The political state of capitalism would have no room under socialism. There certainly is no room for states to have any role in government per se but, that said, I am talking ideological, a hope for the future - not the world we unfortunately live in at the moment. Neither am I naïve enough to think this Marxist state of affairs will happen any time soon, so let us deal with the point in question. Firstly, what the Israelis are doing to the Palestinian people is wrong and constitutes war crimes. It is morally wrong, it is politically wrong and it is militarily wrong. Of all the people to commit such war crimes the Israelis are the last ones it would be expected of! To be fair it is not the Israeli people who are carrying out these atrocities but the Zionist government of Benjamin Netanyahu and his predecessors.
The Jewish people have suffered centuries of persecution, from Clifford’s Tower in York during the 12th century, to the ‘Pale of Settlement’ in the Russian Empire, 1791-1917. They were even blamed for a time for the Whitechapel Murders, 3rd April 1888 - 13th February 1889, better known as the ‘Ripper Murders’, and of course they suffered murderously in the Holocaust of the Third Reich years in Germany and conquered lands 1933-1945.
The Jewish people have suffered centuries of persecution, from Clifford’s Tower in York during the 12th century, to the ‘Pale of Settlement’ in the Russian Empire, 1791-1917. They were even blamed for a time for the Whitechapel Murders, 3rd April 1888 - 13th February 1889, better known as the ‘Ripper Murders’, and of course they suffered murderously in the Holocaust of the Third Reich years in Germany and conquered lands 1933-1945.
For these reasons and the horrors which accompanied these persecutions of Jewish People the dissolution of the Israeli state is a non-starter. Jewish people with historical justification see Israel as a ‘safe haven’. The Arab countries, including the Palestinians, must drop their demand that Israel cease to ‘exist’, that it has ‘no right to exist’.
That said, and for similar reasons, it would be thought a government representing the Jewish People sitting in Tel Aviv would take into account their own history of persecution before inflicting the same on others! The persecution of the Palestinians by the Israeli state, though not on the same level as that inflicted during the Holocaust, 1942-45, is in principle the same as the discriminations forced on the Jews by the Nazis in the earlier years of the regime. This, it would appear, is not the case in Israel today where the government appear to have learned from their past, learned how to inflict harm on your neighbours when there is no need and they should have learned from their past in a positive and beneficial way.
This situation often happens when a people gain freedom or partial freedom. Take Ireland after the partial victory over the British Auxiliaries, Black and Tans, Royal Irish Constabulary and regular British Army in the ‘War of Independence’ 1919-1921. After the war was concluded a civil war broke out between those who supported the ‘agreement’, becoming after Dail ratification a ‘Treaty’ between Britain and Ireland and those who opposed it. Those who accepted and agreed with the ‘Treaty’ as a ‘stepping stone to full independence and the republic’ were as brutal, if not more so, against the ‘anti-treaty’ forces, their former comrades, as were the Black and Tans were during the ‘War of Independence’ and that is saying a lot about the brutality. Now, in present day Israel/Palestine we see elements of the Jewish ruling class emulating their former tormentors in Nazi Germany, certainly in the earlier years before the Holocaust.
The bombing of Palestinian civilians is a war crime as much as Putin bombing the Ukraine and George W. Bush with his sidekick, Tony Blair bombing Iraqi civilians was, and the Saudi’s bombing Yemen are war crimes. All these, including Netanyahu, should be hauled before the International Court in the Hague charged with war crimes! It is highly unlikely the Israeli state in its present form and the Zionist Government will ever face charges for war crimes. Israel is seen as a western imperialist state in the middle-east, a kind of Trojan Horse, and for this reason justice is unlikely to be done. Under a socialist system, globally, the whole cabal, Israel included, would face charges for ‘war crimes.’ Alas, we do not, and do not look like, living under such a system, at least not any time soon!
