Be ready to imagine a new world
JVL Introduction
Professor Ilan Pappé, historian par excellence of Israeli settler colonialism, projects into a possible future beyond the current genocide of Palestinians and foresees the demise of the “Jewish state”.
In a contribution to the Islamic Human Rights Commission’s annual Genocide Memorial Day in London on January 21, now published on their website, Pappe argues that Israel’s habitual pretext of defence and retaliation can no longer serve as cover for pursuing its racist and eliminatory policies towards the Palestinians.
Pappé says “such projects usually collapse violently and thus it is a very dangerous moment for the victims of this project, and the victims are always the Palestinians along with Jews, because Jews are also victims of the Zionism.”
NWI
This article was originally published by Islamic Human Rights Commission website on Thu 1 Feb 2024. Read the original here.
It is dark before the dawn, but Israeli settler colonialism is near its end
The genocide of Palestinians we are currently witnessing, as brutal as it is, is also the demise of the so-called Jewish state. We need to be ready to imagine a new world beyond it.
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I regret that once again, the role of Christian Zionists and their desire to see Jews colonise “Palestinian Zion” in order to fulfil a prophesied condition paving the way for the return of Jesus Christ, receives little or no consideration. Possibly Biden has recovered some of his fundamental Christian love for all his fellow men, including Palestinians, and believes that the latter should have their own state – somewhere! I do not believe that he wants Israel to stop ethnically cleansing “Palestinian Zion”
An interesting and balanced consideration of the genocide that also appalls me because I’m witnessing that genocide and am powerless to do other than protest and march in solidarity with the Palestinians. So very sad for the Palestinians and unbelievable that our western leaders are complicit in their elimination.
Thank you – It is a relief to hear the calm and considered voice of a good and open hearted human – And this in the face of the madness and the dogs of war unleashed.
What happens in national and international law courts over the next few months and 2 – 3 years will enormously impact on both Israel’s future and the development of Palestine as a state, I feel.
The “Times of Israel” reports worries about the ICC putting out arrest warrants for war crimes against Israeli citizens. South Africa’s successful case at the ICJ raises the chances that top politicians, IDF officers and media voices might be included in ICC’s haul. If some (or many) key Israeli figures face war crimes charges in external courts perhaps the whole fragile edifice of Israeli politics and society will collapse.
An Israel busy fighting itself will lose the capacity for asserting itself on the international stage. Its closest allies may be forced to put more energy into propping up Israel than to meddling in the shaping of a Palestinian state.
The future looks horribly turbulent to me – but perhaps less entirely hopeless than before?
An Apartheid Israel has no right to exist
A Genocidal Israel has no right to exist
Only UN Forces can resolve the immeduate slaughter with direct intervention and security guarantees for both sides
The ICC can deal with those responsible for complicity in the Genocide
Every nation signed upto the convention bans Arms sales to such regimes, the West is already in the Dock
Thinking you have immunity is so last year
Very good. Another factor as the cracks in the Zionist regime develop the decline of the imperialist USA makes it less and less able to support its erstwhile ally. Whilst Britain is already a ‘paper tiger’.
Thank you once again JVL for bringing us this insightful response to the situation in Gaza/Israel.
For those of us prepared and able, to stand back, watch from a distance and wait for the end of Israel as forecast in this thoughtful assessment, there is light at the end of the tunnel. However, for the Palestinians and specifically the Gazans there will be precious few of them still alive and healthy to benefit in any way. I remain as depressed as ever, but recognise that what I think is of absolutely no consequence, given the personal helplessness which must be widely felt.
Israel, as the philosopher Brian Klug has said, has always been about more than itself. This becomes clear if one thinks only just about the word itself for a few moments and all that it connotes. People project onto it what they need to project, quite apart from (tho in addition to) what Israelis and their governments do.
Like John Hall (above) says, I too feel there isn’t nearly enough commentary on the very big role played by Christian Zionism. And there are many more millions of Christian Zionists in the USA than there are Jews. We hear much (rightly so) about AIPAC et al but we don’t hear so much about the influence of apocalyptic Christianity on, for instance, the current US administration.
The US until now would never let Israel suffer a crippling defeat in war, but with the US clearly weakening (over-extended empire?) that might change. I think I’ve mentioned before the comment attributed in one of its versions to Max Planck, ‘Science progresses funeral by funeral’. The old guys wedded to old ideas don’t change their minds, they just die off and the younger ones change the world as they take over. So with the kids coming up in America, and for all I know, here too.
I quite agree. The international reputation of the Jewish State has now been trashed irrevocably. Its days are numbered.
I don’t doubt Professor Pappés conclusions, but what further horrors must the world stand by and watch until the end of Israel as a Zionist state? What if there are not enough Palestinians left to reclaim their land, and where will its borders be? The result of the present genocide will surely be a demoralised, disorganised and impoverished handful of survivors who will need enormous global support, financial, political and maybe even military, to claim their right to a Palestinian state and establish a government, let alone banish the IDF and its ‘security forces’ from their lands?
I am afraid I remain sceptical about the optimistic view of Professor Ilan Pappé. The fall of the Otoman empire disintegrated the unity of the Arab World by other empires, i.e. France and England, which shared parts of the Arab land. England, for instance, divided the land in Iraq to create new borders. The modern form of imperialism that we witness today is that of the US and its allies. It has military basis in every corner of the planet and spread its propaganda on “democracy” to dominate other countries. This happened in Afghanistan and Iraq, and Israel serves as the guardian of the US in the Middle East. They use their economic dominance to influence countries like Saudi Arabia to enter into an alliance with Israel, divides the political forces of Palestinians as it happened in Gaza and the West Bank. It also divides the Arab world into religious differences, shias and sunnis (Iran and South Arabia respectively). I think there is still a long way for the collapse of the empire that exerts such an influence in the Middle East. My feeling is, its collapse will come from within.
Israel’s government seems determined to remove and /or destroy the Palestinian population, no matter what. However, the tide’s moving against them, I think …
“Haaretz” reported the IDF’s “elite” Givati Brigade had refused to return to fighting in Gaza after a brief break.
The video in English from “Hindustan Times” (based on the original “Haaretz” report) said the Givati Brigade had been told to return to and clear the same area they thought they’d already cleared of Hamas fighters. The mutinous soldiers argued they needed much longer to recover from the Gaza fighting and senior IDF officers were making unreasonable demands.
Perhaps the realisation they are the human instruments of what is plausibly world-condemned genocide drives the Givati Brigade’s mutiny? Perhaps they view the total defeat of Hamas as a Netanyahu pipe-dream they’re unwilling to die for?
The video questioned whether an attack on Rafah was even POSSIBLE given this mutiny by at least one IDF brigade.
Very convincing – but please be more specific about alternative models.