Library banishes Gravel’s works over Gaza
Élise Gravel, whose kids’ books are well regarded here both in English and French, is seeing her books removed from one library’s shelves because her views on Gaza, expressed on X, are being called antisemitic. Gravel has received death threats. She makes some statements on Instagram.
Update: I was afraid this post would turn into a scrum, but I still felt the story about Élise Gravel merited attention.
AMF 10:48 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
Death threats and harassment are obviously completely unacceptable. But the library pushback is reasonable (and the books are still on the shelves, they’re just not on display). She has obsessively devoted her instagram to inflammatory, dehumanizing claims, many inaccurate, and some explicitly antisemitic, occasionally offering half-apologies and then doubling down further. She has refused to engage with members of the Jewish community who have reached out, including librarians that repeatedly asked for a conversation. Jewish kids here have been repeatedly targeted in the last few months. That’s very real, and she’s contributing to it far more than she is to Middle East policy. Claiming you’re not antisemitic does not absolve you of the harm you’re doing–it’s just gaslighting.
rob 12:42 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
Supporting genocide isn`t cool. Gazan children have been repeatedly killed in the last few months.
Stop throwing around the antisemtic lable on anyone who disagrees with Israel.
DavidH 14:10 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
As someone who follows Gravel from way before the renewed hostilities in Gaza, I haven’t seen a single post that could be reasonably called ‘explicitly antisemitic’. I’ve seen a ton of post against the Israeli government and their actions, but that’s not the same thing, at all, as anti-semitism.
AMF 14:36 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
She posted that “Israel has the largest skin bank in the World, harvested from Palestinians.” Then she reposted it with a caveat as “a claim that hasn’t been proven”-far from acknowledging what it is, a vicious lie, a blood libel, and one of the oldest antisemitic tropes that exists: the accusation that Jews take body parts from non-Jews to use in nefarious ways. This is indeed explicitly antisemitic, and the comments–dozens! still up!–are worse. She’s still using her platform to spotlight an old antisemitic lie, and creating an opportunity for tons of people to amplify it.
Ian 15:08 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
“I stand firmly against any form of discrimination and racism, including antisemitism,” the post goes on to read. “The Israeli government does not represent the views of every Jew on the planet. Criticizing the state of Israel is not antisemitic.”
That seems like a pretty clear and unambiguous statement. Frankly, the only people that I’ve heard that conflate Israel with all Jews are a) shills for Israel or b) anti-semites.
Also, trying to hide alleged crimes by crying blood libel sure is convenient. This is not the yelling at clouds of some random jew-hating crank, th4ere is very good evidence of skin an organ harvesting in Israel.
—
A controversial Israeli television investigation in 2014 included confessions from high-ranking officials that skin was taken from the bodies of dead Palestinians and African workers to treat Israelis, such as soldiers with burn injuries.
In it, the director of the Israeli Skin Bank revealed the country’s reserve of “human skin” reached 17 square meters – a huge number relative to Israel’s population.
Israel is thought to be the biggest hub for the illegal global trade in human organs, according to a 2008 investigation by the American CNN network.
Euro-Med Monitor claimed Israel is one of the “world’s biggest hubs for the illegal trade of human organs under the pretext of ‘security deterrence’”.
It urged the country to abide by “international law” and reiterated the “necessity of respecting and protecting the bodies of the dead during armed conflicts.”
The 1949 Fourth Geneva Convention, which Israel has not ratified, requires combatants to respect the dignity of the dead, including preventing despoiling, mutilation, or any disrespectful treatment of their bodies.
—
https://www.euronews.com/2023/11/27/israel-stealing-organs-from-bodies-in-gaza-alleges-human-right-group
If you don’t know who Euronews is, via Wikipedia:
In 1992, following the Persian Gulf War, during which CNN’s position as the preeminent source of 24-hour news programming was cemented, the European Broadcasting Union (EBU) proposed a channel to present information from a counterpart European perspective… Euronews SA was founded by a consortium of ten EBU members (national public broadcasters)
AMF 15:28 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
For God’s sake. Saying that you are against antisemitism does not absolve you of spreading antisemitism. And repeating false, incendiary, harmful claims do not make them true. This is an old, debunked story from 2009 about the 80s and 90s that metastasized and spread–and continues to spread–a lot of harm. It’s indefensible. And classically antisemitic. Ian, you just contributed to it. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_Aftonbladet_Israel_controversy
There are police cars in front of every Jewish school in this city. I know a little kid who just got asked if she has horns. Another who came home complaining about Hitler jokes at school. Criticizing Israel is not antisemitic. Spreading lies that have been used to provoke violence against Jews is indeed antisemitic.
steph 15:43 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
The link you cited admits they actually did this.
AMF 15:56 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
The link says a forensic pathologist did not seek informed consent from both Palestinians and Israelis in the 90s and was removed from their post. So no, it does not.
Ian 16:02 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
Exactly.
AMF, Are facts anti-semitic? Is Yehuda Hiss anti-semitic now?
I live in a Hasidic neighbourhood. Ever wonder what they think of Israel? Are they antisemitic too?
There are shuls & schools all over my neighbourhood, and there aren’t police cars parked in front of them.
Also worth noting, the article I quoted is not from the 80s or 90s, it is current news from November of last year, specifically stating “Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor said on Sunday it had “concerns” about possible organ theft from Palestinian corpses, following reports by medical professionals in Gaza who examined some bodies after they were released by Israel.”
Nice attempt at deflection, but please try to read your own sources even if you won’t read those of others.
Ian 16:05 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
Ah yes, the “no true Scotsman” gambit.
Not just some rando forensic pathologist, either, but the chief pathologist at the L. Greenberg National Institute of Forensic Medicine. Not exactly the “This is an old, debunked story from 2009 about the 80s and 90s” scenario you painted for us.
Marco 16:13 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
I didn’t know her name before today but I’ve seen her work around quite a bit. So sad that she has received death threats for being anti-war.
AMF 16:26 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
Yes, still not a fact.
Sorry Kate. I didn’t mean to turn your blog into a platform for blood libel.
carswell 17:10 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
“Sorry Kate. I didn’t mean to turn your blog into a platform for blood libel.”
How offensive to the other participants in this thread and how insulting to the blog’s readers and operator. And, no, AMF isn’t sorry — it’s just a rhetorical device to lead to a barb. Combine all that with being an obvious shill who feigns reasonableness until called out. They deserve to be ignored if not outright banned.
rob 17:15 on 2024-02-08 Permalink
@AMF You can keep detracting the subject talking about how blood libel is anti-semetic, ignoring the genocide being commited. You’re not fooling anyone.