Israel/Palestine post 10/7 - follow-on events/thoughts as relate to other countries

Talking of interviews, that belligerent cunt Naftali Bennett is back on British TV to turn everyone watching against the Israeli cause. He's just come up with a new phrase to describe B'Tselem: "self-hating Israelis".

Polling wise Americans are giving up on Israel being armed to the teeth.

Not that it matters with Biden.

Support more military aid to Israel?

Oct 17
Voters: 64-28 (+36)
Dems: 59-29 (+30)

Nov 2
Voters: 51/41 (+10)
Dems 49-43 (+6)

Nov 17
Voters: 54-39 (+15)
Dems: 45-48 (-3)

Dec 20
Voters: 45-46 (-1)
Dems: 36-58 (-22) 👀 https://t.co/yP1Gx3dtiU

— austerity is theft (@wideofthepost) December 21, 2023

"The thing is, though, “God, I wish the Israelis would just kill these people” is something you can sigh into a scotch and soda with your co-workers at the hotel bar after a day of frustrated “diplomacy.” Nobody would bat an eye. It’s just blowing off steam. But if you’re recorded saying it to a halal cart vendor in Manhattan, you have violated the social contract. If you stay within the system, almost everything is allowable: structural violence demands a certain politeness."

https://thebaffler.com/latest/impolite-society-burton

An 8yr old British Palestinian boy has been out of school because staff wont let him wear a Palestine flag patch on his coat. His dad explains what happened.

The school says its apolitical, but when Russia invaded Ukraine they flew the Ukrainian flag & held fund raisers pic.twitter.com/8GUgHIx49t

— Saul Staniforth (@SaulStaniforth) December 21, 2023

I found this commentary to be rather moving and specific in how it thinks through language and the notion of a shibboleth. Pertinent to our discussion of Zionism, River/sea, etc. An excellent read: here.

Zionism is not a Jewish sect, nor a Jewish tenet, nor a Jewish ritual, nor will you find it in the Torah, the Talmud, the Midrash, etc. It is a political movement and ideology based on religious fundamentalism, like, say, Hamas. Often, we call religious fundamentalists “terrorists,” but that’s only if they’re Islamic. This too is a shibboleth.

Zionism has two main tenets: Jews have a sacred claim to the land of Palestine, and Jews cannot survive as a people in a world that is deeply hostile to them, unless they have their own state.

These are two very different things. The first tenet is religious in nature – and as with most things sacred and numinous, it ought to be seen as fixed and immutable – but it is, interestingly, not necessary to Zionism. Or, that is, it is literally nominal insofar as “Zion” referred in the Hebrew Bible to Jerusalem, and often referred metonymically to the larger surrounding area that we would call Palestine. Therefore, Zion and its -ism. But in keeping with the metaphorical usage of “Zion” in the Torah, the founding Zionists were not necessarily committed to a Jewish State existing in “Zion,” or Jerusalem and its surrounds. Theodor Herzl himself, the founder of modern Zionism, presented at the 6th World Zionist Congress the Uganda Scheme – developed by the British – an idea for a Jewish State in British East Africa.

Herzl did, like many Zionists, prefer to found the state in Palestine, but he was looking for expediency; considering the historical plight of the persecuted Jew, he believed Jews needed a homeland in the form of a state, and that that homeland didn’t have to be religiously sanctioned as home; it just had to be established. Therefore, he and other Zionists worked with the British, who they hoped would establish for them a Jewish state. This is because of the second tenet, which as I have said trumps the first: the Jews need their own state in order to survive in a world that is existentially hostile to them.

This second tenet is deeply cynical; it resigns itself to antisemitism as fatalism. Zionists moreover relied on Britain, a colonialist empire that is as Arabophobic as it is antisemitic – and that promised Palestine both to Arabs and to Jews, simultaneously, for the sole sake of geopolitical strategy against the Turks during World War I – to establish that state for them. The Zionists had no illusions about this: “The antisemites WILL BECOME our most loyal friends, the antisemitic nations will become our allies,” wrote Herzl in his diary. In establishing the world then into 2 camps – Jews and antisemites – Zionism re-maps not only the entire world, but Jewry itself. Even Jews like me, who don’t support Zionism, would be considered antisemitic. And in pitting themselves against an “antisemitic world,” the Zionists authorize themselves to commit horrors. Herzl wrote in his diary as early as 1895 the Zionist plan for occupying Palestine: “We must expropriate gently the private property on the state assigned to us. We shall try to spirit the penniless population across the border by procuring employment for it in the transit countries, while denying it employment in our country. The property owners will come over to our side. Both the process of expropriation and the removal of the poor must be carried out discretely and circumspectly. Let the owners of the immoveable property believe that they are cheating us, selling us things for more than they are worth. But we are not going to sell them anything back.”

