Jews of the world, unite!
JVL Introduction
Hold the front page! It is no longer taboo to make suport for Israel conditional!
Thus Abe Foxman, past Anti-Defamation League leader and leading light of the Israel-right-or-wrong brigade; he has broken ranks with himself and says enough in enough!
Palestinian writer Sam Bahour reflects on Foxman’s epiphany and is generous in welcoming it.
As he concludes :
“[W]e Palestinians are still here with our hands stretched out to help you face this moment. Ignoring reality on the ground is no longer an option; neither is failing.
This is the moment when the Jewish tradition of social justice can shine or crash. Let’s ensure it shines, together.”
This article was originally published by Medium on Sun 4 Dec 2022. Read the original here.
Jews of the world, unite!
This is the moment when the Jewish tradition of social justice can shine brightly
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In submitting its CV to the United Nations, for recognition, Israel presented a dazzling array of human rights cliches, none sincerely meant. Recognition was predicated on Palestinian refugees’ return. Israel doesn’t have to be as the present unhealthy fabrication. Numerous better options have been proposed including a centre for committed Jews to come for worship and scholarship, leaving the state to function as any other normal state, representing the interests of its diverse communities, sharing equal rights.
Sam Bahour is being too generous by far. Abe Foxman, Friedman et al may be expressing their pain at Israel’s direction but they are not our allies. Theirs is a pathetic, plaintive plea for Israel to ‘normalise’. To return to the days of ‘shooting and crying’ where those tender souls kill and maim and then cry over what they have done and therefore feel good about it.
More to the point the existing mainstream Zionist/Jewish organisations are not going to move unless we move them.
Prime amongst them are the Board of Deputies, Union of Jewish Students and all those still engaged in a malicious and fake ‘antisemitism’ witchhunt. We have to pressurise them not flatter them.
I suggest that together we organise, as a first step, a picket/demonstration of the next Board of Deputies meeting where we can challenge and confront their ‘Israel right or wrong’ position.
Oddly, I am encouraged by this article, I had begun to think there was no sense left in the World.
An interesting angle on a way to get the Israeli Government to do a complete U Turn on its heinous crimes against the Palestinians but for me, the Israeli Government is too far down the road of ethnic cleansing Israel and Palestine of Palestinians. The list of atrocities perpetrated against the Palestinians, including bulldozing their Farms and Villages, the regular targeted bombing of Gaza and turning it into the World’s largest Concentration Camp, the random killing of men, women and children, with no remorse, not the slightest worry about the World turning against it, shows their target of completely ridding the whole of Palestine of all Palestinians is not going to stop, let alone be suspended for even a day.
I WISH I WAS WRONG but I’m absolutely positive that the only way to stop them, is for the World to come together put BDS in place, stop trading with it and stop them from taking part in any International sporting competition etc etc. It worked against South Africa, it will work against Israel.
A very helpful item and now with appropriately great comments – JVL commentators are sharp and cut to the truth – I find it very reassuring – Thank you
I agree with Tony Greenstein’s comment above, though with one reservation. He writes: “…the existing mainstream Zionist/Jewish organisations are not going to move unless we move them”. However I don’t believe that the most influential and well-funded of these rightwing organisations are going to move significantly on the apartheid question whatever we do, for the simple reason that there are important class and neocolonial interests at stake. By all means let us campaign against their lies and expose their racism and hypocrisy, but don’t expect their collective leadership to change their spots! The only realistic aim is to diminish their influence over the politically naive or uninformed.
The JVL headline to this piece is also a little odd given JVL’s socialist orientation, unless perhaps it was intended as wry humour:
“Jews of the World Unite!” So what should the next line of the slogan be? “You have nothing to lose but your differing class interests!” ??