The Yogi Side of the Line

During the American Civil War combatants used to draw a line in the sand, a term we still use today as an imaginary or fictitious line. Soldiers used to gather around for a tete-a-tete, then, a line in the sand was drawn with North and South standing respectively, behind each side to start the fighting. At the end of a tiring day of affray they, would retire to the bar to have a few drinks together, sleep side-by-side and resume fighting across their side of the line in the morning.

The human right’s line is where, one measures whether one is above the line or below in terms of human rights efforts within a country, its’ definition being ‘human rights are rights inherent to all human beings, regardless of race, sex, nationality, ethnicity, language, religion, or any other status. This, includes the right to life and liberty, freedom from slavery and torture, freedom of opinion and expression, the right to work and education,’ and many more, according to the UN.

With human right’s indicators one can be guided by the principles of universality, impartiality, objectivity and cooperation to measure progress in the implementation of international human rights norms and principles; increasingly, used by a growing number of governmental and non-governmental actors. Basic human rights were formed, in the UK upon the signing of the Magna Carta by King John, forced to pen it mainly, for the nobility where he was thus, made to respect certain rights of his citizens as well, as placing legal limits on his own power. That line has grown over the last eight hundred years to become about basic needs, like health, housing, food, education and freedom of expression but states are viewed as weak if they do not provide at least two out of three of important governmental functions. Firstly, to keep its citizens safe from violent conflict, secondly, to meet basic needs and thirdly, to govern with the consent of the majority, in a legitimate fashion, but one can wonder about nations like the US not providing basic needs such as free health care or insurance for all.

Here in the UK we celebrate one hundred years from an authentic Labour Secretary of State for health, Aneurin Bevan who introduced our free national health service, the NHS, even if it is now underfunded and overloaded. Here, in Wales all prescriptions are free and thus, having a condition I do not have to apply to be exempt for prescriptions as they do in England. Healthcare, in Israel is universal and participation in a medical insurance plan is compulsory, where all Israeli residents are entitled to basic health care as a fundamental right and, Palestinian people have received treatment.

If a state needs help for its basic functions it may be viewed as possessing a very thin definition of the line. Our world’s westphalian state system are made up of human communities that claims monopoly of legitimate use of force within its territory. However, where nations are incapable of exercising ‘responsible sovereignty’ these have a spill over effect in the form of terrorism, weapons proliferation and so forth. When states have won independence they may have the grounds to sink or swim, and where many have failed, or won the rights to determination, they could still be swimming against the tide of those who wish to destroy them. Back to Jeremy Corbyn, in the UK, who not only backs terror states but claims he walks the line of peace, however, where nuclear disarmament and cutting the armed forces are his mandates, would not protect citizens of the UK, if he came to power.

Consider the rights of diabetes Type 1 patients, for example, for two years I have had abnormally high blood sugars, even with insulin. It is impossible to lower them with food even on a low carb diet, and upon seeing a Consultant who has continually, shrugged her shoulders no matter how well-meaning, I was told I am not allowed a pump that helps to balance glucose levels nor, a new device on the market, named an e-lybra, with sensors going into one’s arm measuring blood sugar with one zap of a digital expedient. When Theresa May sported one recently, she was kindly called a robot from the planet Zog. Even though, this area fits the postcode lottery for funding, whereas, someone in Kent may not, apparently, I may not have good cause, as waking up several times in the night to check sugars whilst, crashing make you a non-viable candidate. However, I will keep pushing as having an understanding nurse for a change, was certainly a step in the right direction, even though, one still is made to feel guilty about, sugars, tests and management of the disease. A local GP, a mother of a girl in my son’s class knows all about this and advises that all the youngsters with the condition have a pump. My point being that, this strikes a chord with being unable to determine one’s own welfare even within our National Health system, with long waiting times and perhaps if we all had insurance would have better care and access to new technologies to keep us in control.

