Hypothesis: Cappuccino Israelis will be radicalized against apartheid
US Politics
Philip Weiss on October 19, 2015 27 Comments
Rogel Alpher, from his twitter feed
Last night a friend reminded me that when he visits our site, he enters a
hailstorm of criticism of Israel, and the weather never changes! Well, here are
two great pieces by Israelis from over the weekend reminding us that many
Israelis also share a desire for transformative change of their society. Ofer
Neiman sent along the first article with the exquisite hypothesis in my
headline, and Neiman wasn’t being snarky.
That first piece is “An Apology to My Killer in the Event of My Death in the
Current Wave of Violence,” published in Haaretz; Rogel Alpher says that he can
only fairly expect to be killed in a terror attack because Palestinians are
unequal and they are justly incensed about it. Something that might surprise
Americans to read. And note that Alpher has no problem with equality in a
binational state. A point I have always tried to make to American Zionists
during their struggles on the Amtrak or the commuter train: Would it really
wreck your political dreamlife so much if tomorrow Zionism went poof and no one
had to die; wouldn’t that be an exchange you’d make gratefully? Alpher says
yes; and it’s his life on the line. Excerpts:
In the event of my death in the current wave of terrorism, in the event that a
terrorist, male or female, runs me over or stabs me, I would like to announce
in advance that my final words are:
I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. Really. What took you so long? Countless
times, while passing a construction site on one of the city streets during the
quiet, early hours of the morning, I’ve wondered why one of the Palestinian
laborers there didn’t grab a drill bit or shovel, a saw or a hammer, and murder
me.
I have never believed in the myth of coexistence in this country. I don’t
believe in coexistence based on extreme inequality when it comes to human
rights, social status and economic opportunities….
I always abhorred tours of Jerusalem’s Old City. I spotted the look that the
Palestinians in the alleyways gave, a combination of humiliation and anger. If
I die in the current wave of terrorism, in talking about me, I want you to say
that I refused to eat the hummus [symbol of co-existence]…
On the other hand, someone who has refused to go for hummus would not be
surprised at the current wave of terrorism, but instead just surprised that it
took so long to come. And such a person’s political position doesn’t change
now, when instead of wiping hummus off their plates, they’re wiping blood off
the streets….
And if my murderers also die, I apologize to them at this time, in advance; not
because I deserved to die, and not because they have the right to kill me, but
so my death is worth something, so it has some value, some significance, no
matter how small. I have no God. I don’t need the Temple Mount. I have no
problem living with the Palestinians as full equals in a binational state or as
a peace-loving neighbors in my country and next to their own. What use would I
have for revenge on my behalf after my death? I apologize for my paltry role in
the injustice of the occupation. Even after my death.
Notice Alpher’s secular declaration re the Temple Mount. How absurd that this
should even be an issue; but it is to religious-archaeologist Jeffrey Goldberg!
And on that theme, Uri Avnery at antiwar.com says that the “real battle for
Israel” has begun, a religious/political struggle between the old-order secular
Laborites in Tel Aviv and the peripheral-settler-zealot-warriors who have taken
over the government. He says the settlers captured the government because they
are the frontier warriors for the society; and that’s how history works:
[A]fter the conquests of 1967, the “national-religious” group suddenly became a
moving force. The conquest of the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem and all the
other biblical sites filled them with religious fervor. From being a marginal
minority, they became a powerful driving force.
They created the settlers’ movement and set up many dozens of new towns and
villages throughout the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. With the
energetic help of all successive Israeli governments, both left and right, they
grew and prospered. While the leftist “peace camp” degenerated and withered,
they spread their wings.
The “national-religious” party, once one of the most moderate forces in Israeli
politics, turned into the ultra-nationalist, almost fascist “Jewish Home”
party. The settlers also became a dominant force in the Likud party. They now
control the government. Avigdor Lieberman, a settler, leads an even more
rightist party, in nominal opposition. The star of the “center”, Yair Lapid,
founded his party in the Ariel settlement and now talks like an extreme
rightist. Yitzhak Herzog, the leader of the Labor Party, tries feebly to
emulate them.
All of them now use settler-speak. They no longer talk of the West Bank, but
use the settler language: “Judea and Samaria”…
[E]ven.. “comfort” settlers become extremists, in order to survive and defend
their homes, while people in Tel Aviv enjoy their cafes and theaters. Many of
these old-timers already hold a second passport, just in case. No wonder the
settlers are taking over the state.
The process is already well advanced. The new police chief is a kippah-wearing
former settler. So is the chief of the Secret Service. More and more of the
army and police officers are settlers. In the government and in the Knesset,
the settlers wield a huge influence.
Some 18 years ago, when my friends and I first declared an Israeli boycott of
the products of the settlements, we saw what was coming.
This is now the real battle for Israel.
Notice Avnery’s respect for the boycott tool. An idea that American Zionists
struggling on the Amtrak and in nice restaurants in Soho are against. (And yes;
Jews in the U.S. must divide, too.)
