Dear all,
I have only read the multi-thread discussion in fits and starts because, as someone said a few days ago (Angela?), it has generated more heat than light. As tends to be the case when it comes to Israel/Palestine. So some of what I write may have already been said.
For those still reading...
I'll say something first about my position; then something about media; and then something about Israel.
1. I (and many others - Jew and Gentile) believe that Israel should not call itself a Jewish state; Israel cannot, logically, be fully inclusive and fully democratic whilst it calls itself a 'Jewish State'. As Akiva Orr wrote a long time ago, it is indeed a very UNJewish state. For the People of the Law to so brazenly ignore legality is a stain on the conscience of the nation.
A one state solution, covering all of Mandate Palestine, is the only way forward - a single home for communities of all faiths (and none); a nation to return to, whether that return is from exile in another country or indeed Aliyah.
2. Elina argues that those in the West misunderstand Israel/Palestine because of the way the conflict (and its causes) are reported in 'the media'. Perhaps. But the opposite is equally the case: people in Israel are similarly mislead by their 'media'. A great deal has been written about this - whether from a legal/journalistic perspective, for example the work of Alina Korn. Or from a discursive/cultural perspective, for example the work of Dalia Gavriely-Nuri. Dalia's work, especially, examines the ways that successive wars - and the ways that they are culturally remembered in Israel - propagates an embattled mentality in Israel and so encourages the fighting of more (and more) wars. Her publications that people might like to buy/read are:
http://daliagavriely.wix.com/home#!publications/csao
3. On this subject, take this interesting article in the J-Post: http://www.jpost.com/Operation-Protective-Edge/Those-three-boys-saved-the-nation-369349
A particularly telling passage (discussing the kidnap & murder of Shaer, Yifrah, and Fraenkel) reads:
Jerusalem Mayor Nir Barkat said their deaths helped “save thousands of lives” by “planting a seed” that has yielded uncommon solidarity and power. “The enemy made a big mistake when they kidnapped those kids,” said Barkat. “They didn’t know the power of the Israeli people. By killing those three boys they saved thousands of lives by planting a seed – and now we see the fruit in the entire nation, which has given power to the army that the world does not understand.”
Meanwhile, Avital Yehoshua, who attended the memorial with her husband and two young children, said she truly believed that Shaer, Yifrah, and Fraenkel’s deaths have lead to greater security, strength and meaning for all Israelis.
“This process that started with their deaths, and now this war, shows us how strong and united we are,” she said. “If you go in the streets you see people with their heads held high. Because of them we found out about the tunnels, rearrested terrorists in the West Bank, and fought back against Hamas.”
First, as perverse as this sounds to anyone living outside of Israel, it really needs to be understood: many in Israel welcome the war (Elina included, I would go as far as to argue) because it enables another wholly misguided attempt by the militarized Israeli state to demonstrate the power of the Israeli people; that they hold dominion over all this territory. And so the murder of these 3 boys helped “save thousands of lives” [that is, the lives that matter: Ours] by giving us another opportunity to kill thousands of people [that don't matter] who we believe are a threat to Us.
Second, the condemnation of the world (or at least 'the world minus the US') demonstrates to Israel that "the world does not understand" - they do not get it; they never support us in our righteous fight; they will always condemn us; they will always hate us. So, given that they will always be against us, we might as well do what we know is right, in protecting Our people.
Again, to try to drag this back to media, this is explored in Yoav Shamir's very good (and funny) documentary Defamation: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt1377278/
Details: http://www.defamation-thefilm.com/html/the_film.html
Article: http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2010/jan/25/israel-race
Finally, a reminder of the brutal calculus of war. And the fact that while many Israeli's are scared of 45 second sirens, all Gazans are targeted by bombs:
http://newint.org/features/web-exclusive/2014/07/27/gaza-displacement/
In solidarity
John
Department of Social Sciences
Loughborough University
Leics, UK, LE11 3TU
Tel: 01509 223361
http://www.freewebs.com/johnrichardson/
Current issue of Critical Discourse Studies:
http://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rcds20/current
________________________________________
From: Media, Communications and Cultural Studies Association (MeCCSA) [[log in to unmask]] on behalf of Elina Bardach-Yalov [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 30 July 2014 11:17
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: Behind the News from Gaza
I just hope that you called my point of view a "Zionist provocation". It is really flattering, as I have never answered any of "anti-Zionist" posts or emails. This time I really decided that this very interesting and important community has to hear the other voice. The voice of someone, who jumped out of bed once again during the night because of some HAMAS fanatic, who decided to send another rocket to her home town.
PS From personal experience - the siren is much more frightening than a rocket. You keep hearing a siren for 45 seconds and it takes only a few seconds for a rocket to explode.
On Wed, Jul 30, 2014 at 12:56 PM, Michael Chanan <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
The members of this list are to be congratulated for a discussion which, while different points of viewed were being aired, immediately rose to the Zionist provocation and transcended it before the perpetrator was outed.
Michael Chanan
www.mchanan.com<http://www.mchanan.com>
www.putneydebater.com<http://www.putneydebater.com/>
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Dr. Elina Bardach-Yalov
David Yellin College of Education
Jerusalem, Israel
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