Friday, November 30, 2012
Jewish Voices for Peace video. Israel and Palestine. It's not really complicated.
Hey friends-it's time to stop saying, "It's too complicated!" You can't stay on the sidelines anymore. Watch this Jewish Voice for Peace 6 minute mini-primer about why Israelis and Palestinians are fighting, why the US-backed peace process has been an impediment to peace, and what you can do to make a difference. Find out more at www.jvp.org/101
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I appreciate the spirit in which this video was made, but I have a problem with how it opens because it is shrouded in the veil of mythology that surrounds Zionist history. The video passes off the narrative that "the world gave Israel to the Jews after the Holocaust" as undisputed fact, when in fact Lord Balfour promised Palestine to Chaim Weitzman at some future date-decades before the Holocaust. Besides the question about how he had the right to do this, the whole business was done in the context of imperial land grabs at the time of the demise of the Ottoman Empire, not so much in the spirit of humanity, but in the spirit of rewriting the map of the Mideast to be weak and divided. Of course history turned out that England would not be a major colonial power as the 20th Century wore-and warred-on. Still the region has to deal with the scars of its imperial ambitions. And that is why we have Israel. I may be nit picking, but it always bugs me when they tell that myth about Israel's founding.
ReplyDeleteA good point. Would be hard to make it fit in a brief introduction though. Besides, historical accuracy may not be one of their aims.JVP is hardly a staunch anti-Zionist org. Here:
Delete"Jewish Voice for Peace is the only national Jewish organization that provides a voice for Jews and allies who believe that peace in the Middle East will be achieved through justice and full equality for both Palestinians and Israelis. With offices in New York and California, 100,000 online activists, chapters across the country and an Advisory Board comprised of numerous prominent Jewish thinkers and artists, JVP supports nonviolent efforts here and in Israel-Palestine to end Israel’s Occupation, expand human and civil rights, and implement a US policy based on international law and democracy.
http://jewishvoiceforpeace.org/about
I know it's natural to want to support their effort because their hearts are in the right place. The quasi-religous mystification of the origin of Israel is one of the the major psychological obstacles that most Israeli sympathizers must overcome before seeing what this issue is all about.
DeleteAlso, even though the graphics are simple, the story gets complicated real fast-maybe not to us, but to someone who doesn't know anything about this issue-there's a lot of facts real fast. It kind of reminds me of those maps at bus stops that are supposed to get people to understand the issue. I think a simple to understand slogan like: "All Palestinians want is to be treated fairly" is about all most people I know would understand.