For their part, the Palestinian side and other Arab states must drop their denial of Israels ‘right to exist.’ The only people who benefit from these two Semite peoples at war are the far-right fascist groups, who hate both Jew and Arab alike as they are both Semitic peoples. Many Palestinian groups who also demand, along with some Palestinian fighters, that Israel ‘cease to exist’ have been infiltrated by individual members of these fascist groups. These infiltrators use the Palestinian cause in an attempt to legitimise their hatred of the Jews. They hate both Jew and Arab in that order! Those Palestinian groups who also advocate that Israel has no right to ‘exist’ should drop this off the wall demand. No Israeli leader, even a socialist who may be generally sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and may be willing to talk and pull back the Israeli settlements, would contemplate the dissolution of the Jewish state, though reforms are certainly well possible in fact essential. Given the history of the Jewish people a perfectly understandable point of view because if Israel were to cease to ‘exist’ it would make the Jewish people once again the nomads of Europe, stateless, and we all know the possible result of such a situation, we only have to look at history, and recent history at that.
The bombing of Palestinian civilians is a war crime as much as Putin bombing the Ukraine and George W. Bush with his sidekick, Tony Blair bombing Iraqi civilians was, and the Saudi’s bombing Yemen are war crimes. All these, including Netanyahu, should be hauled before the International Court in the Hague charged with war crimes! It is highly unlikely the Israeli state in its present form and the Zionist Government will ever face charges for war crimes. Israel is seen as a western imperialist state in the middle-east, a kind of Trojan Horse, and for this reason justice is unlikely to be done. Under a socialist system, globally, the whole cabal, Israel included, would face charges for ‘war crimes.’ Alas, we do not, and do not look like, living under such a system, at least not any time soon!
For their part, the Palestinian side and other Arab states must drop their denial of Israels ‘right to exist.’ The only people who benefit from these two Semite peoples at war are the far-right fascist groups, who hate both Jew and Arab alike as they are both Semitic peoples. Many Palestinian groups who also demand, along with some Palestinian fighters, that Israel ‘cease to exist’ have been infiltrated by individual members of these fascist groups. These infiltrators use the Palestinian cause in an attempt to legitimise their hatred of the Jews. They hate both Jew and Arab in that order! Those Palestinian groups who also advocate that Israel has no right to ‘exist’ should drop this off the wall demand. No Israeli leader, even a socialist who may be generally sympathetic to the Palestinian cause and may be willing to talk and pull back the Israeli settlements, would contemplate the dissolution of the Jewish state, though reforms are certainly well possible in fact essential. Given the history of the Jewish people a perfectly understandable point of view because if Israel were to cease to ‘exist’ it would make the Jewish people once again the nomads of Europe, stateless, and we all know the possible result of such a situation, we only have to look at history, and recent history at that.
There is much to talk about apart from the dissolution of Israel, for example the right of Palestinians to return to their homes. Israel needs to reform itself into becoming a multi-cultural state encompassing Jew and Arab alike as equals. Israel needs to pull back their illegal settlements, illegal under international law which anybody friendly with the USA can just ignore, and treat all its citizens equally. This includes Palestinian citizens. More importantly is the formation of a Palestinian ‘nation state’, not a homeland - a ‘nation state,’ next door to Israel. These two Semite peoples, left to their own devices, should get on with each other. Israel should help the formation of such a ‘nation state’ and they may find a friendly neighbour is a lot more beneficial than a neighbour always at war! It would certainly be a first step leaving many possibilities open.
There are those amongst the Palestinian Support Groups in Ireland who equate the situation in the six counties with that of Israel/Palestine. This is an erroneous equation because although there are certain similarities historically the two are poles apart. The unionist/loyalist/Protestant population, or some of them, in the six north eastern counties of Ireland consider themselves under siege from the Catholic majority on the island. They are reliving, on a grander scale, the ‘Siege of Derry’ 1689 and the ‘Williamite Wars’ 1689-91 which, I might add, their side won! This mentality bears no comparison with the experiences the Jewish people have suffered over the centuries culminating in the ‘Death Camps’ of the Third Reich. The Protestant minority on the island of Ireland have never suffered such persecution and have no need for a safe haven as the Jewish people believe they have! They have never suffered the gas ovens of the Third Reich, in fact in the six counties it is the Catholic population who have historically suffered discrimination at the hands of the unionists. The Protestant people, or again some of them, fear religious discrimination in a united Ireland.
