Mahatma Gandhi Rejected Zionism
by Professor A. K. Ramakrishnan 
.... Gandhi rejected the idea of a Jewish State in the Promised Land by pointing out that the "Palestine of the Biblical conception is not a geographical tract." The Zionists, after embarking upon a policy of colonization of Palestine and after getting British recognition through the Balfour Declaration of 1917 for "the establishment in Palestine of a national home for the Jews," tried to elicit maximum international support. The Jewish leaders were keen to get an approval for Zionism from Gandhi as his international fame as the leader of a non-violent national struggle against imperialism would provide great impetus for the Jewish cause. But his position was one of total disapproval of the Zionist project both for political and religious reasons. He was against the attempts of the British mandatory Government in Palestine toeing the Zionist line of imposing itself on the Palestinians in the name of establishing a Jewish national home. Gandhi's Harijan editorial is an emphatic assertion of the rights of the Arabs in Palestine. The following oft-quoted lines exemplify his position: "Palestine belongs to the Arabs in the same sense that England belongs to the English or France to the French. It is wrong and inhuman to impose the Jews on the Arabs... Surely it would be a crime against humanity to reduce the proud Arabs so that Palestine can be restored to the Jews partly or wholly as their national home."
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Ghandiji was against partition on principle. He wanted to bring people together. To merge countries and peoples. Ghandiji liked the nationalism of humanity.
ReplyDeleteHis vision seems to have been of one diverse plural Palestinian nation with many different faiths and peoples. Was Gandhiji against immigration? I don't know of evidence that he was.
There are a great many things I genuinely don't understand. Immigrants are as much the citizens of their countries as native borns. Immigrants are as loyal, as patriotic, and their countries belong to them just as much. Isn't to suggest otherwise racist?
Therefore, weren't all immigrants into Palestine during the harsh Ottoman Turkish and British occupations as Palestinian as any other Palestinians.
Weren't the immigrants legal immigrants to moved to Palestinian in accordance with Turkish, Palestinian and British law? Didn't they legally buy property in Palestine? Doesn't that mean that they were authentically Palestinian? I mean the Jewish immigrants as well as Syrian and other immigrants of Palestine pre the end of the British occupation.
What is the objection to continue to allow any Jewish person in the world and any person from the Palestinian diaspora to move to Israel, Gaza and the West Bank?
ReplyDeleteThere is intense hatred of Jews in Europe. How can it be safe for Jewish people to live in Europe? Europeans don't seem to like Palestinians either.
ReplyDeletePersonally I have seen more racism against Jews than against blacks or any other group of people in America. If it is that bad in America, just imagine how bad it is in Europe.
Why don't Palestinians talk more about this, so that Israelis and Jews realize that Palestinians are empathizing with them and understand their difficult situation?
Warning!..Verbal diarrhea bouts severe today.. <span></span>
ReplyDeleteanan:
ReplyDeleteIs it possible to make a simple point in less than 10,000 words's essay ?
You seem to confuse the Jews with Zionists . We in here make a big distinction .Whoever doesn't understand this very basic elementary fact is being ignorant and stubbornly stupid.
Your own admission of being "confused" and therefore ignorant deprives you of commenting privilege .
His vision seems to have been of one diverse plural Palestinian nation with many different faiths and peoples. Was Gandhiji against immigration? I don't know of evidence that he was.
ReplyDeleteYou, obviously, haven't read the article because you would have understood that Gandhi was in fact against the idea of European (and other) Jews forcing themselves on the Palestinian Arabs. He specifically denounced the use of terrorism to reach their colonialist enterprise. Or you;re too dumb to gather such a fact which is a strong possibility.
Gandhi fought for the rights of immigrants in South Africa and India. I don't follow your arguement.
ReplyDeleteIf immigrants come legally, and contribute to society, what is wrong with that? I mean immigrants who arrived during the Turk and British occupations.
Post independence immigration is different. But even then, do you think Gandhi would force out immigrants who arrived in 1950 and their children and grandchildren?
Gandhiji in person. To Gandhiji, every human being was omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent God itself. Pure campassion and love and greatness beyond compare and measure. The artificial differences between countries, races and religions were insignificant.
ReplyDeletehttp://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2GgK_Nq9NLw
<span>That was not the point, idiot! Read the fricking post! Read it!! Gandhi is quoted saying that he opposed the Zionist FORCING THEMSELVES ON THE ARAB POPULATION AND USED TERROR TO ACHIEVE THEIR GOALS! Do you understand what that means?!! This is not a normal immigration, ya kalb! It's colonisation!
ReplyDelete</span>
<span>More verbal diahrrea. How is this relevant to the post or to our comments? How?
ReplyDelete</span>