franky engages in blood libel
AI Overview
Accusations that Israel harvests organs are widely considered a modern form of the antisemitic blood libel. The charge resurfaced following the October 7, 2023, Hamas attack on Israel, with activist groups and social media users spreading the claim that Israel was stealing organs from dead Palestinians. These accusations have been condemned by Israeli officials and watchdog organizations, like the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), as baseless and dangerous conspiracy theories.
History of the blood libel
The blood libel is an ancient antisemitic canard that dates back to the Middle Ages.
The original false accusation claimed that Jews murdered non-Jewish children, typically Christian, to use their blood for religious rituals, such as making unleavened matzah for Passover.
Historically, this malicious rumor fueled centuries of Jewish persecution, often resulting in massacres and pogroms across Europe.
Accusations of organ theft have emerged as a modern iteration of this medieval trope, substituting stolen organs for blood.
Basis for recent organ harvesting accusations
Recent allegations against Israel are based on a mix of speculation, historical events, and current circumstances in Gaza.
Decades-old scandal: A 2009 article in the Swedish newspaper Aftonbladet stirred controversy by reviving allegations from the 1990s. In 2009, Israel admitted that in the 1990s, pathologists at the Abu Kabir forensic institute had harvested organs, skin, and other tissue from both dead Palestinians and Israelis without their families' consent. Israeli officials stated that the practice was stopped and that no specific group was targeted.
2023 Gaza allegations: In November 2023, the Euro-Med Human Rights Monitor claimed that Israeli forces in Gaza had returned bodies of dead Palestinians with missing vital organs and corneas. Gaza health officials reportedly corroborated this claim, though medical experts cited by Euro-Med noted that forensic proof was impossible to obtain during the intense conflict.
Antisemitic motivations: Critics of these allegations argue they are baseless and use the historical context of blood libel to incite hatred. The ADL noted in 2024 that the accusations have been amplified on social media, with some images depicting Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu consuming Palestinian blood.
Israeli and international responses
The response to the organ harvesting allegations has been contentious.
Denials and condemnation: The Israeli government has vehemently denied the accusations and condemned them as antisemitic blood libels. Following the 2009 incident, then-Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor called the Swedish article "a shocking piece of blatant racism".
Calls for investigation: The Palestinian Authority has called for an international investigation into the claims. The Euro-Med Monitor has also pressed international organizations, such as the International Criminal Court, to act. However, independent investigations have been difficult due to the ongoing conflict.
Media retraction: Some media outlets that previously published or amplified the claims have retracted them after criticism. For instance, Time magazine retracted its repetition of the 2009 allegations in 2014.
Okay that was good.