A week at home in Wales, with milder weather and in between working, going to the gym, swimming, binging on Netflix, seeing friends and their children and changing the desk around in the study so, instead of a view of next door’s fence we have a chocolate box view of our neighbour’s cottage front garden and rolling hills full of sheep in the background. Thinking about my next upcycling project and frequenting our favourite coffee shop, I have made some wedding letters for our November nuptials that proudly, sit on the bay mantel and I put them out to the market place, testing the water to see if this product has legs. I get plenty of enquiries to put them in shops, or for wedding fayres, next year and an enquiry for someone’s wedding. I put my name down but remember the last time I sat in a dusty craft fair in a village hall, selling three items whilst, paying for a table and shivering all day only, according to my son, to have spiders crawling down my neck. I have also had enquiries and a new client for my quantum healing machine, so let us hope it is a success for us both.

So, back to Corbyn and, how social media is alight with his defence as, his cult continues, who has continued to demonstrate that he is the wrong side of the line, as an individual and potential leader of the country, with a crazed fan even posting that he won an international peace prize. One wonders, why a man posing next to every terrorist cause, who claims he is a human rights activist but who has compared Israel to a Nazi state, is where he is. A local Councillor thought it unfair that Corbyn has had such an onslaught of vile propaganda from the press. This week, it also, came to light that Corbyn had stated that
“Zionist’s have no sense of irony despite having lived here (the UK) all their lives.” Surely, this comment in itself, is outrageous as he is referring to myself, and 280,000, Jews in total, a mere 0.49% of the population but has been referred to Watchdog as a complaint.

Understandably, Nick Griffin from the far right has praised his comment on twitter, with further commendation deriving from a leading member of the Ku Klux Clan so, now there is no left and right side of the line – instead we have come full circle. It has come to the fore that Corbyn used the comment to describe a specific group of pro-Israel activists as Zionists, hardly, a satisfactory explanation but where, he continues to give a qualified answer. This, surely, crosses the line where Jews, based on their ethnicity are ‘in need of lessons’ as we are alien to British culture and ignorant of it, apparently. Anyone, who continues to support this man should be ashamed as analogous to supporting an Anti-Semitic leader once upon a time, in Germany and we hear no outcry from anyone not Jewish, that bears horrific similarities. So, where does one cross the line for Anti-Semitism? A Scottish Labour MP was suspended for declaring that he used to have sympathy for the Jews and their history but now they and the Blairites are ruining his party – this, of course is by standing up to bullying and discrimination. Pictures have also emerged of Corbyn standing next to his PR man, remarkably, reminiscent of the 1930’s German leader, with his. However, one has not learnt from past mistakes as Corbyn still stands at the helm of the party with not so much as a word of accountability.

Therefore, the line, is by definition and quoted by many a Corbynista, that it is perfectly, acceptable to criticise the Israeli government, as you would any government in the world, worthy of reproach. As most people in the world, blame their governments for everything wrong with their lives this, by definition is an accepted norm. This then, keeps their moral compass accountable for their censure which, could be viewed by them as being on the right side of the line.
“It has nothing to do with Jews because we are talking about Israel”, someone posts on the comments in my first blog, in psychological terms called ‘gas lighting’ which then, adds something worse than the first comment. In this case, complaining about the expansion of Israeli land, then, adding, where Palestinian babies are killed daily, using inflammatory language that soon forcibly, crosses the line into Anti-Semitism. On another page, I stand up for Israel and barraged with abuse. I have many comments on my first blog debating this expansion of land and to reiterate a friend‘s explanation of the expansion of borders, relating to Jews who lived in Judea and Samaria where they had lived for 3,000 years, apart from when they were driven out between 1948 and 1967, where the Palestinians insisted on obtaining all the land despite many efforts from Israeli’s to share it, thus, wanting it ethnically cleansed of all Jews. The Palestinian constitution declares their aim of destroying Israel militarily, politically and culturally, yet, Hamas’ aim is to kill all the Jews in the world. We all know that rockets are fired daily from Hamas into Israel, no one alerts us to that. The attention only focuses when, Israel responds and therefore, defends itself.

