I think of Norman Finkelstein as at his best when he's engaging an antagonist's writing: Alan Dershowitz, Benny Morris, Joan Peters. Someone whose bad conclusions he can take apart through a passionate examination of the factual record. Well, now that he's been exiled by academia and is living in Brooklyn, Finkelstein has found a new textual figure to engage, but in a generous and humble way: Mahatma Gandhi. Last month Finkelstein gave an honorary lecture in the Netherlands, called "Resolving the Israel-Palestine Conflict: What We Can Learn from Gandhi."
The lecture's not online, but Finkelstein let me read a copy. In the piece, Finkelstein notes that Gandhi's collected writings run 90 volumes, and then apologizes for having only read 23! Talk about textual devotion. Finkelstein has never wanted to leave a stone unturned. And he makes these points:
Gandhi hated passivity–and at times even supported violent resistance. Non-violence isn't passivity, it's a form of soldierly engagement full of bravery. It works as a publicity tool when you are in the right: when the world generally approves of your agenda, as the world generally agreed that the British should get out of India. Well, the two-state solution is endorsed by international consensus. Only the United States and Israel have been dragging their feet in the last few years, and even the U.S. judge at the International Court of Justice has said the settlements are illegal. So the Palestinians should undertake a program of nonviolent resistance "to rivet international public opinion on the brutality of the occupation." Such a program would pave the way for Israel to become "a pariah state" ala South Africa and lead to sanctions and capitulation.
The Palestinians must use a "vocabulary" that resonates with world conscience and "the Jewish conscience," winning over the decent many while isolating the diehard few. The questions must be framed: "Are you for or against ethnic cleansing, for or against torture, for or against house demolitions, for or against Jews-only roads…"
Finkelstein dismisses the idea of one state. There is no "legal or moral precdent for dismantling the 'Zionist entity.'" The Jews got Israel after an extended international lobbying process in which the Zionists never rested. That process included publicizing an obscure document, the Balfour Declaration, as a law of nations, pushing the U.N. for partition, then proclaiming the birth certificate of a nation. You're not going to reverse that process. Far better that Palestinians batten on to Partition and its undelivered birth-certificate promise of 61 years ago.
And what methods should the Palestinians undertake? "Is it so far-fetched to imagine an 'army' of Palestinian satyagrahis [Gandhi's word for nonviolent resistance] converging on the Wall, their sole 'weapons' a pick in one hand and a copy of the International Court of Justice opinion in the other? The ICJ stated that the Wall was illegal and must be dismantled. The Palestinians would only be doing what the world should already have done a long time ago…No one writing abroad from the comfort and safety of his study can in good conscience urge such a strategy that entails so much death." But there would be a lot more deaths with violent resistance.
I'm generally with Finkelstein on this. Though I'd say that nonviolence has been a theme of recent Palestinian resistance, and where's the international riveting? Yes Europe is riveted. Yes, Brent Scowcroft is riveted. But you have to crack the Israel lobby here. And the lobby rationalizes anything. I don't think he mentions Rachel Corrie in this paper. Well she did as dramatic and brave a nonviolent resistance as any of us can imagine–and look how she has been smeared.
The best part of Finkelstein's lecture is its spiritual backbeat. Though he says that he is, unlike Gandhi, a "resolute nonbeliever and rationalist," a warm current of grace pervades this lecture. At the end, Finkelstein imagines a very inclusive celebration in Israel/Palestine. "There's room for everyone at the rendezvous of victory," he quotes a poet whom Edward Said used to quote, which is to say that the way to win the fight for Palestinian self-determination is to include as many people as we can in the struggle. You sense that if this great march of freedom at last comes to pass, Finkelstein would even join arms with Dershowitz and Peters to bring it about.
I believe he's planning on reading more of those 90 volumes. I'll be fascinated to watch where Finkelstein's dharma takes him.
Norman is a one of the few who truly believe in freedom and the pursuit of truth. The US is taking on characteristics of fascism (because of the Israel lobby and Zionism) and becoming more like Israel.
In the US political world, heroes like Norman are ostracized (for speaking truth) while anal fissures like Dershowitz/Ethan Bronner/Debrorah Lipshadt/Joan Peters/et al. are lauded.
We truly live in the twilight zone.
Norman is a true hero. He got torn apart because he spoke the truth.
I've not once heard someone from Dershowitz's (or the Zionist) camp disprove his ideas WITHOUT resorting to the usual bile:
ANTISEMITE!!!11one Nazi sympathizer!111oneuno Holocaust denier/reviser!!11one
How jewish mind control works!
