The Danish cyclist story may be more important than the flotilla. The whole world is seeing how Israel perceives threats and how it responds to them, so it will question the narrative of Palestinians as terrorists. Here is Zvi Bar’el in Haaretz declaring that “World nations should issue a travel warning to Israel.”
Israel is a dangerous preserve and responsible nations should have issued a travel warning for this country long ago, or at least published a detailed guide of what is permitted or forbidden to do here. Which words or sentences induce a warning growl. A kind of dictionary for tourists in which terms such as “fly-in,” “flotilla,” “Palestinian state,” “illegal outposts,” “apartheid,” “racism,” “High Court of Justice,” and of course, “occupation” will be underlined in bold red.
The guidebook would explain what is likely to cause Israel to bite and which sites the tourist is advised to avoid; where it is permitted for males and females to stay together and where mixed groups may attract stone-throwing; what response a red kaffiyeh around the neck is likely to evince; and what dangers someone wearing red, black and green clothes could face.
…When it was still a small country defined by a Green Line, it invited the whole world to come and visit. But when it grew fat and expanded its living space, it became more threatened and more frightened, and it has designated in lists drawn up in advance who is forbidden to enter its territory. The lists include not only wanted men who plan to carry out terror attacks, but also activists in human rights organizations, at least one German author and politicians who are not prepared to sing in the choir. The lists also include recommendations about who should not waste their money on airplane tickets – for example, a tourist whose name implies Arab or Muslim origin. It is possible that soon, new and much shorter lists will be issued bearing the names only of those who are permitted to visit the preserve.
This is how Israel is turning itself into an enclave of nationalist fundamentalism in which the covenant between its citizens (the Jewish ones, of course ) is not based on equality or shared values but on the ceaseless marking of its borders with the outside world. This is an enclave which does not feed on a sense of victimization – though that is certainly a national value – but rather on a threat, the impact of which is understood only by denizens of the enclave.
Again I remind you that this sort of argument Does Not Appear in the New York Times. Israeli journalists are more in touch with their existential crisis than we are. It is a failure of our discourse, and why? Because American Jews are charged with the duty of guarding Israel, and guarding it means that the sort of criticisms Jews are permitted to utter amongst themselves cannot be voiced in earshot of the goyim. Yes, I know: I cannot blame only Jews, there are non-Jewish factors at work: gentile Americans are inhibited in their speech because of the Holocaust and the fear of being seen as anti-Semites. But as a proud Jew, I need to address problems in my community.
Again with the “Israel” when talking about people trying to visit Palestine!
Do these types believe Palestine has been thoroughly destroyed already? Are they merely now trying to make the rest of the world accept the murder of Palestine?
‘Yes, I know: I cannot blame only Jews, there are non-Jewish factors at work: gentile Americans are inhibited in their speech because of the Holocaust and the fear of being seen as anti-Semites.’
I’d say rather than Americans being silenced by holocaust shame, I’d say there’s a far bigger problem with many very vocal pro Israel Christian groups. For some reason these people get glossed over on Mondoweiss, but I’d say they wield more power than the Israel lobby when it comes to politicians counting on votes.
“World nations should issue a travel warning to Israel.”
I commented last month that someone at the State Department had finally decided to tell the truth about Israeli actions that hinder the ability of consular staff to offer timely assistance to U.S. citizens, the minefields in the Golan, injuries inflicted on westerners participating in demonstrations, closures and raids conducted by the Israeli security forces that effect travelers, demonstrations around Salah Ed-Din Street, Damascus Gate, Silwan, and the Sheikh Jarrah neighborhood, and a long list of other things that don’t make Israel or the West Bank look like very attractive travel destinations, e.g.:
— See Travel Warning, U.S. Department of State, Bureau of Consular Affairs, Israel, the West Bank and Gaza http://travel.state.gov/travel/cis_pa_tw/tw/tw_5677.html
Dear all: I strongly object to the use of the phrase “Israeli security operations” (or indeed to use of the phrase “security”) at all. How was Eisner (or the group of soldiers he was among) effecting anyone’s “security” (safety)? Not at all. Au contraire. For Palestinians and their friends he was an example of “anti-security” or “state-terrorism” at work.
To call armed thugs “security personnel” is like calling military music “music” or “military intelligence” “intelligence”. One acts as a megaphone for the world’s right-wing governments when one uses their language. “Security” is part of the language of the right-wing state-terrorists.
Well, on my list of things not to do…..travelling to Israel is/was pretty high on the list, but I do appreciate the warnings!