia and overseas, about the conflict that may not have been heard before."

Mr Danby wrote to the Australian Jewish News in August suggesting Melbourne University Publishing should drop the book, describing it as a "disgusting project".

But Mr Loewenstein is determined to continue exploring the issues and has already signed a book deal with Random House to write about the state of the Australian media.

Talking about the criticism Mr Loewenstein said: "You try not to let it get to you. The way I see it is the more people attack you the more you are doing your job well. My position is not to bash Israel because it is Israel - it's simply to examine Israel's role in the region and the impact of the West's attitude towards Israel".

11 Comments:

Blogger Ibrahamav said...

Louis Farakhan and Adolf Hitler also believed that the more people attack you the more you are doing your job well.

But I admit, you're certainly no Miss Elf.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 10:45:00 am  
Blogger TheRam said...

Yes, and Hitler and Farakhan used toliet paper! Death to hygene!!

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:21:00 am  
Blogger Human said...

Thanks for your work Antony. As it is obvious that there are a lot of hate mongers out and about, be careful.
Peace. Your fellow Human

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 11:26:00 am  
Blogger Ibrahamav said...

Yes Oscar, But Loewenstein hasn't claimed that he uses the same brand.

MFH, nice tongue work. But keep it clean, ok?

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 12:59:00 pm  
Blogger Antony Loewenstein said...

Thanks Marcus,
Different opinions are what make a democracy. The responses I receive prove that many people are afraid of an alternative perspective and attack.
And yes, I receive many supportive emails from across the world...

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 1:08:00 pm  
Blogger Pete said...

Nice work Antony.

We, your blog co-subversives, can do what we can to nurture the wilder formulations of your Brain.

For that we expect Acknowledgments in your books and Invites to Israeli Consulate receptions - if you can score them.

Anyway free, autographed copies of your books as they appear, would do.

Good show.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 1:17:00 pm  
Blogger Antony Loewenstein said...

I dearly hope to receive 'invites to Israeli Consulate receptions'...so I can refuse and dispose of them appropriately. Likewise with pretty much any other consulate receptions.
Thanks for the support. Much appreciated.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 1:35:00 pm  
Blogger Darp said...

Ibrahamav,

Something on your blog interested me.

An expose of the various lies spread by those who pretend to be advocates of the Palestinian cause. Knowing that the only way the Palestinians will achieve a homeland of their own is through peaceful means, these advocates of violence actually have one goal in mind - destruction of the Jewish people

Errm, I'm a strong advocate of the Palestinian people garnering a viable state for themselves. I've helped out with a number of Palestinian community groups in Sydney down through the years and also wrote my thesis on the events of 1948 (from a purely strategic perspective, examining the various techniques used by both sides to incite fear and terror in the other).

What I'm currently more renowned for in the Aussie activism scene is my role as a 'Nazi Hunter'. Hey, that's what people in the mainstream press have labelled me, it's certainly not a mantle I've sought.

I run www.fightdemback.com, an anti-racism/fascism/Nazi collective. You may even get a giggle out of our most recent entry where an Aus Nazi hate site posted a pic of our New Zealand spokesperson. Well, he posted a pic of Ronny Rosenthal THINKING it was our Kiwi head honcho. Tee hee hee.

Throughout this campaign, I have lobbied hard to keep members of Germany's anti-Semitic NDP out of Australia (I succeeded), have provided information on Australia's Nazi wackjobs to the authorities and to Jewish orgs pertaining to Hitler's Birthday attacks on Synagogues in Perth and Newcastle.

We are also one of the few community orgs that actively chase up the hunt for Nazi war criminals hiding out in Australia. We don't care if they're all shitting into colostomy bags and dodging coffins, genocide is a crime for which no age related frailty can absolve you.

You catch my drift?

I believe in a Palestinian state. I also believe that the timeless hatred of Jews for simply being Jews is something that must be confronted and stopped.

So, no - I most certainly do not fit your narrow rubric that paints all supporters of Palestine as being automatic enemies of the Jewish people.

See, even the AJN thinks FDB is kind of ok:

http://www.fightdemback.com/2005/06/17/fdb-in-the-ajn/

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 2:36:00 pm  
Blogger Antony Loewenstein said...

Check out the photo, if you can. I look, shall we say, determined.

Tuesday, October 18, 2005 3:05:00 pm  
Blogger Ibrahamav said...

Darp, Thank you for the invite. I believe there needs to be a Palestinian state, or that the negotiated parts of the West Bank should be absorbed into Jordan, if that is the wish of the majority of palestinians, both West Bankian and Jordanian.

Gaza needs to be it's own entity or made an autonomous portion of Egypt. Again, with the agreement of the majority of Gazians and Egyptians.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 12:24:00 am  
Blogger Ibrahamav said...

Most parts of the West bank via good faith negotiations. It probably will not happen in your lifetime.

Wednesday, October 19, 2005 2:21:00 pm  

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