The savage imbalance of the Israel/Palestine conflict is always reflected in U.S. politics, and this week the echo was worse than ever. As a genocide unfolds in Gaza with hellish destruction raining down on a captive population in hospitals and refugee camps, the world has turned to Palestine’s side. But in the United States, everyone from the Congress to the Harvard president was obsessing about a fantasy genocide — the claim that the chant “From the river to the sea” is a call for Jewish extermination.
The world is appalled by Israeli actions. The French president “calls on Israel to stop killing Gaza’s women and babies,” the BBC reports. “These babies, these ladies, these old people are bombed and killed. So there is no reason for that and no legitimacy.”
Nearly one-quarter of the world’s leaders gathered for an extraordinary summit of Muslim and Arab countries in Saudi Arabia. Even the Iranian president came, despite Iran’s regional opposition to the Saudis– “to save the Palestinians”– and the Syrian president too. “We hold Israel, the occupying power responsible for the continuation and aggravation of the conflict,” the leaders said.
The summit was aimed at forcing the United States to call for a ceasefire, yet another indication that blind backing of Israeli genocide is damaging U.S. standing globally. As even Secretary of State Blinken seemed to acknowledge when he implored the Israelis to be less brutal. “Far too many Palestinians have been killed,” Blinken said, lamely.
Netanyahu brushes off all the suggestions. He says that if Israel doesn’t stop Hamas, it is coming to Paris and New York. And on CNN today, Netanyahu told Dana Bash that Israel is doing the equivalent of fighting Nazis in France and Germany– so of course, civilians will die, and Bash accepts the answer.
As the numbers of Palestinians massacred passed 11,000– including over 4,500 children — the biggest concern of the Congress and university presidents was the protesters calling for Palestinian freedom, “from the river to the sea.” As if an “aspirational call for freedom, human rights, and peaceful coexistence,” as Rashida Tlaib terms that slogan, is as dangerous as apartheid, cluster munitions, and missiles.
Rep. Tlaib was censured by the House for calling for Palestinian freedom “from the river to the sea.” And notice the brave people who stood by her– the Squad of progressive legislators, most of them politicians of color. The resolution was endorsed by almost all Republicans and 22 Democrats— including Dan Goldman, Kathy Manning, Josh Gottheimer, and Ritchie Torres, of course– but also Steve Cohen of Tennessee, who is in the J Street camp. That resolution contained Zionist claptrap that has justified ethnic cleansing:
Whereas Israel has existed on its lands for millennia and the United States played a critical role in returning Israel to those lands in 1948 immediately following the Holocaust in recognition of its right to exist and as an indelible signal of our solidarity with the Jewish people…
Seventy more moderate Democrats then signed on to a letter embracing Joe Biden’s handling of the crisis, and condemning the use of the phrase “from the river to the sea” as a call to genocide–
a rallying cry for the destruction of the State of Israel and genocide of the Jewish people.
In the midst of an actual genocide, what a farce.
A day or two later Brandeis banned Students for Justice in Palestine over its protests of the genocide, and the school’s president published an op-ed saying that chants like the “From the river to the sea” or “intifada, intifada” somehow, “echoes the Nazi strategy of killing all Jews.”
The Ivy League didn’t want to be left out of this assault on free speech. Columbia banned both Students for Justice in Palestine and Jewish Voice for Peace — “an appalling act of censorship and intimidation,” to be sure. And you better not mention “apartheid” either, that could hurt Zionists’ feelings.
Columbia was plainly bowing to donor pressure. As was Harvard President Claudine Gay when she issued a statement on the “pain and fear” on campus in recent weeks, mentioning antisemitism 20 times and never mentioning Palestinians or Gaza.
You’re not allowed to say “From the river to the sea” at Harvard. Gay:
[O]ur community must understand that phrases such as “from the river to the sea” bear specific historical meanings that to a great many people imply the eradication of Jews from Israel and engender both pain and existential fears within our Jewish community. I condemn this phrase and any similarly hurtful phrases.
So it’s all a Zionist narrative in the U.S., and a very old narrative at that. While the world is focused on the here-and-now in Gaza, and it recoils in horror.
Thanks for reading,
Phil Weiss
Phil Weiss does it again.
No mention of the Oct 7 atrocities (“yesterday’s news”? is that it?) .
No mention of Hamas attacks. No mention of the Hamas strategy of using hospitals, schools, mosques and homes, of using their people as human shields. No demand that Hamas end the suffering.
And, above all, no mention of our kidnapped hostages , including babies , little children, elderly people…where is the demand that they be released? Where is the Red Cross? where is the UN?
Release our kidnapped hostages!
“In the midst of an actual genocide, what a farce” Such an important point. Look over here at these words not at the Palestinian children being killed “on being killed every 10 minutes” according to Jason Lee Director of “Save the Children” on Andrea Mitchell’s 12 noon program today.
Surprise Andrea switched from having one Israeli official after the next on her program the last four weeks. She never says how many Palestinians have been killed. Over 11,000 killed, at least 4500 children. Must be forbidden to say out loud on her program.. She did mention the premature babies dying. She had Kirby on today he says almost the same thing every time he is on a main stream program “Israel is being as careful as possible not to kill civilians” as the numbers keep going up.
It was mentioned that there is no hard evidence that Hamas has its headquarters under the latest hospital being targeted by Israel.
Thanks for what you write and do Phil!
“Whereas Israel has existed on its lands for millennia” Who do they write these myths for?
“O]ur community must understand that phrases such as “from the river to the sea” bear specific historical meanings that to a great many people imply the eradication of Jews from Israel and engender both pain and existential fears within our Jewish community.”
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Why take issue with what seems to be an emotionally framed perception? Finding it difficult to respect that perception exacerbates its significance and even suggests some basis for it. Talib blew a unique opportunity to move forward…. to end this elimination/anniliation narrative
Anyone seeing equality in one state as the path forward should have no qualm clarifying the meaning. Some options. “Equality from the river to the sea”, “Palestinians will be free from the river to the sea”, or “All will be free from the river to the sea”.
A problem may be a lack of consensus on the meaning…. and on future intentions. Debate and discussion on one state or two would also be healthy…. also on a possible Constitution.
This is a unique moment. Both sides have a bad side and have shown it for all to see. Can we get down to the business of co-existence as neighbors? Biden’s 2SS will be rejected by Greater Israel. Time is ripe to appeal for Biden to stand tall. Could insist on their backup. A good time to respect Biden’s request to put an end to subsidies for lone wolf killings of non-military. Biden may see the opportunity to claim a place in history. He’s in charge of resupplying the war effort. He made himself a “best friend”. He just may do the right thing. Let’s hope he will.