By Berl Falbaum
Memo to: The United Nations, the mainstream media, pro-Palestinians campus protestors and their anti-Israel professors, all the “talking heads” on TV who condemn Israel and Israel critics generally.
I am taking you at your word that you have targeted Israel for your outrage because of the civilian suffering in Gaza and not because you are opposed to Zionism or because Israel is a Jewish state. I know you are anti antisemitism.
It is the humanitarian plight that moves you; you simply cannot stand by and not let your voices be heard. You feel you must speak out; you cannot be silent.
Okay, I get it and accept that completely. So, boy, do I have a cause for you! You will not be able to contains yourselves after I describe the crisis below.
It is in a country called Sudan. I know you never heard of it. To help you, it is in northeast Africa, bordering the Central African Republic, just southwest of Chad and west of Libya, northwest of Egypt and north of the Red Sea.
Sudan has a population of more than 50 million — not just 2 million like in Gaza — so there is ample opportunity for civilian suffering and for protest encampments, strikes, TV interviews, etc.
The country has been involved in a civil war and here are some “highlights:”
—Roughly 18 million people are going hungry, and at least 5 million are on the brink of famine.
—The country is the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 9 million people forced to seek shelter elsewhere in the country or across the border.
(I can feel your anger growing, but wait there’s more.)
—Millions are being killed following a long history of coups and civil strife.
—Most of the population lacks access to health care, and an entire generation of children is missing out on education.
—The delivery of humanitarian supplies is almost impossible, leaving vulnerable Sudanese without food.
(I knew it, you are now besides yourselves.)
Since you despise racism, the following should whet your protest appetites. It is from a column by Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian:
“A young woman, Maryam Suleiman, who fled to neighboring Chad, told The New York Times, gunmen stormed her village, lined up the men and the boys as their leader declared: ‘We don’t want to see any Black people. We don’t even want to see black trash bags.’
“He then shot a black donkey, signaling his intent. After that, he executed all Black males over the age of 10, including Maryam’s five brothers…A day-old baby boy was thrown to the ground and killed, and a male toddler was tossed into a pond to drown. ‘They raped many, many girls,’ she said, called them “slaves” adding: ‘There is no place for you Black people in Sudan.’”
This, one would believe, would interest Ta-Nehisi Coates, the renowned Black intellectual author who castigates Israel in his latest book, “The Message.” He apparently has never heard of Sudan either or the murder of Blacks in the country.
(Need more before your discard “from the river to the sea” signs?)
The New York Times:
“Atrocities continue to mount in Darfur, the western region [which has been] wracked by two decades of violence. Civilians have been slaughtered and aid camps and homes burned and refugees are fleeing in droves across the border into Chad, many vowing never to go home again.
“As many as 150,000 people may have died from war-related causes, according to Tom Perriello, the United States envoy for Sudan, although precise figures are hard to establish because the Sudanese state is rapidly crumbling.
“Of those forced to flee their homes, 7.1 million remain inside Sudan, according to the U.N. refugee agency. More than 2 million others have fled to neighboring nations, including South Sudan, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic.”
From the BBC:
“In October, the BBC saw fresh evidence of ethnic cleansing in Darfur, most of which has been blamed on militias ...
“This year a report from…Human Rights Watch said ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity had been committed against ethnic Massalit and non-Arab communities in the region by the paramilitary forces and its Arab allies.
“The UK, UN, U.S. and a number of other entities have said civilians in the state are being targeted because of their identity.
“UN genocide expert Alice Wairimu Nderitu told the BBC Darfur was facing a growing risk of genocide as the world's attention remained focused on conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.”
Do you notice the reference to Ukraine? Actually, you might protest that as well if Sudan does not interest you. Reportedly, the Russian unprovoked war has claimed 1 3million — that’s 1 million — dead and wounded on both sides with tens of thousands of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia.
In any case, I am confident it is just “coincidental” that there are no protests targeting the disaster in Sudan because there is no Zionist or Jew in sight.
Why aren’t there any Jews in Sudan? Because the last 500, emigrated to Israel in the late 1970s because of institutionally supported persecution.
————————
Berl Falbaum is a veteran journalist and author of 12 books.
