Exchange On Zionism

 

It started with a quotation from Martin Luther King that I distributed.

Khalid Amayreh reacted - and the dialog evolved.

 

---------     Message  1   ---------

Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2001 11:03 AM

Subject: Fw: FW: Martin Luther King on Zionism

 

Martin Luther King on Zionism

" . . . You declare, my friend, that you do not hate the Jews, you are
merely 'anti-Zionist.' And I say, let the truth ring forth from the high
mountain tops, let it echo through the valleys of God's green earth: When
people criticize Zionism, they mean Jews--this is God's own truth.
"Anti-Semitism, the hatred of the Jewish people, has been and remains a
blot on the soul of mankind. In this we are in full agreement. So know
also this: anti-Zionist is inherently anti-Semitic, and ever will be so.

"Why is this? You know that Zionism is nothing less than the dream and
ideal of the Jewish people returning to live in their own land. The Jewish
people, the Scriptures tell us, once enjoyed a flourishing Commonwealth in
the Holy Land. From this they were expelled by the Roman tyrant, the same
Romans who cruelly murdered Our Lord. Driven from their homeland, their
nation in ashes, forced to wander the globe, the Jewish people time and
again suffered the lash of whichever tyrant happened to rule over them.
"The Negro people, my friend, know what it is to suffer the torment of tyranny
under rulers not of our choosing. Our brothers in Africa have begged, pleaded,
requested -- DEMANDED -- the recognition and realization of our inborn right
to live in peace under our own sovereignty in our own country.

"How easy it should be, for anyone who holds dear this inalienable right
of all mankind, to understand and support the right of the Jewish People
to live in their ancient Land of Israel. All men of good will exult in the
fulfillment of God's promise, that his People should return in joy to
rebuild their plundered land. This is Zionism, nothing more, nothing less.

"And what is anti-Zionist? It is the denial to the Jewish people of a
fundamental right that we justly claim for the people of Africa and freely
accord all other nations of the Globe. It is discrimination against Jews,
my friend, because they are Jews. In short, it is anti-Semitism.

"The anti-Semite rejoices at any opportunity to vent his malice. The times
have made it unpopular, in the West, to proclaim openly a hatred of the
Jews. This being the case, the anti-Semite must constantly seek new forms
and forums for his poison. How he must revel in the new masquerade! He
does not hate the Jews, he is just 'anti-Zionist'!

"My friend, I do not accuse you of deliberate anti-Semitism. I know you
feel, as I do, a deep love of truth and justice and a revulsion for racism,
prejudice, and discrimination. But I know you have been misled--as
others have been--into thinking you can be 'anti-Zionist' and yet remain
true to these heartfelt principles that you and I share. Let my words echo
in the depths of your soul: When people criticize Zionism, they mean
Jews--make no mistake about it."

(From M.L. King Jr., "Letter to an Anti-Zionist Friend," Saturday Review
XLVII (Aug. 1967), p. 76. Reprinted in M.L. King Jr., "This I Believe:
Selections from the Writings of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.")

 

---------     Message  2   ---------

To:  Asher Shla'in 

Sent: Sunday, October 28, 2001 1:47 PM

Subject: Re: Fw: FW: Martin Luther King on Zionism

 

Martin Luther King was not a prophet from God. He had some Zionist friends who influenced his thought. Besides, he was deeply disinformed and misinformed about the situation in Palestine. He simply didn't have access to the other side of the story. He acted like a judge who issued a verdict based on hearing the testimony of only one side. I'm sure, had King realized that the injustice done to the Palestinian people exceeded that which the Blacks suffered in America, he would have changed his mind.

Gandhi was better informed; he refused to endorse Zionism, a movement born in Europe and styled after European fascist movements.

One can be anti-Zionist without being anti-Jewish. There are thousands of Jews who are anti-Zionist. Judaism is a religion, Zionism is a political ideology, and every political ideology on earth is subject to criticism.


Khalid

---------     Message  3   ---------

To: Khalid Amayreh

Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 2:34 AM

Subject: Re: Fw: FW: Martin Luther King on Zionism

 

Dear Khalid.

