Date: Tue, 12 Mar 2002 17:27:33 -0500 From: Lou Caton <lcaton-AT-wisdom.wsc.ma.edu> Subject: Re: Sharon: in his own words Ok, thanks Wolf. this is surprising. Oz gave an interview on PBS a few weeks ago, and he didn't give any indication that he was a Sharon supporter. In fact, he made a point to say ethnic patrioticism was a sure way to continue the violence. he was sort of making a pitch for his recent novel titled The Same Sea. I think that's the title. Supposedly it transcends every social/political boundary there is. I was actually thinking of using it for a class on cosmopolitanism. anyhow... more to chew on... Lou Wolf Factory wrote: > C is Sharon. > No one is blaming Oz for Sharon's actions of course. > However, Oz has not been as critical of him as one > would have hoped. Rather, he has joined the chorus of > people laying the blame entirely on Arafat and > refusing to acknowledge the intifada for what it is, a > popular uprising in every sense. > > Also having conducted the interview and gained a > better understanding than most Israelis of what lurks > in the mind of Sharon, his silence on the current > crisis is reminiscent of the silence of certain German > intellectuals during the Nazi era. > > W.F. > > --- Lou Caton <lcaton-AT-wisdom.wsc.ma.edu> wrote: > > I'm a bit confused with the interview below. Isn't > > Oz simply reporting > > on what Sharon is saying? No one is suggesting that > > we criticize Oz for > > the violence and intolerance suggested by Sharon, > > are they? And who is > > the "C" mentioned at the end of the interview? > > > > Lou Caton <lcaton-AT-wisdom.wsc.ma.edu> > > > > Wolf Factory wrote: > > > > > By Amos Oz (interview with Ariel Sharon published > > in > > > the Israeli daily Davar) > > > DEC 17, 1982 > > > > > > "You can call me anything you like. Call me a > > monster > > > or a murderer. Just note that I don't hate Arabs. > > On > > > the contrary. Personally, I am much more at east > > with > > > them, and especially with the Bedouin, than with > > Jews. > > > Those Arabs we haven't yet spoilt are proud > > people, > > > they are irrational, cruel and generous. It's the > > Yids > > > that are all twisted. In order to straighten them > > out > > > you have to first bend them sharply the other way. > > > That, in brief, is my whole ideology. > > > "Call Israel by any name you like, call it a > > > Judeo-Nazi state as does Leibowitz. Why not? > > Better a > > > live Judeo-Nazi than a dead saint. I don't care > > > whether I am like Ghadafi. I am not after the > > > admiration of the gentiles. I don't need their > > love. I > > > don't need to be loved by jews like you either. I > > have > > > to live, and I intend to ensure that my children > > will > > > live as well. With or without the blessing of the > > Pope > > > and the other religious leaders from the New York > > > Times. I will destroy anyone who will raise a hand > > > against my children, I will destroy him and his > > > children, with or without our famous purity of > > arms. I > > > don't care if he is Christian, Muslim, Jewish or > > > pagan. History teaches us that he who won't kill > > will > > > be killed by others. That is an iron law. > > > > > > "Even if you'll prove to me by mathematical means > > that > > > the present war in Lebanon is a dirty immoral war, > > I > > > don't care. Moreover, even if you will prove to me > > > that we have not achieved and will not achieve any > > of > > > our aims in Lebanon, that we will neither create a > > > friendly regime in Lebanon nor destroy the Syrians > > or > > > even the PLO, even then I don't care. it was still > > > worth it. Even if Galilee is shelled again by > > > Katyushas in a year's time, I don't really care. > > We > > > shall start another war, kill and destroy more and > > > more, until they will have had enough. And do you > > know > > > why it is all worth it? Because it seems that this > > > war has made us more unpopular among the so-called > > > civilized world. > > > > > > "We'll hear no more of that nonsense about the > > unique > > > Jewish morality, the moral lessons of the > > holocaust or > > > about the Jews who were supposed to have emerged > > from > > > the gas chambers pure and virtuous. No more of > > that. > > > The destruction of Eyn Hilwe (and it's a pity we > > did > > > not wipe out that hornet's nest completely!), the > > > healthy bombardment of Beirut and that tiny > > massacre > > > (can you