This plan for naked ethnic cleansing follows its throughline uninterrupted to today. In April 2021, in an address to Palestinian Knesset Member Ahmad Tibi, Israeli finance minister Bezalel Smotrich tweeted “a true Muslim must know that the Land of Israel belongs to the People of Israel, and over time Arabs like you who do not recognize this will not stay here.” Later that fall, he elaborated that the Palestinians were “here by mistake—because Ben-Gurion didn’t finish the job and throw you out in 1948.” And this year, looking to finish the job, Israeli security minister Avi Dichter said on November 12th, “We are now rolling out the Gaza Nakba…Gaza Nakba 2023.” Like it’s a Black Friday event. Like it will be done in the middle of the market.

The resemblance in the speech of the Zionists to their antisemitic oppressors – the fascism, the racism, the colonialism, the vitriolic ambition for land and power – is illuminating. It is like the Gileadites and the Ephraimites, who resemble one another exactly, and only differ in their accents, and in who holds power. For this reason, this is to me the most interesting shibboleth of the three: it inverts itself. Its expression contains its absolute antithesis. The border crossed is not geopolitical, it is a border within the self, it self-trespasses, it self-annihilates. “Anti-zionism is Antisemitic” is the wrong pronunciation: the correct one is “Zionism is Antisemitic.”

yep

IF I thought Zionism meant Smotrichism I too would be anti-Zionist.

Zionism is a land of contrasts

I loved that article, tabes, and thanks; wish that there was more attention paid toward how debates of semantics effectively form a method of filibustering, that afford (the current Zionists-in-charge like) Smotrich et al. their greatest asset— time to kill. As we debate what versions of Zionism we would or would not support, the shitheads who have the funding and electorate power are, effectively, destroying any future concept that “good Zionism” can exist; templates that would propose a contrary future are welcome at this point, until I’m convinced, I remain broadly and vociferously anti-Zionist

Lol @ this attack on Alareer's work.

If you’re going to try to write a hit piece about a poet who was martyred and whose work will be remembered, you gotta come with a CV a little stronger than this one. https://t.co/GH9vuFuFgS pic.twitter.com/j4jsKJDTZ5

— 🇵🇸 timothy 🍉 faust (@crulge) December 21, 2023

Reading this substack on Israeli arms exports and how it facilitates democratic repression.

https://www.foreignexchanges.news/p/a-future-of-walls-or-liberation

xyzzz, I am currently reading Antony Loewenstein’s The Palestine Laboratory, which covers some of what that substack covers plus a lot more— lots of information in it.

https://www.versobooks.com/products/2684-the-palestine-laboratory

There are also some talks and podcasts with Loewenstein floating around. Highly recommended.

Great. Thanks table, will look for a podcast

This second tenet is deeply cynical; it resigns itself to antisemitism as fatalism.

Absurd claim. Not cynical at all and very much based on hundreds of years of Jewish history, not to mention prescient of the holocaust.

"Don't be so cynical. Wait around to get killed."

Don’t buy genocide for Christmas.

🌲Puma distributes its products in illegal Israeli settlements.

❌We BOYCOTT to end the international support that legitimises Israel’s war machine. NO PROFIT FROM GENOCIDE, NO PROFIT FROM OCCUPATION. pic.twitter.com/9VApjSfOzL

— Sisters Uncut (@SistersUncut) December 23, 2023

A Jordanian student in Germany, Mohammad Barakat, 21, was shot dead in Hamburg. The shooting was ideologically motivated in response to Mohammad's social media posts about the ongoing genocide in Gaza. This is the direct outcome of state-sponsored racism. pic.twitter.com/a5CP1zfG5N

— Dr. Shahd Hammouri د.شهد الحموري (@shahdhm) December 23, 2023

CONFIRMED: Operation Prosperity Guardian falls apart as France, Spain and Italy withdraw, refusing to put their warships under U.S. command pic.twitter.com/yVY6cj1X1j

— DD Geopolitics (@DD_Geopolitics) December 23, 2023

Smart move by France, Spain and Italy.

https://www.timesnownews.com/world/mohamed-barakat-shooting-jordanian-student-killed-in-hamburg-germany-after-posting-about-gaza-article-106239759

motive as yet unconfirmed on the barakat shooting (I don't know how good this news site is but there's very little reporting on the shooting so far and this is the most recent thing I could find)

https://substackcdn.com/image/fetch/f_auto,q_auto:good,fl_progressive:steep/https%3A%2F%2Fsubstack-post-media.s3.amazonaws.com%2Fpublic%2Fimages%2F7606796d-e837-4e03-864e-3e8130042e4a_730x688.png

This has been an extraordinarily dangerous year for press around the world. Many killed, many more wounded, hundreds detained, attacked, threatened, injured – simply for doing their jobs. I am profoundly grateful to the press for getting accurate, timely information to people.

— Secretary Antony Blinken (@SecBlinken) December 28, 2023

the passive voice

http://cdn.bsky.app/img/feed_thumbnail/plain/did%3Aplc%3At46sqvutibvsmjgwn6r6izve/bafkreidjexmcjzp7sz3vjrrrxf7vpc2oa4jv3p2h5mvdktk2m26d3drjki@jpeg

apparently they've deleted this bit of insanity

Blinken belongs on a fuckin gallows

Watching news at home and they had an item about the conflict which had commentary from the UN, Israeli officials…and refugees in the Rafah camp. IT was a completely unremarkable clip, just a family cooking some rice on a portable cooker, but the fact that they were given a voice at all struck me as notable.

