Barry Chamish

Barry Chamish (born Winnipeg, 1952) is a Canadian-Israeli writer, investigative journalist and public speaker, best known as a conspiracy theorist and UFO investigator.

He studied at the University of Manitoba and later immigrated to Israel. In 1975 he attended the Hebrew University of Jerusalem, receiving an MA in 1979. In 1981, Chamish founded a small press service and has contributed investigative reports to publications as diverse as National Review, Israel Business Today and New Internationalist.

Chamish has written several books. Who Murdered Yitzhak Rabin?, published in 1998, blames the Rabin assassination on Shimon Peres, at that time Israel's minister of Foreign Affairs, and on the Shin Bet instead of the convicted assassin Yigal Amir. He recently left Israel and relocated to Vancouver, Canada, while lecturing to religious and non-religious groups in Canada and the US. He now resides in St. Augustine, Florida.

Chamish has also been a Scrabble champion in Israel and has written on the game for The Atlantic Monthly. [1]

His allegations

Representing Ariel Sharon as a "violent gangster"

Chamish served in an Israeli tank division. [2] He claims he participated in the Lebanon War as a reserve soldier in 1982.

Chamish has written extensively about what he views as Ariel Sharon's and Shimon Peres's "mismanagement" of the war . At the time Ariel Sharon was Israel's Minister of Defense but Shimon Peres was the country's opposition leader. Chamish accuses Sharon of sending his brigade deep into Lebanon after receiving orders from former Prime Minister Menachem Begin to advance no more than 20 kilometers beyond the border, and then sending word back to Begin that the advance had indeed halted at 20 kilometers. Chamish's brigade ran into heavy fire, and the brigade was given no air support, resulting in half of it being destroyed. Chamish describes Begin as "an honourable and patriotic Jew" and "the only honourable Prime Minister Israel ever had." Chamish believes that Sharon, in collusion with Peres and Henry Kissinger, deliberately perpetrated the Sabra and Shatila massacre in order to destroy Begin's political reputation and career. [3] Chamish maintains a very low opinion of Sharon based on a number episodes in Sharon's public life [4], painting a representation of a violent gangster.

Chamish also described the drowning of former Israeli minister Rafael Eitan, who reportedly was "swept away by a wave while working on a dock in Ashdod", as a "hit" by Prime Minister Ariel Sharon [5]. The police and media in Israel saw it as an accident.

Conspiracy theories blaming Shimon Peres

Chamish claims that Yigal Amir did not shoot Rabin and has written on this extensively. One of Chamish's websites carries the name yigalamir.com, after the assassin of the late prime-minister of Israel. Members of Yigal Amir's family told Yedioth Ahronoth in January, 2005, Israel's most sold daily, that "they object to Chamish's ideas, and that [Barry Chamish and David Cohen] have no right to publish such a website. They added the campaign angers Yigal Amir himself." [6].

Chamish has also accused Shimon Peres of the death of former Utah Congressman D. Wayne Owens the founder of the Center for Middle East Peace and Economic Cooperation and head of the Middle East Peace Center because "he raised congressional concern about Palestinian-sponsored terrorism...[to] the ire of some Israeli [peace] activists" and because Owens uncovered supposedly fraud he had put himself at risk:

Barely a fortnight before, Rep. Owens learned the Ginosar scandal broke in Israel. He was either terrified or furious. It's a tossup. If he was terrified, it was because it wouldn't be long before his direct ties to Stephen Cohen would implicate him deeply in the scandals. If he was furious, it was because he finally learned how badly he had been scammed by Peres, Abraham, Masri and Cohen. Either way, he threatened to blow the whistle on the Peres Peace Center. He was poisoned at dinner and dead on a beach by 9 PM. Rep. Owens is now another notch on Peres' gunbelt. [7]

In his explanation for the "Sharon stroke mystery", Chamish explains that this was a murder attempt by Shimon Peres and Yoram Rubin. While he gives no explanation why Peres and a bodyguard would want to kill the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon, let alone any evidence, Chamish tells us that before he fell into a coma, Sharon wanted to appoint the Israeli president Moshe Katzav as his deputy and not his close political affiliate Ehud Olmert. Also he explains that Sharon was about to allow business people to build a casino in the dismantled Gush Katif settlement block. [8] Typically no evidence is provided for such murder theories, apart from sometimes loose associations between individuals.

