If you want to understand how active pro-Israel forces are in the political culture, a good example is the response to Jodi Rudoren’s article in the Times this week that characterized stone-throwing as a cultural practice of Palestinians, without ever mentioning that they live under military occupation and might have a reason to throw stones. The piece has been attacked by among others myself (for being anthropological about a political situation) and Noam Sheizaf (saying it read like a colonialist’s letter home) and Ali Abunimah (“timid, Israeli-centric reporting”).
But it is also getting slammed from the right for supposedly romanticizing terrorism. The Times has published a letter attacking the piece, from Michael Oren, the Israeli ambassador to the U.S. who grew up in New York Jersey–
While Palestinian protagonists are described in detail, their Israeli victims are largely dehumanized “settlers” — no name, age or gender.
And Yahoo news featured a piece by Sharona Schwartz, a pro-Israel writer at the Blaze, slamming the piece by quoting Camera and Commentary and a bunch of other Israel supporters saying that stones are killing people. Schwartz is a hasbarist, but her piece is obviously getting a lot of circulation.
This is how hasbara operates. We slam from the left, they slam from the right. And so Rudoren and the Times can throw up their hands and say, “Well we got it from both sides, so that’s a sign that we got it right. We didn’t make either side happy. That’s what honest journalists do. They both have an axe to grind.”
So we get equated with propagandists. I’m not saying I don’t have a strong point of view. But at least this site is reflecting world opinion: This is an illegal occupation. If Americans were subject to Palestinian conditions, we wouldn’t be talking about stones we’d be talking about semi-automatic rifles.
It’s a reflection of the fact that propaganda outfits for Israel and the occupation are deeply imbedded in the American discourse. Here is Noam Sheizaf on that theme, imbeddedness, and arguing that Rudoren’s piece is an orientalist anthropological hash.
The whole report actually reads like a letter from India or Africa by a 19th century British correspondent – colorful and strong on details, with a touch of “human tragedy,” yet totally missing the story.
How could such pieces be written by such smart people, again and again? I’d like to offer some of my own anthropological ideas.
The typical New York Times reporter is totally embedded in Israeli society. Many of his or her friends are Israeli, their kids go to Israeli schools (the previous correspondent’s son joined the army), and it is quite natural for him or her to view reality through Israeli eyes, which is blind to the ongoing violence that Palestinians are subjected to. Therefore, these correspondents often find Palestinian behavior puzzling or foolish. (Rudoren explains that confronting army vehicles with stones is “futile.”)
Michael Oren also writes: And for the record, all Israelis, irrespective of residence and ethnicity, Jews and Arabs, drive with yellow plates.
The point is not racism, smarty. The point is: what are these Israelis doing there?
True to its swiftian name, Yahoo news gives prominence to articles from Glenn Beck’s TheBlaze.
Now even Abraham H. Foxman posted a comment to the original article…
Here is the comment (almost surreal!) :
“This story underplays the potentially provocative and dangerous consequences of hurling rocks at passing vehicles and armed soldiers.
Many Palestinian residents of Beit Ommar excuse those actions as a relatively harmless form of child’s play at resistance against Israel. The reality is much different.
Stone throwing is a highly violent form of protest. Drivers confronted by flying rocks have little or no time to react, and many innocent Israelis motorists have been injured and some killed by a hail of stones or just one striking a windshield. Yet the story makes only passing mention of this danger, with a single paragraph quoting the perspective of an Israeli driver. I wish the article had provided a more insight into the daily dangers Palestinian stone throwers pose to Israeli drivers and other civilians.
The story paints an almost romantic picture of young Palestinian rock throwers, portraying their violence as justified by regional politics and driven by boredom.
These are not acceptable reasons for an activity which results in numerous injuries and deaths.
At a moment when Israeli and Palestinian leaders are resuming efforts to end the conflict, more Palestinians should emulate the example of Beit Ommar’s former mayor and encourage children to focus on building a future and avoiding acts of violence.”
“So we get equated with propagandists.”
You ARE a propagandist. You’re promoting one point of view. You’re not an objective journalist, Phil, at least acknowledge that much.
“But at least this site is reflecting world opinion: This is an illegal occupation. ”
It is not world opinion that Jews are responsible for the Iraq War. It is also not world opinion that populations who are the target of stone throwing should react with flowers and candy.
“The typical New York Times reporter is totally embedded in Israeli society. Many of his or her friends are Israeli, their kids go to Israeli schools (the previous correspondent’s son joined the army), and it is quite natural for him or her to view reality through Israeli eyes, which is blind to the ongoing violence that Palestinians are subjected to. Therefore, these correspondents often find Palestinian behavior puzzling or foolish. ”
The typical Western pro-Palestinian propagandist romanticizes the Palestinian experience and is generally unable to acknowledge any flaw in Palestinian society or culture because they’re too busy putting the oppressed on a pedestal. Therefore, they often find any criticism, including criticism of Palestinians by Palestinians, puzzling and impossible.
What would Mandela do about stone-throwing Palestinian youths? In addition to abundant charisma, Nelson Mandela, like most effective leaders, was blessed with a high emotional IQ. To break the back of South African Apartheid, he studied the history and culture of White South African – what is in their hearts? Rugby, and especially the National Team, the Springboks. So he worked for an international boycott of South African rugby, which added to the load that ultimately broke the back of Apartheid. Then he gave the Whites back their Rugby, with their own World Cup, and helped inspire them to win it. The country also eventually got the Soccer World Cup, the Black population’s favorite sport.
We read about Palestinian youths finding a thrill akin to competitive sports in throwing rocks at Israelis. “A day throwing rocks is better than one without it.” Clearly, they need a better diversion, one that is not based in animosity toward Israelis. Arab Idol was a brief diversion, but not scalable to a whole generation of young people. Some way to compete, perhaps to win, in a way that instills pride in self and community, but without killing or maiming the neighbors.
The Israelis face BDS, and growing international pariah-hood. What – other than stealing Palestinian lands – is in their hearts? The legitimacy of the Israeli State, perhaps. Being exceptional, and being recognized for it. Succeeding in noble endeavor. Mandela would seek to take that which is in the hearts of the Israelis away from them, but only temporarily, only conditionally, withheld, pending behavior modification, to be given back in even greater abundance, to reward the necessary change.
If Obama seeks inspiration from Mandela, let him understand that he must find a way to hold back that which Israelis love in their hearts. Mandela also recognized that his task was not just to liberate the Blacks from White oppression, but also to liberate the Whites from their fear of the Blacks. Controlling and suppressing the urge for vengeance was one of Mandela’s greatest challenges, and anyone seeking to right the wrongs done to Palestinians must also contend with this basis for Israeli fear. Those Palestinian youths need to take up soccer or basketball or camel racing or some other opportunity to compete and win on local, regional, national, and international stages, and fill their hearts with some thrill other than stone-throwing. Ideally, some endeavor that both Israelis and Palestinians can in the future jointly celebrate, and in which symbols of both can be intertwined in a positive fashion – like the dual South African national anthem.