(YellowTimes.org) – Over the past several months it's become fashionable to quickly label those who are critical of the actions and policies of the Israeli government as anti-Semitic or racist. More recently, this trend has seeped into the center, even into the left, when it comes to discussing the highly polemical Israel-Palestine conundrum.
Some have even suggested that YellowTimes.org be renamed "We hate the Jews" or "The Arab News II," simply because we recognize the right of the Palestinian people to self-determination and a peaceful existence, while condemning the varied and flagrant repressive actions of the Israeli government. Though extreme ignorance and hatred saturate such comments as the ones mentioned above, they provide an insightful glimpse into what many others think, if not express, in less dramatic ways. (See Steven Salaita's "Confronting the extremist mainstream")
Of course, we also express our solidarity with the general populace of the state of Israel as they struggle under the leadership of the militaristic Sharon regime and the ceaseless violence and tension it has brought them; conveniently and selectively this is never mentioned by those condemning our articles and publication. They react, instead, like we've just hurled a brick at a young Jewish boy who had walked by. This also serves to avoid addressing the real points of contention.
To anyone familiar with the propaganda of those in power and their cretins, this labeling and cynicism should come as no surprise. Just as those who challenge the U.S. "war on terrorism" are formulaically branded as traitors, those who question the morality and political/military validity of Israel's "incursions" into Palestinian territory and other policies are labeled as "anti-Semitic" or, worse and more sensational still, "Jew haters."
The extensive and reductionist use of "racist" and its various derivatives as adjectives for those who criticize the actions of the Israeli government reflect the desperateness of those under fire.
Many like to reduce political or ideological decisions to an oversimplified system, whereby they're boiled down to more simplistic, racist ones. (Of course, this is many times the case. It could not be said that humans never act or kill in racist fashion.)
But why couldn't one simply be supporting the rights of Palestinian and Israeli civilians to live in peace? Why couldn't one object to military aggression that leaves innocents dead and does not serve to protect that military's citizenry or to achieve their stated objectives? Does this mean that genuine anti-Semitism does not exist? Of course not. Does this mean that Palestinians are never motivated by race? Again, no.
If we look at the definition of racism we see the following: a belief that race is the primary determinant of human traits and capacities and that racial differences produce an inherent superiority of a particular race. But that's not what anyone I know who is critical of Israel is worried about - race being a primary determinant. They're concerned with political, ethical, and moral issues.
Then why is it not uncommon for pro-Israel zealots to blasphemously call anyone who isn't "with them" a petty racist and Nazi throwback? Fueled by and appealing to emotion, they manipulate the meaning of the word and history itself to fit their own highly elastic and opportunistic propaganda. This strictly serves to stoke the flames of the gigantic bonfire that is the race card. They then deflect the obvious fact that all criticism of the Israeli government, perhaps as they loathe to think, is not racist, but instigated by the respect for and adherence to universal human principles of decency and respect for human life. Why intelligently debate when one's emotions can be stoked?
Their actions, they hope, will stir up enough emotion and reactionary hate as to galvanize the entire world into an anti-Palestinian camp, which will then, with the backing of a "broad based coalition," finally cleanse the Holy Land of their long hated nemesis. Needless to say, this has obviously failed if we consider the climate of the international community.
The purveyors of this manipulative technique and the regime they represent are hypocritical for they happen to oft employ the very thing they so fervently decry: racism. Is it not the Israeli government and her radicalized defenders that act in a more racist and offensive way than those who criticize her?
It seems we're basically left with people telling us that we're racist if we don't support a regime that has an impressive track record of ethnic suppression and racist procedures. To readers of Orwell and history such apparent paradoxes are not without precedent or a dull glint of black humor.
To begin: Illegal settlements featuring armed settlers encroach upon Palestinian communities that are increasingly isolated from each other while being vilified as havens for so-called "gunmen," "militants," and "terrorists." This then further targets them for even greater displays of unjustified force.
Frequently, in rebuttal (as we've seen), Israeli military forays into Palestinian areas result in inhumane abuse and Geneva Convention violations all in the name of punishing a desperate and solitary product of the unjust treatment of the Palestinians as a group who, in addition to already being dead, doesn't even responsibly and accurately represent those who are now the victims.
The IDF is a highly organized, highly technical modern war machine proudly funded by the U.S. carrying out conscious assaults on largely innocent civilian groups in their own homes. The Palestinian zealot is an extreme expression of the pressurized territories harsh climate as maintained and frequently exacerbated by the IDF.
Even Palestinians who live in Israel and are technically Israeli fail to elude the harsh, racially motivated policy of the government. They are treated as second-class citizens, have fewer freedoms, and are, in general, discriminated against. (See Marc Sirois' "The Ugly Truth")
All this is carried out on Palestinians because they are Palestinian; therefore, inherently representing a threat to a pure and powerful Jewish state with hegemonic aspirations for the immediate region.
This is essentially what Zionism is and what Ariel Sharon is pursuing: the establishment of an ethnically and religiously pure state of Israel, including all of current day Israel, the Gaza Strip, the West Bank, the Golan Heights, and - hell, why not - most, if not all, of the Sinai. Presumably included in this process is the complete ousting or integration of the Palestinians as a people.
For the past fifty years the Israeli government has always had this as their ultimate goal. Ariel Sharon has personally been involved in this for decades, most prominently, as general, defense minister, and now prime minister. Virtually all actions and policies have shown this to be the case - whether "pre-emptive" strikes directed at Egypt or continued and inflammatory proliferation of illegal settlements.
It should also be noted that this isn't necessarily what the Israeli in the street wants, as we're seemingly led to believe by the domestic press. Recently, on May 11th in Rabin Square in Tel Aviv, there was a demonstration of over 100,000 Israelis calling for a retreat from the Occupied Territories and denouncing the military occupation.
Those who support Ariel Sharon's campaigns are endorsing this whole destructive process of racially and religiously based suppression. Fortunately, for the ruling elite, their propaganda machines neatly interfaced with corporate media provide more than an adequate smoke screen to mislead just about anyone.
Where is the compassionate, intelligent voice that is able to discern radical chauvinism and isolationism from legitimate claims of independence and sovereignty, while preaching tolerance and secularism?
It is disturbing to see so many zealots cheaply utilizing the history of the Jewish people and idiotic claims of anti-Semitism and racism to not only support their own narrow ideological agenda but also support the Israeli government's indoctrinated racist and elitist policy of ethnic suppression, delegitimization, and destabilization levied against the Palestinian people, territory, and political body.
[Matthew Riemer has written for years about a myriad of topics, such as: philosophy, religion, psychology, culture, and politics. He studied Russian language and culture for five years and traveled in the former Soviet Union in 1990. In addition to his work with YellowTimes.org, he's also maintaining http://www.rottenindenmark.org, as well as being in the midst of a larger autobiographical/cultural work. Matthew lives in the United States.]