Yet, Corbyn is distinctly, Anti-Israeli and his defenders including Diane Abbott are even Anti-British where,
“every defeat of the British state is a victory for us all,” so says the former Shadow Home Secretary for the Labour party and Corbyn’s ex-girlfriend. If the party came in to power with its current leadership it would be time to leave, like so many other Jews who have considered it over the past two years. Abbott claims she was not referring to terrorist groups, just ‘dissident’ organisations whereas, as at the time she sported a different hairstyle,
“and as my hairstyle has now changed, so have my views.”

People continue to boycott Israeli goods, so I pledge to those affected by the BDS movement, to receive a box of Israeli goods per month, as well as from those affected by land burnt by Palestinian kite bombs, helping over one hundred suppliers from Hev Haolam. www.hevhaolam.com, akin to when, we used to plant trees in Israel and receive certificates, we were proud of as children. A news story breaks this week where, there has been a breakthrough by Israel scientists, who have advanced a way to reduce sugar content of confectionary without the need for artificial sweeteners -and without changing the flavour, therefore, partnering with European sweet companies – good news for the fight against Type 2 diabetes.

When, Israel withdrew from the Golan Heights where, they could have stayed and waved daily to their friendly, Syrian neighbours across the way but instead left it for the Palestinians in order to flourish. This, was meant to become the Singapore of the Middle East, boosted by an infrastructure of flora and fauna in greenhouses, but where Hamas fuelled by hatred and the destruction of Israel, destroyed the green shoots of hope and growth. Who continue to send thousands of rockets into Israel and who have started four wars. There are three internationally recognised borders in the case of Israel – Egypt, Jordan and Lebanon under peace treaties, but in the case of disputed land, the Palestinian mandate was a piece of land under British rule, following the destruction of the Ottoman Empire.

Just now I have read an alarming piece in The London Economic where, eighty-four BAME and migrant groups have written that the IHRA Anti-Semitism definition will suppress the Palestinian story ‘ie. Dispossession by ethnic cleansing when Israel was established’, as well as ‘silence, public discussions on current or past practices of settler colonialism, apartheid, racism and discrimination’. I am all for migrant and refugee groups telling their stories and reliving their background of oppression, working as an advocate on many cases for those, from Syria, Iraq, Iran, and African refugees, taking them to speak at many of our presentations. To hear these groups are mostly, upset about the definition affecting their right to Palestinian migrant public discussion is mind-boggling and one wonders why their story is not akin to Jews leaving Europe under reigns of terror like, my Grandfather and his cousin did and killed like ninety members of our family, or being forced out of Judea and Samaria which is the real history. Lots of buzzwords in the wrong context but fodder for so-called equality specialists and no acknowledgment that the Jews were ethnically, cleansed by Arabs before Israel’s formation and where, their land was taken away. Upon, their return they were called ‘settlers’ and therein lies the real irony. Apart from disputed territories the Arabs and Israeli’s do live in harmony, I think of my Arab friend the Imam from Egypt and his kindness and there are senior Arab officials.

We go out for swimming and food and whilst, in the queue a couple from the UK are extremely rude to us, just when I thought I had lost faith in humanity a young man with a kind, open face starts talking to us, he told us he was from Somalia, living in England but his first time in Wales, raving over its spectacular beaches and the harmony he feels living in the UK. In amidst the backdrop of the drama of Anti-Semitism rows people can still generate warmth and compassion beyond our ethnicity.

Dusk falls and I have finished my blog plus, I do some yoga stretches on www.mindbodybowl.com where, there is a heart yoga flow sequence that I aim to complete, as human rights emanates from the heart, and extends to all those fighting for survival. The BDS movement, Hamas and kite throwers only need to acknowledge that they contribute to this assault on democracy, reason and health breakthroughs. Bibi made a speech this week, his therapeutic voice speaks of reason and faith in the Israel we know and love. A land of milk and honey surrounded by venom that tries to drip through and destroy its sweetness with poison similar, to how the Jews are surrounded by Anti-Israeli’s that spill over into Anti-Semitic vitriol. With the live comments streaming through from Africa, India, and all around the world acknowledging this truth – that Israel really is the flower in the desert.

It is a sad state of affairs when British, Jewish Labour MP’s have to attend their conference with minders. The cult of Corbyn and his followers are the wrong side of the line. In fact, they are so far over it they need a new definition.