Michael Green’s ‘Jerusalem Postcard’

Even amid the prospect of new punitive measures by Israel against the Gaza Strip as a response to ongoing rocket attacks, the dovish deputy prime minister, Haim Ramon, speaks of the necessity for Israel to cede Arab neighborhoods of Jerusalem to the Palestinians. Progressive-Zionist blogger, Michael Green, writes from Israel of right-wing demonstrators against possible territorial concessions contemplated by Prime Minister Olmert’s government in ongoing discussions with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (aka Abu Mazen):

I’ve never felt entirely comfortable with slogan-chanting or banner- waving and this was no exception. But in truth, it was satisfying to publicly take a stand against the people who litter the city with their garish orange ribbons. It reminded me of experiences in England campaigning against anti-Zionists. In common with the far-right in Israel, British anti-Zionists also resort to crude Holocaust comparisons, as well as branding me and my brethren ‘Nazis’. One thing both have in common is the ability to privilege the rights of one people at the expense of another. Both of their ideologies are black and white: excluding the narrative and sufferings of the ‘other’ whilst rejecting any role they have to play in the current state of affairs. They are simply ‘good guys’ and ‘bad guys’. Whilst the effectiveness of banner-waving may be limited (2 million people took to the streets of London to protest against the Iraq war), it’s surely better to do so than let extremism and racism go unchecked – whether Israeli or Anti-Zionist.

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