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Total number of comments: 9 (since 2009-08-02 03:08:21)

KatinPhilly

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  • Am I allowed to be a Palestinian Jew?
    • KatinPhilly December 29, 2010 at 3:41 pm

      Hi Mohammed,

      Armenians in Palestine are Arabic-speaking, and are some of the most pro-Palestine people I met when I was in Palestine, but they would never consider themselves Arabs. There are Armenians who are proud members of the Palestinian nation, and have played key roles in the struggle for self-determination. Similarly, Chaldeans or Assyrians, or Circassians, speak perfect Arabic, embrace much of Arab culture, but are proud Assyrians or Circassians, while being loyal citizens of Jordan or Iraq. Similarly, the Berbers of North Africa, etc., etc. Fatima Bernawi, an early resistance leader in Palestine, was clearly an African, but is she any less Palestinian for her skin color or racial background? Similarly, the recently departed Abraham Serfati of Morocco, a true hero for justice and equality in the Arab world, who suffered greatly for his beliefs, and refused many offers to emigrate to Israel - was he any less a Moroccan or Arab because he was not a Muslim?

      To say that Palestine is inextricable from Arabism and Islam is justified to a certain, even large extent from several angles. But it gets much murkier and more dangerous to the cause of a democratic state for all peoples to insist that only Arabs and Islam can be the definitive markers of what makes one a Palestinian, or that they should at least be prioritized. I see that you are struggling with this, and it is totally understandable. All national identities grapple with these conundrums and contradictions in defining exactly what it means to be X, often defined as meaning we are not Y. Many of which can never be successfully resolved; rather, they get managed, often to the detriment of minority populations. Majority rights vs. minority rights, given our collective inability to shed our privileged, nationalistic and tribal approach to the "Other", regrettably remains a ongoing, universal struggle, even in the most ostensibly democratic of societies. It's probably one of the few damn things that unites us all in this world.

      Not all Palestinians are Arab or Muslim, and never have been, and it is alarming how with the rise of a very rigid, oppressive, religious-based nationalism in Palestine on the one hand, and the existence of a co-opted, corrupt, oppressive and pro-American PA on the other, many non-Arabs and independent Arabs feel shut out of the actual governing of Palestine. Then again, being forced to retreat to the grassroots will hopefully be a blessing in the long-run for a democratic state that embraces all its peoples.

  • I worry about what Don Graham, EJ Dionne, and David Ignatius owe 'seminal' Marty Peretz
    • KatinPhilly July 23, 2010 at 6:50 pm

      I am especially disgusted by Amy Gutmann's signature. Knowing her and her writings, this is pure groveling for the donors to Penn. She should be ashamed of herself. And very disappointed in E.J. Dionne, whom I have met and think of as a decent human being and decent op-ed writer, compared to the rest of the sorry-ass pack that write for the Times and Post (Bob Herbert and a couple of others excepted). Many of the others listed here are just dreck, so not surprised.

  • It's a happy day around these parts
  • Somehow I doubt it's a hatchet job
    • KatinPhilly January 14, 2010 at 10:16 am with 10 replies

      It is Mein Kampf (translated here into Arabic as "My Struggle" - Kifaahee). Unfortunately, it is a best-seller in the Arab world. And your seatmate is right - best not to advertise it, unless you are comfortable with people you know. Just like people do everywhere, much easier to blame an amorphous "enemy" or scapegoat for your society's problems than take the time and hard work to logically and intellectually dissect the historical, political, social, and economic reasons for the mess you find yourself in. And corrupt, oppressive, bankrupt Arab regimes, along with their clergy and media lackeys, encourage this one-dimensional and ultimately self-defeating "analysis" of the situation among their demoralized public. When all else fails, or you are just too lazy or gullible or ignorant or already a racist or narrow-minded person, blame a dehumanized "Other", and all sides here (and humans in general) are guilty of this.

      This is a complex situation. I think you should have some people writing cogently about the background and reasons for anti-Jewish sentiment in the Arab world in Mondoweiss.

  • Gaza Freedom Marchers issue the 'Cairo Declaration' to end this chapter and chart the way forward
    • KatinPhilly January 1, 2010 at 6:26 pm

      I am part Romani, so this is not funny. Also, there are Gypsies in Palestine (in Gaza - the Domari), and they are suffering too.

  • Another legacy of 'Operation Cast Lead': 500+ US-based academics, authors & artists endorse the academic and cultural boycott of Israel
    • KatinPhilly December 30, 2009 at 11:08 am

      I agree with you on a behavioral based boycott. That is exactly what these people are calling for. Boycotting institutions and individuals based on their "behavior" - support for an untenable status quo. Duh. You want to make it ethnic-based so as to discredit it.

      And just because you didn't see more names, doesn't mean that there aren't more people out there supporting it, but for various reasons have not signed the petition.

      Finally, Amos Oz and co. deserve to be boycotted because of their unfailing support for every military action by Israel, until it gets "too messy", and their utter refusal to do the hard work or use their privileged, powerful voice to speak out against the institutional and ideological underpinnings of what Israel has become (and this includes the socioeconomic inequalities, rampant political corruption, sexism, intra-Jewish racism, etc. in Israeli Jewish society). Peace Now has done some decent stuff (monitoring the growth of settlements, etc.), but have been totally ineffectual in implementing real change because of its inability to transcend the hand-wringing, shooting and crying ethos of liberal Zionists like yourself. You are all just a tad too comfortable with assuaging your guilt with the occasional criticism, congratulating yourselves and allowing this situation to fester until it will blow up in everyone's faces (not just Palestinian ones). Will you take responsibility then? Will this boycott in retrospect suddenly seem like a pretty good idea?

    • KatinPhilly December 30, 2009 at 12:41 am with 2 replies

      Seriously, Richard? I am extremely jaded after 30+ years of following events closely in I/P and in America regarding I/P, and even I was surprised who signed on, especially since it is specifically about an academic and cultural boycott, the third rail to even many people sympathetic to BDS.

      You are just being disingenuous by saying that this list is "thin", so you can discount its importance to yourself (or you really don't know about many of the people who signed on, but ignorance is no excuse in the era of Google). Yes, too many people I know who should have did not sign on, but the fact over 500 did should have you sweating (people like Barbara Ehrenreich, her son (!), and Adolph Reed, who have never written about I/P). Just like with South Africa, the tipping point for a popular academic and cultural boycott of Israel will come.

      I for one do not support boycotting individuals and groups that speak out and/or organize against the occupation and for a radical redefinition of democracy in Israel that is inclusive of ALL its citizens (hand-wringing liberal Zionists - Amos Oz, etc. - who never met a war they didn't initially like need not apply). But for institutions and individuals who don't, boycott away . It is a non-violent way to send a message protesting this unacceptable situation, one generously underwritten with our tax dollars. And lest you start throwing at us the "But, but, what about oppressive x,y,z country...!!11!", I support boycotts wherever human rights are trampled upon and other efforts made toward redress have failed (and we are talking decades of failure here), including against American companies that exploit and dehumanize people. Cesar Chavez, anyone?

      Your blithe dismissal says more about you and your intentions than the signatories.

  • Formerly-free Fish seems farm-raised in his view of I/P
    • KatinPhilly December 1, 2009 at 5:34 pm

      Yikes! Cary Nelson is arguing in his book (NOT the AEI one) from the "liberal" perspective on PC issues, Phil, which is why I found the comment especially risible, and not in a good way.

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