I am not Penn nor Teller so I will not be making jokes and ridicule ‘Post-Zionism‘. All I want is to express a few thoughts I had while reading their thesis. I got to their website completely by chance after reading what seems to be a really cool blog, called “Orthodox Anarchist” written by a guy named Daniel Sieradski, a Jerusalem-based artist, writer and activist that seems to have a few things a in common with me and Tal, he also made a list of reasons to leave Israel, and after reading his blog I decided to publish my own reasons to get the hell out of the country in a later post. Another thing we have in common is that he too is a web designer. Back to Post-Zionism – I’ll quote a part of their thesis and explain what made me jump in my chair in anger.
“Jews should support Palestinian resistance to the occupation…“
I don’t get it. How can they say something like that? I bet they don’t know what “Palestinian resistance to the occupation…” means.
Thats me, 7 years ago, in Rambam Hospital. That’s the so called “Palestinian resistance”. In 21st of December 2000, I was in a small bus station kiosk in the west bank, just outside Mehola junction. I was waiting with my friend Tsipi for a car to pick us up to Maskiot. We were playing backgammon (I was winning! no matter what Tsipi says) when a 21 year old Palestinian student for communication came to me from behind, waring 7 k”g of explosives on him, he “hugged me” (maybe he was thinking about coexistence, or maybe he was gay) and than blew himself up all over me. So don’t blame me for being cynical. I am not Post Zionist, I am however, Post traumatic.
People always tell me I should be thankful, and pray “Hagomel” to GOD for saving me. That’s a load of crap. Some say that its “understandable that you now will turn against GOD for letting you suffer so much”. That’s also bullshit.
In my self definition, I am Israeli, just Israeli. I am not a believer and I do not belong to any religion. I find it really sad that in this day and age, with science, and modern medicine, people still believe in those old myths about GOD, read a-loud worn out prayers and blindly believe that something out there listens. A lot of us here in Israel are not believers. Somehow being born here, constantly fighting to defend ourselves, to keep this country, all of this brings up the question, maybe we were wrong? Maybe, just maybe, this isn’t the promised land? If it was promised why do we have to fight for it all the time? o.k, that’s really besides the point. we are already here. I was born here, I’m a part of it, like it or not. To these people, from ‘Post-Zionism’, who grew up in a relatively safe environment, without the constant tension, and fear, without looking over their shoulders and being searched outside every mall, shops, cafes, these people with their over-grown righteousness, who never had to worry about their loved ones, they side with Palestinians, because it makes them feel superior, and right.
The first line in their thesis is “1. All peoples are entitled to self-definition…”, people – it would happen anyway if All people just minded their own business. But that would never happen. Thats not the kind of world we live in.
Another thing that would never happen is coexistence. Sure, it sounds nice, that all of us would get along, but just like ‘World Peace’, equality, and eternal life – it can not happen. We don’t get a long. Like water and oil, we reject each other. Of course on a personal level it can and it does happen. We’ve met a few nice Palestinians in Holland, and we got along fine, and even stayed in touch, and became friends. But on the other hand, in the full scale national level, our people just do not want to live together. Too much bad blood flows between us. We are fighting over the same little piece of ground. DO you get it now?
“There are more love songs than anything else. If songs could make you do something we’d all love one another.” FZ
Peace and Love to all, Omer Golan
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Tags: 21st Of December, Activist, Anarchist, Backgammon, Believer, Bus Station, Coexistence, Explosives, Jerusalem, Jews, Kiosk, Palestinian Resistance, Palestinian Student, pictures, Ridicule, Self Definition, Thesis, Tsipi, Web Designer, West Bank, Zionism
Jimmy, thanks for taking time to comment on this post.
I have to say this: Sir, you have no idea what you are talking about. I am sorry. All of you from the outside, you simply don’t know shit. My injuries did happen in a vacuum, my vacuum. my world.
Steal the land? what land? this is preposterous, it was a deserted swap.
Plus you keep forgetting that the UN split that country and gave half to us. so we didn’t STEAL nothing. Than, the first night of our independence, 7 countries, millions of soldiers, tanks, guns and armed vehicles attacked us at once. They lost.
Jews, including my family came from Europe and other places because we were murdered everywhere else. We came here because we had no choice, you stole the land you’re comfortably residing on from its natives from pure greed. And you didn’t use candies to make them leave either.
Lets make a deal. First you give back your land to the Indians, and go back to europe. Than, I’ll leave here and meet you there, in europe, where we all came from.
The minute we will leave this place, the Arab countries around will eat the Palestinians alive. They really hate them. I can’t blame them, they remind them of their failures to concur Israel.
We are here. Even that I do not agree with Zionism, what can I do? I don’t hold any other passport but this Israeli one. Which means I can not leave.
You present your injuries as if they occurred in a vacuum. You were playing backgammon, and suddenly someone tried to kill you with a bomb. But earlier that day, you drank water that came from that person’s well, while he went thirsty. You were waiting for a bus on a road built on that person’s land. Your government killed thousands of that person’s relatives in order to steal the land.
It’s good that you left Israel. You’ve done the right thing now, but when you suffered your injuries, you were participating in an unjust war against the man who set off that bomb, simply by being in Israel and providing de facto support for the regime conducting that war, while he was engaged in a justified war against invaders.
The vast majority of Palestinians would be happy to co-exist with Israel, if the Israelis would simply give up their expansionism. But you can’t co-exist with someone who is robbing you every day.
I do not* share your views however.
I am terribly, terribly sorry for what you went through, and I am thankful that you survived to tell your story today. As the author of that statement, I want you to know that I would never for a moment dare contend that violence against Israeli civilians constitutes legitimate resistance to the Occupation. What happened to you is not only unacceptable, it is cruel and evil, and I would never make any excuse nor seek any justification for such actions.
To these people, from ?Post-Zionism?, who grew up in a relatively safe environment, without the constant tension, and fear, without looking over their shoulders and being searched outside every mall, shops, cafes, these people with their over-grown righteousness, who never had to worry about their loved ones, they side with Palestinians, because it makes them feel superior, and right.
Actually, I’ve lived in downtown Jerusalem for three years as a member of a relatively right-wing Orthodox community. I have had family members who were severely wounded in terror attacks, and I was only a block from the French Hill bombing when it took place. I face, every day, the same fears, getting on buses and entering public places that you do. I take none of it for granted. My motivations are rooted in trying to change these conditions, so that we may live in peace and security. I simply have a different belief in how to go about doing this than you may have.
But on the other hand, in the full scale national level, our people just do not want to live together. Too much bad blood flows between us. We are fighting over the same little piece of ground.
I agree with you that coexistence is a far off goal right now. But I don’t see it as being all together an impossibility. I believe that it takes people willing to express a different vision, and to stand up for that vision, to bring about a productive change. May we all be blessed to think outside the box and to give legitimate alternatives a chance.
Again, I totally understand and respect why you feel the way you do. You, more than anyone I’ve ever read on the subject, frankly, have a legitimate basis for outright hatred and contempt for our neighbors. You have every right to disagree with my views, even more vehemently than you’ve done so here. I would not dare for a moment say that you are unjustified in feeling the way you do here. I would actually expect you to feel even more strongly. So I appreciate your openness to first, even publicly discuss this, and secondly, to invite a conversation about it.
I do share your views however. I don’t believe that the actions of your attacker are representative of the greater Palestinian public’s desire or will. Certainly, it represents a significant portion’s view, and that should not be brushed aside casually. However, it should also not be upheld as the end-all-be-all of Palestinian desires.