Opinions of Peter Belmont
Speaking Truth to Power
| And what of Israelis who do not speak out? |
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by Peter A. Belmont / 2011-12-25
In her biography “And the Bridge is Love”, Alma Mahler Werfel relates an argument in the USA with Europeans who, like herself and Werfel had got out of Europe, circa 1940, and away from Hitler. Richard Strauss would have two Rosenkavilier performances at the Met each year—not enough for a beggar to live on—and that would be all.And what would Alma Mahler Werfel have said about today’s Israel and Israeli artists, musicians, and writers who have not “gotten out” yet? Is Israel headed toward human rights crimes like those of Germany in the 1930s and 1940s? Yes, certainly, and not just “headed”—but “arrived”. What else but “like” Nazism was the destruction of Gaza and the continuing siege of Gaza? What else is the killing of peaceful demonstrators merely to break up demonstrations which would be allowed to Israelis? What else is the killing, the land stealing, the olive-tree-uprooting, the water-stealing, the imprisonment without charge or trial for long periods (hostage -taking?), the arrest of small children in the middle of the night, the torture of most prisoners, the home-demolition, the check-points, and all the rest of the Israeli practices of occupation, particularly the deliberate lawbreaking of the settlements and the resolute refusal by the government effectively either to remove, punish, or restrain the criminally aggressive settlers (the pogromisti), and indeed, its resolute refusal to remove all the settlers (whether or not violent) because they are all present in occupied territories in violation of international law? But, it will be argued, the Israeli treatment of Arabs living under occupation is not as bad as the Nazi treatment of Gypsies, the insane, the mentally retarded, Slavs, labor unionists, and many others —including, one must be sure to remember, the Jews. No, not as bad. Not that bad. But, then, there is no contest for who is worst when the topic is voluntary and wholly unnecessary deprivation of life, liberty, happiness, and human rights generally. The idea is not to lose this contest but, rather, not to be in this contest at all. And if this miserable country, this Israel—so beloved by those who see it through the lens of hopes and dreams (and fears) long since falsified for anyone with eyes to see and ears to hear—is as bad as it in fact is, then can these artists, musicians, and writers who remain inside Israel have any hope to correct the situation? Are they—those who are not octogenarians, who may be too old to leave—justified in remaining? And do they speak out (Israel not being quite a Nazi regime yet, for all I’ve said—and for all that every occupation-watcher knows), so that it is still possible to speak out (as long as one does not call for boycotts of Israelis or Israeli commercial products—Israeli freedom of speech is not absolute, after all! And apparently Israel has felt the need to keep some Israeli (Jewish) protesters in line, or why would it have passed the free-speech-denying no-boycott-talk law? Do they speak out? Not noticeably. They should come to the USA (or to Germany!), renounce Israeli citizenship, and speak out. But I didn’t answer my original question Returning to my initial question, what would Alma say? If she were consistent, she would say that Israelis who do not have to leave are justified to remain. despite all, and whether or not there is a hope to correct matters. The sad part is that, in Israel today, so many of the very people who should be standing up and speaking out have quit the field, given up the fight, rather like the Germans who thought it best to join the Nazi party. Peter, Aren’t you getting a bit high and mighty here? Yes, indeed I am. Perhaps Americans should be asking themselves when it would be time for us to get out. For we have not been able to restrain the USA’s military empire. It was not we that stopped the Iraq war, and we have certainly not stopped the Afghanistan war. The Democrats, like the Republicans, can think of nothing better to do than to bleed the country dry by a military-intelligence budget that preposterously equals the total of almost the entire military-intelligence budgets of the rest of the world. The USA’s governance is not in the hands of the people—not to any great extent—but in the hands (or pockets) of the great oligarchs, the heads of the rich corporations who donate money to all politicians (effectively seeking and usually succeeding in bribing them) so that government will do their will at the expense of the public interest. I think Alma was wiser than I am. Until they come to get you, perhaps it is best to stay quiet and leave governance to others. But I do wish the “good Israelis” would speak out. |
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