 

Thank you so much for responding.

I hoped you would answer, and I also expected the spirit in which you did.

 

Now I wish to share with you some of my own thoughts about Zionism and anti-Zionism.

 

Zionism in essence is the modern practical version of the connection between the Jews of the world and the Land of Israel (Identified as "Palestine" at the time).  It preceded Fascism in many years, and was formed very much around the concept of "nation" that had emerged in Europe at the collapse of Feudalistic institution.  In the Ottoman Empire, nationalism still was not present when Zionists first showed up in Palestine.

 

I personally view as tragic the fact that Zionism did not develop enough broad-mindedness to understand that the indigenous population here should not be regarded as foreign (though there were many Zionists who acted in much better way).    Yet, some (by no means all) of the Arab leaders defined their new-born nationalism as anti-Zionist. Tragically, the prominent person who underlined Arab Palestinian nationalism, Haj Amin Al-Husseini, did give it a Fascist and Nazi character (which is reflected in the conditions within the PNA area to this day).  Zionist Israel is the most Democratic society in the Middle East - though there is still much to improve.

 

Although the majority of the present Palestinian population seems to have arrived to Palestine after the start of Zionism, I think that Zionism needs to be reformed in order to accept all the Palestinians as brethren and partners - this without losing the connection to world Jewry.   The present situation is far from helping in such a program even among Jews.   

 

I can confirm that in the past, much damage and suffering of Palestinian population was brought about by policies based on "Zionistic" considerations.  Part of it was fed also on the antagonism that was led by Arab leadership, which reached severe murderous activities.  All of that was quite tragic. The most influential leaders did not rise to the necessary degree of wisdom (in this respect the picture is not very different nowadays).

 

At present, so I view it, the Palestinian ordeal stems mainly from the conduct of political leaders who chose to put their own people in distress, trying to secure political achievements. The deliberate demonization and inhumanization of the Jews, which is well-supported by Palestinian authorities poisons the Palestinian culture and sows the seeds to even greater disaster.    Potential opposition to such policies is suppressed by means of inner terror, and the result nourishes the despair in the Israeli public of any peaceful solution to this situation.   Mind you, the Israeli citizen is not afraid to speak his mind; for many years power shifted between two political camps. Our "man of the street" is not necessarily wise or fair - but for sure he is free to express his opinion and act on it.

 

I do not hope to turn you into a Zionist (though I would not object to that), but I want to show that Zionism in its pure essence is very natural for a Jew, especially for an Israeli.  Judaism is known as a religion, but for most Jews, I think, it is also a nationality. Our People bore in history also names like "Hebrews", "Israel", "People of the Book".   Our ancient history included generations in which our forefathers worshiped idols. In our modern history, we meet many non-religious, even "secular", Jews who still identify with the Jewish People.   The Jewish religion used to be a major component of out culture, but it cannot define us fully.    Zionism is now our main national ideology, and yes, it may be criticized.  Yet it prevailed upon alternative ideologies because it gave the most effective answer to the national needs of the Jews. The establishment of the State of Israel and the impact on Jewish demography were the evidence.

 

As I already admitted, the implementation of this ideology was in important respects unwise and inconsiderate, but it retained the main feature connecting all Jews of the world to one another and to this Land.

 

Many Jews do not share the Zionist idea, and are either sympathetic or indifferent towards the Zionist enterprise.

As for real anti-Zionist Jews, let me say how they are distributed.

There are those Jews abroad who wish to be integrated into the local society and fear that Jewish nationality could be an obstacle to that. I think that nowadays their number is quite low.

There are some religious communities who oppose practical steps towards Jewish political independence. They maintain the situation of exile and wait for miraculous salvation when the Messiah will come. Then, of course, Jews are meant to prevail over all the non-Jews and take the whole Land of Israel.  In the present, some of them co-operate with enemies of Israel in order to help undermining the "rebellious" premature state.

There are even Israeli secular Jews who are anti-Zionist. Some of them are ready to do without the state in which they live; some deny the special connection between Israel and World Jewry.  There may be some thousands of them, but I think they will remain marginal.

