Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 11:01:12 -0700 (PDT) From: samia <chemicalis-AT-yahoo.com> Subject: Fwd: Re: Christian Azar (Edward Said's new Article) swedish? I don't read Swedish. --- Christian Azar <frtca-AT-fy.chalmers.se> wrote: > Date: Mon, 20 May 2002 15:24:48 +0200 > From: Christian Azar <frtca-AT-fy.chalmers.se> > Reply-to: frtca-AT-fy.chalmers.se > To: "chemicalis (by way of Michael Azar)" > <chemicalis-AT-yahoo.com> > Subject: Re: Crisis for American Jews, Edward Said's > new Article > > har läst en artikel i NYT tror jag av en judisk > prominent person som > skrev om denna extremism (Wolfowitz fallet) bland > amerikanska mainstream > judar > > intressant vilken polariseringseffekt krig kan ha, > speciellt för ett > historiskt sett utsatt folk > > Christian > > "chemicalis (by way of Michael Azar)" wrote: > > > > http://www.ahram.org.eg/weekly/2002/586/op2.htm > > 16 - 22 May 2002 > > > > Why is American Jewish support for Israel more > > fanatical than even anti-Arab sentiment among > > Israelis? Edward Said explains: > > > > A few weeks ago, a vociferous pro-Israel > > demonstration was held in Washington at roughly > the > > same moment that the siege of Jenin was taking > place. > > All of the speakers were prominent public figures, > > including several senators, leaders of major > Jewish > > organisations, and other celebrities, each of whom > > expressed unfailing solidarity with everything > Israel > > was doing. The administration was represented by > Paul > > Wolfowitz, number two at the Department of > Defence, an > > extreme right-wing hawk who has been speaking > about > > "ending" countries like Iraq ever since last > > September. Also known as a rigorous hard- line > > supporter of Israel, in his speech he did what > > everyone else did -- celebrated Israel and > expressed > > total unconditional support for it -- but > unexpectedly > > referred in passing to "the sufferings of the > > Palestinians." Because of that phrase, he was > booed so > > loudly and so long that he was unable to continue > his > > speech, leaving the platform in a kind of > disgrace. > > > > The moral of this incident is that public American > > Jewish support for Israel today simply does not > > tolerate any allowance for the existence of an > actual > > Palestinian people, except in the context of > > terrorism, violence, evil and fanaticism. > Moreover, > > this refusal to see, much less hear anything > about, > > the existence of "another side" far exceeds the > > fanaticism of anti-Arab sentiment among Israelis, > who > > are of course on the front line of the struggle in > > Palestine. To judge by the recent antiwar > > demonstration of 60,000 people in Tel Aviv, the > > increasing number of military reservists who > refuse > > service in the occupied territories, the sustained > > protest of (admitted only a few) intellectuals and > > groups, and some of the polls that show a majority > of > > Israelis willing to withdraw in return for peace > with > > the Palestinians, there is at least a dynamic of > > political activity among Israeli Jews. But not so > in > > the United States. > > > > Two weeks ago the weekly magazine New York, which > has > > a circulation of about a million copies, ran a > dossier > > entitled "Crisis for American Jews," the theme > being > > that "in New York, as in Israel, [it is] an issue > of > > survival." I won't try to summarise the main > points of > > this extraordinary claim except to say that it > painted > > such a picture of anguish about "what is most > precious > > in my life, the state of Israel," according to one > of > > the prominent New Yorkers quoted in the magazine, > that > > you would think that the existence of this most > > prosperous and powerful of all minorities in the > > United States was actually being threatened. One > of > > the other people quoted even went as far as to > suggest > > that American Jews are on the brink of a second > > holocaust. Certainly, as the author of one of the > > articles said, most American Jews support what > Israel > > did on the West Bank, enthusiastically; one > American > > Jew said, for instance, that his son is now in the > > Israeli army and that he is "armed, dangerous and > > killing as many Palestinians as possible." > > > > Guilt at being well-off in America plays a role in > > this kind of delusional thinking, but mostly it is > the > > result of an extraordinary self-isolation in > fantasy > > and myth that comes from education and > unreflective > > nationalism of a kind unique in the world. Ever > since > > the Intifada broke out almost two years ago, the > > American media and the major Jewish organisations > have > > been running all kinds of attacks on Islamic > education > > in the Arab world, Pakistan and even in the US. > These > > have accused Islamic authorities, as well as > Arafat's > > Palestinian Authority, of teaching youngsters > hatred > > of America and Israel, the virtues of suicide > bombing, > > unlimited praise for jihad. Little has been said, > > however, of the results of what American Jews have > > been taught about the conflict in Palestine: that > it > > was given to Jews by God, that it was empty, that > it > > was liberated from Britain, that the natives ran > away > > because their leaders told them to, that in effect > the > > Palestinians don't exist except recently as > > terrorists, that all Arabs are anti-Semitic and > want > > to kill Jews. > > > > Nowhere in all this incitement to hatred does the > > reality of a Palestinian people exist, and more to > the > > point, there is no connection made between > Palestinian > > animosity and enmity towards Israel and what > Israel > > has been doing to Palestinians since 1948. It's as > if > > an entire history of dispossession, the > destruction of > > a society, the 35 year old occupation of the West > Bank > > and Gaza, to say nothing of massacres, > bombardments, > > expulsions, land expropriations, killings, sieges, > > humiliations, years of collective punishment and > > assassinations that have gone on for decades were > as > > nothing, since Israel has been victimised by > > Palestinian rage, hostility and gratuitous > > anti-semitism. It simply does not occur to most > > American supporters of Israel to see Israel as the > > actual author of specific actions done in the name > of > > the Jewish people by the Jewish state, and to > connect > > in consequence those actions to Palestinian > feelings > > of anger and revenge. > > > > The problem at bottom is that as human beings the > > Palestinians do not exist, that is, as human > beings > > with history, traditions, society, sufferings and > > ambitions like all other people. Why this should > be so > > for most but by no means all American Jewish > > supporters of Israel is something worth looking > into. > > It goes back to the knowledge that there was an > > indigenous people in Palestine -- all the Zionist > > leaders knew it and spoke about it -- but the fact > as > > a fact that might prevent colonisation could never > be > > admitted. Hence the collective Zionist practice of > > either denying the fact or, more specially in the > US > > where the realities are not so available for > actual > > verification, lying about it by producing a > > counter-reality. For decades it has been decreed > to > > schoolchildren there were no Palestinians when the > > Zionist pioneers arrived and so those > miscellaneous > > people who throw stones and fight occupation are > > simply a collection of terrorists who deserve > killing. > > Palestinians, in short, do not deserve anything > like a > > narrative or collective actuality, and so they > must be > > transmuted and dissolved into essentially negative > > images. This is entirely the result of a distorted > > education, doled out to millions of youngsters who > > grow up without any awareness at all that the > > Palestinian people have been totally dehumanised > to > > serve a political- ideological end, namely to keep > > support high for Israel. > > > > What is so astonishing is that notions of co- > > existence between peoples play no part in this > kind of > > distortion. Whereas American Jews want to be > > recognised as Jews and Americans in America, they > are > > unwilling to accord a similar status as Arabs and > > Palestinians to another people that has been > oppressed > > by Israel since the beginning. > > > > Only if one were to live in the US for years would > one > > be aware of the depth of the problem which far > > transcends ordinary politics. The intellectual > > suppression of the Palestinians that has occurred > > because of Zionist education has produced an > > unreflecting, dangerously skewed sense of reality > in > > which whatever Israel does it does as a victim: > > according to the various articles I have mentioned > > above, American Jews in crisis by extension > therefore > > feel the same thing as the most right-wing of > Israeli > > Jews, that they are at risk and their survival is > at > > stake. This has nothing to do with reality > obviously > > enough, but rather with a kind of hallucinatory > state > > that overrides history and facts with a supremely > > unthinking narcissism. A recent defence of what > > Wolfowitz said in his speech didn't even refer to > the > > Palestinians he was referring to, but defended > > President Bush's Middle East policy. > > > > This is de-humanisation on a vast scale, and it is > > made even worse, one has to say, by the suicide > > bombings that have so disfigured and debased the > > Palestinian struggle. All liberation movements in > > history have affirmed that their struggle is about > > life, not about death. Why should ours be an > > exception? The sooner we educate our Zionist > enemies > > and show that our resistance offers co-existence > and > > peace, the less likely will they be able to kill > us at > > will, and never refer to us except as terrorists. > I am > > not saying that Sharon and Netanyahu can be > changed. I > > am saying that there is a Palestinian, yes a > > Palestinian constituency, as well as an Israeli > and > > American one that needs to be reminded by strategy > and > > tactics that force of arms and tanks and human > bombs > > and bulldozers are not a solution, but only create > > more delusion and distortion, on both sides. > > > > Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved > > > > __________________________________________________ > > Do You Yahoo!? > > LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience > > http://launch.yahoo.com > > > > --- from list > postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu --- > > -- > - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - > - - > Christian Azar > Professor, Sustainable Industrial Metabolism > Institute of Physical Resource Theory > Chalmers University of Technology and Göteborg > University > S-412 96 Göteborg (Gothenburg), > SWEDEN > Tel: +46 31 772 31 32, > Fax: +46 31 772 31 50 > www.frt.fy.chalmers.se __________________________________________________ Do You Yahoo!? LAUNCH - Your Yahoo! Music Experience http://launch.yahoo.com --- from list postcolonial-AT-lists.village.virginia.edu ---
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