Israel & Palestine
I have written anything for sometime but at a wake someone said he missed my blogs because he enjoyed spotting the misprints. let us hope that this blog does not disappoint. I also noticed when I came to open the blog that I do not have any followers, that made me a little bit sad because some of you out there read my blog.
On the same occasion I almost got into a debate about Israel but did not feel this was the occasion for an argument (though I must admit on a similar occasion when someone exclaimed that the BBC was a left wing organisation I almost blew my top). We mentioned Simon Schama's recent programme about the Jewish people. I had said that I didn't think much of the first episode and he commented was the he did not like the last one.
My reason for not liking the first one was quite philosophical, was Judaism the first monotheistic and what were the origins of the religion. Perhaps this would not have made a very interesting television programme and he may discuss this issue in the book. It might be worth reading it, it might cover more ground in more detail,
The last programme in the series was quite critical of Israel and my feeling that was his objection. There is a temptation to see critics of Israel as anti-Semitic which means that the criticisms get ignored but many of the criticisms are held by many of the Jewish population of Israel. What inspired me was an item in today's Guardian about a proposal to destroy some Bedouin villages in the Negev because they are not "proper". I am sure there are interesting arguments about this but they will be replaced by Jewish Israeli settlements. This is the problem, the current Israeli government likes to consistently give propaganda victories to the Palestinians.
Israel is a country that needs to exist and is surrounded by many countries whose avowed aim is to destroy them. Obviously in this situation there is a tendency to be very defensive but constantly breaking International law to build (Negev is not an example but has similar context) Jewish settlements on Palestian land is a good way of losing the propaganda war as well as being indefensible on moral ground. The role of the fanatical right wing religious zealots is frightening. My first visit to Israel was in 1961 and even than I was horrified by the split between the extreme religious groups and the more secular society. As I am Jewish I was often asked why didn't I emigrate, my answer was that I could not live in a country which was so divided between a secular society and a religious one. Remember that marriage could only be a religious ceremony!
Israel needs to survive and to achieve that it has to , in the long term, make serious peace with its neighbours and cultivate friends around the world. At the moment it is making a hash of both. Someone asked why are so many of the countries in the world are opposed to Israel. Probably many countries which have suffered from colonialism see Israel as being a country invaded by Westerners who are colonialist. Every time they build a new settlement on Palestinian land they reinforce that stereotype, the idea of a people fleeing horrendous treatment by the West has been forgotten.
Whilst the settlements continue and the religious right is allowed to flourish the possibility of peace seems unlikely. I know that Israel is constantly bombarded by rockets from Gaze and Southern Lebanon but whilst the building of settlements continues that will be seen by many as a legitimate tactic against an occupying force. We have just had Chanukah, remember it was a fight against an invading force trying to impose its rule on the existing population.
On the same occasion I almost got into a debate about Israel but did not feel this was the occasion for an argument (though I must admit on a similar occasion when someone exclaimed that the BBC was a left wing organisation I almost blew my top). We mentioned Simon Schama's recent programme about the Jewish people. I had said that I didn't think much of the first episode and he commented was the he did not like the last one.
My reason for not liking the first one was quite philosophical, was Judaism the first monotheistic and what were the origins of the religion. Perhaps this would not have made a very interesting television programme and he may discuss this issue in the book. It might be worth reading it, it might cover more ground in more detail,
The last programme in the series was quite critical of Israel and my feeling that was his objection. There is a temptation to see critics of Israel as anti-Semitic which means that the criticisms get ignored but many of the criticisms are held by many of the Jewish population of Israel. What inspired me was an item in today's Guardian about a proposal to destroy some Bedouin villages in the Negev because they are not "proper". I am sure there are interesting arguments about this but they will be replaced by Jewish Israeli settlements. This is the problem, the current Israeli government likes to consistently give propaganda victories to the Palestinians.
Israel is a country that needs to exist and is surrounded by many countries whose avowed aim is to destroy them. Obviously in this situation there is a tendency to be very defensive but constantly breaking International law to build (Negev is not an example but has similar context) Jewish settlements on Palestian land is a good way of losing the propaganda war as well as being indefensible on moral ground. The role of the fanatical right wing religious zealots is frightening. My first visit to Israel was in 1961 and even than I was horrified by the split between the extreme religious groups and the more secular society. As I am Jewish I was often asked why didn't I emigrate, my answer was that I could not live in a country which was so divided between a secular society and a religious one. Remember that marriage could only be a religious ceremony!
Israel needs to survive and to achieve that it has to , in the long term, make serious peace with its neighbours and cultivate friends around the world. At the moment it is making a hash of both. Someone asked why are so many of the countries in the world are opposed to Israel. Probably many countries which have suffered from colonialism see Israel as being a country invaded by Westerners who are colonialist. Every time they build a new settlement on Palestinian land they reinforce that stereotype, the idea of a people fleeing horrendous treatment by the West has been forgotten.
Whilst the settlements continue and the religious right is allowed to flourish the possibility of peace seems unlikely. I know that Israel is constantly bombarded by rockets from Gaze and Southern Lebanon but whilst the building of settlements continues that will be seen by many as a legitimate tactic against an occupying force. We have just had Chanukah, remember it was a fight against an invading force trying to impose its rule on the existing population.
Labels: Israel and Palestine
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