 

My personal conclusion is to criticize policies of narrow-minded Zionists, and maintain the grand idea which gives life to my nationality.

 

Yours, with great respect,

 

Asher  

 

 

---------     Message  4   ---------

To:  Asher Shla'in

Sent: Wednesday, October 31, 2001 10:10 AM

Subject: Re: Fw: FW: Martin Luther King on Zionism

 

Shalom Asher: Thank you for writing. I've read your remarks, and I can identify with your seemingly genuine desire to see Israel treat non-Jews as brethren. As you know, this is the crux of the matter. Indeed, had the Zionists done such a thing in their formative years, Palestinian nationalism probably wouldn't have appeared. But that is a different matter.

Never the less, I want to make my own remarks regarding Zionism, Israel, Arab nationalism and democracy.

I agree with you that Jews had always longed for Palestine, but Zionism, as a full-fledged political ideology, developed only in the late 19th century. Many of the founders and theoreticians of Zionism were actually secularists and atheists, and the Zionism they created and formulated was very much made along the lines of contemporary European movements, which were very much fascist in one way or the other. Some of the founders of Zionism actually looked at religious Judaism with contempt, thus alienating many religious Jews (Agudat Yisrael, for example.)

I know that you in Israel are discouraged to read about the negative aspects and records of Zionism. Israeli school children wouldn't know, for example, that the forefathers of Zionism had foreseen the expulsion of the natives. Zionism is only to be glorified. Anything else is blasphemy.

The truth of the matter is that Zionist dehumanization of Arabs was only (in part) due to Arab rejection of Zionism, a rejection that had been foreseen from the very inception.

Otherwise, stripping of Arabs of their lands and rights was a sin-qua-non for the success of Zionism. Zionist leaders then realized that "dispossessing the Arabs" was bad, immoral, racist and fascist, but they, nonetheless, did it. In short, Zionism couldn't have developed along non-fascist lines. Fascism was the environment of its birth and formative years. Fascism was the Lingua franca of that era, and Zionism didn't live in isolation.

I believe it is essential to make a distinction between anti-Zionism as a reaction to real or perceived injustices, and anti-Semitism. Arab anti-Zionism was a natural reaction to the "looming dangers of Zionism." And whatever contacts Haj Amin Husseini had with the Nazis were only in the context of his desperate efforts to save his country. Jews, too, collaborated with the Nazis, to save Jews...and occasionally to expedite Zionism. And with the exception of a few "treacherous figures," those Zionists were not stigmatized as traitors.

Regarding your remark that the majority of the present Palestinian population came to Palestine in later years. Well, this has always been the case throughout the Ottoman empire. People could move anywhere they wanted. Jews did the same thing. Many Palestinians moved to other countries. Others came to Palestine. The important thing is that Palestine had never been a land without a people.

I disagree with you that Israel is a democracy. Israel is an apartheid state which can't be a democracy. The moment Israel is defined as a Jewish state, it ceases to become a democracy. It is simply an oxymoron to have "a Jewish state and a democratic state at the same time." Besides, you know that there are many laws in Israel that apply only to a segment of the population. In Hebron, for example, if an Arab and a Jews are caught in a quarrel, they are not prosecuted in accordance with the same laws. Apartheid is even uglier in reality. You know that.

Asher, a true democracy does not discriminate against those of a different religion or ethnicity. A true democracy, doesn't grant "Yitzhak" all the water he wants while leaving his neighbor, "Is'hak" thirsty!... just to give a few examples.

I know that there is "nationality" and "citizenship" in Israel. And I know that "nationality" (being a Jew) is the paramount thing. Hence, the apartheid.

In a nutshell, Zionism is not criticized because of its umbilical connections with Judaism, but rather because of its racist ideas and ugly practices. Zionism, as such, will always be unacceptable to Palestinians, Arabs and Muslims. The Zionist narrative will always be the antithesis of our narrative. The two are inherently incompatible. They can't reconcile.

What is the solution? As you said, Arabs and Jews living as brethren, as equals. This would require the dismantling of Zionism.

