Some weekend links

One of Britain’s leading cancer surgeons has told a conference how his support for the Israel Medical Association sparked a campaign to have him struck off by the General Medical Council (GMC).

The rabid anti-Zionists attacking professor Michael Baum include (of course) George Galloway the Spiv and the funky Jews for Justice for Palestinians, but an unwelcome and especially mad addition are Physicians for Human Rights Israel - a Golem that definitely went beyond the wildest dreams of its creators. What could match the following quote in describing the verbal violence of the posse?

The surgeon went to the Community Security Trust for advice because he was worried about his and his family’s safety. He admitted to his audience that he broke down in tears during a private meeting with Israeli ambassador Ron Prosor.

In a not totally unrelated vein:

This week Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas once again honored the memory of the terrorist Dalal Mughrabi - this time by sponsoring a ceremony celebrating the 50th anniversary of her birth.

A few spicy details:

Mughrabi led the worst terror attack in Israel's history in 1978, when she and other terrorists hijacked a bus and killed 37 civilians. Present at the ceremony were Palestinian dignitaries and a children's marching band. Earlier this year, Abbas sponsored a computer center named after Mughrabi.

A children's marching band... no less, no more.

When the Oslo process began in 1993, one benefit its adherents promised was a significant improvement in Israel’s international standing. And initially, it seemed as if that promise would be kept: 37 countries soon established or renewed diplomatic relations with Israel; a peace treaty was signed with Jordan; five other Arab states opened lower-level relations.

Sounds warm and fuzzy, doesn't it? But:

But 16 years later, it is clear that this initial boost was illusory. Not only is Israel’s standing no better than it was prior to the famous handshake between Yitzhak Rabin and Yasir Arafat on the White House Lawn in September 1993, it has fallen to an unprecedented low. Efforts to boycott and divest from Israel are gaining strength throughout the West, among groups as diverse as British academics, Canadian labor unions, the Norwegian government’s investment fund, and American churches. Israeli military operations routinely spark huge protests worldwide, often featuring anti-Semitic slogans.

To round it off:

Right now, that is what is happening: Israel’s growing pariah status poses a far more serious long-term danger to its survival than any extant military threat. Yet because this pariah status is largely due to its own actions, Israel has the power to reverse the trend. That process must begin with recognizing where the problem truly lies.

You better read the article in its entirety. Now, just for the comic effect: do you remember this guy:

Rarely a mere photo presents a nicer figure of a 9/11 conspiracy theorist, a legal beagle and a (possibly) closet boozer. And, not to forget, UN Human Rights Council’s permanent investigator of alleged Israeli violations...

Now the UN's own conspiracy theorist compares Gaza to World War II, calls for world boycott of Israel. UN Watch, in turn, calls for his removal from the above mentioned job. Enjoy.