[tupocc] re: Why and How the Anti-War Movement Must Tackle the

Note, Mr. Elias Davidsson is a Palestinian Jewish NLG member. His comments are below:

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: Elías Davidsson < edavid@simnet.is>
Date: May 12, 2006 6:53 PM
Subject: [NLGInternational] re: Why and How the Anti-War Movement Must Tackle the "Israel" Question
To: NLGInternational@yahoogroups.com
Cc: John Spritzler <spritzler@comcast.net>

A short rejoinder to John Spritzler article Why and How the Anti-War
Movement Must Tackle the "Israel" Question.

Although I agree with John Spritzler's analysis, I wish to bring two
aspects into this debate, which John did not address.

1. The concept of a Jewish, Muslim or Christian state, stands in
contradiction with the secular principles underlying the Universal
Declaration of Human Rights and more generally the norm of
non-discrimination. Insofar as a State designated as
Jewish/Muslim/Christian provides material privileges to members of
these religions and/or denies some basic human rights to members of
other religions, such a State is incompatible with human rights. The
Jewish State is based on both privileges to Jews (as defined
essentially according to descent) and discrimination against non-Jews.
The most grievous discrimination by the Jewish State against non-Jews
is the legislation which prohibits the return of non-Jewish refugees to
areas located under the jurisdiction of the Jewish State. This
prohibition has effectively alienated almost one million non-Jews and
their descendants from their houses, land and other assets within the
Jewish State and their right to take control of these assets. The only
base for this discrimination is that these people were not born to a
Jewish mother or did not convert to Judaism. This discrimination
permitted the continued existence of this State. The State of Israel
is thus predicated on a permanent form of racial discrimination. Any
person concerned with human rights must oppose such discrimination.
Opposing the legitimacy of a Jewish State is thus firmly grounded in
international norms of human rights. Such opposition is neither radical
nor extremist, but a natural consequence of a principled position on
human rights. It must be added that the same principles apply to any
other State, Christian, Muslim or other, which would engage in
unpermissible discrimination on the basis of religion.

2. While opposition to the legitimacy of a Jewish State is well
grounded in law, many people rightly ask what solution is there which
would be compatible with human rights and justice. The response is
clear: One Democratic State in the area comprising Israel and the
Palestinian occupied territories, in which both Jewish Israelis and
Palestinians would live. Such a State can take various forms, including
Federative, Confederative and Unitary. Any solution based on
partitioning the territory into two sovereign states would be unjust,
unlawful and economically not viable. It is true that making Israeli
Jews and Palestinian Arabs live in one state after almost a century of
conflict is not an easy task. But it is certainly easier than
contemplate another century of bloody conflict or even genocide. In
any case, Jews have lived for centuries in Arab lands in much greater
security than in Christian countries. Judaism thrived in Muslim Spain
whereas Jews were expelled from Spain by a Christian regime. The
gravest oppression of Jews occurred in Tsarist Russia and by the Nazi
regime and its lackeys, that is by Christian nations. Israeli Jews
must accomodate themselves to live in the Arab Middle East. They cannot
escape this predicament. And if they really want to stay in the region,
they should not resist against this predicament, but welcome it. Real
peace will in any case bring millions of Arabs to Tel Aviv, for study,
business and holiday. Interaction and acculturation will inevitably

follow. This is the law of nature. If we accept this scenario, there
is no reason why we should not work and support the only just, lawful
and viable solution to the conflict in Palestine. Let us recall that
after 1945 many French people believed that peace with Germany was
unthinkable, that Germany was an arch-enemy of France. Today both
nations work together within the European Community. The concept "arch
enemy" is unheard of. Palestinians who are Israeli citizens
participate in the national football league and at least one
Palestinian author, Antoine Shammas, writes perfect literary Hebrew,
which is envied by many Jewish Israelis. There is absolutely no
objective reason why Jews, Muslims and Christians could not live
together in peace, as they do in many other countries.

Elias Davidsson