Tali and the NWASA

Tali Feinberg, self appointed anti-Zionist hunter and go-to ‘journalist’ for The Jewish Report, had been scratching around for an angle to take with JM Coetzee’s rejection of an invitation to the Jerusalem International Writer’s Festival. There is no angle, so she had to manufacture one, and NWASA (National Writers Association of South Africa) somehow found itself in her crosshairs. Tali found an article about NWASA’s support for Coetzee’s decision. As far as I know, Coetzee’s rejection of the invitation was applauded far and wide, in many countries and by as many organisations, and he was recognised as taking a stance against the genocide of Palestinians. NWASA’s position is by no means unique, or controversial.

I have no idea what Tali is trying to prove in her article. Probably the usual; that Coetzee and NWASA are antisemites. She reports verbatim what Lebogang Nawa, secretary of NWASA says, and tries to twist it into some kind of subversion, which fails, and is quite hilarious. The article is long, and silly, and accusatory, trying to somehow trash talk NWASA for its one sidedness, and accusing the organisation of a ‘one-sided’ pro Palestine preoccupation. It’s ridiculous.

But the real kicker is when she quotes an ‘expert on hate speech and free speech’ and the expert is none other than Mark Oppenheimer. He is currently facing serious allegations of sexualising children and condoning the sexual abuse of minors.That’s her expert. It is embarrassing. It is desperate. It beggars belief. What Oppenheimer says is totally irrelevant. Yet Tali displays no hint of irony when she quotes the man who believes child porn is cool.

Shem Tali, your desperation is starting to become more and more obvious. What’s next. Watermelons are Hamas?

PS. This is the ‘one sided’ photo Tali used in her article. No context, no meaning, no anything. Shout out to my KZN comrades.