Caryl Churchill's 7 Jewish Children playlet, inspired by Gaza, which I actually heard recited earlier this evening–i.e., it continues to resonate–now has a Palestinian spinoff: from Um Khalil, 7 Palestinian Children, in the same mode, of parents discussing what to tell a child. It is even angrier than Churchill's play, and more politically wrenching. Excerpt:
Tell her that Dr. Salman [Abu Sitta, chronicler of erased Palestine] warns the Jewish people,
“. . . the history of Jews will ultimately be marked indelibly, and above all other historical
events, by what they have done in Palestine.”
Tell
her that you may as well forget saying you’re Palestinian if Jews are
in the room.
Tell her that if Jews are in the room the room fills up
with their suffering, and there is no room for yours. Tell her that if
you find yourself at a workshop about social oppression with
African-American table mates and they tell you their hot button is that
they don’t like it when people ask “What are you,” and you tell them,
“I like it when people ask me what I am because my people are vilified
and demonized as terrorists and I like to tell them what I am so
they’ll see we aren’t all terrorists,” to forget getting up and
speaking to the group even if your table mates force you because no
sooner than you’re done speaking a Jew in the room will stand up and
say “I am a Jew and we are hated all over the world so I don’t tell
people that I’m Jewish because Jews get killed for being Jews.” No,
don't tell her that because it's Anti-Semitic.
Tell her that you
may commemorate the Holocaust every day, but may not teach about
injustice in regard to Palestine. No don't tell her that. Tell her that
one must sort of teach around injustice and Palestine. Tell
her you may teach Cry, the Beloved Country, but don't talk about
apartheid and Palestine. Tell her that we're the Jews' Jews and
Hitler's final victims. Tell her that we're f*****d. No, don't tell her
that. Tell her that we will "forget the bitter days." Tell her "we
shall return." Tell her that one day we will not be forced to keep many
things inside us.
Tell her that she has every right to live on her own land and to tend her own olives.
Thanks to Lawrence of Cyberia.
This photo is of a woman who lost her one-year-old daughter last week from US planes strafing her village in the Swat Valley. I find it haunting. The pain we cause. When do we stop doing this? <img src="link to static.guim.co.uk
Why aren't you posting the picture of all the people beheaded by the Talibans?
Tell her that drama is for information and self-reflection, not for propaganda.
The theme of "7 children" by Churchill was to ask Jews to consider "what have we become"? There is NO SUGGESTION of that in the Palestinian "parallel", which is why I call it propaganda.
That's because so far the Palestinians haven't had a chance to become a damn thing except dispossessed and/or dead.
Sounds interesting, Phil. Can we read it? Very good idea. Richard Witty. no comment.
Yes, because the Pakistanis must choose between being blown up by the US or being beheaded by the Taliban.
It is sad and immoral to measure ourselves by the actions of those we fight in the name of freedom and justice. Just because the Talibans commit murder and behead people, does not give the moral right to commit murder, not even as we easily dismiss as collateral. You make us as immoral and degrade our morality by your comparison.
Would you also dimiss Anne Frank's diary as propaganda, she didn't imploy any parallelism with the Nazis either, I guess the victims have a problem seeing their oppressors point of view. Go figure.
I'd dismiss it as forgery.
Tell her that Richard Witty's son is no more– Tell Richard Witty we will not forgive him his use of his son's death before his eyes, his whiny propaganda– That he should use his son's sudden ugly death for self-reflection while in the safety of Gentile arms…
It was, evidence the editing marks of Daddy's pen.
The difference is, nobody's asking the Jews to forget the bitter days, just the Palestinians. There is only righteous sentiment and corresponding militancy for the Jews–because the world has not yet officially recognized the Nakba–but logic tells us one day it will happen. That's why the Israeli's have the Samson Option. Let's destroy the world if it won't let us live as Jews, meaning, the people immune to a single standard for all human groups.
Witty would have Pharoh condemn the Jews for propaganda. Witty likes to ignore real power. BTW, what other people have a long history of being a nation within a nation? As the USA wakes up, and Britain and France are no longer viable alternatives, will India and/or China really serve as the next partners for Israel's ambitions? The strategic politics are there, but where is the white Christian guilt, where the former Nazis, the former Vichey peeps or fellow-travelers to blackmail?
The point is that for the piece to communicate to the world, it has to ring true in more than a blameful manner. The Churchill piece was not self-reflection but an external comment. There was much insight in it, which was applauded by many humane Zionists. The piece referred to Phil doesn't seem to be reflective in intent. Yelling at, rather than inquiring into.
All people measure themselves against the scum of the earth, such as the Palestinian terrorists and the Taliban. While it is true that the behavior of the taliban does not excuse the murders commited by the Palestinains, both still occur, and you've made no mention of either other than some incoherant blathering.
Yes, it is not seemly that anecdotal information be used for propaganda purposes.
You mean, the same Talibans the US tried to conclude a deal with, back in 1997 ? In any case, I second the 2 commenters above. Murder is murder and you are immoral. The correct response to Taliban rule is revolution from the Afghans, not all out war by a bunch of Westerners who never gave a fuck. Don't believe me ? Read first sentence again.
Yet you make no comment nor post no pictures of the heinous crimes commited in the name of Allah. Then you claim a morality you haven't really got. You are immoral.
The very same. The US is condemned because the organization it spoke with in 1997 commited murders today? I, of course, don't believe you. No reasonable person would.
Next comes holocaust denial. After that, rehabilitation of Hitler. Nice group of supporters, weiss.