Yochanan Gordon is a zealot, made even more dangerous
because he does not carry a weapon. Yesterday he wrote an Op-Ed, published
briefly, but quickly withdrawn for the Times of Israel in which he concluded with
this question:
“If political leaders and military experts determine that
the only way to achieve its goal of sustaining quiet is through genocide is it
then permissible to achieve those responsible goals?”Gordon is a writer, a demagogue, not all that different than Dick Cheney, for example, someone who provides a rationale for others to fight and die. Back in the old days when there was 60% to 70% support in the Occupied Territories and Israel for a negotiated two-state solution the big question was always whether or not those in favor of peace and reconciliation would be able to sustain their voices over the hopeless nihilism coming from extreme factions in both communities who do not see the other as even at the level of human. The brutality of bombs landing on hospitals, factories, power plants, schools, and homes we have seen in Gaza, matched equally with the inhumanity of 3000 rockets fired indiscriminately into Israel, has empowered the masters of war on while weakening the peacemakers. Gordon is just one example of it. Even if he represents just a tiny fraction of the thinking in Israel, his position is so extreme it is bound to drown out others, in the same way that the Tea Party, all 20 or 30 of them in the House, is the only element of Republican Party that gets any ink in this country.
I posted this not only to criticize Gordon, though he is worthy of that, but also because I know there are people of good faith who lean one way or the other, but maybe do not understand or choose to acknowledge the extremism that exists in the side they support or the community they live in. Elements of both the both Palestinian and Israeli nations are worthy of condemnation in my view and there is precious little understating or acknowledgment of that. I understand that some whom may read this and respond by saying what Gordon wrote does not match the sins of Hamas, words not having the same weight as action. But I would ask those people would you same the same for the political leadership of Hamas cooling their heels in Doha. Aren’t they also one step removed from the actual carnage taking place on the ground? Does this distance give them the leeway to speak of the extermination of jews? Does the bullet hate? How about the rocket or the missile? Or are they merely means by which hatred is expressed? The utter contempt for the sub-human nature of other?
For weeks we have heard how Israel is weakening itself in
the court of public opinion or Hamas is being “brought to heel” like dogs by
Israeli bombs. This is the classic analysis of power, but the real shift of
power is away from those whether in Palestine or Israel who seek peace and reconciliation.
People are fighting for their lives so
good polling is not available in Gaza and the West Bank, but we can be sure
that support for a negotiated two-state solution is no longer anything close to
previous levels. How do we ask a father
destroyed by the loss of a dead child in his arms, or a mother hunkered down in
an air raid shelter as sirens wail and her children cry to seek peace? I make no qualms about my belief that the suffering
of Gazans is unimaginably, obscenely greater, but that said, which family ought
rightfully to be expected to press their leaders to seek peace?
Through this week I have seen post after post from those who
see this calamity primarily through the prism of their personal allegiance. As one
might expect most Americans see Israel as the victim, and Hamas as the cause of
every hurt, both those inflicted on Israel as well as the Palestinians. But in
this amazing new world we live in those of us who care, can also tap into a
social network site and see a multitude of comments that can give as
perspective as to how others might view these events, people with different perspective
and views than our own.
It is easy to tap into the hurt and pain on the other side
of the crisis if you are so inclined. There are people of good will and honor
all over the world that are expressing their support and honorable hurt for the
Palestinian people. There is much righteous and well directed anger towards
Israel which I share. Despite the inaction of totalitarian Arab governments
fearful of political Islam, across the Middle East there are people speaking in
rational terms about the pain they experiencing and the wrong they see.
If one dives deep enough and frequently enough, it is not
hard to find Islamic Yochanan Gordons. Like him, all these people do is sit
with their phones and type words, they do not carry weapons, and even their
audience is for the most part their fellow travelers on Twitter or wherever. Judging
from their pictures with their pink hair accessories or American themed t-shirts
many of these people would never pick up a gun. Some of the most
pro-Palestinian supporters I have seen do not live in the Territories. They are
just angry and hurt and for their people, and so they perpetuate a rationale out
of their bitterness, for others to fight and die, and in Gaza if we are to be
totally honest, simply die. There are estimated to be 15,000 fighters in Gaza affiliated
with Hamas or other aligned groups. Still some suggest ultimate victory over a
nuclear armed Israel. This is such wrong thinking to the point of being delusional.
