Christopher Varley sent along another email reflecting on his trip to Israel, which was a lot of fun, but mentally very tiring.
Israel’s much vaunted history feels freshly minted and somewhat contrived. I saw evidence of this everywhere. The Eretz Israel Museum in Tel Aviv is beautifully sited and appointed, for example, but signage in the stamp pavilion omits the reference to protection of Arab rights included in the Balfour Declaration. That’s like removing a line from the Declaration of Independence.
To give you another example, the bookstore at Yad Vashem stocks Abe Foxman’s critique of Mearsheimer and Walt’s "The Israel Lobby", but not "The Israel Lobby" itself.
And then there’s Masada , once viewed by Jews as a symbol of stupid fanaticism, now brandished as a symbol of grand heroism.
This sort of calculated revisionism, collective amnesia, and self-censorship is worrisome, and added to my sense that I was living in a bubble.
As for a solution to the conflict with the indigenous population, I’ve never thought that bi-nationalism would work, and now that I’ve seen what’s left of the Arab West Bank, think that talk of a two state solution is just a cruel joke. The U.S. bears much of the blame for this.
My wife compares Israel ’s relationship with the U.S. to that of a rebellious teenager with an indulgent parent. [Weiss: So does Tony Judt] Israel’s endless promises to stop building settlements and take down checkpoints is just bull- like a kid repeatedly promising to have the car home by 10:00 p.m., then staying out for the night.
The U.S. is the one with ‘no one to talk to’ today. Perhaps American politicians should stop humiliating themselves with their endless trips to Jerusalem and pledges of eternal support at Yad Vashem. Maybe they should just ignore Israel ‘till it decides to get real and grow up
That’s not going to happen of course; and because it’s not going to happen, I think Israel can continue to gently squeeze the Arabs’ balls- to ethnically cleanse the country on both sides of the green line- without much fear of international boycotts or reductions in U.S. aid.
If this doesn’t bother you, that’s fine. Lots of other countries behave the same. But don’t be a hypocrite. If Chinese oppression of Tibetans makes you angry, but you think Palestinians are getting what they deserve, I’d say you have a problem.
Related posts:
- Foxman and Wisse Attack Assimilation, Foxman Saying It Makes Jews Less Selfish
- End of Holocaust Means End of Israel Lobby
- Hallelujah– Guitar-Playin’ Jews Attack the Israel Lobby Over ‘Atrocities’ in Palestine
- ‘New Yorker’ Editor: Israel and Lobby Bear Responsibility for Iraq War
- The Israel Lobby and Joe Lieberman
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On the other hand you can buy the Protocols of the Elders of Zion in any Arab bookstore. But most of pig Weiss's fan base think that's an eternal truth anyway.
That's simply not true, Sword of Gideon.
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"I’ve never thought that bi-nationalism would work, and now that I’ve seen what’s left of the Arab West Bank, think that talk of a two state solution is just a cruel joke."
Chris can see this, but U.S. politicians can't? Well, some of them really are that dumb. Others don't visit the West Bank, or just slip into Ramallah for half a day.
But the Dennis Rosses and Tony Blairs and Condoloser Rices know perfectly well that it's a cruel joke, as they stall another decade for Israel.
"the stamp pavilion"?
http://tinyurl.com/6qgyno
The Alexander Museum of Postal History & Philately?
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"The bookstore at Yad Vashem stocks Abe Foxman's critique of Mearsheimer and Walt's "The Israel Lobby", but not "The Israel Lobby" itself."
Speaking of irascible Uncle Abe, he's ritually flogging the Swiss again for their wickedness. You'd think that after extorting billions from the Swiss banks, he'd be satisfied. But no, the taste of blood in the water only got him going.
The ADL posted its broadsides against the Swiss here (as well as publishing them in the WSJ and the Slimes):
http://www.adl.org/international/ads_swissiran.asp
However, I took the liberty of subversively rewriting the Slimes ad. Sword of Gidget will hit the ceiling over this:
GUESS WHO IS THE WORLD'S NEW FINANCER OF TERRORISM?
THE UNITED STATES.
The U.S. just announced a ten-year, $30 billion military aid commitment to Israel — the world's leading sponsor of state terror.
The likely result? The IDF and IAF may get tens of thousands of additional missiles. The Israeli regime will be able to accelerate and expand its nuclear program. Terrorist cells in Europe, the Middle East and around the globe will have access to new grudges and causes celebrés.
Every U.S. citizen should be alarmed that their government is funding an Israeli regime that viciously abuses the human rights of millions in its own occupied territories, including women, the elderly and children.
Just last year, U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice declared that "there is an obligation in the Roadmap to dismantle the infrastructure of terrorism, not just coexist with it." But Madam Secretary,
WHEN YOU FINANCE A TERRORIST STATE,
YOU FINANCE STATE TERROR.
Abe Foxman's gonna scream that I just violated his copyright. Fair-use parody, Abe! But it's tough to write good parody of crappy material. The ADL needs to hire a new comedy writer, pal.
Gas/Oil and Iran?
Hmmmm? I caught this on democracy now. But Richard seems to have been on that earlier.
http://commentisfree.guardian.co.uk/richard_silverstein/2008/04/israels_tehran_connection.html
"So removed from the actualities are American supporters of Israel, so caught in the contradictions of diasporic guilt (after all what does it mean to be a Zionist and not emigrate to Israel?)."
Edward Said via Tony Karon.
"what does it mean to be a Zionist and not emigrate to Israel?"
We've never had an adequate response to this from folks like Sword of Gidget and Richard Witty.
Just send your kid to Iraq (& Iran hopefully, maybe Syria too), and keep paying your IRS taxes. That's all Gidget and Witty ask of you. Quit whining, you anti-semite.
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