call 500 Arabs a massacre?) in their > > camps > > > which we should have committed with our own > > delicate > > > hands rather than let the Phalangists do it, all > > these > > > good deeds finally killed the bullshit talk about > > a > > > unique people and of being a light upon the > > nations. > > > No more uniqueness and no more sweetness and > > light. > > > Good riddance." > > > > > > "I personally don't want to be any better than > > > Khomeini or Brezhnev or Ghadafi or Assad or Mrs. > > > Thatcher, or even Harry Truman who killed half a > > > million Japanese with two fine bombs. I only want > > to > > > be smarter than they are, quicker and more > > efficient, > > > not better or more beautiful than they are. Tell > > me, > > > do the baddies of this world have a bad time? If > > > anyone tries to touch them, the evil men cut his > > hands > > > and legs off. They hunt and catch whatever they > > feel > > > like eating. They don't suffer from indigestion > > and > > > are not punished by Heaven. I want Israel to join > > that > > > club. Maybe the world will then at last begin to > > fear > > > me instead of feeling sorry for me. Maybe they > > will > > > start to tremble, to fear my madness > > > instead of admiring my nobility. Thank god for > > that. > > > Let them tremble, let them call us a mad state. > > Let > > > them understand that we are a wild country, > > dangerous > > > to our surroundings, not normal, that we might go > > > crazy if one of our children is murdered just > > one! > > > That we might go wild and burn all the oil fields > > in > > > the Middle East! If anything would happen to your > > > child, god forbid, you would talk like I do. Let > > them > > > be aware inWashington, Moscow, Damascus and China > > that > > > if one of our ambassadors is shot, or even a > > consul or > > > the most junior embassy official, we might start > > World > > > War Three just like that!" > > > > > > ...... We are talking while sitting on the balcony > > of > > > the pretty country house belonging to C. which is > > > situated in a prosperous Moshav. To the west we > > see a > > > burning sunset and there is a scent of fruit trees > > in > > > the air. We are being served iced coffee in tall > > > glasses. C. is about fifty year old. He is a man > > well > > > known for his (military) actions. He is a strong, > > > heavy figure wearing shorts but no shirt. His body > > is > > > tanned a metallic bronze shade, the colour of a > > blond > > > man living in the sun. He puts his hairy legs on > > the > > > table and his hands on the chair. There is a scar > > on > > > his neck. His eyes wander over his plantations. He > > > spells out his ideology in a voice made hoarse by > > too > > > much smoking: > > > "Let me tell me [sic] what is the most important > > > thing, the sweetest fruit of the war in Lebanon: > > It is > > > that now they don't just hate Israel. Thanks to > > us, > > > they now also hate all those Feinschmecker Jews in > > > Paris, London, New York, Frankfurt and Montreal, > > in > > > all their holes. At last they hate all these nice > > > Yids, who say they are different from us, that > > they > > > are not Israeli thugs, that they are different > > Jews, > > > clean and decent. Just like the assimilated Jew in > > > Vienna and Berlin begged the anti-Semite not to > > > confuse him with the screaming, stinking Ostjude, > > who > > > had smuggled himself into that cultural > > environment > > > out of the dirty ghettos of Ukraine and Poland. It > > > won't help them, those clean Yids, just as it did > > not > > > help them in Vienna and Berlin. Let them shout > > that > > > they condemn Israel, that they are all right, that > > > they did not want and don't want to hurt a fly, > > that > > > they always > > > prefer being slaughtered to fighting, that they > > have > > > === message truncated ==> > ====> "All the wolves in the wolf factory paused at noon, > for a moment of silence." > ........from laughing Gravy by John Ashbery. > --------------------------------------------------------- > Looking for something good and original to read? > Check out: http://homepages.nildram.co.uk/~simmers/ > > __________________________________________________ > Do You Yahoo!? > Try FREE Yahoo! Mail - the world's greatest free email! > http://mail.yahoo.com/ > > --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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