Hypothesis: Cappuccino Israelis will be radicalized against apartheid
US Politics
Philip Weiss on October 19, 2015 27 Comments
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Rogel Alpher, from his twitter feed
Last night a friend reminded me that when he visits our site, he enters a
hailstorm of criticism of Israel, and the weather never changes! Well, here are
two great pieces by Israelis from over the weekend reminding us that many
Israelis also share a desire for transformative change of their society. Ofer
Neiman sent along the first article with the exquisite hypothesis in my
headline, and Neiman wasn’t being snarky.
That first piece is “An Apology to My Killer in the Event of My Death in the
Current Wave of Violence,” published in Haaretz; Rogel Alpher says that he can
only fairly expect to be killed in a terror attack because Palestinians are
unequal and they are justly incensed about it. Something that might surprise
Americans to read. And note that Alpher has no problem with equality in a
binational state. A point I have always tried to make to American Zionists
during their struggles on the Amtrak or the commuter train: Would it really
wreck your political dreamlife so much if tomorrow Zionism went poof and no one
had to die; wouldn’t that be an exchange you’d make gratefully? Alpher says
yes; and it’s his life on the line. Excerpts:
In the event of my death in the current wave of terrorism, in the event that a
terrorist, male or female, runs me over or stabs me, I would like to announce
in advance that my final words are:
I’m surprised it didn’t happen sooner. Really. What took you so long? Countless
times, while passing a construction site on one of the city streets during the
quiet, early hours of the morning, I’ve wondered why one of the Palestinian
laborers there didn’t grab a drill bit or shovel, a saw or a hammer, and murder
me.
I have never believed in the myth of coexistence in this country. I don’t
believe in coexistence based on extreme inequality when it comes to human
rights, social status and economic opportunities….
I always abhorred tours of Jerusalem’s Old City. I spotted the look that the
Palestinians in the alleyways gave, a combination of humiliation and anger. If
I die in the current wave of terrorism, in talking about me, I want you to say
that I refused to eat the hummus [symbol of co-existence]…
On the other hand, someone who has refused to go for hummus would not be
surprised at the current wave of terrorism, but instead just surprised that it
took so long to come. And such a person’s political position doesn’t change
now, when instead of wiping hummus off their plates, they’re wiping blood off
the streets….
And if my murderers also die, I apologize to them at this time, in advance; not
because I deserved to die, and not because they have the right to kill me, but
so my death is worth something, so it has some value, some significance, no
matter how small. I have no God. I don’t need the Temple Mount. I have no
problem living with the Palestinians as full equals in a binational state or as
a peace-loving neighbors in my country and next to their own. What use would I
have for revenge on my behalf after my death? I apologize for my paltry role in
the injustice of the occupation. Even after my death.
Notice Alpher’s secular declaration re the Temple Mount. How absurd that this
should even be an issue; but it is to religious-archaeologist Jeffrey Goldberg!
And on that theme, Uri Avnery at antiwar.com says that the “real battle for
Israel” has begun, a religious/political struggle between the old-order secular
Laborites in Tel Aviv and the peripheral-settler-zealot-warriors who have taken
over the government. He says the settlers captured the government because they
are the frontier warriors for the society; and that’s how history works:
[A]fter the conquests of 1967, the “national-religious” group suddenly became a
moving force. The conquest of the Temple Mount in East Jerusalem and all the
other biblical sites filled them with religious fervor. From being a marginal
minority, they became a powerful driving force.
They created the settlers’ movement and set up many dozens of new towns and
villages throughout the occupied West Bank and East Jerusalem. With the
energetic help of all successive Israeli governments, both left and right, they
grew and prospered. While the leftist “peace camp” degenerated and withered,
they spread their wings.
The “national-religious” party, once one of the most moderate forces in Israeli
politics, turned into the ultra-nationalist, almost fascist “Jewish Home”
party. The settlers also became a dominant force in the Likud party. They now
control the government. Avigdor Lieberman, a settler, leads an even more
rightist party, in nominal opposition. The star of the “center”, Yair Lapid,
founded his party in the Ariel settlement and now talks like an extreme
rightist. Yitzhak Herzog, the leader of the Labor Party, tries feebly to
emulate them.
All of them now use settler-speak. They no longer talk of the West Bank, but
use the settler language: “Judea and Samaria”…
[E]ven.. “comfort” settlers become extremists, in order to survive and defend
their homes, while people in Tel Aviv enjoy their cafes and theaters. Many of
these old-timers already hold a second passport, just in case. No wonder the
settlers are taking over the state.
The process is already well advanced. The new police chief is a kippah-wearing
former settler. So is the chief of the Secret Service. More and more of the
army and police officers are settlers. In the government and in the Knesset,
the settlers wield a huge influence.
Some 18 years ago, when my friends and I first declared an Israeli boycott of
the products of the settlements, we saw what was coming.
This is now the real battle for Israel.
Notice Avnery’s respect for the boycott tool. An idea that American Zionists
struggling on the Amtrak and in nice restaurants in Soho are against. (And yes;
Jews in the U.S. must divide, too.)