Let’s Not Make Symmetrical Comparisons Between 1930s Spain and 21st Century Israel

John Wight, sometime press-secretary to the Scottish Palestinian Solidarity Campaign and Edinburgh Stop the War – No! Not that One! – Coalition, appears to be a free-thinker. Someone who has no political affiliations but supports organizations or movements based on dipassionate assessments on the exegenses of the moment.

Nobby No-Mates as some might say. Or a first year undergraduate sociology student.

This includes Hamas, the religio-political party which promises only a “hudna” (cf. temporary truce) with Israel before enacting the clause its Charter to pursue 80% of her inhabitants to behind the last gharqad/boxthorn tree; or the SWP which has encouraged antisemites such as ~*someone whose name I dare not mention lest he actually turn up*~ and Israel Shamir (a.k.a. Adam Erdash), or whose [former] Central Committee member, John Rees, abuses Quaker hospitality by arguing for violent retaliation against Israelis within the confines of Friends House… no… arguing within the confines of Friends House for violent retaliation against Israelis.

The reason for Wight’s support is, of course, Hamas and the SWP’s opposition to International Jewry… no, sorry… Zionism.

As for Hamas, I support them in their resistance to ethnic cleansing, apartheid, and the murder of men, women, and children completely. As to their political programme, this is another matter.

I stand four square with the SWP against the BNP and against Zionism.

The latter, in particular, began as a discussion about Nick Griffin being egged but which Wight took, in just seven comments, to those who bomb Egged buses. Funny, eh?

Further down, he states:

Hamas are socially progressive, despite your sad and tired attempt to smear them. They provide social services, schools, and hospitals for a people who would otherwise have nothing, due to the actions of that barbaric settler-colonial state otherwise known as the State of Israel.

Not when there is an opportunity to steal it or when they are concerned it may go to political rivals!

Attempting to proffer a symmetrical comparison between Spain in the 1930s and Palestine today is quite ludicrous.

[…]

Hamas stand in the tradition of the former, as do Hezbollah, while Christian fudamentalists stand in the tradition of the latter in their support for Zionism.

I had to re-read this and, even then, wait for others to comment to confirm what he was saying. Yes, he was proferring a non-symmetrical comparison between Hamas and the Republican fighters in the Spanish Civil War.

Hint, John, Hamas are the Falange.