The War of Ideas in the Middle East
Omar Barghouti says that the last place he can organize BDS is in Germany. "First we do Tel Aviv," he says. That’s because of the, er, history. Demonstrated here, in a decision by the Munich municipal authorities to stop a speech by Ilan Pappe under pressure from lobbyists. Pappe says it’s reminiscent of his own German Jewish father getting silenced in Germany in the ’30s. Thanks to Seham.
Related posts:
Previous post: All those Muslim governments are corrupt
Next post: Kurtzer’s misleading parallel: refugees and colonists
Read an excerpt from A Wall in Palestine, a new book by French journalist Rene Backmann. The book tells the story of the Separation Wall in the West Bank - its history and devastating impact.
Read an exclusive 11-page excerpt from Joe Sacco’s groundbreaking new book: Footnotes in Gaza.
{ 18 comments }
I hope Pappe writes a searing article for the Germans (and the English-speaking world) that goes viral. Lobbyists go after Pappe in the world of the Internet? These old farts dont understand the new world, do they.
Political cowardice covers it. The Israelis play German like violins with the Nazi guilt card.
Churchill (I am not an admirer), said the Germans are either at your neck or your feet.
Perhaps the Israelis have figured that out?
Gee, now, I’m thinking that POV may even apply to their technical abilities (there choice of military weapons in WW2 & their choice of how to apply them). Stop it, I say to myself.
Admittedly I am a bit wondering about the Munich Jewish community. A friend of mine, a Cologne artist with a wonderful idea, at least I love it, encountered huge problems in Munich. At least initially. The official Jewish voice was against his “Stolpersteine”. They told him or let him know via the municipal authorities that his “stepping stones” weren’t welcome in Munich. The let him know that the memory of the victims would again be trampled by passing feet. …
Sorry, just passing. And I still don’t have a proofreader, would be good if in a hurry.
Not a bad idea, although maybe that German Jewish lady had a point about preferably putting up an eye level plaque, not so much about because of the metaphor of stepping on the stepping stone memories, but simply because of the practical better version of seeing it upright to the eye.
A brass tile on the ground is distinctive. It can make you stop and look. My sister never walks on grates with her high heels.
thanks, MRW, I in fact stop for them often over here in Cologne streets.
Citizen, Gunter is an artist, eye level plaques would be rather conventional. Besides the street feels much closer to the events. A plaque on the house usually reminds us that somebody famous lived there. But fact is the victims of the Nazis weren’t allowed to live anywhere but. I am repeating myself. Jews here in Cologne first had to leave there flats or houses and were gathered in so called “Jew houses” and from there the journey went on. Don’t you think the street symbolizes this much better than a plaque on a house? Forced to move, forced out into the streets, onto tracks till the end of the journey.
I admittedly wondered if the Munich Jewish community really objected to the idea that Gunter doesn’t make a difference between the victim groups. The Nazis did, so why should an artist?
Because they can get away with it, LeaNder. You Germans have been anesthetized and muzzled into ridiculous silence ( my experience with married-into-the-family-Germans.)
I agree. The Germany is not doing anyone a favor today by sucking up to Israel and
funding and media supporting Israel’s activities right or wrong, and by legally enforcing objection with its domestic police powers; it’s actually merely maintaining
a black and white version of the world which it ironically seeks to end. Are there no German leaders that are sophisticated enough to anticipate and handle the inevitable Zionist backlash
due to Germany’s 12 year Nazi past in the interest of the world actually learning the lessons of that past? I don’t think either German or Israel as those regimes operate respect the dead Jews of Auschwitz, to name just one group of dead innocents.
“”If they wanted, why didn’t they bring someone from the embassy to present the opposite stand and contradict my remarks? This hasn’t happened to me even in Israel, so it’s even peculiar.” ”
The reason why they do not want to face him is probably twofold – first, they do not want to bring any attention to his work and meeting to argue would and obviously (in their view) mean what he has to say is somewhat important; second, they do not want to face the truth, because there is little they could do to gainsay his view. So they would rather wield “power” in the dark, clandestine manner they seem to be used to.
They probably also want to give the impression (by halting his lecture), that is he speaks there is some sort of “combustible material” in the makeup of the Germans that will cause pogroms – which is fallacious. Trying to give the idea of “inherent evil” in the Goldenhagen tradition (sort of like the evil nation theory, similar to grouping entire nations and or people of whatever persuasion as bad).
Thats not enough information to inquire, to judge, to act.
Its only enough information to salivate (Pavlovian dog style).
There’s a link to the Ynet story which has the information, if you could stop salivating for a while and click instead. (That was a fast two days.)
Tree, it’s Witty. Is anything he claims not laced with fallacy?
But Israel’s fake story about a tunnel in Gaza being an existential threat large enough to violate a cease fire, is? Ass-hat.
I heard Pappe speak on Tuesday in Normal, IL. Even though I’ve read two of his books and many of his articles. I learned a lot from a 45-minute talk that summarized the history of the Zionist colonial project. He made no bones about the fact that the country is run by virtual lunatics, and may get much worse before it gets better.
Banning people from expressing their views never really works in the long run. By the way I thought freedom of speech was fundamental pillar of western civilisation – Muhammad cartoons anyone ?
Comments on this entry are closed.