Today Jeremy Ben-Ami, Executive Director of J Street, has an article in the Huffington Post that could have been ripped from the pages of Mondoweiss. In his post "Avigdor Lieberman's Makeover Won't Work" Ben-Ami addresses the wedge that Avigdor Lieberman is driving through the American Jewish community:
Underneath [American Jewish support for Israel] lay the recognition that despite whatever might divide us, shared democratic values and national interests cemented our relationship.
The question posed by both the Lieberman phenomenon and the rightward drift in Israeli politics is: what happens when Israeli and American values and interests start to diverge?
American Jews are rightfully proud of their historic role in this country's struggle for minority rights and social justice. The election of Barack Obama — with 78 percent support from the Jewish community — is seen by many as a crowning achievement for the decades long fight for Jewish values and against racism, intolerance and discrimination.
Meanwhile, the new Obama administration is stating more clearly than ever before that America's national interest includes ending the Arab-Israeli and Palestinian-Israeli conflicts once and for all.
Should Israel choose the Lieberman path, limiting the democratic rights of its Arab citizens, it will run directly counter to profound American Jewish values.
Should Israel rebuff American diplomatic efforts and continue building settlements and cementing the occupation of Palestinian territory, it will run directly counter to the stated national interest of the United States.
Ben-Ami asks the question "what should we American Jews and supporters of Israel do about Lieberman's rise?" but he never answers it. This is a question that J Street will have to face head on. How will J Street treat a Netanyahu/Lieberman government that flouts US policy? What guidance will J Street offer its liberal supporters who see Israel as antithetical to their values?
This article would seem to indicate that they still hope they can avoid these questions, but unfortunately it's too late. Regardless of the fact that the incoming Israeli government doesn't support the two-state solution, Israel's ongoing siege of Gaza and colonization of the West Bank has already rendered it impossible. In addition, although Lieberman's proposals are extreme, Israel has been limiting the democratic rights of its Palestinian citizens since the state was founded. These facts will remain whether Lieberman is in the government or not. Lieberman's success has only highlighted the fact that Israel's values and interests have been diverging from the US's for a long time.
Phil and I have been asking the question – "will Lieberman's success alienate Obama-voting American Jews?" Seems that Ben-Ami is wondering the same thing. We are all waiting for an answer.
I'm sure you're all holding your breath while you await this "rudimentary but persistent form of telepathy" to unfold amongst them jews. In the meanwhile let Kevin MacDonald tell you things from another perspective:
"What's wrong with white men? In search of an explanation"
As a discredited academic, Mac is not worth the reading.
As a discredited academic
Is that all he is? Boy Chris you have very little common sense.
Of Mac's problems his difficulties in academic life are minor. Why don't you start with raving racist, or is that too close to your Zionist beliefs. On the other hand, you could reconcile that with Mac's classic antisemitism.
Is MacDonald really a classic anti-Semite, syvanen? You throw around the term rather loosely for a non-Zio-bot, so I'd like to ask you, What exactly are the criteria?
Me I'm not enamored with any nationalism, ethnic or otherwise. What a waste of fucking time.
As I Jew, I have never, since I was old enough to reflect on these things, felt white. And as far as I can see, colonial-settler projects are a white man's game. For Jews, it's a dead end. Sorry, but Jews adaopted Zionisms because they wanted to be white, not the other way round.
Jews who feel Zionism is the plan for them are the most assimilationist Jews in the world. No matter how frum they think they are.
Marshmellow, you are a waste of that time.
American Jews are rightfully proud of their historic role in this country's struggle for minority rights and social justice. The election of Barack Obama — with 78 percent support from the Jewish community — is seen by many as a crowning achievement for the decades long fight for Jewish values and against racism, intolerance and discrimination.
Proud of their comprador achievements, he means. By the way, congratulations to the anonymous who homed in on the phrase "rudimentary but persistent form of telepathy," which was chosen with great care.
Well, well, well. Support for Israel "goes against American values", according to J-Street. What about American support for Saudi Arabia..a totalitarian state that exploits millions of foreign workers who have no rights, and that forbids any religion except for Islam to be practiced in its borders. It is forbidden to bring Bibles or any religious articles into Saudi Arabia. Not only that, they have given millions of dollars to people like Jimmy Carter, Charles Freeman and other "paragons of democracy and human rights". I recall President Reagan stadning with King Khaled and saying that "the US and Saudi Arabia share the same values". Other than love of money, what other values do they share? Is J-Street now advocating the US cutting its relationship with them just as they advocate it cutting its relationship with Israel. If they don't, that makes me wonder where J-Street is getting its money . Are they a front for Arab propaganda?
Is MacDonald really a classic anti-Semite, syvanen?
Yep he is and a racist as well.
I am no fan of Saudi Arabia for all kinds of reasons. Saudi Arabia with its twisted version of "Shari`a" is an embarrassment at best, but fact is fact and there is no need to demonize with false information.
Saudi Arabia…that forbids any religion except for Islam to be practiced in its borders.
False. Public religious practice is not allowed, but Christians and others are permitted to practice their religions in private, and to hold services in private.
"It is forbidden to bring Bibles or any religious articles into Saudi Arabia."
Simply not true. Bibles are allowed into the country along with personal religious items, including DVD's of sermons and religious services.
MacDonald is a racist? From reading his articles on Jews/etc. it seems as though he examines them as a sociological entity rather than saying because you have "Jewish blood" you will be like this or that.
"MacDonald is a racist? From reading his articles on Jews/etc. it seems as though he examines them as a sociological entity rather than saying because you have "Jewish blood" you will be like this or that."
Agreed. Part of the problem is that MacDonald is an evolutionary psychologist (or sociobiologist), which is not a politically correct field. Even the well-respected Edmund Wilson was attacked viciously on the release of *Sociobiology* decades ago.
The field looks at human group behaviour as an evolutionary strategy for outcompeting other groups in the sturggle for the resources necessary to survive and reproduce. From this perspective, racism, anti-semitism, and even ethnic cleansing and genocide are simply part of resource competition between groups of highly intelligent and social primates.
It is a very powerful tool for understanding history and ethnic/religious/and cultural conflict, because it does not burden itself with moral pronouncements and simply tries to explain behaviour from an adaptive, animal standpoint.
Many people have trouble analyzing human behaviour from an amoral and mechanistic standpoint, and therefore assume that MacDonald has to be saying that racism, ethnic cleansing, etc. are morally *good* in some abstract sense. From a standpoint of group survival, though, ethnic cleansing can be very adaptive. Moral? That's not MacDonald's job to say.
I think that 'tribal' is merely a euphemism for racism; that many right-of-centre Jews are quite happy to be racist; and that they see the problem not as moral but as one of tactics and timing, in that they wish to secure the future for the hypothetical 'Jewish race' at the expense (if necessary) of any and every other 'race' before being completely frank about it.
"… that they see the problem not as moral but as one of tactics and timing, in that they wish to secure the future for the hypothetical 'Jewish race' at the expense (if necessary) of any and every other 'race' before being completely frank about it."
Gee. That really explains why this goy was mentored and got his start in life by … a Jew. Sheesh.
Gee. That really explains why this goy was mentored and got his start in life by … a Jew. Sheesh.
If you want anyone — even the trolls — to share your sense of scorn, doug, you will have to explain who or what you are talking about.