[From Jiser's photostream.]
Israel is screwed up because Israelis by and large have no communication with Arabs. That's a simple fact. They don't know Arabs and don't trust 'em. I saw that for myself. Works both ways.
But America is screwed up because--and this has to do with the power in the establishment of Jews who have no idea what Israel is really like but feel a responsibility to defend it no matter what--our journals cannot run the true Works of Genius that are appearing in the Israeli press. Avrum Burg's work appeared in Israel, not here. Uri Avnery, ditto. And though Bob Simon finally brought a dose of this understanding to CBS last week, Israeli journalists routinely surpass us, because they are utterly engaged by the spiritual crisis and need to cry out.
Long preface. Here is a simply majestic report in Haaretz, by Akiva Eldar, on a study of Israeli consciousness. As Eldar points out at the end, Israelis can't escape from this legacy of victimization without outsiders taking a role. I.e., and very simply: American Jews saying, Sorry, Israel, We cannot condone the slaughter of 400 children!!!
Also, note that one of the authors of this study lives in New York. But his work is reported in Israel. Let us hear him in New York. Oh no, the goyim will hear, and turn on Israel! That is actually the thinking.
Here's the great Eldar:
"Most of the nation retains a simplistic collective memory of the conflict, a black-and-white memory that portrays us in a very positive light and the Arabs in a very negative one," says the professor from Tel Aviv University. This memory, along with the ethos of the conflict and collective emotions such as fear, hatred and anger, turns into a psycho-social infrastructure of the kind experienced by nations that have been involved in a long-term violent conflict. This infrastructure gives rise to the culture of conflict in which we and the Palestinians are deeply immersed, fanning the flames and preventing progress toward peace. Bar-Tal claims that in such a situation, it is hard even to imagine a possibility that the two nations will be capable of overcoming the psychological obstacles without outside help....
In a telephone interview from New York, Nets-Zehngut says it is very clear that those with a "Zionist memory" see Israel and the Jews as the victims in the conflict, and do not tend to support agreements or compromises with the enemy in order to achieve peace. This finding, he explains, demonstrates the importance of changing the collective memory of conflicts, making it less biased and more objective - on condition, of course, that there is a factual basis for such a change.
Bar-Tal emphasizes that the Israeli awareness of reality was also forged in the context of Palestinian violence against Israeli citizens, but relies primarily on prolonged indoctrination that is based on ignorance and even nurtures it. In his opinion, an analysis of the present situation indicates that with the exception of a small minority, which is capable of looking at the past with an open mind, the general public is not interested in knowing what Israel did in Gaza for many years..
[H]is study shows that a larger percentage of the Jewish population in Israel believes that in 1948, the refugees were expelled (47.2 percent of respondents), than those who still retain the old Zionist version (40.8 percent), according to which the refugees left on their own initiative.
Bar-Tal says he takes no comfort in the knowledge that Palestinian collective memory suffers from similar ills, and that it is also in need of a profound change - a change that would help future generations on both sides to regard one another in a more balanced, and mainly a more humane manner. This process took many decades for the French and the Germans, and for the Protestants and the Catholics in Northern Ireland. When will it finally begin here, too?
Couple more comments. The study shows that most Israelis think Barak-who-destroyed-400-children made a generous offer at Camp David. Americans have the same false understanding. Where is this getting written about--just in the American Conservative and LRB. Second, I think the paranoia and sense of victimization above somewhat describes Jeffrey Goldberg, who calls any critic of Israeli apartheid an antisemite. It is frightening to think that he is the most important Jewish journalist in America. I think that is about to change by the way: Goldberg, out of fear, took the wrong position on Gaza. As America and U.S. Jewry move forward, they will look to other guides. My horse is Josh Nathan-Kazis. He's only in his early 20s, but he has what my grandmother who I lived with on the Lower East Side used to call "potentials." (Phil Weiss with thanks to Richard Witty and Susie Kneedler for tip)
Barak did make a generous offer.
For a combination of substantive and internal Palestinian political reasons, Arafat could not accept it.
"the power in the establishment of Jews who have no idea what Israel is really like"
This lets them off the hook far too much. There are lots of jewish supporters of Israel who know exactly what Israel is really like, but are just chauvinist enough to support Israel nonetheless. Indeed, that's probably the majority position.
"Barak did make a generous offer."
Barak made an offer brimming over with hatred of Arabs as deserving colonisation and further ethnic cleansing. Those who call it generous declare their own bigotry.
Barak didn't offer anything at all. Here is the reality for those who still don't get it.
Israel is not in a position to "offer" the Palestinians anything as the Israeli's don't own what they are "offering". The Palestinians do.
Barak is a deceitful war criminal.
Full stop.
'Israeli Jews' consciousness is characterized by a sense of victimization, a siege mentality, blind patriotism, belligerence, self-righteousness, dehumanization of the Palestinians and insensitivity to their suffering.'
Given that Israel's founding narrative incorporates the story of WW II era Jewish persecution, this is perhaps not surprising.
The question is why so many American Jews hold similarly strident opinions about a nation which only theoretically concerns them (given their theoretical right to emigrate there).
Conditions are ripe to drive a wedge between American and Israeli Jews. Phil Weiss is the John Henry of Jewish schism, swinging his mighty sledge.
Phil Weiss had a hammah;
Weighed nigh fo'ty poun';
Eb'ry time Phil made a strike
He seen his steel go 'bout two inches down,–
Lawd, — Lawd, –
He seen his steel go 'bout two inches down.
http://www.ibiblio.org/john_henry/construct.html
Welcome back to "1984". Thank you for letting us know that compromise is dead in the Arab world and that Israel can expect another 60 years of this.
"Somebody with a 'sense of victimization, siege mentality, blind patriotism, belligerence, self-righteousness, dehumanization' needs help."
Well, as long as you keep enabling Hamas and their followers they are never going to be inclined to change these negative traits, are they?
There is no such thing as a "Semitic Jew"
All Semitic Jews were killed by Christians during the pogroms of the Middle Ages in Europe. Over 90% of modern Jews are Ashkenazi Jews, descended from the Khazars of the Caspian Sea. Khazars are Turks who converted to Judaism in 8th century.
Thus there can be NO DIVINE RIGHT to claim Palestine.
And the UN General Assembly can NOT create nations; and if you claim it can – then the UN General Assembly can ALSO un-create a nation.
Please acquire real historical knowledge, instead of spitting out incorrect Zionist propaganda. Thanks.
lololol! Here come the nuts.
Your dumb ass faux "hypothesis" couldn't withstand 2 seconds under the scrutiny of scientific method.
Don't bother us with with debunkable junk.