Fox News Chicago reported that Rahm Emanuel may have been captured on FBI wire-taps, discussing the fate of Obamaâs vacated US Senate seat with Blagojevich. The TV station said Emanuel had âmultiple conversationsâ with Blagojevich, who is accused of trying to âsellâ the open Senate seat for a cabinet post or lucrative top foundation job, and his chief of staff. The report said the governor was given a list of Senate candidates acceptable to Obama. Because the FBI was secretly taping Blagojevich in recent weeks, Emanuelâs conversations may have been recorded, Fox News Chicago said. Any tape-recordings of the newly appointed White House chief of staff speaking to Blagojevich about Obamaâs former Senate seat would prove an acute embarrassment to the incoming Obama Administration, even if no illegal deals were discussed, and could even force Emanuelâs resignation. Obama has promised to release details of any contacts between his staff and the governorâs office, but told a news conference on Thursday he was âabsolutely certainâ none of his aides were involved in any deal-making. Emanuel skipped Obamaâs press conference, which he typically attends. Cornered by a Chicago Sun-Times reporter at a concert at his childrenâs school, he refused to comment. Emanuel said ; "Iâm not going to say a word to you. Iâm going to do this with my children. Donât do that. Iâm a father. I have two kids. Iâm not going to do it. Iâm not as capable as you. Iâm going to be a father. Iâm allowed to be a father."
Norman Finkelstein is not afraid to follow truth, wherever it may lead us, nor to tolerate error, so long as reason is left free to combat it.
'Emanuel said ; "Iâm not going to say a word to you. Iâm going to do this with my children. Donât do that. Iâm a father. I have two kids. Iâm not going to do it. Iâm not as capable as you. Iâm going to be a father. Iâm allowed to be a father." '
Jewish Zionist Rahm Emanuel shamelessly hides behind his own children while Finkelstein fearlessly drags the worst of the Jews out from behind their tropes and strips them naked for the world to see. No wonder they hate the man.
let's face it, this shit is not gonna end easily.
… Schakowsky would be a natural pick, said Linda Sher, who founded the Joint Action Committee for Political Affairs, a pro-Israel and pro-choice group. âJan is a wonderful, honest person, she serves her constituency, she has integrity and is hard working,â Sher said. Schakowsky is among the most liberal lawmakers in the US House of Representatives, and is one of the few in the body who can claim opposition to the Iraq War from its outset. Her record is solidly pro-Israel, and she conveys a Jewish mother vibe, actively seeking out dates for her unmarried staff. She is especially close to Rahm Emanuel, who just quit his own congressional seat to become Obamaâs chief of staff. Both emerged from the Illinois Public Action Fund, a public interest advocacy group, in the 1980s. Schakowsky has been touched by scandal: Her husband, Robert Creamer, pleaded guilty in 2005 to fraud charges in connection with IPAC, where he served as executive director.
sorry – that's the rather inimitable Ron Kampeas, in JTA:
link to jta.org
And here we see the interesting habit to regard giving solely to Jewish causes as "philanthropy" (not the dictionary meaning, which is love of and thus help for mankind at large).
Madoff Arrest Sends Shockwaves Through Jewish Philanthropy
Gabrielle Birkner, Anthony Weiss, Forward, Dec 12 2008
The arrest of Wall Street trader Bernard L. Madoff, who federal agents say defrauded investors of an estimated $50b, has had immediate consequences in the Jewish philanthropic world. One charity already closed and insiders are worried that the ramifications of Madoffâs financial demise may extend to the many organizations he supported and the wealthy Jews he advised. On Friday, Madoff resigned from Yeshiva University, where he served as the chairman of the Sy Syms School of Business and treasurer of the board of trustees. Madoff and his wife, Ruth, had also endowed a Presidential Fellowship at the university. In a statement, a YU spokeswoman, Hedy Shulman, said that news of Madoffâs arrest had shocked university officials, adding: âOur lawyers and accountants are investigating all aspects of his relationship to Yeshiva University. We reserve our comments until we complete our investigation.â
The same day, the Boston-based Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation, which had the bulk of its money invested with Bernard L. Madoff Investment Securities, closed its doors and terminated its seven staff members. A 16-year-old charity, the organizationâs stated goal had been âreversing the trend of assimilation and intermarriage.â It had funded teen trips to Israel, enrichment programs for Jewish educators, and interfaith outreach initiatives. According to a press release issued Friday by the foundation, all of its assets had been frozen by the federal courts. âThe money needed to fund the programs of the Lappin Foundation is gone,â the statement read. âItâs with a heavy heart that I make this announcement,â the organizationâs trustee, Robert I. Lappin, said. âThe Foundationâs programs have touched thousands of lives over many years in our efforts to help keep our children Jewish.â Madoff also made charitable donations to other Jewish organizations, including the 92nd Street Y, where he and his wife were listed as âbenefactors,â having given a gift of between $2.5k – $5k to the 2006â2007 annual campaign. He had also chaired a gala fundraiser on behalf of Gift of Life, a Jewish bone marrow registry and cord blood bank.