There are those amongst the Palestinian Support Groups in Ireland who equate the situation in the six counties with that of Israel/Palestine. This is an erroneous equation because although there are certain similarities historically the two are poles apart. The unionist/loyalist/Protestant population, or some of them, in the six north eastern counties of Ireland consider themselves under siege from the Catholic majority on the island. They are reliving, on a grander scale, the ‘Siege of Derry’ 1689 and the ‘Williamite Wars’ 1689-91 which, I might add, their side won! This mentality bears no comparison with the experiences the Jewish people have suffered over the centuries culminating in the ‘Death Camps’ of the Third Reich. The Protestant minority on the island of Ireland have never suffered such persecution and have no need for a safe haven as the Jewish people believe they have! They have never suffered the gas ovens of the Third Reich, in fact in the six counties it is the Catholic population who have historically suffered discrimination at the hands of the unionists. The Protestant people, or again some of them, fear religious discrimination in a united Ireland.
These fears are unfounded because today in the 26 counties we have a multi-cultural religiously tolerant society accommodating all religions and none. We have Judea, Islam, Sikh’s, Hindus and all denominations of Christianity with discrimination against none. The 1916 Proclamation guarantees ‘religious and civil liberties for all its citizens’. The days of Archbishop McQuaid and Catholic domination are long gone thankfully and a million people from the Protestant faith would be more than welcome in the 26 counties, making us a truly democratic, in its liberal sense, 32 county Republic.
A two-state solution incorporating a much reformed and modernised Israel and a new Palestinian nation state may be the best attainable in the Israeli/Palestinian conflict, but such a solution would not be applicable to Ireland. The two conflicts though having some similarities are historically vastly different. They must both be viewed through different lenses, same telescope perhaps, but certainly different lenses. The likes of warmongers like Benjamin Netanyahu would not be welcome in such new environment, neither would the minority of holocaust deniers in the Palestinian camp.
Perhaps the Israelis or certainly the Government in Tel Aviv should remember the words of US President, Franklyn D. Roosevelt on 6th January 1941. Eleven months before the USA found itself at war with Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany Roosevelt spoke on the ‘four freedoms’; ‘freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear’. The Israeli Government should remember these ‘four Freedoms’ when dealing with the Palestinian people, those who wish to reside in a smaller and reformed Israel should do so as equal citizens as the Jewish population. Jewish people who wish to reside in the, hopefully, new Palestine should do so on the same terms, equality. Remember, the ‘four Freedoms’ which would not be a bad starting point to begin talks, talks which would benefit both groups of Semite peoples, Arab and Jew alike.
One thing which must not happen and that is to make the Jewish people the European landless nomads again. If Israel were dissolved and with the safe haven as the Jewish people see it gone this nomadic status and its possible consequences is a real and dangerous possibility, a situation there is no need for! All this is probably much easier said than done, alas and with people like Netanyahu running the show will probably remain so!
Perhaps the Israelis or certainly the Government in Tel Aviv should remember the words of US President, Franklyn D. Roosevelt on 6th January 1941. Eleven months before the USA found itself at war with Imperial Japan and Nazi Germany Roosevelt spoke on the ‘four freedoms’; ‘freedom of speech, freedom of worship, freedom from want and freedom from fear’. The Israeli Government should remember these ‘four Freedoms’ when dealing with the Palestinian people, those who wish to reside in a smaller and reformed Israel should do so as equal citizens as the Jewish population. Jewish people who wish to reside in the, hopefully, new Palestine should do so on the same terms, equality. Remember, the ‘four Freedoms’ which would not be a bad starting point to begin talks, talks which would benefit both groups of Semite peoples, Arab and Jew alike.
One thing which must not happen and that is to make the Jewish people the European landless nomads again. If Israel were dissolved and with the safe haven as the Jewish people see it gone this nomadic status and its possible consequences is a real and dangerous possibility, a situation there is no need for! All this is probably much easier said than done, alas and with people like Netanyahu running the show will probably remain so!
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| Caoimhin O’Muraile is Independent Socialist Republican and Marxist. |
Soluble Genocide -is still genocide of Jews.
ReplyDeleteChristy...Do you honestly believe that?
DeleteThere should be no genocide, Arab or Jew or anybody else. 'Genocide' should be consigned to the dustbin of history, though never forgotten.
ReplyDeleteCaoimhin O'Muraile