[Peace-discuss] Letter to the editor

[David Green]

My letter in today's News-Gazette:

Responding to Belden Fields’ letter regarding Bend the Arc, self-described
“Jewish progressives,” I would note that it was BtA that refused to ally
with local socialist and pro-Palestinian groups in the broadly-supported
event at Drury Inn in June 2018, attended by 300. While leftist groups
should be willing to co-sponsor events with BtA, they should not do so on
BtA’s terms—which are support for the U.S. war machine, neoliberal economic
policies, and Israeli apartheid. Nevertheless, collaboration is a moot
point.

BtA is not progressive, nor “progressive except for Palestine.” They are,
as Steven Salaita argues, “regressive because of Israel.” More generally,
this is not “whataboutism” on my part, but rejection of BtA’s fundamentally
reactionary agenda. BtA’s claim to represent “Jewish resistance” is
spurious in light of its status as a Democratic Party PAC. They are using
support for selective “domestic” causes (don’t ask why there are so many
refugees), as well as facile and manipulative anti-Trumpism, in order to
promote establishment Democrats’ (Clintons, Obama, Biden, Harris) version
of a world run on behalf of the capitalists who own it, by violence if
necessary—and it always is.

Moreover, BtA’s propagandistic claims of increased anti-semitism and “white
nationalism” are from the (Zionist) Anti-Defamation League’s
anti-Palestinian, conspiratorial playbook. I would challenge BtA to
document any evidence in Champaign County that goes beyond
constitutionally-protected ignorance and stupidity. Such qualities are
hardly unique to the “basket of deplorables” that BtA condescendingly uses
as a foil in advocating for its elitist political agenda, immigrants
notwithstanding.
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