David Weiss was a hoax. Pretending to be a Norwegian-Israeli supersoldier working for a jewish-American organization, he tricked first the Jerusalem Post and then the Norwegian media into believing in his completely fake identity. By April 6th when he was found out by the investigative journalists of Dagbladet, a medium sized Norwegian daily, he had managed to make fools of senior members of the Norwegian press corps. The response from the media was one of muted and bloody-nosed satisfaction. The pro-Israeli fanatic had been found out, the lads and lasses in Akersgata – Norway’s Fleet Street – could grin. It was all but a clever ploy, they smirked, but we sussed it all out. Harald Stanghelle, political editor of Aftenposten, a major Norwegian daily, stated: “It is both sad and embarrassing, but it also says something about the community which is trying to brand Norway as a society where hatred against jews flourishes”.
Now let us examine what statements David Weiss made, and then look at today’s Norway, and examine to what extent the cunning Mr.Weiss was right or wrong. David Weiss did not appear in Maya Spitzer’s first article, nor in the amended second edition of it. He did not appear until in the third article written on the issue of anti-Semitism in Norway, “Norway jews still tell of tolerence“ by Havig Rettig Gur, where Mr.Weiss states that:
(Jews) are in a very bad condition. If you wear a star of David around your neck, as I do, you’re taking a chance that you will be spat on, or attacked, or have nasty things said to you.”
Now honestly, is this really all that paranoid a suggestion? Hang a Megan David around your neck and spend enough time in Grünerløkka or Grønland or Holmlia… is there not a risk of someone saying something nasty to you? Or worse? Many Norwegians will believe that such a risk does exist. Perhaps a journalist would be so kind as to find out for us?
In the very next paragraph the article continues:
Walking his dog near an anti-Israel demonstration during Operatioin Cast Lead, demonstrators – Weiss recalls they were Muslim immigrants – shouted and cursed at him. “But they didn’t attack, because I can take care of myself and my dog is a 42-kilo Rottweiler.”
Again not unbelievable. In order to get an impression of exactly what sort of demonstration it is being referred to here, read this post. Mr. Weiss then goes on to state that:
“the average Norwegian is more on the side of the Jews and Israel.” He (Weiss) blames certain politicians, what he considers a far-Leftist media and immigrants from Muslim countries for creating the discourse that produces virulent anti-Israel and anti-Semitic attacks and statements.
Are these desillusional ramblings? What we do know is that the Boycott-Israel campaign has been a flop, especially considering how the anti-Israel lobby has mobilized extreme resources in trying to make it succeed. If the Norwegian population as a whole was supportive of the campaign from the start – shouldn’t the campaign have been a success from the start as well? Another factor – the main pro-Israel organization Med Israel for Fred (MIFF) has grown by 42% since last year, and the second-largest party, the Progress Party, is consistently supportive of Israel. Shall all of this count for nothing? Or was Mr. Weiss correct in stating that the entire anti-Israel movement is carried by certain influential groups?
Since the David Weiss affair in April, we have seen the following: Norwegian journalists covering Israel tourist authorities’ use of maps, withour as much as a glance at pro-Palestinian use of the same, observations of a jewish mother writing to a newspaper, telling of how “hatred against jews all over the world, also in Norway” scares her, Queen Sonja’s visit to a mosque associated with Jamaat-e-Islami, where the imam has particiapted in the blessing of all suicide attacks against all adult Israelis, a neo-Nazi organization running for parliament, a leader of the Holocaust center despairing over the absence of a survey of anti-Semitism in Norway, a union leader who singles out Israel alone among the nations for special treatment in his May 1st speech, the Palestinian cause attracting the most support in the May 1st march in Trondheim, and a political party accuses Mossad of being responsible for the terrorism bombings of 9/11. All of this against a backdrop where the media covers Israel more than any other Middle Eastern nation (twice as much as Iran, almost three times as much as Egypt) and no journalists admit to having any personal sympathies to Norway’s only pro-Israel party - The Progress Party, and the word jew is used as an insult in the schools.
Yes, David Weiss was an imposter, a lier, a sham and a fake. Yes, he did considerable damage to all parties involved, including the Jerusalem Post and all of Akersgata. Yes, David Weiss should be sorry and yes, Harald Stanghelle has every right in the world to be cross with him. But even so, David Weiss told more of the truth than many would like to admit.
This nation is not at peace with Israel, and the criticism which is directed at her is grotesquely out of proportion to her sins. And are we at peace with the Norwegian jews? Not all of us. Not by a long shot.
