How can a malicious piece of incompetent journalism morph into a diplomatic confrontation between two nations? It happens when the sloppy piece of work awakens memories of crimes committed across the centuries.

That's why when a slanderous article appeared in Sweden's most popular newspaper, Aftonbladet, Israelis felt an ancient, familiar discomfort rising within. The discomfort may have come from their reading of Jewish history or from stories of the more recent past heard from their parents and grandparents.

No proof of charge

This time, the unfounded charges of gruesome crimes came in a newspaper column suggesting that Jews, in this case Israelis, may have snatched Palestinians and killed them to steal their organs for transplant. The author, Donald Bostrom, is quick to admit that he doesn't know if the claim has any merit. ``Whether it's true or not, I have no idea; I have no clue,'' he said, adding to CNN that he has absolutely no proof, but has heard Palestinians make the charge. That the biggest newspaper in Sweden would publish such unfounded garbage is mystifying. That Israelis are furious makes perfect sense.

Sweden's ambassador to Israel, Elisabet Borsiin Bonnier, quickly declared the article ``as shocking and appalling to us Swedes as it is to Israeli citizens.'' But her government shut her down, disavowing her criticism and refusing to make any official comments about the piece. The Israeli government asked Sweden to condemn the article. Swedish Foreign Minister Carl Bildt said he would not condemn it because of Sweden's reverence for press freedom. Israel did not ask Stockholm to prohibit any article's publication, but simply to stand by what its ambassador had said.

Press freedom seemed somewhat less sacred than political considerations when the Swedes offended Muslims by printing cartoons of the Prophet Mohammed. The government shut down a website that posted the offending drawings and sent apologies to Arab capitals. The head of the Organization for the Islamic Conference said the Swedish envoy ``offered his deepest apologies.'' Sweden said it didn't apologize but expressed ``regret.'' Now press freedom demands silence. But then, half a million Muslims live in Sweden, compared to just a few thousand Jews.

Too easily believed

History has taught the Jews that some claims that sound far too ridiculous to be taken seriously are easily believed by a surprisingly large number of people; that when people believe charges that cast the Jews as inhumanly evil, terrible things often follow.

Did you ever hear the term ``blood libel''? If not, you should take a look at the history of the Jews. It is a history whose echoes reverberate in Muslim towns today. During the Middle Ages, word went out that Jews performed ritual sacrifices and torture and used Christian children's blood to make Matzo during Passover.

The stories played on blame for the death of Christ and sparked a millennium of massacres across Europe, culminating in the 20th century with the systematic murder of six million Jews. Christian authorities have declared that the blood libel in all its versions never held any truth. The idea lives on in the Mideast where millions will believe anything about the Jews.

Former Syrian Defense Minister Mustafa Tlass published the best seller The Matzah of Zion, repeating the bizarre Passover recipe and worse. The book still sells briskly among credulous Muslims. The Egyptian government paper Al-Ahram expounded in 2000 with an article, Jewish Matzah Made from Arab Blood.

Rumors about the gory acts of Israelis against Arabs and Muslims swirl in Arab towns. That is where the Swedish ``journalist'' scooped up his nonstory. Palestinian television frequently reports its own ``exclusives.'' Recent stories have included accusations of giant killer rats released by Israelis to attack Palestinians, monstrous medical experiments, deliberate AIDS infections, Palestinians' eyes burned with red-hot stakes.

Destructive to all

Israelis are hardly saints, but these accusations, grotesque echoes of medieval blood libels, are more than sloppy journalism. They are destructive for everyone in the region -- Muslims, Christians, Jews. How can you make peace with people you believe commit such atrocities? Libel, even from bad journalism, helps kill chances for reconciliation. Every effort to fight it with truth contributes to peace.

Frida Ghitis writes about international affairs.

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