Memo to: The United Nations, the mainstream media, pro-Palestinians campus protestors and their anti-Israel professors, all the “talking heads” on TV who condemn Israel and Israel critics generally.
I am taking you at your word that you have targeted Israel for your outrage because of the civilian suffering in Gaza and not because you are opposed to Zionism or because Israel is a Jewish state. I know you are anti antisemitism.
It is the humanitarian plight that moves you; you simply cannot stand by and not let your voices be heard. You feel you must speak out; you cannot be silent.
Okay, I get it and accept that completely. So, boy, do I have a cause for you! You will not be able to contains yourselves after I describe the crisis below.
It is in a country called Sudan. I know you never heard of it. To help you, it is in northeast Africa, bordering the Central African Republic, just southwest of Chad and west of Libya, northwest of Egypt and north of the Red Sea.
Sudan has a population of more than 50 million — not just 2 million like in Gaza — so there is ample opportunity for civilian suffering and for protest encampments, strikes, TV interviews, etc.
The country has been involved in a civil war and here are some “highlights:”
—Roughly 18 million people are going hungry, and at least 5 million are on the brink of famine.
—The country is the world’s largest displacement crisis, with 9 million people forced to seek shelter elsewhere in the country or across the border.
(I can feel your anger growing, but wait there’s more.)
—Millions are being killed following a long history of coups and civil strife.
—Most of the population lacks access to health care, and an entire generation of children is missing out on education.
—The delivery of humanitarian supplies is almost impossible, leaving vulnerable Sudanese without food.
(I knew it, you are now besides yourselves.)
Since you despise racism, the following should whet your protest appetites. It is from a column by Jonathan Freedland in The Guardian:
“A young woman, Maryam Suleiman, who fled to neighboring Chad, told The New York Times, gunmen stormed her village, lined up the men and the boys as their leader declared: ‘We don’t want to see any Black people. We don’t even want to see black trash bags.’
“He then shot a black donkey, signaling his intent. After that, he executed all Black males over the age of 10, including Maryam’s five brothers…A day-old baby boy was thrown to the ground and killed, and a male toddler was tossed into a pond to drown. ‘They raped many, many girls,’ she said, called them “slaves” adding: ‘There is no place for you Black people in Sudan.’”
This, one would believe, would interest Ta-Nehisi Coates, the renowned Black intellectual author who castigates Israel in his latest book, “The Message.” He apparently has never heard of Sudan either or the murder of Blacks in the country.
(Need more before your discard “from the river to the sea” signs?)
The New York Times:
“Atrocities continue to mount in Darfur, the western region [which has been] wracked by two decades of violence. Civilians have been slaughtered and aid camps and homes burned and refugees are fleeing in droves across the border into Chad, many vowing never to go home again.
“As many as 150,000 people may have died from war-related causes, according to Tom Perriello, the United States envoy for Sudan, although precise figures are hard to establish because the Sudanese state is rapidly crumbling.
“Of those forced to flee their homes, 7.1 million remain inside Sudan, according to the U.N. refugee agency. More than 2 million others have fled to neighboring nations, including South Sudan, Chad, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the Central African Republic.”
From the BBC:
“In October, the BBC saw fresh evidence of ethnic cleansing in Darfur, most of which has been blamed on militias ...
“This year a report from…Human Rights Watch said ethnic cleansing and crimes against humanity had been committed against ethnic Massalit and non-Arab communities in the region by the paramilitary forces and its Arab allies.
“The UK, UN, U.S. and a number of other entities have said civilians in the state are being targeted because of their identity.
“UN genocide expert Alice Wairimu Nderitu told the BBC Darfur was facing a growing risk of genocide as the world's attention remained focused on conflicts in Ukraine and Gaza.”
Do you notice the reference to Ukraine? Actually, you might protest that as well if Sudan does not interest you. Reportedly, the Russian unprovoked war has claimed 1 3million — that’s 1 million — dead and wounded on both sides with tens of thousands of Ukrainian children kidnapped by Russia.
In any case, I am confident it is just “coincidental” that there are no protests targeting the disaster in Sudan because there is no Zionist or Jew in sight.
Why aren’t there any Jews in Sudan? Because the last 500, emigrated to Israel in the late 1970s because of institutionally supported persecution.
————————
Berl Falbaum is a veteran journalist and author of 12 books.
