An academic from London University’s School of Oriental and African Studies (SOAS) has called Israel a "Western Virus", The Jewish Chronicle reported. The statement was made during a debate held by the Islamic Human Rights Commission (IHRC), a body that in the past has faced criticism from Jewish groups regarding displayed hostility towards the State of Israel, as well as antisemitic incidents. Another academic, Dr. Haim Bresheeth, who is an associate at SOAS's Center of Global Media and Communication, said that Israel uses the Holocaust as a “clincher argument” in Israel’s “presumed right over Palestine.”The Organization also condemned Israel for attempting to "normalize" itself in many areas of life, including inter-faith initiatives between the Jewish and Muslim communities. During the two-hour discussion, academics argued that Zionism was something created by Western Christians to control the Middle East."In this way, Israel became the Western virus in the region during the Cold War, developing its political outlook as a Western/US outpost in the Near East – an agenda gradually adopted by the US, UK, Canada, Australia, apartheid South Africa and most importantly, the EU,” said Bresheeth said. Some of the speakers expressed support for armed resistance, alongside international pressure.After the IHRC debate was uploaded to the organization's YouTube channel, the commission included the following disclaimer: ”All views are the speakers' own and do not necessarily reflect the views of IHRC.”
