The trap of Palestinian participation
JVL Introduction
Palestinian analyst Tareq Baconi received an invitation to participate in the “Israel at 75” conference and accompanying “celebratory dinner” to be held at Rice University’s Baker Institute for Public Policy in April.
Here, with great dignity and anger in equal measure, he explains his refusal to engage on these terms, to help the oppressors feel good about themselves.
The real question is:
“How can this Zionist power—so comfortable and still celebrated—be made to acknowledge its crimes and move away from its commitment to Jewish supremacy? How might it become feasible to address Israeli crimes and regard Palestinians as human beings worthy of dignity? Perhaps this could be the subject of a conference organized by the Baker Institute; I would be happy to attend it.”
This article was originally published by Jewish Currents on Fri 10 Feb 2023. Read the original here.
The trap of Palestinian participation
An open letter considers the impossible choice facing Palestinians: Participate as a token in conversations premised on their oppression, or be branded rejectionists.
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What a remarkably cogent argument.
The obverse of a ‘petulant screed’.
The invitation itself to Tareq Baconi constitutes a great definition of ‘chutzpah’. It’s a terrific piece – maybe Tareq could be invited to take part in a Zoom discussion over here, within the very framework that he sets out when he asks his question half way down the sixth paragraph, by asking ‘How can this Zionist power. . . .?’
Magnificent. Thanks for taking the time. Worth amplifying, as I will do.
Very strong, very clear
A great letter. Thank you.
Yes!………..but why introduce another proposition for conflict via gender and race? Being white skinned and male does not define the problem and inviting David Lammy and Liz Truss to speak on behalf of the Palestinian people rather than Jeremy Corbyn would not resolve the issue. The 2 State for 2 people ‘solution’ is Fascistic by definition, as is are Nation State Laws that are stimulating even more violence in the Israeli ‘crusade’ towards completing the Nakba. Israel is not only an apartheid state, it is as racist as it is fascist, regardless of what the IHRA definition might proclaim. This is a self evident Truth that only the ‘willfully’ blind will deny.
I almost choked on my own dinner whilst reading the invitation to Tareq – to participate in the “Israel at 75” conference and accompanying “celebratory dinner”. What chutzpah! Tareq Baconi’s reply is a masterpiece of controlled outrage expressed oh so eloquently.
Such a powerful and just presentation
Every person particioating in the “Israel at 75” conference and the “accompanying dinner” should be given a copy of this article to read.
The whole idea of Jewish supremacy makes me wince just to think about. If, as has been pointed out to me, Jews are all arrogant promoters of their own superiority, then how come the individual making that point needed me to tell him I was a Jew? He had no idea. More people round where I live know I support the Arsenal than know I’m a Jew. That’s because I see myself as an ordinary person who,like millions of other Jews, lives my public life in an ordinary way. We don’t hide the fact we’re Jewish: we just don’t feel the need to mention it unless it pertains to a specific conversation. We’re just people. It is at this most basic level that makes Israel’s quest for Jewish supremacy so stupidly wrong: it is petty, it is pointless, it has caused and continues to cause huge suffering for absolutely no reason other than those who are being made to suffer must answer for the one truth that they are not Jewish and should therefore not live where they live, and that is a very bad reason indeed. The day must come when Palestinians are respected as a people worthy of repect, with their own voices deserving to be heard above the noise of the Israeli braying. The day must come when those Jews who feel themselves to be superior to all others and are willing to fight to prove it others will rediscover their own humanity and connect to their non-Jewish neighbours rather than try to demean and degrade them.
Tareq Baconi also has an interesting short article in the current LRB (2 March), which includes a reference to Kim Johnson’s forced apology.
This is excellent. He is so right to point out that the invitation is a clever (?) act of colonization.