ICC PRESS RELEASE: The Republic of South Africa institutes proceedings against the State of Israel and requests the Court to indicate provisional measures https://t.co/MMpqoheUtk pic.twitter.com/oeWLtKx4fL

— Presidency | South Africa 🇿🇦 (@PresidencyZA) December 29, 2023

https://www.thecrimson.com/article/2023/12/29/steinberg-weaponizing-antisemitism/

Thanks for posting this. There is a simplicity and clarity to it.

Excellent piece.

Claudine Gay resigning, a bit of a surprise.

Wild.

Palestinians would really love to get the same amount of attention and protection as shipping containers. pic.twitter.com/bT4ikWYeKy

— Yasmine El-Sabawi ياسمين السبعاوي (@yasmineelsabawi) January 3, 2024

https://www.ctvnews.ca/world/imam-killed-in-shooting-outside-new-jersey-mosque-and-the-shooter-remains-at-large-authorities-say-1.6709769

Good.

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/business-67885910

"The issue wasn’t just that our pleas were falling on deaf ears – it was that we were appealing to the very institutions which were responsible for driving the colonisation of Palestine.

With the “democratic process” failing to create change, and with Elbit continuing to manufacture Israeli weapons on British soil, I was left with two options: continue with tactics which were failing or take direct action to shut Elbit down"

https://www.declassifieduk.org/why-i-risked-prison-to-shut-elbit-down/

The South African Apartheid Regime was backed by three countries to its wretched end; Israel, the United States, and the United Kingdom. We can hear the echoes of this history as a free South Africa prepares to take Israel to court for genocide

— Aditya Iyer 🍉 (@Thatadityaiyer) January 10, 2024

The anti-boycott bill is an assault on Palestinian solidarity.

I would have voted against it, but I am at The Hague to support South Africa’s case against Israel.

This is a historic moment for humanity, and a wake-up call for political leaders letting a genocide unfold.

— Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) January 10, 2024

Sad to say I have no time to watch this.

⭕️ LIVE: South Africa begins its genocide case against Israel at the ICJ in The Hague. https://t.co/91IIgwSAgK

— Al Jazeera English (@AJEnglish) January 11, 2024

I must say I find it highly amusing to watch the Israeli delegation at the ICJ being forced to listen (and to shut up) when its crimes are read aloud by South African counsels. pic.twitter.com/muX9QT7u9K

— روني الدنماركي (@Aldanmarki) January 11, 2024

Good thread on what the Israeli defence will look like and how this might all play out

Israel will respond to South Africa’s statement tomorrow and I keep seeing people ask “how will they respond”…l don’t think their legal response will be any different than what they’ve been pushing. They’ll play the video from the 7th of October and centre it on self-defence.

— Arnesa Buljušmić-Kustura (@Rrrrnessa) January 11, 2024

The Left has ab Antisemitism problem. And it's morphing into a Qanon problem and we all know it. https://t.co/gJI2Kmseg1

— Cartright (@Vandalay_Inc) January 11, 2024

That account is retweeting some pretty unhinged stuff about South Africa being "the legal arm of Hamas", among other things.

That's the official line of the Israeli government in fact.

https://www.artnews.com/art-news/news/indiana-university-cancels-survey-palestinian-painter-samia-halaby-1234692712/

Besides all that the tweet is very clear in terms of the point made and the double standard he was arguing about, which is what I wanted to put across.

You want it that way, so there you go.

xp

I agree with you that stuff like canceling the Palestinian art exhibit is bullshit.

I'm very interested to see what the submissions by Israel's counsel will be. The key items of genocide are very obviously applicable to Israel's conduct but the submissions on areas of potential weakness (intent, competence and 'self defense' as a justification) seemed very strong.

The connections that SA's lawyers made between the clearly genocidal rhetoric evident across Israel's political leadership and its mirroring in the language of IOF soldiers was chilling in its economy and a hint at the strength of the case they would hope to make if the case continues to merits.

They cited fairly voluminous ICJ jurisprudence weighted against the use of 'self-defense' as a justification for genocide, arguing that there is no justification for genocide ("Article I
The Contracting Parties confirm that genocide, whether committed in time of peace or in time of war, is a crime under international law which they undertake to prevent and to punish.")

I think there is a cynicism towards this particular case being brought by SA at this time. That doesn't mean it is wrong or that the actions are not genocidal or that other genocides are not going on.

I don't think the tweet is clear at all: it suggests that the left has a "qanon problem" and shares a video of ppl booing a man speaking of losing relatives to a terror attack. The implication I guess being that the ppl booing don't believe the attack happened, which already doesn't follow - but if you actually watch the video, the jeering does not happen while he's recounting this, but when he goes on to say that the motion under discussion fuels anti semitism (a motion the ppl booing presumably are there to support). I'm not saying the ppl booing are right - I don't know the details of the motion - but the way the tweet frames this is not credible.

It's the Livingston Formulation.