Thanks for the reaction. I didn't read the Stephens article, but I probably read a lot of comments on social media from people who did. I'm wondering how you think things were going prior to this attack, and what should have been happening to support Palestinians from the left. Many of us were at least moderately engaged with BDS actions, general support, etc. but it kind of fell off the radar when we were fighting to keep basic human rights in the United States, along with the cracking down on Palestinian support by conservatives in many states.
I had been reading a lot of "We stand with Israel" comments and seeing a lot of misunderstanding of the position of people on the left, like me. Much of the time, it's straight to antisemitism. If not, it's "insensitivity" towards innocent people. So, what I've been commenting (thinking out loud, just to see if people can help me better understand) is:
We want to "#freepalestine" because that will lead to less innocent people being killed (if you do also consider Palestinians people). BDS and Free Palestine rallies aren't to harm Jewish people, but to help ensure their safety. The current government of Israel regularly commits acts of terror on already oppressed people. This ensures that Israel will be the target of attacks on innocent lives, as we saw again. When you oppress people to this degree, and they have nothing to lose, you should not be surprised that some of them will want revenge. Essentially, "the people you put in power killed my family. I don't have access to them, but I have access to a group of innocent potential supporters of yours, just living their lives, not unlike my family." It seems to me that Israel has, decades ago, realized they can try to ensure safety through this oppression, and now, more recently, they're realizing it must come through genocide. They, obviously, put the safety of their citizens above basic human rights - to say the least. That's like the US solving our current problems with more police... oh wait.
I have been seeing a lot of people who consider themselves leftists/communists, essentially, celebrating the deaths of these Israelis - even the misreported beheadings and rapes. There are a lot of issues on the left, as we've seen exposed way too much the last few years. One thing that stands out, but seems innocuous is, "if they end the occupation, this will all stop." I don't think that's true either. It's like abolishing the police: I don't think that's gonna be a quick fix and solve crime, etc. I think it's a start; a step toward healing that's going to be disastrous at the beginning - like any major change to a system. If occupation ended today, you will still have hurt, desperate, angry people, many of whom will still want revenge and plot around peaceful negotiations and healing. But you have to start the process, otherwise we're going to get more of the same, only heightened like we're seeing now. And in doing so, try to plan the best you can to solve issues you expect to arise.
I hope the ideas I'm supporting help protect the people of Israel and Palestine who want peace, safety, and dignity. If I'm not, I want to know what does. Or what can.
Thanks for the reaction. I didn't read the Stephens article, but I probably read a lot of comments on social media from people who did. I'm wondering how you think things were going prior to this attack, and what should have been happening to support Palestinians from the left. Many of us were at least moderately engaged with BDS actions, general support, etc. but it kind of fell off the radar when we were fighting to keep basic human rights in the United States, along with the cracking down on Palestinian support by conservatives in many states.
I had been reading a lot of "We stand with Israel" comments and seeing a lot of misunderstanding of the position of people on the left, like me. Much of the time, it's straight to antisemitism. If not, it's "insensitivity" towards innocent people. So, what I've been commenting (thinking out loud, just to see if people can help me better understand) is:
We want to "#freepalestine" because that will lead to less innocent people being killed (if you do also consider Palestinians people). BDS and Free Palestine rallies aren't to harm Jewish people, but to help ensure their safety. The current government of Israel regularly commits acts of terror on already oppressed people. This ensures that Israel will be the target of attacks on innocent lives, as we saw again. When you oppress people to this degree, and they have nothing to lose, you should not be surprised that some of them will want revenge. Essentially, "the people you put in power killed my family. I don't have access to them, but I have access to a group of innocent potential supporters of yours, just living their lives, not unlike my family." It seems to me that Israel has, decades ago, realized they can try to ensure safety through this oppression, and now, more recently, they're realizing it must come through genocide. They, obviously, put the safety of their citizens above basic human rights - to say the least. That's like the US solving our current problems with more police... oh wait.
I have been seeing a lot of people who consider themselves leftists/communists, essentially, celebrating the deaths of these Israelis - even the misreported beheadings and rapes. There are a lot of issues on the left, as we've seen exposed way too much the last few years. One thing that stands out, but seems innocuous is, "if they end the occupation, this will all stop." I don't think that's true either. It's like abolishing the police: I don't think that's gonna be a quick fix and solve crime, etc. I think it's a start; a step toward healing that's going to be disastrous at the beginning - like any major change to a system. If occupation ended today, you will still have hurt, desperate, angry people, many of whom will still want revenge and plot around peaceful negotiations and healing. But you have to start the process, otherwise we're going to get more of the same, only heightened like we're seeing now. And in doing so, try to plan the best you can to solve issues you expect to arise.
I hope the ideas I'm supporting help protect the people of Israel and Palestine who want peace, safety, and dignity. If I'm not, I want to know what does. Or what can.
Take Care