An interview with an antisemite
The Jewish people are facing one of the most challenging times in modern history. The current multi-front war in Israel is rapidly gaining steam. Antisemites of all stripes are also getting into the act. Jews, the world over, are unsafe, especially school students and those in university. The internet features virtual attacks, lending a platform to Jew-haters.
Who are these antisemites, bent on humiliating, harming, and hatred of Jews? Meet one; he’s Dr. Bassem Yousef. I listened to The Nelk Boys’ interview with him, published Thursday, July 31st. For pure propaganda served with a smile, few interviews rate as effective.
Though disturbing, I recommend it. That is because it’s critical to: recognize a master distorter of truth and learn how to deflect the lies, as I will discuss below.
In the interview, Dr. Bassem publicly humiliated and berated his hosts. Condescendingly, but with a flashy smile, he chided the young interviewers for their previous interview with Israel’s prime minister.
This interview represents an opportunity to experience what young people face today at university in North America or Europe. Pure demagoguery. Bassem, to be sure, does not look the part of a rabid antisemitic. Just the opposite. He’s photogenic and polished, and a cardiologist to boot. He oozes self-confidence. For those who have spent time in Israel or who have not done much reading, he’s convincing.
Bassem starts his interview by accusing Israel of investing $150 million dollars in Hasbara efforts (yes, he uses the word Hasbara). Why? Israel, Bassem would have us believe, has one reason to exist: to murder the Palestinian people. Only a dark country, he insists, would invest so much money in PR. The campaign started well before the Oct 7 attacks in anticipation of that event. Israel, he advances, orchestrated the Hamas attack, for the express purpose of carrying out ethnic cleansing in Gaza.
Aside from the brazen accusation that Israel planned and executed the October 7th massacre, let’s return to Hasbara, as if Israel invented it for October 7th. Of course, every country spends much time, money, and effort (and has for years) in order to generate a positive image. Actually, Israel has a low budget in comparison to other countries. Canada, for example, spends over one billion dollars annually on advocacy programs.
Continuing his unmitigated rage at the Nelk boys, Bassem lies about their trip to Israel. He claims that it their visit was government-funded and sponsored. In effect, Bassem would have us believe, Israel recruited and groomed them. In time, they would be activated to blur Israel’s express goal of destroying Gaza.
I easily dismiss this as utter nonsense, since I organized it. I am not in any way affiliated with the government.
Bassem speaks with ease, confidence, and charisma. So, in his twisted world, Hamas comes out smelling like a rose. It’s a peace organization battling Israel, a country he likens to Nazi Germany.
Here are some more ‘facts’ Bassam shares with his interviewers –
1. Israel has one of the highest percentages of sex offenders in the world
2. The USA is controlled by Zionists
3. Israel is responsible for the deadliest attack on US Navy since WW2
4. Israel deliberately murdered doctors and aid workers
5. Israeli soldiers gave aid to a Gazan citizen and then shot him at blank
All these accusations are false.
1. Israel is NOT on the top of any list when it gets to sex offenders.
2. NO, the world’s countries are NOT controlled by Jews.
3. Israel and the USA investigated the terrible incident that took the lives of 34 US Navy personnel. They concluded that the attack was an accident due to Israeli confusion about the ship’s identity. Bassem is mum about the 5,000 American servicemen killed by Muslim terrorists, including 241 American servicemen murdered in the Beirut terror attacks.
4. Israel doesn’t target doctors or aid workers; Hamas does by cynically using hospitals and aid centers as terror bases.
5. Israeli soldiers do not execute Gazans.
Listening to Bassem, we would think that Israel has one goal – to murder all Muslims in the region. When asked how peace can be achieved, here is Bassem at his very best. He answers that he doesn’t know how to answer that question. You see, he lectures his audiences, Israel is a country of bloodthirsty, pathological liars. The State, he says with a smile, was established to eliminate the Palestinian people. Therefore, it’s not possible to reach peace, he concludes.
Here’s the truth. Bassem and his ilk don’t care about the Israeli government’s policies, just as they don’t care about peace. They simply don’t want Israel to exist. Bassem calls for the dismantling and destruction of the State of Israel.
At the end of the Nelk Boy interview, Bassem can’t resist browbeating Aaron Steinberg (‘Steiny’). Don’t feel bad, he tells Steiny, about his previous sympathy toward Israel. Your being Jewish has nothing to do with it. For many years, you have lied to and brainwashed. Yes, Israel used you, because of your religion, to promote genocide. But you’re fortunate, he says, that you have me to set matters straight.
Indeed, Bassem is an example of modern-day antisemite. His lies are dangerous, served with charm and credibility. Like other educated antisemites, he will be exposed. But, it’s up to us to learn history, seek truth, and fight for peace.