With respect and good will

Khalid

---------     Message  5   ---------

To: Khalid Amayreh

Sent: Monday, November 05, 2001 4:58 AM

Subject: Re: on Zionism

 

Dear Khalid.

I am glad to continue our discourse. Again I wish to comment on your important remarks.

...

 

The Zionist movement was from its very beginning a coalition of ardent "secularists" with religious observant Jews and people of differing amounts of connection to tradition.   Zionism used to be always a culture full of contradictions. In fact, one of its strengths was he ability to operate towards common goal even when each one has his own picture of the future.

Agudath Yisrael was in fact formed as a reaction to Zionism, not because it was secular, but because they thought that some ancient opinion obliges Jews to wait to the miraculous Messiah, and refrain from practical political activity.   In fact, they resented the religious Zionists more than the secular ones. 

 

Maybe in the great variety of opinions among the Zionists there were some who foresaw expulsion of non-Jews, but no such one comes to my mind right now.    On the other end, there was a prevalent trend of alienating the indigenous people - though for sure there were different trends too - and as I have stated, I regard this trend as erroneous morally and practically.

This trend was not outstanding in the European culture at the time; but for sure, the actual relations between Arabs and Jews, Zionists included, used to generate much generosity, dignity, cooperation, learning, loyalty - which were marred by the political conflict between societies and within each society.

 

The word "dehumanization" does not characterize the attitude of most Zionists in spite of severe blows inflicted by Palestinians.  This is the situation even now, when sheer dehumanization does characterize much of the public Palestinian discourse about Jews.  The Jews, especially in time of conflict, may tend to disregard interests and even rights of another group - a phenomenon regretfully most prevalent all over the Human race to this day. 

 

I, for one, was raised on the idea that this is our land, and that the Arabs can in principle find their place in the Jewish state. At that time the Arabs were majority, and no one expected a war that would change the demography. People did not speak then about massive expulsion, but rather on building of strong society that would absorb masses of immigrants and counter-balance the Arab population.

Now I realize the faults in that view - but this is wisdom after reality had its say.  I guess that Palestinians can have such after-wisdoms of their own too...

 

All this cannot of course put out my Zionist flame.  My Zionism is the conviction that I belong here - I and my Jewish people, that the Jews of the world are my brethren, and that in being Israeli I fulfill a major role in Jewish History. Dismantling of this Zionism is for me out of question.

 

Many Zionists revealed their opinion that Palestinian dignity and needs are compatible with Jewish ones, as long as the existence of the state of Israel is not endangered.  I am opposed to many of these Zionists because I think that their plan is dangerous and not feasible.  I suggest a different approach, based on my fantasy that "my Zionism" (as I defined it above) can be made compatible with much Palestinian dignity and needs.  I dare to put forward a fantasy, because it seems to me more realistic than the Oslo vision that brought disaster over this land, especially over Palestinians.

 

As for the contacts Haj Amin Husseini had with the Nazis - the issue is not just an alliance based on mere mutual interest (like the alliance between Bulgaria and Nazi Germany), What Husseini did was to encourage the Nazis to exterminate Jews. His anti-Zionism became a crime against the Jewish masses of Europe, most of them non-Zionists at the time.

 

My claim was that "Zionist Israel is the most Democratic society in the Middle East - though there is still much to improve".   I realize that it is far from perfect, but I think that it is not an oxymoron to have "a Jewish state and a democratic state at the same time".  It is very natural for states to be established along national lines, and the use of the state to uphold national identity and culture does not make it non-democratic.  Of course, civil and other rights of minorities should be preserved, and in normal situation it need not damage the destiny of the state.   In our reality, much of the abuse to human rights happen (not Justified) on the background of a severe national conflict.

 

It is possible that the actual policies towards the Palestinian population, even in more quite days, were foolish and unjust.  Such are and should be criticized.   How sad it is that similar criticism cannot be directed from within towards Palestinian leaders, because it is not safe to do so.

 

That is why I am ready to bear with your line of argument even though we are not conducting a proper symmetrical dialogue.

 

I thank you for your remarks which encouraged me to clarify my attitudes.

