Israeli Apartheid - Segregation, Control and the Creation of Bantustans in the OPT

brianjd

"Anti-Zionism = Anti-Semitism"

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

". . . 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.
"Antisemitism, 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 antisemitic, 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 fulfilment 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 antisemitism.

"The antisemite 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 antisemite 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 antisemitism. 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)

OutOfBreath

brianjd wrote:

CHECK YOUR BOOKS. JEWS CONNECTION IS NOT MERELY ONE KING 2500 YEARS AGO. IT WAS JEWISH LAND FOR THOUSANDS OF YEARS AND IT WAS 1930 YEARS AGO THAT THE ROMANS PLUDERED ISRAEL AND BANISHED THEM AFTER SLAUGHTERING HUNDRED OF THOUSANDS. THIS POLICY WAS FOLLOWED BY VIRTUALLY EVERY OCCUPYING POWER OF THE AREA INCLUDING THE CHRISTIAN GREEK BYZANTINES AND SOME OF THE MUSLIM ARABS. ONLY THE OTTOMAN TURKS ALLOWED THE JEWS TO FREELY PRACTICE THEIR RELIGION AND RETURN TO THEIR HISTORICAL LAND. THEIR HAVE BEEN JEWS IN PALESTINE/ISRAEL IN INCREASING NUMBERS SINCE THE LATE 19TH CENTURY AND THEY LIVED IN RELATIVE PEACE UNTIL THE UNITED ARAB ARMIES INVADED ISRAEL; A NATION CREATED BY THE UNITED NATIONS. INSTEAD OF ACCEPT A PARTITON OF PALESTINE EQUALLY BETWEEN JEWS AND PALESTINIANS, THE ARABS ATTACKED A PEOPLE ON THE VERGE OF EXTINCTION AT THE HANDS OF EUROPEANS. THE ARABS LOST AND SO DID THE PALESTINIANS. JUST AS EVERY OTHER ARMY INCLUDING OUR OWN HAS DONE, THE ISRAELI ARMY TOOK LANDS THEY HAD RECEIVED IN BATTLE; A BATTLE THEY DID NOT WANT.

WHEN UNITED ARAB ARMIES, IN 1967, ARABS WERE AGAIN UNITING TO BOMB ISRAEL OUT OF EXISTENCE ,BEHIND NASSAR, AND ISRAEL AGAIN HANDED IT TO THE PEOPLE BENT ON WIPING THEM OUT AND ISRAEL AGAIN GAINED MORE LAND; LAND NEEDED TO GIVE THEM ROOM FROM THE PEOPLE BENT ON THEIR FINAL DESTRUCTION. AGAIN, WHO LOST? THE PALESTINIANS. YOU MIGHT ALSO RECALL THAT EGYPT OCCUPIED THE GAZA STRIP AND INCOPORTATED IT INTO THEIR COUNTRY AND JORDAN OCCUPIED THE WEST BANK. THEY NEVER GAVE THE PALESTINIANS THIS LAND. SO WHY CONTINUE TO SLANDER ISRAEL? IS IT BECAUSE THIS IS A JEWISH NATION AND IT STILL REMAINS A THREAT TO THOSE WHO CAN'T TOLERATE A JEWISH NATION AND USE THE BOGUS PALESTINIAN ARGUMENT WHICH REVEALS NOTHING MORE THAN MODERN ANTI SEMITISM.

PALESTINIANS HAD AN OPPORTUNITY FOR A NATION IN 1948 AND AGAIN WHEN OFFERED A TREATY BY BARAK. THEY CONTINUE TO CHOOSE WAR, SUICIDE BOMBINGS OF CIVILLIANS AND MURDER. THOSE WHO EMPATHIZE WITH THEM OUGHT TO GIVE THOUGHT AS TO WHAT IT IS THEY ARE TRULY SAYING. IT SOUNDS MORE AND MORE TO AN INFORMED PERSON AS NOTHING MORE THAN HATE....

What's the deal with the caps lock? I assume it was just locked on, as I see no need to "shout" what you just said.

I said, and say again, who had what 2000 years ago is a moot point. Only ones harping on such points are the ones out to gain something by it politically or otherwise. I am uninterested in the yet-again, one-side-has-all-fault-and-the-others-have-never-done-anything-wrong-perspective. If you have read my posts before, you will know my stance, which is not supportive of the palestinian leadership. My focus is on civilians who are caught in the middle all the time. And I also poo-poo any reference to "historical facts" dating back centuries upon centuries as totally irrelevant, other than to create some nationalist fervor in support of a nation-state. Actually, determining the bad guys are also irrelevant. They all have to learn to live together in some way or other. The moderates needs to be strengthened on both sides, and the extremists isolated. Sadly, both sides are characterized by leaderships that can only think in military and war terms.

"Let he who is without sin throw the first rock" is a good principle to apply here, as no rocks would ever be trown.

Peace
Dan

OutOfBreath

brianjd wrote:

"Anti-Zionism = Anti-Semitism"

- Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

". . . 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.
"Antisemitism, 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 antisemitic, 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 fulfilment 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 antisemitism.

"The antisemite 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 antisemite 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 antisemitism. 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)

He talks about how anti-semites can camouflage themselves as anti-zionists as that doesnt sound as bad. Which they probably do. But I suppose the extension of this is supposed to be Zionism = Jews = Israel (the state) so that anyone uttering a bad word about Israel the state is also anti-semite, or a criticism of zionism is anti-semite. Bollocks. I have nothing against jews, but I have problems with Israeli state policies, and I have problems with an expansionist ultra-nationalistic zionism. Same way, I have nothing against americans, infact I deeply admire many of them, but I have problems with their state's policies. With "jews" I admire several of the jewish intellectuals that has laid the foundation for sociology among others. Many great thinkers, and I respect other religions somewhat (although I'm no fan of religion in general). BUT I have some pretty heavy criticisms aimed at the state of Israel. Am I an anti-semite?

Peace
Dan