I was reminded of Dr. King’s words prescient words posted on the MLK Center FB
page this week, “The choice is not between violence and nonviolence but between
nonviolence and nonexistence.”
Most of those committed to their rationale do not see any
reason to question it. I find this particularly hard to understand coming from liberals,
who in almost any other conflict would criticize any entity that used its overwhelming
power so indiscriminately. (Too many centers of Palestinian survival have been
struck now to call the Israel effort targeted. Dr Belal Dabour, a Palestinian Doctor
@belalmda12 has provided a steady sorrowful representation of the ways in which
Palestinian society is being systematically destroyed.)
Many of the liberals now defending Israel and attacking Hamas
by practice and seemingly family history almost always stand for peace, often for
the underdog, the weaker or more defenseless. But not now. Israel has, for a very
long time, been one subject that deeply divides American liberals. Those of us
who now criticizing Israel are often accused of being supporters of Hamas. I
heard it on during a debate on TV again last night. It was no different in
1982, when Israel blundered out of anger and frustration into Lebanon, and pounded
Beirut mercilessly for months. Back then I was in the audience when representatives
of the Israeli group Peace Now, explained that Israel was violating
international law, using white phosphorus and other anti-personnel weapons in
an attempt to terrorize the civilian population. We were told then that civilians
were trapped in Beirut. Similar claims are being made in Gaza. What place in Gaza
is safe for civilians? How can Israel drop flechette shells on Gaza city?
Back in 1982 many of us felt then that what Israel was doing
in Lebanon was wrong and tragically would not bring them closer to their ultimate
goal of security. And then Sabra and Shatilla happened and militias working closely
with the IDF massacred between 1,000 and 2,000 civilians, killing many as they
slept. Where are we now 30 years after Sabra, Shatilla, and Beirut, incidents
we were told would so shock the conscience as to require both sides to forge a
new path? 95% of Israelis support the recent military invasion of Gaza.
Yet I say for supporters of the Palestinian cause, those
that can only see Israel’s mistakes, are we to believe the entire nation of Israel
only hates Palestinians? Are we simply to forget that a few years back nearly
70% of Israelis were prepared to sign off on a negotiated settlement which
would result in a two state solution?
With Lebanon in 1982 those of us who dared raise a voice were
criticized as being pro-PLO. It is pro-Hamas now, then it was PLO. There is a
very good reason that this approach is so effective in silencing honest discussion,
the deplorable record of the PLO then and Hamas now. Many people do not accept
that some of us can support the Palestinian people, while condemning the leadership
which precipitates crisis after crisis. The foolish claim that ultimate victory
is possible that the PLO told Palestinians then, and Hamas tells Palestinians now
is a lie, designed to distract from their own humiliation at the hands of the occupiers,
and to maintain allegiances that for any sane person should have long since
been extinguished. Some of us find it impossible to disassociate our humanity
from the devastation we saw this week in a UN school being run as a shelter
where the UN claimed that the IDF was advised 17 times of the coordinates. To us when supporters of Israel defend the
indefensible with “Look at what Hamas has done,” the words feel effortlessly Orwellian.
So those of us who seek a path towards peace, even of those of us with some knowledge
of history, and the pain of both sides, we have no place. We are simply defenders
of Hamas.
Here's the full text of the deleted Times of Israel post
backing genocide in Gaza
The Author of That Gaza Genocide Op-Ed Is Not Backing Down
Yochanan Gordon Apologizes for ‘Genocide Is Permissible’
Op-Ed
Belal:
I read your story about the wounded little boy asking for
his father and brother. I have a son. He is nearly 16 now, but at that age he
was a skinny little guy just like that boy. My heart is heavy for that family
and for all those now suffering such loss.
I will continue to follow and hope that this madness
is soon over. We pray for peace and your personal safety.
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