a post by Richard Silverstein on why he will not attend tomorrow's pro-Israel rally in Seattle, in which he points out that there is actual diversity and disagreement, at last, inside the Jewish community. Ditto Brian Klug in England.
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Maybe our prolific poster Richard Witty might like to come out of the closet. Any Israel rallies for you, Richard?
Reasons why so many average gentile Americans fully support Israel right or wrong:
1.) They don't know peanuts about the I-P conflict's history. But they all are taught as children about the Shoah–solely from the Zionist POV. Exodus, commissioned to Hollywood by the state of Israel, remains the sole narrative. Paul Newman, a great, generous guy, never spoke out in behalf the Palestinians.
2.) Their government, bought and sold by K Street & the Blagos dressed better only hits one note on its bugle, echoed by the Amen MSM.
3.) Palestinians, and/or Arabs, do not make up 13% of the USA voting power.
4.) People have a hard enough time these day getting, keeping a job–the more they reach a position with possible influence on the I-P situation, the more they will rubber-stamp Israel. It's a condition of keeping their job viable.
5.) The result is that the average American buys the bolt that
equates Israel's actions as USA actions, both to fight the war over there, and to soothe guilt for the Shoah. The plight of the Palestinians has not been internalized as even a toe on one foot
of Apartheid S Africa. Rather than view 9/11 as the chickens coming home to roost, they see only roosters trying to be in charge of the hen house–they don't know their own eggs.
From the Guardian:
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Tens of thousands of demonstrators marched through the streets of London today in the biggest public protest yet in Britain against the Israeli offensive in Gaza.
The march began in Hyde Park, where Speakers' Corner was turned into a sea of Palestinian flags and banners condemning Israel, before making its way to Kensington Gardens. There were scuffles outside the Israeli embassy as the march passed by the gates leading to its entrance.
The Stop The War coalition, which organised today's demonstration, said it believed as many as 100,000 people were taking part in the rallies at Hyde Park and in Kensington Park Gardens.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2009/jan/10/gaza-london-protest-march
Wow, shocking that Richard Silverstein, the Hamlet of Seattle, wouldn't go to a pro-Israel rally. It's like gambling taking place at Ricks cafe. He's no more likely to do that than Phil Weis.
While the UN is pursuing a war crimes investigation against Israel, the Red Cross issues its own condemnation:
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The International Committee of the Red Cross did not mince its words. In an unusually blunt public statement yesterday it accused the Israeli military of “unacceptable” conduct and of breaching international humanitarian law. It demanded immediate access to the area to search for more wounded survivors sheltering in ruined houses.
“This is a shocking incident,” said Pierre Wettach, the ICRC’s head of delegation. “The Israeli military must have been aware of the situation but did not assist the wounded. Neither did they make it possible for us or the Palestine Red Crescent to assist the wounded.”
Mr Aisha, the Palestinian Red Crescent worker, said the area was so devastated by the Israeli bombardment that he did not recognise it. He said the eight-man rescue team was taunted and threatened by Israeli soldiers as it brought out the survivors.
http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/world/middle_east/article5478395.ece
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In the past two weeks, Israel has redefined its international image. It is no longer the state that was established to give refuge to Holocaust survivors.
It has become the state that murders women and children in their beds, then taunts the Red Cross rescuers.
Never again!
And so time to cut Israel off of all USA aid and UN diplomatic support.
And boycott Israel as a business enterprise.
No peanut butter and banana sandwich ever eaten by Elvis P
ever contained a bagel or gifilte fish.
I appreciate in Richard's statement that he does identify with the Jewish community as Jewish, and even with the health and integrity (in all meanings) of Israel.
I've sincerely attempted to attend pro-Palestinian demonstrations carrying both a Palestinian and Israeli flag with the phrase "co-exist", and been hounded away.
Those that approach conflict as political (either/or) hate imagination and reconciliation.
You didn't mention whether you've been attending any pro-Israel rallies lately, Rich.
In the past two weeks, Israel has redefined its international image. It is no longer the state that was established to give refuge to Holocaust survivors.
It never should have had that image in the first place, as the Holocaust was not the inspiration for the Zionist agenda (formed well before WWII), and the Zionist leaders, as has been well documented, were not overly concerned with Jewish victims of WWII atrocities, rather they used them in furthering their own racist, nationalist agenda.
But it's still not a ZOG, right?
I've never been to a pro-Israeli rally.
I've been to about five pro-peace rallies, and two pro-Palestinian.
Speaking of rallies–
Sky News puts the London turnout today at 100,000.
Additional demonstrations were held in–
Edinburgh
Paris
Athens
Oslo
Stockholm
Sarajevo
Berlin
Munich
Duisburg
Caracas
Auckland
Tehran
Khartoum
Right, Witty. Did you serve in the US military. Did your son? Of course not. No matter what u think, the IDF is not pro-American. It's just a bunch of state-sponsored juvenile delinquents. No American worthy of that name would support the IDF punks.