At the beginning of "Being Jewish After the Destruction of Gaza" (2025) is a small section addressed to a "former friend". As a Jew Peter feels his views are not compatible with many Jews, including some long time friends. Benjamin Franklin said "For having lived long I have experienced many instances of being obliged by better information or fuller consideration to change opinions even on important which I once thought right, but found to be otherwise". At great personal loss to himself Peter Beinart over a period of time has changed his opinion. As an outsider my views had been formed in one direction for close to 70 years.
October 7th was a shock and the initial response was horror. As time
went on some of the horror shifted to the bombardment of Gaza. Hostages
were used as bargaining chips including women, children and a few
foreigners. Some hostages noted that their greatest fear was of Israeli bombs and in truth some died as result. We heard very upsetting accounts of what had been inflicted
in the initial attack and subsequently on hostages.
After World War II a lot of colonies wound down, however Israel was the exception where Jews took over land that was already occupied by a larger number of Arabs. In North America we seldom stopped to realize that we took over land occupied by indigenous humans who actually co-existed better with nature. For years we were led to believe the Arabs fled on their own initiative. We came to learn they fled intimidation and violence. Like being forced out of your house that your family had lived in for generations. Actually about 750,000 Arabs were displaced in 1948 and several hundred thousand in 1967.
It was considered a problem what to do with the Jewish Holocaust survivors. None of the Europeans wanted to take it on. One thought was that they should be compensated with choice land in Germany. However there had been a political movement called Zionism that advocated settling in the Holy Land. Nations that had blocked Jewish refugees before the war supported this notion, most notably the United States, that not only supplied money, but also weapons.
Since the formation of Israel it has gained in strength with Jews around the world viewing it as a safe haven in a world with lots of anti-Semitism. They have developed some psychological props. They are quick to point out how they have been victimized over centuries. Beinart points out "There are still fewer Jews alive today than there were in 1939".
Another force boosting Israel is surprisingly (mostly 'American) Evangelicals who have interpreted Biblical verse that Christ will have a second coming, but only if the Jews control Israel. They actively support Jewish settlers in Palestine and surprisingly some Jews join in the effort to influence American Evangelicals. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2019/12/evangelists-and-trump.html The Evangelical voting block strongly supports Republicans who in turn support Israel
Dehumanizing is a standard practice. Palestinians are always characterized as lazy, poorly educated, violent and most critically want Jews dead. Since October 7th we have heard and seen barbaric acts against Jewish citizens. Israeli citizens minimize Palestinian deaths even suggesting they are made up, but in fact they compile their numbers from actually identified. The stories of individual Palestinians suffering are dismissed.
Alternatives to violence were tried with little success. The real problem is to build trust in a hateful environment. Netanyahu boasted that he killed the Oslo Accords, an attempt for peace. He then encouraged settlements (that are illegal) in occupied Palestine. What some would call terrorism, others would call freedom fighting. Are you sure you don't have a bias?
The BDS (Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions) movement offered another way to get the world's attention. Essentially it was an organizational attempt to use economic warfare instead of violence. Israel saw this as an attack (which it was), but instead of countering with arguments and incentives they tried to make it illegal and had success. Israel did everything it could for the world to ignore this non violent effort. The world mostly ignored the Palestinian case for freedom. http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/12/the-bds-movement.html
Beinart suggests there is hope for a peaceful resolution.
One example comes from South Africa. Afrikaners expressed distain for the blacks, deeming them to be lower humans. They feared that if ever they got control there would be a massacre They fought five different African nations declaring armed groups as terrorists, but actually after the blacks got a vote anti-government violence within almost disappeared while the armed battles against ceased.
Palestinian doctors are 30% of Israeli doctors, 25% of nurses and 60% of pharmacists, all jobs require trust by Jewish patients.
There are Israelis who are trying to bridge the two cultures often through music, art or sports.
Trump recently demonstrated his insensitivity by suggesting the Palestinians should be sent over to Jordan or Egypt and that would leave their homeland partly into a Mediterranean resort. It would please some of his supporters, but certainly exasperate the problem. If American voters prefer Trump solutions, the Mideast will be in continual turmoil. It is difficult to predict the future, but until more people understand there are two sides to the dispute it will be impossible to negotiate peace.
A previous blog about Peter Beinart http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2012/07/crisis-of-zionism-book-review.html
Another respected Jewish thinker is Yuval Noah Harriri and he has a relevant perspective http://www.therealjohndavidson.com/2018/12/21-lessons-for-21st-century.html
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