Opinion Editorials, March 2012

Misrepresentation and Moral Cowardice:

A Response to Ali Abunimah and Others

By Gilad Atzmon

Gilad Atzmon debunks a statement signed by Ali Abunimah and others in which they misrepresent his critique of Jewish identity politics, and he vows to continue his fight for the truth. By publishing this, we reaffirm our support for Mr Atzmon and hope that the signatories of the statement will turn their focus to the real enemies of the Palestinian people.

Ali Abunimah and company tend to present themselves as advocates of “One democratic state in Palestine.” This leaves me puzzled: what kind of democracy do they have in mind, exactly? For by calling for my “disavowal”, they prove beyond doubt that they cannot tolerate even some elementary cultural criticism – criticism that is endorsed and praised by some of the most respected thinkers within our movement and beyond.

In fact, I am pretty delighted with the outraged reactions to my thoughts. I guess it enables us to map the discourse and its boundaries – and means that those boundaries are now official. Not only has my latest book The Wandering Who? rocked the boat, but it has also managed to unite Alan Dershowitz and Abe Foxman with Ali Abunimah and Max Blumenthal. That is pretty encouraging: it means that peace may prevail after all.

However, I also have some bad news for my would-be silencers, Palestinian and Jewish alike. I do not have any plans to slow down or drift away. I am a jazz musician and an independent thinker. I am basically a free agent – I say what I think and think what I say. The popularity of my writing among Palestinians, solidarity activists and truth seekers is the direct outcome of my sincere approach to the subject matter.

Whether my detractors accept it or not, the strength of my arguments is grounded on the transparent and truthful nature of my premises. Until now, not one of my opponents has been able to point out a single discrepancy within my argument or the facts I cite. For instance, I contend that since Israel defines itself as the Jewish state – its tanks and planes decorated with Jewish symbols – it is our duty to ask: Who are the Jews? What is Judaism? And what is Jewishness all about?

The fact that some activists shy away from asking those questions doesn’t mean that the rest of us also should behave cowardly.

In case my detractors – be they Zionists, “anti-Zionist” Zionists or Palestinians – fail to realize it, Palestine is not alone anymore, and is no longer an isolated, remote discourse. Even as I write, the American Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC) is publicly and relentlessly pushing America into a new global conflict. In Britain, 80 per cent of Tory Members of Parliament belong to the Conservative Friends of Israel. What we are witnessing here is a clear Zionist shift from the discourse of a “promised land” to one of a “promised planet”. I am convinced that calling a spade a spade could actually save the world, including Americans, Britons, Iranians and Palestinians. But it also can save the Jews from the grave potential consequences inflicted on them by the Jewish lobbies.

Sadly, Ali Abunimah has misrepresented my thoughts. Clearly there is no racism, anti-Semitism or Holocaust denial in my writing. As determined as my detractors are to find it, they have failed to identify a single bit of evidence of such tendencies in my work.

Ali Abunimah says on my behalf that “one cannot self-describe as a Jew and also do work in solidarity with Palestine, because to identify as a Jew is to be a Zionist.”

What a ludicrous interpretation of my writing, in which I go out of my way to define the issue in categorical terms. What I am obviously opposing is Jewish racial exclusivity. I argue that that if Israel is in the wrong for being a Jews-only state, then its Jewish critics had better fight it using an inclusive, universalist ideology and practice.

I am indeed critical of Jewish identity politics, Jewish culture and Jewish ideology. I am also critical of the Jewish cultural attitude toward history. I am critical of Jewishness and any form of exclusive Jewish political activism. And yet, I wonder, why would any person who seeks justice and peace object to my approach? Is Jewish culture or identity politics beyond criticism? Are Jews chosen after all.

I am sorry to disappoint my Palestinian and Jewish league of opponents, but it seems as if their terminology is faulty and misleading: Zionism is not colonialism, for colonialism is defined as a material exchange between a mother state and a settler state. The fact that there is no Jewish mother state suggests that Zionism doesn’t fit the colonial model.

Nor is Israel an apartheid state, for apartheid is defined by the exploitation of the indigenous residents. Yet the Jewish state prefers that the Palestinians simply and completely disappear. In other words, we are dealing here with a unique, racially-driven expansionist philosophy not very different from the Nazis’ Lebensraum.

Israel is not Zionism, and vice-versa. Israel is the outcome of the Zionist project. If Zionism is a promise to establish a “Jewish national home in Palestine”, then Israel is its post-revolutionary product. Indeed, Israelis are barely familiar with Zionist thought and ideology. From their perspective, anti-Zionist ranting is a remote Diaspora discourse.

Shalom does not mean peace, reconciliation or harmony. Its accurate English translation is “security for the Jews”. Israeli culture lacks a clear notion of “peace” as we know it – i.e. harmony and reconciliation.

I suggest that my detractors spend some time and think this through, so they can understand that the issues involved in this conflict and its resolution go far beyond mere political discourse.

I would like to take this opportunity to advise my opponents that their campaign is counterproductive. Those who are interested in my ideas realize that we are living in a post-political and post-ideological era. Like myself, they are interested in an ethical argument. They are not “party members”, and they are not taking “orders” from any sectarian group or ideology. Instead they listen to their hearts. Those pro-Palestinian organizations sponsoring my current US book tour realize very well that my work galvanizes a demarcation line between truth and its enemies.

In spite of the relentless slander campaign against my writing, it has not achieved a thing except to expose a blatant intellectual intolerance in our midst. If my opponents are concerned with my thoughts, they will have to learn to debate.

But before we can proceed, my detractors will have to actually read my book and decide exactly what they are against.

Opinions expressed in various sections are the sole responsibility of their authors and they may not represent Al-Jazeerah & ccun.org.

editor@aljazeerah.info & editor@ccun.org