[Peace-discuss] "To Help Palestine, Be Pro-Israel Too", from Ira Chernus

[C. G. Estabrook]

The essence of the problem is *the U.S. use, in aid of its SW Asian war, of a 
repressive state*, which justifies itself with the lie that it's "realizing the 
Zionist dream."

The Zionist dream -- a haven for Jews in the Levant -- did not have to involve 
the establishment of a racist state.  In the kibbutz movement and elsewhere, 
even after 1948, there were Zionists who thought the goal should be a 
bi-national socialist state.  That was destroyed by US patronage after 1967.

--CGE

Brussel wrote:
> From the article by Chernus:
> 
> It's [the policy he's advocating] the only one that can give Israel peace and
> security and release the energies of its people*/ to realize the Zionist
> dream/*, to fulfill the highest aspirations of the Jewish people.  It calls
> for the Jewish people to give up nothing that is truly their right and due.
> 
> I submit that "to realize the Zionist dream" is the essence of the problem…
> 
> This is a well intentioned article, but specious. It implies that the furious
> protests taking place all over the world (and as reflected in UN resolutions)
> condemning Israeli actions and policy are futile (for they are too strident
> for the American government and media to accept); they do not raise
> consciousness of what has been happening. That is at best doubtful.
> 
> --mkb
> 
> 
> On Jan 11, 2009, at 1:44 AM, Stuart Levy wrote:
> 
>> Wanted to point out four notable articles that appeared this week. Here's
>> the first:
>> 
>> To Help Palestine, Be Pro-Israel Too by Ira Chernus [Prof. of Religious
>> Studies, UC Boulder] http://www.commondreams.org/view/2009/01/06-13
>> 
>> Three viewpoints on the Gaza war fill the U.S. mass media: pro-Israel, 
>> anti-Israel, and neutral or even-handed.  All three are harmful to the
>> suffering people of Gaza. The one view that can help them is the one that
>> barely gets a hearing. It's pro-Palestine, pro-peace, AND pro-Israel.
>> 
>> [...]