Zionism and the Left
Three eons ago, I wrote something here about how both pro-Israeli and pro-Palestinian politics originates in the left. On 3QD I expanded this to a full-blown article about how Zionism ceased to be considered left-wing, for reasons that have nothing to do with the Arab-Israeli conflict.
This is important insofar as it’s always important within the left to sort groups into oppressed and non-oppressed. This is also useful in segueing into the post I promise will come very soon about lived experience; part of the appeal of lived experience is that once a group has been determined to be oppressed, it gets to define its own experience in left-wing circles.
March 13, 2007 at 9:19 am
Mr. Levys’ article on 3QD was an interesting analysis, if, as is usually the case with him, rather long winded. However, his reply to a comment was, I think, more to the point. The main reason why people like Noam Chomsky have been critical of the State of Israel has little to do with settlements or beastly behavior toward the Palestinians. It has to do with their attitude toward the United States, which they consider to be the foremost evil in the world. The United States is bad, the United States supports Israel, therefore Israel is bad. This attitude is a consequence of the Vietnam War which was strongly opposed by the left, particularly those on college campuses who were subject to the military draft (in the interest of full disclosure, I was one of those leftists). This despite the fact that one of the foremost critics of the US strategy in Vietnam was the late Moshe Dayan who, after a private visit there wrote several articles stating that, in his opinion, the war was a loser.
March 13, 2007 at 2:36 pm
Here’s a couple of links that I am sure Mr. Levy will not find to his liking. In particular, the second one proves beyond any doubt that James Earl Carter is a f***ing lier.
http://blogcentral.jpost.com/index.php?cat_id=6&blog_id=52&blog_post_id=936
http://blogcentral.jpost.com/index.php?cat_id=7&blog_id=59&blog_post_id=935
March 13, 2007 at 2:52 pm
Heres’ another link to Mr. Levys’ favorite columnist. I really like Caroline, she tells it like it is.
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?apage=2&cid=1173700686097&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
March 14, 2007 at 11:49 am
There’s no such thing as “pro-Palestinian” or “pro-Israeli”. There are only anti-Israelis and anti-Palestinians.
If you think the rights of one side are important enough to abolish all rights of the other side (i.e. Palestinians should be deported from where they live or Israel should give up all the disputed lands immediately), you are obviously more anti then pro - you just want one side to give up everything.
On the other hand, if you think a compromise should be found such that both side’s interests are met to a reasonable level, you are neither pro nor anti any side. The exact amount and types of compromises one side makes is irrelevant, because its obvious that if the equation isn’t balanced, one side will never agree to it, and then you are obviously anti them.
Simple as that.