 

Yours with best regards,

 

Asher 

 

 

 

---------     Message  6   ---------

To:  Asher Shla'in 

Sent: Tuesday, November 06, 2001 12:27 AM

Subject: Re: on Zionism

 

Dear Asher: Shalom to you: Although I'm a full-time journalist, I'm quite happy to have the time to share with you my views on the subjects at hand. I know that Zionism encompassed peoples from various backgrounds and with various orientations. However, my point was, and still is, that Zionism, from the very beginning, foresaw the expulsion of the Arabs from "Eretz Yisrael." The advocates of expulsion were not few in number or small in influence. They represented the general consensus within the Zionist movement. I've thoroughly researched this matter, and reached the lamentable conclusion.

Hence, Zionism from the outset was and wanted to be exclusive, particularistic, and ultimately racist. Zionism saw Jews as a race, as a nationality. It remains an uncomfortable fact that only two groups considered Jews a race, the anti-Semites (e.g. Nazis), and the Zionists.

I think the element of dehumanization existed all along in the Zionist perception of the Arabs. Yes, some pioneering Zionists worked and intermixed with the Arabs, and occasionally helped some Fallahin (especially in the medical field) in the 1920s and early 1930s. They wanted to have a modus vivendi with the Arabs, because it was a political necessity to so. This, however, doesn't alter the fact that Zionist planners saw Arab presence in Palestine as transient, at least in the long run.

As for Palestinian dehumanization of Jews, I sincerely believe it is "reactive in nature." It can't be innate, or congenital. (you saw my posting).

I'm not a student of Haj Amin Husseini. However, I understand that he was trying to save his country. Yes, he sought to cooperate with the Nazis. But so what? Thousands of Jewish collaborators worked with the Nazis, even in the concentration camps. For example, during the first massive extermination (June to October 1943, one saw almost no German soldiers. Nearly all the work of administration, and later the work of transporting hundreds of thousands of Jews to their deaths, was carried out by Jewish collaborators. I'm not justifying what Husseini did. All I'm saying is that he was motivated by a frantic desire to save his country from Zionism.

As for your conviction that Israel is the most democratic country in the Middle East. Yes, at a certain level, you are right. I lived the greatest part of my childhood and all my adult life under the Israeli rule. I know Israel quite well. However, Israel is very selective about her democracy. Thus when democracy is incompatible with Zionist goals and interests, democracy is suspended (e.g. the Ikret and Bir'em villages).

Take the lifting today of Azmi Beshara's parliamentary immunity. If a Jewish law-maker had made similar remarks about, say the Kahana hay group (classified by both the US and Israel as a terrorist group), do you sincerely think the Knesset judicial committee would have voted to strip him of his immunity?

I know how the Zionists would justify Zionism. They would say that Jews are irrevocably different from other people, that Jews feel the difference, that non-Jews feel the difference, and that both believe it and act accordingly, that the civil and political rights of Jews among the nations are not permanently guaranteed. The status of the Jew is normalized by Jewish nationalism.

But Judaism is not a race cult, nor is it a national religion appealing only to Jews. Jews are the bearers of Judaism, but Judaism welcomes to its fellowship all men and women who accept its teachings. Judaism is universal in scope.

Now, would it not be strange to try to reduce a universalistic faith to a national religion. What if ten million Chinese decided to covert to Judaism, would they have the automatic right to make aliya?

My point is that Zionism is very parochial and almost esoteric. It can't be entrusted to lead a multi-cultural, multi-religious civil society where Jews and non-Jews can live as brethren.

Zionism can't view Khalid Amayreh as a truly equal citizen on no other account than him being non-Jewish.

Hence, Khalid Amayreh is against Zionism.

The moment Zionism is willing to accept Khalid Amayreh as a full citizen, like the US accept a Brooklyn Jew as a full American citizen, Khalid Amayreh will be loyal to the state of Israel.

Now, Israel violates my human and civil rights not because I happen to be hostile to the state. The truth of the matter is that I'm hostile to the state because it violates my rights and freedoms.

So, it is the state's racist policies, not my reactions to these policies, that damage the state's destiny.

Respectfully

Khalid


---------     Message  7   ---------

 

To:  Khalid Amayreh  and others