Embarrassed for blind Zionism supporters
by Diane V. McLoughlin
Apr. 30, 2010: I'm an agnostic, so don't get me wrong. I'm not using the following quote to try to
shill for any particular religion. But it seems to me that no truer words could possibly be spoken on
the issue of blind defense of Israel than Christ's words attributed to him from the cross: 'Forgive
them, they know not what they do'.
Israel is not 'their' land; Jewish and Christian Zionists are morally wrong to covet land owned and
lived in by Palestinians. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been murdered or rendered
homeless misusing passages from the Bible to justify it, in the same way that the Boers in South
Africa or Whites in the American Deep South justified Apartheid and slavery respectively. When
one asserts that Palestinian land is not Palestinian, what you are telling the world is that you are for
discrimination, oppression and murder.
The process of getting rid of a people is called ethnic cleansing. It is a disgusting racist enterprise
that values one race over another. Let me give you a very direct example of precisely how racist
the settler movement can actually be. In recent days, around November of last year, two extremist
settler rabbis published a book comprising approximately 230 pages that define when and under
what particular circumstances it is permissible to murder non-Jews - including babies.
As translated (link follows):
“Hindrances—babies are found many times in this situation. They block the way to rescue by their
presence and do so completely by force. Nevertheless, they may be killed because their presence
aids murder. There is justification for killing babies if it is clear that they will grow up to harm us,
and in such a situation they may be harmed deliberately, and not only during combat with adults.”
(See: http://coteret.com/2009/11/09/settler-rabbi-publishes-the-complete-guide-to-killing-non-jews/ )
Latuff
So when individuals describe themselves as proudly Zionist, one can't help but be more than a little
embarrassed for them. I'm naive. I have a need to believe in the inherent goodness in most people.
So, I continue to assume that most people who instantly come out swinging in defense of 'Israel' -
some sort of fantasy, quasi-mythical place - must have no idea what it is that they actually defend.
They are like 'Good Germans'. Thing is, most people do not seem to be all that forgiving of 'good
Germans'- Germans who claimed they didn't know what was going on and thought they were just
being good citizens, doing their patriotic duty supporting their country, not unlike Americans who
support America 'right or wrong'.
The only real peace possible at this point, in light of how much land has been stolen from the
Palestinians, with the continual squeezing of the Palestinians into smaller and smaller prison-like
compounds (Jews know such compounds in their European history as 'ghettos'); the hundreds of
thousands of Palestinian refugees who are legally entitled and continue to plan for the day they
return to their homes - is one bi-national state with equal rights for all its citizens.
Imagine: The one thing that Zionists fear above all is to be forced to accept Palestinians as equal
citizens with equal rights - that this would be the equivalent of the end of the world.
It would not be the end of the world if Israel were one nation of all its citizens, both Jewish and
Palestinian. It would be the beginning of a brighter, more peaceful, more just world. This vision
will require dedicated advocacy from American grassroots organizing; America's leadership tends
to follow rather than lead. This brighter tomorrow must come, I believe it will, and we must do all
that we can to educate, to advocate and to encourage peace to flower to fruition.
You are welcome to comment on the above editorial on my blog, here.
If you enjoyed the above indy-editorial and would like to show your support you may do
so via paypal here with my thanks:
home
by Diane V. McLoughlin
Apr. 30, 2010: I'm an agnostic, so don't get me wrong. I'm not using the following quote to try to
shill for any particular religion. But it seems to me that no truer words could possibly be spoken on
the issue of blind defense of Israel than Christ's words attributed to him from the cross: 'Forgive
them, they know not what they do'.
Israel is not 'their' land; Jewish and Christian Zionists are morally wrong to covet land owned and
lived in by Palestinians. Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians have been murdered or rendered
homeless misusing passages from the Bible to justify it, in the same way that the Boers in South
Africa or Whites in the American Deep South justified Apartheid and slavery respectively. When
one asserts that Palestinian land is not Palestinian, what you are telling the world is that you are for
discrimination, oppression and murder.
The process of getting rid of a people is called ethnic cleansing. It is a disgusting racist enterprise
that values one race over another. Let me give you a very direct example of precisely how racist
the settler movement can actually be. In recent days, around November of last year, two extremist
settler rabbis published a book comprising approximately 230 pages that define when and under
what particular circumstances it is permissible to murder non-Jews - including babies.
As translated (link follows):
“Hindrances—babies are found many times in this situation. They block the way to rescue by their
presence and do so completely by force. Nevertheless, they may be killed because their presence
aids murder. There is justification for killing babies if it is clear that they will grow up to harm us,
and in such a situation they may be harmed deliberately, and not only during combat with adults.”
(See: http://coteret.com/2009/11/09/settler-rabbi-publishes-the-complete-guide-to-killing-non-jews/ )
Latuff
So when individuals describe themselves as proudly Zionist, one can't help but be more than a little
embarrassed for them. I'm naive. I have a need to believe in the inherent goodness in most people.
So, I continue to assume that most people who instantly come out swinging in defense of 'Israel' -
some sort of fantasy, quasi-mythical place - must have no idea what it is that they actually defend.
They are like 'Good Germans'. Thing is, most people do not seem to be all that forgiving of 'good
Germans'- Germans who claimed they didn't know what was going on and thought they were just
being good citizens, doing their patriotic duty supporting their country, not unlike Americans who
support America 'right or wrong'.
The only real peace possible at this point, in light of how much land has been stolen from the
Palestinians, with the continual squeezing of the Palestinians into smaller and smaller prison-like
compounds (Jews know such compounds in their European history as 'ghettos'); the hundreds of
thousands of Palestinian refugees who are legally entitled and continue to plan for the day they
return to their homes - is one bi-national state with equal rights for all its citizens.
Imagine: The one thing that Zionists fear above all is to be forced to accept Palestinians as equal
citizens with equal rights - that this would be the equivalent of the end of the world.
It would not be the end of the world if Israel were one nation of all its citizens, both Jewish and
Palestinian. It would be the beginning of a brighter, more peaceful, more just world. This vision
will require dedicated advocacy from American grassroots organizing; America's leadership tends
to follow rather than lead. This brighter tomorrow must come, I believe it will, and we must do all
that we can to educate, to advocate and to encourage peace to flower to fruition.
You are welcome to comment on the above editorial on my blog, here.
If you enjoyed the above indy-editorial and would like to show your support you may do
so via paypal here with my thanks:
home
