I realize I didn't give readers any idea of the personality of Mats Gilbert, the Norwegian doctor who worked in Gaza for 12 horrific days and now bears witness.
Gilbert seems to be around 60 but he has that ageless half-starved Scandinavian skinniness that makes older men look boyish. He is dressed like a European sophisticate-- jeans and a white shirt with its square tails out, hip angular glasses. His blond hair looks ungrayed. He wears it long in a kind of Norwegian mullet. He referred to his daughters' support but not his wife. I wondered about the personal cost of his commitment. He has been drawn to one crisis after another, and flew into Gaza in a heartbeat when the bombing began, having left it a month or two earlier.
He is passionate and restrained, just a little didactic. He said that when he was younger he used to scream but that got him nowhere. Now he speaks in a controlled voice behind which the passion brims. When he was questioned by the Russian Jew about being biased against Israel, he stood before him with ankles crossed nodding and meeting his eyes and thanking him for the question.
There's a religious element to his presence, of complete commitment to his fellow man. I found this incredibly inspiring. When he spoke of Jews and Nazis, it was evident to me that he would have hidden Jews during the Holocaust, he is that type of missionary person. His physical risk during the Gaza assault meant nothing to him.
I found I had no desire to go up and talk to him after. He had given his all, and what you saw is what you get with him, you don't break through to some personal side. He is a religious type.
He almost cried once, when he talked about a little girl who was so terrified of the Israelis, last year, that she had a recurrent dream of a black dog coming into her room at night and under the bed and wanting to eat her. He had helped her by bringing her a stuffed animal from Norway in order to change the black dog into a kind animal. Now of course the big black dog is back, he said.
He couldn't do what he does without tremendous support and community. The Norwegian government supports him. He has an organization behind him. The Norwegian people understand the issue. During Gaza, 1 million Norwegians demonstrated against the slaughter, he said: a quarter of the population. [Bruce Wolman says the Norwegian press contradicts him: 10,000 in the largest demo]. I walked out thinking it is essential to build the American community that is also horrified by Gaza. I also thought about my own American Jewish culture, which is as strong as Gilberts's Norwegian one, but right now, at this moment in history, not as evolved.
The people I know are appalled by the Israeli atrocities in Gaza, and the siege, as well as the Wall and murderous theft in the West Bank. We have to keep shaming the corporate media for its refusal to report the facts and to ask C-Span to show Dr. Gilbert's talks. In the meantime, see:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ev6ojm62qwA
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_Eskrn8n1Ww
Phil Weiss,
Beautiful post, brother, and yes, you personally ARE pretty evolved in my eyes, even if you can't say the same about your own American Jewish culture. I am unable to speak about that culture, as I am not a part of it, but if you remove the "Jewish" from it, I am included, and it strikes a chord of solidarity in my heart.
PM
Is there something specifically Norwegian about Gilbert's POV? If so, what is it? If not, will somebody characterize his POV? Personally, I think it's simply humane, but then I am just an agnostic white goy boy who was born into a Christian working class household. And none of my ancestors ever owned slaves or engaged in a pogrom, rather they were indentured servants, escaping the potato famine on one side (Irish), the lack of opportunity and entrails of the 30 Yrs war
on the other(German)…..
"He almost cried once, when he talked about a little girl who was so terrified of the Israelis"
But he didn't almost cry when he heard about the Pregnant Jewish mother shot in the belly (The palestinian believed he was killing 2 with one bullet) and when he heard that her 4 daughters were calmly shot in the head. He did not protest when he heard that the murderers were declared martyrs by the palestinian government. What did he do? "…he stood before him with ankles crossed nodding…"
Is he an antisemite? Doubt it. He's just an idiot.
@Citizen
In short: He is always willing to take the consequences of his persuasion. In US you will say he's a communist because he feels deep solidarity for the oppressed and underprivileged. As a young doctor he took a year sabbatical and work as a truck driver to better understand the working class.
I'm sure many would call such actions insane. I disagree. The most prominent feature of true greatness in a man is the unwillingness to opt for the easy way out.
If this is something specifically Norwegian ? I wish. But afraid the answer is no. On the other hand. We are never afraid to speak our minds to power. Whether it is Washington, Tel Aviv or Brussels. And as for solidarity-we are, sad to say, the only country yet to reach UNDP’s target of donating 0.7% of GDP in foreign aid. (compared to US 0.1% of which the largest part goes to Israel)
Another interesting bit about him that he mentioned at the Barnard presentation is that he volunteered to go to Israel in 67 to replace people who left for the war in a kibbutz, because a the time he believed they were "fighting the dirty Arabs". He said it took them in Norway 40 years from the time when they were very pro-Israel to today when a million people demonstrate against the war in Gaza.
@Peter D
True.
Norway was one of the first countries to recognize Israel an one of it's most ardent supporter in UN.
Then UNIFIL happened. Over the years more than 20 000 norwegian soldiers met with IDF in Lebanon and had their eyes opened. I was one of those men.
We are of course accused of being the most antisemitic country in Europe. So what moved an entire population from -phili to -phobi within just a few years ?
