A brief comment on Israel's genocide (from a Jewish victim of anti-Semitic hate)
This is from the soul.
I’m a Jew. I also oppose Israel’s genocide against the Palestinians.
In 2018, when I interviewed former Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak (1999-2001) about Israel’s apartheid policies for Salon, he said the following:
“The real test is always in action, morality,” Barak said. “So we can at least minimize the damage from this impression by taking a different policy. I will not justify turning our policies just in order to make American Jews more satisfied, but I think there is a much more profound reason: It’s better for Israel. I describe an attitude that includes no hatred but a sober understanding of our interests.”
Since Barak’s prime ministership ended in 2001, Israel has had five prime ministers, all of them far less willing to recognize the human rights of Palestinians: Ariel Sharon, Ehud Olmert, Naftali Bennett, Yair Lapid and (of course) the infamous Benjamin Netanyahu. Bennett and Lapid had yet to take power at this point, but I knew the abysmal record of Netanyahu, Sharon and Olmert, and as such I paid especially close attention to Barak’s answers. I especially appreciated this one:
“It’s a real challenge,” Barak said when asking about the challenges facing Netanyahu’s administration in terms of asserting Israeli rights while maintaining those of the Palestinians. “Bibi’s a person who has his own set of achievements in life and in government, but being there for too long probably. Probably the boundaries of what could be done and what isn’t done get somewhat blurred.”
Barak understood that this is a complicated issue, requiring nuance. Now contrast that with the recent news about Israeli policy toward Gaza seven years later. Per The New York Times:
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu faced criticism at home and abroad on Friday after his office announced that the Israeli military would escalate its nearly two-year-old campaign in the Gaza Strip by taking control of Gaza City, a move that would likely further endanger Palestinian civilians and Israeli hostages and deepen Israel’s international isolation.
The chorus of condemnation from longstanding European allies, Arab governments and the families of hostages held by militant groups in Gaza reflected Mr. Netanyahu’s intensifying clash with foreign nations and the supporters of hostages.
It laid bare Israel’s isolation as its government decides, against the advice of its military’s top command, to expand a war that has reduced cities to rubble, killed tens of thousands of Palestinians, and caused a widespread hunger crisis.
That says it all, doesn’t it? As far as I’m concerned, there is no rational excuse for the Israeli government’s actions.
This will not help the Israeli hostages.
This will not help the Israeli general public.
Obviously this will not help the Palestinians.
This will only help (a) Netanyahu, who like America’s President Donald Trump must stay in power to avoid criminal charges (for anti-democratic actions and corruption) for which he could very plausibly be found guilty and (b) his far right political base, which has hitched its cart to his figurative wagon.
In my mind, the most undeniable sign that a nation is totalitarian rather than democratic is that its leaders act without regard for the best interest of their people. In those societies, because they are accountable only to themselves, they craft policy based only on their self-interest.
Such is America under Trump. Such is Israel under Netanyahu. It is unbearably evil that millions of innocent Palestinians and Israelis are casualties of their egos.
Back Seat Socialism
Column by Matthew Rozsa who is a professional journalist for more than 13 years. Currently he is writing a book for Beacon Press, "Neurosocialism," which argues that autistic people like the author struggle under capitalism, and explains how neurosocialism - the distinct anticapitalist perspective one develops by living as a neurodiverse individual - can be an important organizing principle for the left.
"In my mind, the most undeniable sign that a nation is totalitarian rather than democratic is that its leaders act without regard for the best interest of their people. In those societies, because they are accountable only to themselves, they craft policy based only on their self-interest.
Such is America under Trump. Such is Israel under Netanyahu. It is unbearably evil that millions of innocent Palestinians and Israelis are casualties of their egos."
Indeed. They are sociopaths, clinically.
But as you know under capitalism the ruling class are only accountable to themselves, which they have commodified and groomed as 'self'.
That millions suffer for the actions of a few is the law of governability under capitalism.
Genocide-Fascism dance to the death throttle of the worlds poor and dispossessed as they seek more capital accumulation, more misery and more wars.