The Center for Political Development Studies [CPDS] Gaza, Palestine
The Center for Political Development Studies [CPDS], a Gaza based organization, held a lecture on Monday, April 16, 2012 on 'What must be said about the poem that shook Israel', delivered by Refaat R. Alareer. A lecturer at the English Language Department at IUG, Alareer discussed the poem poetically and its implications and consequences.
"In the rigid sense of defining of poetry, this may not be a poem. We can classify it as a text, an article or a complaint as some people have suggested. It does not have the figurative language, the imagery that poetry is characterized by. The most important thing in poetry is metaphor," said Alareer, surprising some of the audience.
It is necessary to vigorously defend Günter Grass and reject the despicable campaign against him. Grass's warning of a war against Iran and his statement, "The nuclear power of Israel endangers an already fragile world peace," is quite correct. It deserves recognition and support.
"Generally, calling it a poem makes it more universal than calling it an article. If you write an idea in a poem, it may make it into the books." he continued.
"The poem implicitly says that the silence regarding what is happening in Palestine is like the silence occurring during the Holocaust. This is a crazy idea actually! He compared the greatest sin in Germany's history to attacking Iran. This drove Israel crazy. It is a counter narrative to what Israel tries to profess that it is to be the sole democracy in the Middle East, having the most moral army, and fighting the evil of Palestinians, Iranians and the terrorists in the Middle East," Alareer noted.
"Grass shattered this narrative. He points the finger, accuses Iran, the West, Germany and most importantly Israel. He accuses Israel of being the real threat to peace in the Middle East," he added.
Many figures in the West were accused of anti-Semitism, the label Israel uses to intimidate any voice attempting to criticize its occupation of Palestine for over six decades now. The 84-year-old German writer has been banned from Israel following the publication of his poem 'What must be said' last week in the daily Sueddeutsche Zeitung.
"The poet talked about anti-Semitism. He tries to make fun of this idea and concept. Everyone who tries to criticized Israel, including some Israelis, is branded anti-Semitic or a self-hating Jew. He is calling upon his followers to criticize Israel and not fear being labeled anti-Semitic, to break the silence and hypocrisy they are living in the West", he argued.
"The who, the why, the when, the where, the what and the climate in which it was written, were crucial to its impact", he assured.
"Grass broke the taboo of criticizing Israel in Germany. More people are seeing the reality. We no longer have only ordinary people supporting us," he concluded.
The lecture is the 17th CPDS has held this year, aiming to shed light on political issues related to Palestine worldwide, with the presence of Palestinian and International activists.
There was no taboo on criticizing Israel in Germany. This is getting silly. Has anyone ever read a German newspaper around here? Der Spiegel is available in English.
I happen to be reading Alfred Grosser‘s Von Auschwitz nach Jerusalem (Über Deutschland und Israel) [From Auschwitz to Jerusalem (About Germany and Israel)] at the moment. The book appeared in 2009, shortly after Operation Cast Lead, which inspired the book. The author, who fled Nazi Germany as a boy, has lived in France ever since, and has visited Germany constantly since 1945, goes on at great length about how much more freely Israel can be criticized in France than in Germany.
I should add that Grosser has spoken out in defense of Grass and his poem: Alfred Grosser über Kritik an Israel – “Grass hat etwas Vernünftiges gesagt” [Alfred Grosser on Criticism of Israel: "What Grass said was reasonable"].
“Der Spiegel is available in English.”
You’re not getting those Dolphins for free because of your blue eyes. To criticize Israel in Germany is to be called an antisemite and a Nazi. Why did you think there was a fuss about Grass?
” Avi Primor, a former ambassador to Germany,… claims that [Grass'] poem is a serious violation of a taboo in the German public discourse.
Israel no longer taboo in Germany?
“There was no taboo on criticizing Israel in Germany”
I agree, hophmi. It’s nonsense. I’ve posted several extremely critical articles from the Spiegel, going back decades. The view that Israel poses a threat to peace has been voiced repeatedly not just by leading journalists like the late Spiegel editor Rudolf Augstein, but also by German chancellor Schmidt, also going back several decades. He has repeated the same view since and, now in his 90s, is one of the most popular politicians in Germany today. The Germans, esp. the older generations, practically hang on his lips, whether he comments on the Euro crisis or Israel. I have not read anything about him commenting on Grass’ poem. I would expect him to be somewhat critical, though. But no, criticism of Israel is not the issue here.
hophmi: “There was no taboo on criticizing Israel in Germany”
link to stern.de
link to stern.de
We no longer have only ordinary people supporting us
i absolutely love this. it’s extraordinary. the idea that we are the ordinary people and not the exception! yes yes yes we are!
i also love the way he doesn’t shy away from saying it wasn’t really poetry, and i agree. the value wasn’t in the form.
and here’s where refaat clenches it, and note the surprised expression:
thank you Yousef, and thank you Refaat Alareer!
Seafoid is right; their end is near. Time for the Israelis to repent.
Lest we forget, there are 25,000 jews living in Iran, who, despite Israel’s attempts at providing financial incentives to emigrate, have steadfastly refused to leave Iran. That tells me a lot.
There are jewish hospitals and schools in Iran, that are used by both jews and muslims alike. That tells me a lot.