Foxmann should ask himself that question,as should the israeli ambassador to Norway.
Mads Gilbert said he supported the 9/11 attacks. He is a supporter of terrorist attacks on the U.S. so exactly why should we believe him when he propagandizes in support of Hamas terrorists?
As for "heroic", he doesn't even have the courage of his convictions. When he got flack for supporting terrorism, he backtracked.
Frankly I believe his first statement, not his second. I can't see someone saying he supported the 9/11 attacks unless he actually did support them. I can easily see someone who supports the attacks lying about it once he realizes what vocal support for terrorism does to his credibility.
@Thom
Stupid lies.
What Mads Gilbert said was:
If you don’t understand the difference-let me write it slowly so you get it.
US marines have left a bloody trail all over the World. So why should he feel more for the victims of 911 ? His ability to feel for others is absolute, not relative like yours. During the last 6 years Iraq has lived through "hundreds of 911"- and you have the audacity to demand of Mads Gilbert that he should shed more tears for 911-victims ?
Your claim that he supports Hamas is too stupid for me to dignify with a response.
@Thom: I don't remember the details, but Prof. Gilbert did – of course – not support the 9/11 attacks. What he did do was to attempt to contextualise them, and he has said he regrets how he phrased one of his comments. Every single person who has attempted to understand why the events of that day happened, rather than mindlessly repeating the 'they hate us for our freedoms' meme has been subjected to the same form of criticism. Isn't it time to retire this particular ridiculous smear? I'm frankly getting bored of it.
(Incidentally, since we are talking about Norway, it all reminds me of all the older conservatives who can't stop talking about this or that statement made by members of AKP(m-l) [the Workers' Communist Party (Marxist-Leninist)] back in the 70s, but who refuse to hear any criticism of their own (and the Conservative Students' Association's) support for the Vietnam War… Any Afghanistan/Iraw war supporters who wish to offer a mea culpa or two for all the civilians who have died as a result of those attacks?)
As for the Norwegian question: Being Norwegian, I would of course like to wrap myself in the borrowed mantle of Prof. Gilbert's humane heroism – ;) – but, as always, the issue is more complex than that. On the one hand (bearing in mind that I was educated at rather 'liberal' schools in Oslo), there is a certain basic support for the ideals of peace, humanitarianism, international friendship and cooperation, etc., and a certain idea that as a wealthy and peaceful country we have a certain obligation to work for the less fortunate – that was always the theme of the speech at my primary school's 17th May (Norwegian Constitution Day) celebrations;)
Of course, that has been criticised as mostly a bourgeois feel-good ideology, and there are quite a number of incisive critics of how this feel-good ideology has operated. Readers of the Journal of Palestine Studies may have read Hilde Henriksen Waage's repeated critiques of how certain key actors' desire to appear as benevolent peace-makers had a very negative impact on the Oslo accords. (Personally, I'm somewhat cynical, but not completely so; I also fear that if the humanitarian and peaceful parts of the Norwegian ideology are ripped out, it won't exactly improve Norway's international impact. With our oil wealth we could easily turn into a Nordic Dubai…)
The answer to why Norway turned from ardent friend of Israel to a leaning towards the Palestinians is probably multifaceted. In part, it probably mirrors the reasons for the international left's change of heart; Dag is probably correct to mention the impact UNIFIL had on many soldiers and their friends and families, etc. The dominant narrative of the Nazi occupation of Norway also seems to lie below the surface at times: it's difficult to change gears from praising one group of resistance fighters to criticising another; comparisons of the tactics of the Norwegian resistance and those of Hamas were voiced in the Norwegian media during Gaza: if 'we' would have sent those rockets in similar circumstances during WWII it's difficult to criticise the Palestinians for sending them now.
Mats mentioned the Norwegian resistance several times. He did say that to criticize the Palestinian resistance is the same as criticizing the Norwegian resistance to the Germans. I thought it wasn't his strongest point, since for the things to be comparable the Palestinians should target mostly Israeli military and not civilians. He sort of avoided the issue.
In general, as Phil mentioned, his talk was a bit didactic, but I thought that was mostly the function of him seeing his mission as convincing the American public to support the Palestinians. I am sure he would have adjusted the style to different audiences. I talked to him and mentioned that as an Israeli and a former soldier I feel shame and a particular responsibility for what is going on and asked him whether he had any contact with Israeli doctors. He said he knew some but nothing special. That in his talks to Israelis they get defensive and shout at him. No wonder, I said, three-four years ago I'd be defensive too, it's a slow process: now I can sit through his talk, hear what he says and not cringe. I don't know whether it will be possible to arrange for him to speak before Israelis, but I'll try, with what limited connections I have.
@ Citizen, "And none of my ancestors ever owned slaves or engaged in a pogrom," – If they had would that make your views today irrelevant or less correct? The past is used by apologist to justify or at least lessen the present crimes. Being a 'white goy boy' (even a wealthy white goy boy) doesn't make you wrong.
Thanks, Laurie. I've noticed the flak Eva S takes on this blog for having a Polish-sounding name.