In addition, the Madoffs were such significant contributors to UJA-Federation of New York that the charity placed a death notice in the New York Times, extending sympathies to the Madoff family following the death of a family member. The notice mentioned Bernard Madoff, and referred to the family as âcherished friends and leaders whose deep commitment to the New York Jewish community profoundly impacts millions of lives.â The investor was close to a number of prominent Jewish donors, both on Wall Street and elsewhere. The WSJ reported that members of the Boca Rio Golf Club in Boca Raton and the Palm Beach Country Club in Palm Beach were heavily invested with Madoffâs firm. Both clubs are heavily Jewish.
For Phil's hobby horse, from the Madoff collapse:
link to nytimes.com
"The news was equally devastating for the Robert I. Lappin Charitable Foundation in Salem, Mass., which works to reverse the dilution of Jewish identity through intermarriage and assimilation by sending teenagers to Israel and supporting other Jewish education efforts.
The foundation was forced on Friday to dismiss its small staff and shut down its programs to cope with its losses in the Madoff funds, according to Deborah Coltin, its executive director."
The legal and moral precedents for dismantling the 'Zionist entity' are the ends of apartheid South Africa and the decolonisation of French Algeria.
The legal and moral precedents for dismantling the 'Zionist entity' are the ends of apartheid South Africa and the decolonisation of French Algeria.
This new comment system seems to promote double-posting.
This new comment system seems to promote double-posting.
'The Jews got Israel after an extended international lobbying process in which the Zionists never rested. That process included publicizing an obscure document, the Balfour Declaration, as a law of nations, pushing the U.N. for partition, then proclaiming the birth certificate of a nation. You're not going to reverse that process.'
Well, that's one opinion. But if one looks at the history of European borders since the late 19th century, when the zionist movement began, they have been extremely dynamic in ways that no one could have anticipated. Just in the past two decades, Germany reunited and Yugoslavia shattered to pieces.
Many middle eastern and African borders are the arbitrary relics of a bygone colonial era. The state of Israel is the most extreme outlier, as it embarked on its colonial enterprise when colonialism was already in decadence and worldwide retreat, and has continued its settler-driven colonialism to this day.
Settler colonialism and U.S. dependency are wildly anachronistic models on which to base a modern state. The settlers are morally bankrupt, while Israel's patron, the U.S., is financially bankrupt. Even its Jewish billionaires — the Ace Greenbergs and Sheldon Adelsons — are reduced to scraping by on a few skimpy tens of millions a year.
To peremptorily declare that 'you're not going to reverse that process' sounds bold. But far larger processes than Israeli statehood — for instance, the forty-year Communist domination of eastern Europe — have been rolled back by popular resistance.
The Palestinians won't be riding 'freedom trains' through the Israeli checkpoints, because they lack rail lines. However, their mass breakout into Egypt when Hamas knocked down the wall at the Rafah crossing demonstrated to the world that Israel has turned Gaza into an open-air prison.
Norman Finkelstein is at least correct in deducing that similar dramatic appeals to world opinion can be successfully mounted. And in doing so, there is no need to prejudge whether they ultimately lead to a one-state or a two-state solution. Palestinian liberation from Israeli oppression is a 'big tent' movement.
'The Jews got Israel after an extended international lobbying process in which the Zionists never rested. That process included publicizing an obscure document, the Balfour Declaration, as a law of nations, pushing the U.N. for partition, then proclaiming the birth certificate of a nation. You're not going to reverse that process.'
Well, that's one opinion. But if one looks at the history of European borders since the late 19th century, when the zionist movement began, they have been extremely dynamic in ways that no one could have anticipated. Just in the past two decades, Germany reunited and Yugoslavia shattered to pieces.
Many middle eastern and African borders are the arbitrary relics of a bygone colonial era. The state of Israel is the most extreme outlier, as it embarked on its colonial enterprise when colonialism was already in decadence and worldwide retreat, and has continued its settler-driven colonialism to this day.
Settler colonialism and U.S. dependency are wildly anachronistic models on which to base a modern state. The settlers are morally bankrupt, while Israel's patron, the U.S., is financially bankrupt. Even its Jewish billionaires — the Ace Greenbergs and Sheldon Adelsons — are reduced to scraping by on a few skimpy tens of millions a year.
To peremptorily declare that 'you're not going to reverse that process' sounds bold. But far larger processes than Israeli statehood — for instance, the forty-year Communist domination of eastern Europe — have been rolled back by popular resistance.
