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Tea & Two Slices: Varmints & The Israeli Hegemony On Outrage…

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by Sean Orr | Nobody is allowed to say anything bad about Israel. OK, so the Occupation started in ’67 and not ’48, but who really cares? And why can’t Libby Davies call for a boycott? Isn’t the entire nation of Norway boycotting Israel?

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There are 13 comments

  1. Regarding your comment: Nobody is allowed to say anything bad about Israel. OK, so the Occupation started in ‘67 and not ‘48, but who really cares? And why can’t Libby Davies call for a boycott? Isn’t the entire nation of Norway boycotting Israel?

    I’m not exactly sure what this is? A random off the cuff comment like yours above makes me wonder if you are educated on the subject/history? I’m sure you understand that Israel and all the issues surrounding Israel’s very existence is complex. Libby Davis made one heck of a boo boo and she’ll never get my respect again. I’m a peacenik (you know, part of the masses of Jewish people all over the world that seek peach in the Middle East and security for both Jewish and Palestinian people) but I also know my history.
    Israel stands as a shield, a nation alone in a sea of Arab countries armed to the teeth. Israel is one of the strongest military states in the world, can you imagine living next to neighbours that want you wiped off the face of the earth? I can’t.

    You’re allowed to say what you want but do so thoughtfully and then the conversation is elevated to helpful debate, versus nonsense and perhaps underlying hatred of Jews. Yes, it wasn’t long ago when Jews were murdered in the millions, and the rest of the world stood by. Israel has a right to exist and to protect itself, like any nation.

  2. Hi Natalie,

    Sean’s comment was neither off the cuff nor random. As you’ve just shown, it’s nigh impossible to be critical of Israel without being labeled anti-Jewish. Nevermind what Davies said for a moment (it was stupid) and agree that the topic of the Occupied Territories has become a touchy minefield without precedent. As a “peacenik”, I also expect you’d understand that a lot of intelligent people don’t dare enter into conversations on the subject for fear of being deemed a bigot, racist, or anti-Semite. It’s a policy debate, for goodness’ sake. When its misconstrued as an indictment of an entire people, logic takes a holiday.

    You wrote…

    “You’re allowed to say what you want but do so thoughtfully and then the conversation is elevated to helpful debate, versus nonsense and perhaps underlying hatred of Jews. Yes, it wasn’t long ago when Jews were murdered in the millions, and the rest of the world stood by.”

    Tell me, how does that rejoinder contribute to “helpful debate”? When one can no longer discuss the policies of a state because blinkered thinking wards away any semblance of good sense, then what’s the point of debate at all? Suggesting that Sean might have an “underlying hatred of Jews” and then referencing the Holocaust simply because he made mention of this same minefield proves his point exactly.

    I’m sorry, but passing judgment on Israeli policy and the actions of the often heavy-handed IDF does not constitute anti-Jewish sentiment. I just don’t see how any right-minded person can connect the two with a straight face. I love Israel. I think it’s one of the most fascinating countries in the world and I want it to succeed in sunlit uplands. I do, however, take serious issue with many of the decisions it takes militarily, just as much as I abhor those taken by Hamas. Does that make me an anti-Semite? I should bloody well hope not. Does the Holocaust need to come up to show me the error of my arguments? Only in a parallel universe where reason has been supplanted by passion.

    Bottom line: rhetorical wars over what I’d call the “right of narrative” are patently ridiculous by definition. Only the easily swayed follow that road, and wow…is it ever filled with holes.

  3. I do know my history. I also have heard the “poor Israel surrounded by hateful arabs” argument before and its complete nonsense. After Israel, the two biggest benefactors of American aid are Egypt and Turkey. In Egypt, the US supported the military coup by Mubarrak and ousted the democratically elected leader Nasser who coincidentally was a pan-arabist. To this day Egypt help maintain the siege on Gaza. Elsewhere, the US/UK (from the very creation of these so called states out of the dissolution of the Ottoman), they have succesfully played the divide and conquer technique. In Syria they supported the Ba’athists, like in Iraq, and we know how that ended. In Jordan, they supported the kings who allow the Palestinians to live in massive refugee camps. In Turkey of course , they are not Arab, so it’s important for Israel to have a non arab presence, and the Turks in kind get help with their own little oppression of the Kurds. The Saudi princes were obviously bought out a long time ago by Imperial Oil and friends. That leaves Iran, who of course are also not arabs. Iran was destabilized during the cold war and the imposition of the Shah over democratically elected Mossadeq. Similarly, non-arabic Afghanistan was used as a pawn against the soviets, leading to the rise of the Taliban.