Chamish also claims that Shimon Peres gave away Jerusalem to the Vatican in a secret clause of the Oslo Agreements and that this "fact" had been widely published in Israel. [9]

See also: Yitzhak Rabin assassination conspiracy theories

Freemasonry

Chamish further links his conspiracy theories with the roles of Freemasonry and the New World Order. According to Chamish, a heretical Jewish sect called Frankists (followers of Jacob Frank, himself a Sabbatian), which involve many German and Polish dynasties, including the House of Rothschild, have joined a wider Freemasonic conspiracy (including the Bavarian Illuminati), which he claims are under Heilil as mentioned by Prophets Isaiah and Ezekiel. Both of these elements together seem to resemble the positions of American short wave radio host William Cooper.

Sabbateanism and Labour Zionism

Chamish has also written about the allegedly hidden roles of Israeli Prime Ministers David Ben Gurion and Levi Eshkol. He has attempted to trace the whereabouts of many Jewish Yemenite immigrant children who were taken from their parents after they arrived on aliyah in Israel from Yemen. He writes that Ben Gurion recklessly allowed at least 6000 of these children to be fatally exposed to nuclear radiation [10] for purposes of nuclear experimentation. Chamish claims that Peres had Ofra Haza, a Yemenite and past escort, killed by AIDS after she discovered too much about this story.

In his book Shabtai Tzvi, Labor Zionism and the Holocaust, Chamish also claims that Levi Eshkol was a secret Sabbatian, and that the Israel labor party was based on the teachings of Sabbatai Zevi (1626-1676) the false Messiah who became an apostate to Judaism by converting to Islam. The book contains no direct evidence that any modern politician worships Shabbatai Zevi, but alleges that Labor Zionism has its root inside Sabbateanism.

Gaza Strip witdrawal and Hurricane Katrina

Barry Chamish connects the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip with the Hurricane Katrina disaster in New Orleans, because Gush (Katif) and Gulf start with GU and Katrina and (Gush) Katif start with KAT. He points out that the remainder of the latter words, after subtracting KAT and rearranging rina, is "if rain". Chamish told Aaron Klein, the Jerusalem reporter of the World Net Daily: Simple human beings cannot fully understand what is going on, but the events certainly must be connected. It's statistically impossible to have two such great natural disasters like the recent tsunami in Asia and Katrina right after each other. This is the hand of God. He is saying something. [11] This view is also supported by some religious Jews who are not conspiracy theorists. [12]

In addition to the letters, Chamish connects the two occurrences also with numbers: "There are approximately 6 million people in Israel. 10,000 divided by 6,000,000 equals 0.00167. Two weeks later, Hurricane Katrina hit New Orleans in the southern United States, and laid waste and complete desolation to the City of New Orleans. New Orleans has a population of 500,000. US News agencies are openly calling those displaced by the hurricane 'refugees.' There are approximately 300 million people in the United States. 500,000 divided by 300,000,000 equals 0.00167." [13]

Miscellaneous theories

In the Versailles banquet hall disaster, where a floor collapsed during a wedding, 23 persons were killed and 300 more injured. Chamish, without quoting any evidence, deducts that this was a sort of general rehearsal for the American set-up of the 9/11 attacks on the United States, in which almost 3000 persons died. [14] [15]

In 2005, Chamish broke the story of a large secret military base being built in Israel by the US and published numerous pictures as well. [16] [17]. Located near Rosh Ha'Ayin, the base was completed shortly thereafter and turned over to the IDF.

Chamish also accuses Natan Sharansky of being a "liar" [18], who hid his alleged role of KGB double-agent [19], and not a heroic refusenik as many believe.

He currently has a website and newsletter devoted to a rich variety conspiracy theories about Israeli politics and society. The long list of theories includes "explanations" for the deaths of Ofra Haza, Leah Rabin and Rafael Eitan who reportedly drowned after he was swept away when working on a dock in the port of Ashdod but Chamish points out that the top of his car and windows were smashed badly, hardly something a mere wave could do.

