Discussion about this post

User's avatar
Tee Ree's avatar

The comments here are just so depressing. People twisting themselves into pretzels to justify an ongoing human rights crisis.

It ends up sounding like maga folks defending the human rights abuses in this country. I hope to G-d we don’t get as entrenched in our hatred for each other here as Jews and Palestinians are in Israel. What a tragic failure of humanity to see each other’s humanity.

Expand full comment
Heartworker's avatar

There's nothing "new" or previously supposedly "unnoticed" in Beinart's statements. It's incomprehensible how Herschlag or anyone else comes to a conclusion like this.

I recently read all of this, for example, in Sebag Montefiore's - who, just one example, is totally “critical“ towards Netanyahu`s reign, too, but no way shares the Herschlag „conclusions“/ „deductions“ - book on "Jerusalem," and much more than this.

If I was an Israeli, I could never vote for Netanyahu - just as I could have never voted for Trump, if I was a US citizen.

But Trump is the nearly unevitable result of the sum total of all „Leftist“ (non-)action and faults before in Harvard and other places; similarly with Netanyahu.

Not all that Trump does, is totally wrong - same with Netanyahu -, rather the ways he chooses are „questionable“ to say the least.

Netanyahu at least is well informed and knows what he is doing and why, he also is „politically rightist“, but no reactionary - which can´t be said of Trump.

Likewise, there's nothing (new) at Beinart or Herschlag to be read about how it could have been prevented from killing so-called "innocents" in the attacks against Hamas, when Hamas had set up everything to ENSURE that this was INEVITABLE ?

HOW MANY GOOD for the Arabian People could Hamas have done if they had spent all that money on prosperity for their inhabitants instead for tunnels, rockets, weapons, terrorism and school books full of „Hate Speech“ towards ALL jews ?

How many hundreds of thousands of rockets had "Gaza" fired at Israel - on loads of CITIZENS - since 2005? Do we find all THESE numbers at Beinart/ Herschlag ?

There are 51 (fifty-one) states in the world with "Islam" as the state/majority religion: not a single one of them has fundamental human rights enshrined in its constitution and laws, nor a separation of powers, nor a prohibition of discrimination "based" on gender, sexual orientation, religion, etc.: surely "Israel is to blame," also for this, isn't it? "The Jews" are to blame, as always and ever.

While „the Palestinians“ are „Freedom Fighters“, for sure, brutally „PROUDLY“ killing opposition, gays/lesbians, suppressing women : THAT´S „Freedom“, for sure.

And beneath these 51 states, there is now only ONE that is declared "Jewish,“ which is a constiutional state unlike EVERY „Islam“ state/nation - and WHO gets „criticized" …?!? A huge fuss is made about this Jewish State with the usual "accusations" against "the Jews.“

„Leftists“ adored Stalin, Mao Zedong, Polh Poth, Castro and all the other MASS MURDERERS : but STILL they keep their „gift of the gab“ instead of SILENCING in SHAME for CENTURIES ???

That´s maybe what lets them „like“ the Arabs and the Islam: self-criticism is the LAST THING arousing from these ideologies („Religions).

But THEY - THEY !!!!! - DARE to mock about supposedly „the Jews’ '' failure of self-criticism ?? Oh my God: UNBELIEVABLE.

While hardly a word is said about this on others—like the major Colonial States Russia - the greatest colonial state of the world - , China, and others—it is guaranteed and unconditionally imposed on "the Jews" in everything they do. Always. Ever.

In HOW MANY Arab/Muslim states are there still Jews?

900,000 – compared to 700,000 Arabs expelled/dispossessed in Israel (self-proclaimed „Palestinians“- were expelled from these states in 1948 and thereafter –

Do you hear THEM mourning, crying, demanding - or did they get a life ?

So, one of the most vicious statements here is "Jewish self-narrative of a people as victims always and oppressors never": OH WHAT A LIE !!! : everyone can know that in no religion does one's own transgressions and faultiness play such a large role as in Judaism.

What is the state of self-criticism in "Islam"? ZERO. It doesn't exist there.

That Israel supposedly has something "against Arabs" is absurd.

Rather in fact, Israel had just begun talks with Saudi Arabia, even Qatar, and other countries to resolve the so-called "Palestinian" "problem": THAT EXACTLY was PRECISELY the "reason" for the HOLOCAUST OF OCTOBER 07, 2023 : because Hamas – rightly – feared it would no longer play a role.

Herschlag seems to be oblivious to all this, or just not wanting to know.

Before the Second World War, everyone told "the Jews": "Go to Palestine: that's where you belong."

Now they ARE in "Palestine"... AND...? …

...the Arabs have appropriated this COLONIALIST (!!) term, which always meant ALL inhabitants of the Levant – not just Jews and Arabs, but also the numerous other peoples and religions oppressed, persecuted, and decimated there for centuries by the COLONIZING Ottomans and Arabs! –, as if Arabs (falsely named „Palestinians“) had ever lived there even remotely alone or predominantly.

Moreover, the "colonial powers" (Great Britain, France) had promised a state of their own there to some other people there than Jews and Arabs – and failed to keep those promises (too)… !

Before World War II, Great Britain, in particular, didn't want a Jewish state there – but in 1947/48, the Arabs COULD have had their own state, but they made it impossible THEMSELVES (just as Arafat a.o. did later on) – because they didn't / don´t want to tolerate "any others beside them," just as they do in the 51 Islamic „jew-free“ states.

But none of this can be found in Herschlag's essay, which is at best good as toilet paper and for the self-edification of „leftists", who, as we all know, are "always the good guys” - but instead of self-criticism, they rather use a projection of their own self on „The Jews“.

Expand full comment
41 more comments...

No posts