    Israel has a right to exist. But so does Palestine, and it doesn’t. Hamas is not a government, because Gaza is not a nation. I’m not even talking about the Green Line and 1967, just stop building new settlements and let the refugees back. But they will not, and so factionalism arises, and extremism is the result. Israel is the only nuclear power with the full support of the US and Canada. It is not a weak nation surrounded by evil arabs and the suggestion is borderline racist.

    The point I was trying to make is that if this had been a slip on say, when the DMZ was established in Korea, or say, when The Troubles began in Northern Ireland, or say, how our very own Prime Minister said we have “no colonial history”, nobody bats an eyelash. Of course what Libby is referring to in 1948, is the arab diaspora out of the region, sometimes forcibly by paramilitary groups like Irgun and the Stern Gang, and the fact that unlike anywhere on earth, the resulting refugees have not been allowed back to their homes. It was an honest slip, but that’s irrelevant. Nobody wants to know what she meant. They seemed to be more concerned with her calls for a boycott anyways, which is absurd seeing as how one of Canada’s biggest unions, the people who deliver your mail, CUPW, are participating in a boycott, as well as CUPE Ontario.

    This isn’t really the place of course, I was merely commenting on the current witch hunt of Ms Davies. It’s absurd and would only happen in regards to Israel.

  4. ‘In Egypt, the US supported the military coup by Mubarrak and ousted the democratically elected leader Nasser who coincidentally was a pan-arabist.’

    Sean, your timeline for Egypt is seriously fucked. Nasser achieved power in 1953 after participating in a coup against King Farouk. Nasser died of a heart attack in 1970. He was replaced by Sadat, who was assassinated by Islamists in 1981. Sadat was succeeded by Mubarak, who remains President of Egypt today. There was no coup by Mubarak.

  5. you’re right. I missed sadat completely. but the point is that the US has bought Mubarrak. Forgive me, it’s been about 5 years since I read Power and Terror.

  6. Scout Mag & Sean – I love you guys. What an excellent example of how to respond to an overly zealous poster and set out a rational, mature and thoughtful issue oriented response. I find it very troubling that there seems to be a concerted effort by some to take control of the debate about Israel and it’s actions and cast all criticism of Israel into a false light -by accusing those who disagree with Israel as not merely anti-semitic but seeking the destruction of Israel. I am also very troubled by the way in which rational arguments are cast as anti-semitic i.e. a one state solution would lead to the destruction of Israel and is therefore anti-semitic. These issues are far too complicated and important to be side-tracked by that sort of foolish thinking.

  7. Hey, what about the Uzbeks?? Massacres in Kyrgistan and no one seems
    passionate about that? Nothing on the left, nothing on the right. So much ink over Israel, so much emotion! On and on and on!
    What’s that all about? What’s all the focus on Israel and none on the really terrible stuff going on in Kyrgistan? THousands of Uzbeks fleeing . .
    ethnic cleansing a la Rwanda, folks.

  8. Nobody’s allowed to criticize Israeli terrorism, apartheid and bigotry but Israel’s supporters are to be free to say what they want. The Canada-Israel Committee’s Twitter post on Davies that “Davies’ goofy views must be denounced – Province ed reminds Libby mouthy lesbians aren’t wanted in #Gaza.” Not only is this a personal attack on Davies but smacks of homophobia and anti-free speech yet this tweet wasn’t the subjects of mass media reports, round table “discussion,” etc. (http://twitpic.com/1xjmb6)

  9. pastise resturant with also orchesra in 1967/1971 in persia in pahlavie avenue be for vanak round about. july 10th 2010.

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