Iran is not an anti-semitic state calling for a repeat of the holocaust from what I can tell.
Yes, the ordinary people have been saying this for some time. The EU’s public opinion polls go back to at least 2003 and have all found that Israel is considered by the public to be the biggest threat to world peace. Here’s last year’s poll–
Now, hopefully, more and more elite voices (those that are embedded in the power structure and are the most indebted to editors, publishers, critics, etc.) will be rebelling.
RE: “Grass shattered this narrative. He points the finger, accuses Iran, the West, Germany and most importantly Israel. He accuses Israel of being the real threat to peace in the Middle East,” he [Alareer] added.
MY COMMENT: Imagine having some Israeli like Lt. Col. Shalom Eisner (or even Avigdor Lieberman) with his finger on the Israel’s nuclear launch button!
FROM WIKIPEDIA [Samson Option]:
SOURCE – link to en.wikipedia.org
What you say is exactly what an American journalist and publisher told me some 20 years ago at the International Frankfurt Book Fair: ‘The Israelis will blow up the world when they deem their state at risk.’
He was a progressive, a Vietnam war draft evader. I still remember his words.
Criticising Israel in Germany.
Okay, you could to some degree. But journalists at the Springer papers (the Hamburg/national paper Die Welt and the large circulation tabloid Bild and others) have to sign a statement of solidarity with Israel (I don’t know the exact wording). There is a written or unwritten journalistic law: don’t criticise Israel fundamentaliy.
For instance: Don’t mention Israel’s nuclear weapons as a fact.
Grass went beyond that. Today I talked to a friend of mine, a politically interested person and she said to me: “I didn’t know that Israel had nuclear weapons, Grass’ poem made me aware of that.”
journalists at the Springer papers (the Hamburg/national paper Die Welt and the large circulation tabloid Bild and others) have to sign a statement of solidarity with Israel
okkkkkkay
This is generally known and Gideon Levy says so in Haaretz, April 8 in an article ‘Israelis can be angry with Gunter Grass, but they must listen to him’:
- “Some years ago, after a critical article of mine was published in the German daily Die Welt, one of its editors told me: “No journalist of ours could write an article like that.” I was never again invited to write for that paper. For years, any journalist who joined the huge German media outlet Axel Springer had to sign a pledge never to write anything that casts aspersions on Israel’s right to exist. That is an unhealthy situation that ended with an eruption of exaggerated criticism like Grass’. ”
It sounds like this pledge has no longer to be signed. Anyway.
“never to write anything that casts aspersions on Israel’s right to exist”
I see no difference to the US. Helen Thomas? The German press was subjected to the Allied Control Council for decades, no? Let’s also remember that there were two Germanys until the 1990s, and there was no common ground on the issue of Israel.
In the years after WW II up to 1949 you had to get a license from the occupation forces, depending on which occupation zone you lived in, to start a paper. But Axel Springer’s staunch support of Israel had nothing to do with that (he was in the British zone as was Augstein and Der Spiegel). It was a personal thing of his.
Once there was something embarrassing when he visted Israel. One of his bodyguards was denied entry. The Israelis had found out that he had been a former Nazi.
- “to criticize Israel and not fear being labeled anti-Semitic”
————————————————————————-
The label ‘anti-Semitic’ has become badge, hasn’t it?
Tonight in Frankfurt, there was a student organized event in support of Grass.
The hall was too small so I couldn’t get in. There were maybe just 200 poeple.
Outside the building were about 7 Jews with an Israeli flag and a banner saying:
“The warmongers hide behind peace – Support Israel – Against anti-Semitism.”
I asked them whether supporting Israel meant supporting the settlements … etc.
At last I told them: “If Grass is an anti-Semite – so am I.” – They liked that.
The event was organized by the Trotzkites. Maybe that was the reason why not so many people showed up, probably not much more than 100.
My interchange with the Jewish guys outside was somewhat funny. They were on the defensive and tried to label me rightwing. A newspaper reached out of my pocket and one guy said: “He has the National und Soldatenzeitung in his pocket.” (National Soldier’s Paper – a neo-Nazi paper).
I took the paper out of my pocket and held it close to ther noses. It was the International Herald Tribune.
Then I told them: Go and try to get married in Israel. You will have to first prove your Jewish descent to get a marriage licence. It’s like the Nürnberg Laws. The other students who were standing around were both amused and somewhat irritated. They probably had never heard that before.
today in zionist israel authorities demand proof that one is a jew, yesterday in nazi germany authorities demanded proof that one is not a jew. the more things change………..
And there is another historical irony to it.
After Hitler’s party came to power in 1933 leading Zionist rabbis like Dr. Joachim Prinz from Berlin welcomed his policy of outlawing intermarriages between Germans and Jews. The intermarriage rate had been high. Of 100 men/women from Jewish families 40 married Germans by the end of the 1920s. That caused alarm among the rabbis. – Obviously they didn’t know at the time what the endgame of this policy would be.
“Obviously they didn’t know at the time what the endgame of this policy would be”
Not just the Rabbis. Do you seriously think the Nazis/Germans, or anyone else for that matter, knew the “endgame” in 1933? Or even later?
No, nobody knew.