Comments on: Why is the Western left so obsessed with Israel?

By: isaak

isaak — Sat, 29 Sep 2012 01:10:29 +0000

I tired from all this leftist shit. Everething what they say are shit and they itself are shit. Would be very happy to send all this anti semites and communist lovers back in time in dirty and filty Soviet Union , where I am from. I will be happy to see they killed by soviet KGB or died from starvation.

By: jhan6120

jhan6120 — Wed, 08 Aug 2012 04:47:54 +0000

Israel is the closest the thing to a liberal democracy that the Middle East will ever see. Period. The trouble with the Left is that it refuses to view Israel through anything other than the lens of Marxist liberation theology.

In neighboring countries, women cannot vote, work, drive, leave their homes unaccompanied by male relatives, or choose their own husbands. Homosexuals are tortured and murdered. The punishment for apostasy is death. Shall I go on?

Israel created a 12 BILLION DOLLAR A YEAR agri-business in Gaza. And then they pulled out of Gaza and GAVE IT to the so-called ‘Palestinians.’ ALL OF IT. EVERYTHING. The land, the infrastructure, the world-class irrigation systems, the machinery . . . and what did the ‘Palestinians’ do? Thet burned it to the ground. All of it. They destroyed everything. ON PURPOSE. Why? Because it came from Jews.

Israel gave the ‘Palestinians’ self-determination. What did they do? They elected HAMAS, whose charter calls for the Jews to be pushed into the sea. Go ahead and read the charter. Only a huge surplus of cognitive dissonance could convince a person that it doesn’t say that.

The Left has dutifully drunk its Frankfurt School Koolaid for decades now. But the rest of us threw that beverage in the garbage. We’ll continue to protect and support Israel, and continue to ferret out the enemy at home.

And that is why your post-colonial, critical-theory laden analysis of the Left’s hatred of Israel is incorrect, my friend. It’s not the ‘wrong’ kind of leftism, its the leftism ITSELF that puts you on the wrong side of the fence.

And BTW – if we’re going to follow your theory of ‘absolute standards,’ shouldn’t we be allowed to build Christians churches and Jewish temples in Mecca? Too often, the western left believes that absolute standards only apply to its own culture. All other cultures – especially those not of European (read: white) origin, get a pass. But then again, I’m probably just being a horrible racist for applying linear reason.

The REAL truth is that Israel was originally founded on a model of Kibbutz-style socialism. In its early days, Israel was a DARLING of the left. When Israel shook off its socialist roots (for the most part) and became an economic powerhouse, the left NEVER forgave it. Notice how the term ‘Israeli occupation’ didn’t come around until the 60′s? Israel was supposed to be the western Left’s socialist paradise. When Israel turned capitalist, it became the :eft’s ENEMY.

That’s the real reason for the Left’s hatred of Israel. Not the tired hokum you dish out.

By: maya

maya — Sat, 04 Aug 2012 11:42:01 +0000

@ Aristedeis Friday 27 July 8:30 am

I take the point you made in your first post here seriously and I have respect for it. Therefore, I think that you are barking at the wrong tree, so to speak.

Your problem with Israel is not Israel. It is the policies of your government in regard to Israel and the success of some of your fellow-citizens in using the political means that they have in the American democracy to persuade the government to adopt such policies. Time you spend in discussions and comments on this website is a time wasted for your real struggle, which should aim at influencing your fellow citizens and government to change the policies that you strongly object to.

By: Blake

Blake — Fri, 03 Aug 2012 12:07:22 +0000

The truth is anti-Semitic did you not know?!

By: Tzurah

Tzurah — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 14:26:10 +0000

A very interesting point. This is where the Jews get it coming and going being the ultimate insider/outsider. Here, the Jews are consider insiders, i.e., white Europeans, to their detriment. The commonality between South Africa,George W. Bush in Iraq, Reagan in Nicaragua and El Salvador, Nixon/Kissinger in Chile, and Nixon/Kissinger and LBJ in Vietnam is not only that the whites were lording it over the dark people, but doing it in a place where they weren’t from and didn’t belong. What the left forgets (or would like to deny/forget) is that Jews are an ethnic group from the eastern Mediterranean and belongs there, so to speak, in a very fundamental way.

