From the despair of the Nakba to the hope of one state for all
JVL Introduction
Avi Shlaim was interviewed by Mohammed Shaheen about his book Three Worlds: Memoirs of an Arab Jew.
They covered many topics including the different histories of Jews in Europe compared with Asia and North Africa and how the communities experience in Israel have been very different from the Nakba to the Gaza genocide driven by the logic of settler-colonialism.
Avi explains how growing up,in Iraq has led him to advocate for “one state from the river to the sea with equal rights to all its citizens, regardless of religion and ethnicity” as the most hopeful future and an ending of apartheid.
MC
This article was originally published by Omani (in Arabic) on Sun 10 Nov 2024. Read the original here.
Israel is linked by an umbilical cord to European colonialism and Zionist settlement, turning it into an apartheid state
Israel’s war on Gaza has produced dimensions that were not foreseen. Was it in Israel’s own estimation that the war would last months instead of days or weeks at least, as is the case in its previous wars? Israeli politicians, led by Ben-Gurion, believed that blitzkrieg was the only way to victory and that any long war would jeopardize its existence.
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Defeat for Israel would change everything in the Middle East. Odd though this idea must seem at present, I think Israel’s already teetering on the brink. Any worsening of the problems Israel now faces might send it over the precipice.
The Israeli press describe Israel’s extreme shortage of soldiers (reservists doing 200 days, for example, a long enough absence to damage their businesses and careers); the direct and indirect costs of the wars; destabilising public attacks against the police and government; and recent legal decisions which increase the likelihood of Netanyahu going on trial for corruption and his government falling apart.
Netanyahu’s government clearly count on Trump’s help to give them victory but Trump is transactional. He’d back Israel if Israel can give him the “goodies” he wants at no price to him … but Israel probably can’t do that.
How likely is it that Gaza’s offshore oil reserves can be developed and made profitable while the Houthis, Hezbollah and Hamas are undefeated? The IDF itself says it takes Hamas only minutes to return to the areas it has repeatedly “cleared”. Allegedly the IDF has already taken 4,000 casualties in Lebanon.
If the space opens up for a genuine peace deal between the Israelis and the Palestinians then I still think it’ll be a “2 state” solution based on the 1967 boundaries. The hatred and distrust felt by both sides for the other and the hurt of the losses both have experienced will take decades to heal.
The future for humanity in this ever smaller world has to be living in peace with each other. This essential need joins us all together despite the differences. Indeed, differences can surely be celebrated as we grow freedom for all.
what a clear,sensible and well-reasoned description of what is actually behind the current horrible situation! Keep this handy,folks.