Criticism on Chamish's work

The chief critic of Barry Chamish is Prof. Steven Plaut in the Jewish Press weekly [20] and the Jerusalem Post daily [21]. Daniel Pipes has dismissed Chamish's work as "nonsense". Both Plaut and Pipes have condemned Chamish's theories as fiction. The Outpost dedicated in March 2002 an editorial item on Barry Chamish, including the following criticism on Chamish's "methodology" [22]:

Chamish literally spouts conspiracy theories. Does the Israeli government claim that Tourism Minister Rehavam Zeevi was murdered by Arab terrorists? Chamish knows better. Prior to his death, writes Chamish, "Zeevi went on the war path against Peres, which was not a wise strategy. Others have tried and others have died." Chamish hints darkly at connections between Peres and the French and the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestine. He writes: "It would have been no trouble for Peres and the French to order the PFLP to knock off Zeevi. (There's unconscious humor for you. Chamish? Proof? A ramble down free association lane is Chamish's notion of "proof.") Chamish promises that the "answer, ultimately will lead to the same organization which murdered Yitzhak Rabin." (Peres, needless to say, was behind that one too.)

UFO research

Chamish has also written a book about UFO sightings in Israel. In the 21st century, he stopped writing about UFOs, although he still claims his analysis on UFOs to be true. [23]

Bibliography

• The Devil Wore an Angel's Suit. Winnipeg, Manitoba: Split Level, 1972. No ISBN

This book was Chamish's first book and was a compilation of the tales of triumph of a collective group of friends

• Keep Stillman: A Pun. Winnipeg: Split Level, 1973. No ISBN (front cover by Irene Chamish)
• Mack. Winnipeg: Split Level, 1974. No ISBN.

This book was written during the time period of Barry Chamish's divorce from his first wife ( Irene Chamish who was the artist of the previous book "Keep Stillman : A Pun". The Mack book was a deliberate satirical parody of Barry Chamish's first wife and his relationship with her. The book was written for the benefit of an explanation to a group of close friends

• Alice in Newfoundland. Winnipeg: Split Level, 1976. No ISBN (Poems)
• The Fall of Israel. Edinburgh, Scotland: Canongate, 1992. ISBN 0-86241-355-9
• Traitors and Carpetbaggers in the Promised Land. Oklahoma City: Hearthstone, 1997. ISBN 1-57558-017-9
• Who murdered Yitzhak Rabin? Venice, CA: Feral, 1998. ISBN 0-922915-50-4
• Return of the Giants. Sun Lakes, AZ: Book World/Blue Star, 2000. ISBN 1-881542-66-1
• The Final Days of Israel. Tempe, AZ: Dandelion, 2000. ISBN 1-893302-16-4
  • Also published as The Last Days of Israel. 2001. Same publisher and ISBN
• Israel Betrayed. Ainsworth, NE: Counting Coup, 2001. ISBN 0-9708598-5-6
• Save Israel. Modi'in, Israel: Modiin House, 2002. No ISBN
• Shabtai Tzvi, Labor Zionism and the Holocaust. Knoxville, TN: Master Press, 2005. ISBN 965-90766-1-4
• Bye Bye Gaza [24]

External links

Websites and web-based articles

• Personal website
• Barry Chamish at ZoomInfo
• Template:He icon"The History of the World according to Chamish", Eli Ashad, Eretz Hatzvi, November 5, 2005
• "Three Organizations Denounce 'Investigation' of Pollard Case", "Justice for Jonathan Pollard" press release, June 25, 2003
• "Brit-Am Replies to Queries: Q&A Barry Chamish" by Brit-Am

Journal and press articles

• The Peres gambit - Shimon Peres's role in bringing about the Israeli-PLO peace negotiations, by Joel Bainerman & Barry Chamish, National Review, March 7, 1994
• Chernobyl survivors: Russian immigrants in a climate of fear, by Barry Chamish, New Internationalist, January 1996
• A review of Chamish's book "The Last Days of Israel", Middle East Quarterly by Daniel Pipes (7th review on the page)
• "Israel's Plague of Conspiracism" by Steven Plaut in the Jewish Press
• Paranoid fantasies, from the Editor, Outpost, January 2002, p. 2
• The Chamish Conspiracy, from the Editor, Outpost, March 2002, p. 2 & 10