By: Adam

Adam — Tue, 31 Jul 2012 00:33:30 +0000

A much more nuanced and subtle discussion of Israel and the left:

http://forward.com/articles/159911/when-the-right-is-right-about-the-left/

By: Sean Mullin

Sean Mullin — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 19:50:56 +0000

Robert
look I said you’d convinced me, are you trying to “pull my pants down”? I’ll reply in earnest one last time and then leave it before it becomes unhealthy on my side as well as yours.
You could be right about those figures, I didn’t count the soldiers I witnessed, but there were lots, and they were everywhere. We had 20,000 in Ni during the worst of the troubles, NI had never been part of a sovereign Irish Nation either, we still all called it an occupation because we we were not delusional.
An absolute tragedy in Syria. I would never hope to solve it, but I can speak out about the injustice. That’s all I do regarding Israel. The number of deaths brings to mind the 10,000 or so Palestinian and Lebanese killed by the IDF in the 12 years through the occupation, Cast Lead, the Israeli Hezbollah war in 2006, the reaction to the intifada, as well as the 1200 or so Israelis killed by Hamas. Hezbollah, Al Asqa blade etc. It confuses me why occupation enthusiasts draw attention to Syria when it focuses attention on Israelis crimes of “self defense”.
I hope that if Syria’s troubles last another 44 years, if those 200,000 refugees from Aleppo are not allowed to return home, if whatever regime that emerges puts in place a system that actively discriminates on the basis of race or sect; then international activists and organizations will put in place structures that allow volunteers to travel their and work against it. I don’t think they will to the same extent as what happens in Israel, which is what this discussion is all about really, but no matter how wrong things are elsewhere, that doesn’t make Israel’s actions right. Peace indeed, I hope you find some!

By: Robert

Robert — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 13:24:42 +0000

Sean,
‘Prometheus: 6-700,000 thousand settlers. 200,000 police and military’….these numbers are fantasy. Like most of your pro Palestine thoughts.
I dig you spent a few months with the ‘good’ Christians walking next to the locals and sipping tea with families, great gap year experience. Had a laugh with them. All that is beautiful to experience as a young man, especially when coming from a white middle class family wanting to save the world thinking ‘if we could just all get along’ and ‘…the Hamas guy was so nice to me’, and you gelled with the local anarchists. Going by the outfit you joined you are most likely holding little info evenings across the British isles.

Going back to the Larry’s title. You are the stereo typical guy who comes to Israel and has it all figured out. All the numbers, all the facts. Cool thing is, you also have the solution to one of the most complex issues of our time. You must be a genius!
Hey, since you are on a role. Why don’t you get cracking on Syria? 200.000 people just fled Aleppo, man, they sure could use your insight from NI. And when you have that nailed down, head to Sudan. They too need your help.
Send as a post card will ya! Watertight, youknowwhatimean?
Peace.

By: Sean Mullin

Sean Mullin — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 13:02:22 +0000

Robert, Your arguments are too water tight. You’ve convinced me. Lets stop arguing. Good luck.

By: Sean Mullin

Sean Mullin — Mon, 30 Jul 2012 12:51:34 +0000

Prometheus: 6-700,000 thousand settlers. 200,000 police and military, 800km of barrier, large tracts of the Jordan valley a shooting range, f16 jets sortiing regularly, Hebron (4 soldiers for every one settler in the city centre), large scale ethnic cleaning (20,000 bedouns!) happening right now…

Check points, incursions, administrative detention, torture, child abuse, 40% of all Palestinians males with time in prison.

Military law for Christians and Muslims, civilian law for Jews.

Death, injustice. Getting worse since 1967.

All in an area smaller than Cyprus.

And you say there is no occupation? and that all those people who live under the “non occupation” should suffer because some Muslims do bad things?

Just another occupation denier, get a grip man, its on your doorstep.