Israel seeks alliance with Gays vs. Iran

[Martinus]

April 20, 2009
Israel to Recruit Gay Community in Anti-Iran Campaign
By Julie Bolcer
Israel plans outreach to groups including the international gay community as part of its ramped-up public-relations effort against Iran, reports the newspaper Haaretz.

"We have to lay the foundation in the world, and particularly in Europe, in order to be able to take harsher steps against Iran, especially in the economic sector," said a senior political source in Jerusalem.

The strategy of the new campaign, which will be managed by the foreign ministry, is to reach people who are more concerned about Iran's human rights abuses than its nuclear aspirations. Iranian president Mahmoud Ahmadinejad (pictured) famously announced in 2007 that there were no homosexuals in Iran, and international human rights organizations have reported hundreds of executions of gay men and lesbians in the country.

The campaign arrives at a time when the United States and Europe appear apt to negotiate with Iran over its nuclear program -- a diplomatic approach that Israeli officials believe is bound to fail.

About $2 million has already been budgeted on the campaign, which includes enhanced use of Internet tools such as YouTube and increased briefings for foreign journalists on the Iranian nuclear program. Other targeted audiences include Jewish groups concerned about Ahmadinejad's denial of the Holocaust.

Ahmadinejad is a headline speaker at the United Nations conference on racism that begins today in Switzerland. Israel, the United States, and several major allies are boycotting the conference.

http://www.advocate.com/news_detail_ektid79597.asp

I see this as only natural - we already share an alliance with :jooos: to bring down the Catholic Church, after all.

[Martinus]

The world will revolve around the Tel Aviv - San Francisco axis.

[CountDeMoney]

Jews and gays!  Two great tastes that go great together!

[Neil]

Good.  Now when Iran nukes Israel, I won't even care.

[Sheilbh]

Sounds like sensible PR to me.  I'd also target unions.

[DGuller]

Talk about an unholy alliance.

[Neil]

Sounds like sensible PR to me.  I'd also target unions.

What do gays have against unions?

[Martinus]

Sounds like sensible PR to me.  I'd also target unions.

Was this in response to Neil's post about nuking Israel?

[Sheilbh]

Sounds like sensible PR to me.  I'd also target unions.

What do gays have against unions?

No, but Iran's really very anti-union and very anti-working class.  I think Israel should publicise that to the unions in the west and should generally be supporting more awareness of just how bad Iran's human rights record is.  I don' think most people know.

[garbon]

The world will revolve around the Tel Aviv - San Francisco axis.

What exactly do you know about either of them?

[Neil]

Sounds like sensible PR to me.  I'd also target unions.

What do gays have against unions?

No, but Iran's really very anti-union and very anti-working class.  I think Israel should publicise that to the unions in the west and should generally be supporting more awareness of just how bad Iran's human rights record is.  I don' think most people know.

Aren't most unions generally anti-American as a matter of faith?

[saskganesh]

Sounds like sensible PR to me.  I'd also target unions.

What do gays have against unions?

No, but Iran's really very anti-union and very anti-working class.  I think Israel should publicise that to the unions in the west and should generally be supporting more awareness of just how bad Iran's human rights record is.  I don' think most people know.

they'd lose a lot of right wing support if they did. of course, some of the left would then backflip out of preferring hamas, but not enough to stop the bleeding.

[Tamas]

Come on people, no working class protective crap will ever beat antisemitism, especially since working class is the most anti-semite in general.

[Siege]

Come on people, no working class protective crap will ever beat antisemitism, especially since working class is the most anti-semite in general.

True.

Look at Neil.

[Siege]

Jews and gays!  Two great tastes that go great together!

Historically, jews in the diaspora have sided with minorities, especially the ashkenazi.
Their security is in the tolerance of minorities.
The sefaradim were somewhat an exeption, since we prefered to buy/gain the support of the ruling class of whatever country we were in.

Israelis generally don't relate to this feeling the diaspora jews have, though.
We see ourselves as a nation, with the rule of the majority.
It took me a while to adapt me to the feeling of being part of a minority here in the States.