From: davidba@carmel.technion.ac.il (David Ben_Ami)
Newsgroups: talk.politics.mideast
Subject: Re: casualties during the Intifadah
Date: 15 Oct 92 10:06:15 GMT
Organization: Technion, Israel Inst. of Technology

In article <4051@copper.Denver.Colorado.EDU> aaldoubo@copper.denver.colorado.edu (Anisa Alnoor Aldoubosh) writes:
>In article <T70FsB1w163w@peewee> peewee@infoserv.com (Philip Stromer) writes:
>I don't know exactly what "Lewis and Goldfield" said, but I am sure you
>can support your conclusions that they are anti-Israel.  I also want to
>know why any Jew that criticizes or does not support the double standards,
>hypocrisy, and seemingly racist policies of the Israeli government is
>considered a "despicable self-hating Jew".  I would REALLY like to know!
Well, it is a well documented phenomenon in Jewish recent (and not so
recent as well) that certain Jews have a tremendous hatred toward their
people. This culminated in figures like Otto Weininger who had reduced
this to absurdity by commiting suicide out of it.

Today, the ultimate means to express this self-hatred is to vehemebtly
support anything that is Anti-Israel or Anti-Jewish. Since Israel is
the flagship of Judaism all over the world and most Jews take pride in
it - it becomes the automatic target of this despicable folks.

>
>There are too many Jews who do not support Israel because of this and it
>is about TIME that they had the courage and decency to stand up and speak
>against these injustices rather than keep their mouths shut and 'blend in'
>with the popular crowd.  I understand why this causes friction in the
>Jewish communities, but it is no reason to condemn people and to suggest
>that they do not represent even a minor voice as Jews.

Indeed, there are some Jews who criticize Israel for what it's doing
and are completely innocent of this unhappy phenomenon. These are
people who are as Gentiles who are really concerned about the well
being of all inhabitants of Israel and its neighborhood - are not
spouting any rubbish that they can find against Israel and use
tragedies to advance their goals. These guys are part of the mainstream
Zionist body and are getting the full attention they deserve.

However sometimes the limits are blurred and the accusations are too
rash, but this does not mean that self-hatred is not existent!

>
>Thank God for a variance in these viewpoints not because I may or may not
>agree with them, but because it brings us human beings closer together
>to strive for peace, dignity, human rights, and freedom for all and not
>just a select elitis group!

Well, I think that many Israelis look forward for this pluralism to
flower in Arab countries and societies as well. Since you tend to side
with Muslim Fundamentalist and supported (mildly) the Rushdi harassment
this sounds like a good advice to practice.

>
>Anisa
>	[leaving soap box] :-)
>
>
>		"Israel was almost entirely in the right.
>		The Israeli-Arab conflict was as simple as
>		a clash between good and evil as existed in
>		our imperfect world."
>					Alan Dershowitz
>					Chutzpah


-- 
=============================================================================
  David Ben-Ami (irc: bigdav)      |   "I can resist anything but Temptation"
  s2780369@Techst02.Technion.Ac.Il |       Oscar Wilde
  davidba@Carmel.Technion.Ac.Il  davidba@Moav.Techniona.Ac.Il