The Palestinians won't be riding 'freedom trains' through the Israeli checkpoints, because they lack rail lines. However, their mass breakout into Egypt when Hamas knocked down the wall at the Rafah crossing demonstrated to the world that Israel has turned Gaza into an open-air prison.
Norman Finkelstein is at least correct in deducing that similar dramatic appeals to world opinion can be successfully mounted. And in doing so, there is no need to prejudge whether they ultimately lead to a one-state or a two-state solution. Palestinian liberation from Israeli oppression is a 'big tent' movement.
Very funny.
Very funny.
http://www.nytimes.com/2008/12/13/business/13fraud.html?_r=1&th=&adxnnl=1&emc=th&pagewanted=print&adxnnlx=1229180425-87HsCCxXxi3PMmPEKRIKCw
The Bernie Madoff story is breaking. But google bernard madoff Jewish for related articles, including a Jewish Journal discussion of the Jewish issue. Some interesting stuff, worth discussing in this blog, as it was re the Abramoff scandal. Connections to Zionism/Israel? Yes, but let's be careful how we understand this.
"Finkelstein dismisses the idea of one state. There is no "legal or moral precdent for dismantling the 'Zionist entity."
that is because finkelstein is a zionist. he says many nice things that the left adores but he is a zionist. a zionist is a zionist is a criminal.
he, like chomsky and all other zionists, has a role to play within the zionist plan and he performs well.
Oh sweet. "Jewish mind control"! I am a Jedi!
Always warry you must be
If the Force you wish to see.
Burp, jump, push, fart
To do, look inside your heart
Spare yourself romantic trash
For that will make you very brash
Possesions – not allowed to have
Make you jealous, angry, mad
Don't lose your saber. If you do
The council will be ticked at you
Getting mad you must avoid
the dark side is not a toy
Don't kill prisinors – they your friends
Be nice and try to make amends
Kill the Sith, but kill them nice.
Just give them a single slice
Don't chop off arms, feet, and heads
Just one cut will make them dead.
Kissing crap we must forbid
And always eat with baby bib.
All these rules you must obey
Cause if you don't we make you pay.
The Original Jedi Code – by Obi-gone
Oh sweet. "Jewish mind control"! I am a Jedi!
Always warry you must be
If the Force you wish to see.
Burp, jump, push, fart
To do, look inside your heart
Spare yourself romantic trash
For that will make you very brash
Possesions – not allowed to have
Make you jealous, angry, mad
Don't lose your saber. If you do
The council will be ticked at you
Getting mad you must avoid
the dark side is not a toy
Don't kill prisinors – they your friends
Be nice and try to make amends
Kill the Sith, but kill them nice.
Just give them a single slice
Don't chop off arms, feet, and heads
Just one cut will make them dead.
Kissing crap we must forbid
And always eat with baby bib.
All these rules you must obey
Cause if you don't we make you pay.
The Original Jedi Code – by Obi-gone
The only successful throwing off of the foreign yoke in the past 100 years was Gandhi's method of non-violent, non-participation. Norman's progress through and to wisdom is moving along.
The only successful throwing off of the foreign yoke in the past 100 years was Gandhi's method of non-violent, non-participation. Norman's progress through and to wisdom is moving along.
The only successful throwing off of the foreign yoke in the past 100 years was Gandhi's method of non-violent, non-participation. Norman's progress through and to wisdom is moving along.
Israel takes a dim view of peaceful protest because they need violent extremists to justify the occupation. So peaceful Palestinian protestors are apt to be beaten or shot. I see lots of enthusiasm here for the the two-state "save-Israel's-ass" solution. The Jewish state is a monster. The sooner they return the stolen property and learn to live with their neighbors the better.
What would Gandhi say after he had seen Rachel Corrie being bulldozed? And more, after he had seen how it didn't even make USA prime time TV?
Further, if Gandhi had seen how the billbilly Johnson snuffed the
USS Liberty?
We should NOT romanticise Gandhi and his "non-violent" methods. Like Finkelstein said, he changed his mind alot and at times advocated violent resistance. There really has been no successful example of non-violent resistance that led to the downfall of any colonial state or occupation. In fact, the examples we always refer to in this conflict ALL bear horrendous actions by the oppressed against their oppressor: Ireland, Jim Crow-Segregation, South Africa, Algeria. There is no escaping it no matter how elegant a picture we paint of "peaceful" means.
Look at B'ilin. Look at Jayyous. Where's the outrage? Where's the coverage? It's the same thing over and over. The only time Israelis seem to "concede" any part of the occupation is when they are met with FIERCE resistance (Hizbollah, Hamas).
I gotta say, this is just mental masturbation. Once upon a time Finkelstein was a Marxist!
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