Thursday, June 8, 2017

Responding to Joely Cohen

Sar Shalom

If for no other reason than the potential for her ideas to infect an even larger portion of Jewish youth today, Joely Cohen's blog post at the Times of Israel needs a response. Many responses focus on the myriad peace offers that Israel has accepted and the Arabs refused, the fact that the Jews would have been annihilated if they had lost, or that the real tragedy for the Palestinians is that the Jews are no longer dhimmis. It is altogether proper that such sentiments should motivate opposition to Cohen's case, but we must not confuse what motivates us for what might convince others.

Take as an example the fact that we accepted compromise and the Arabs did not. Good little dhimmis like Cohen could turn around and craft a parable of someone who completed medical school and scored in the top 5% on the board certification, but was then told "Because of your ethnic background, you're not fit to be a doctor. You can be a nurse, however." Very few people, certainly not from Cohen's target audience, will accept an argument that someone put in that position should accept the compromise. We should not waste our time arguing that such a compromise should be accepted, we need to demonstrate that the compromise offers to the Arabs are different.

One response would be to take seriously her request at the end of her post.
Invite an uncensored Palestinian speaker into your youth movement...
My suspicion is that Cohen does not want Palestinians coming to speak without censorship. What she want is Palestinians coming to speak without Zionist censorship. However, for the likes of Cohen the only authentic Arab is an Arab who parrots the Palestinianist narrative, thus requiring that the Palestinian national movement (PNM) censor any Arab voices that might address the impressionable children. In the interest of exposing Jewish youth to Palestinian voices without other-than-Zionist censorship, here are a few speakers who could address them:
  • George Deek. The grandson of Arabs who left Israel during the 1948 and returned. Currently works in the Israeli foreign service.
  • Alaa Waheeb. Major in the Israel Defense Forces.
  • Mohammad Zoabi. Cousin of anti-Israel MK Hanin Zoabi, but staunch supported of the State of Israel.
  • Khaled Abu Toameh. Journalist who started in Palestinian media but left to work for the Jerusalem Post because Palestinian media only allowed him to produce propaganda.
  • Christy Anastas. Arab-Cristian born in Bethlehem who faced death-threats after making pro--Israel arguments.
This does not mean that the children should be shielded from PNM voices such as Maysoon Zayid, George Ibish, or Hanan Ashrawi. Aside from the moral dimensions of censorship, if it becomes clear that there is censorship, some of those receiving the censored information will conclude that it indicates something to hide and thus assign more validity to such arguments when they do finally hear them. Hearing PNM-voices along with Arab dissidents from the PNM could provide an innoculative effect against being persuaded by Palestinianist arguments when they grow up and are on their own. I am confident that if they hear both Arab perspectives that they would make a fair evaluation. Is Cohen?

13 comments:

  1. What young people really need to hear is unfiltered translation of the material Palestinian Arabs are nurtured on. A good concentrated dosage of Der Sutrmer style Jew hatred tends to give you a correct perspective.

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    1. It would be gratifying, but I doubt that it would have the desired effect. I'd rather go positive. Anastas' story could further provide enough information that older children can figure out why open dissidents from the PNM are in the minority among the Arabs.

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  2. Why? Why does it matter why is it worrisome that leftwing Jew haters get to pretend to listen to something that varies from the official Jew hating mantra? Why bother to waste time with this?

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  3. Nakba
    1. The unsuccessful attempt by Arabs to slaughter the Jews in 1948.
    2. A clanking percussive sound made when "progressive" Jews shake their heads in disapproval.
    Joely has redefined "traitor" as "progressive." She is sorry that Arabs, whom she refers to ex post facto as "Palestinians," didn't successfully slaughter Jews on their way to not making a state, (because they really had none in mind, and still don't. Not really.). Her thoughts, using that term loosely, are progressive like a disease.

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  4. Nakba
    3. The re-telling of the exile and dispersal or dispossession of the Jews 2,000 years ago, only substituting what were really Arab aggressors for the Jews. Nasty stuff. Antisemitic for sure. See Heritage Theft.

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    1. I think that you're starting to get more pissed-off then me.

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    2. I'm sick of shallow ignorance masquerading as profound depth.

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    3. British Jews have been exposed over the last several years to a relentless shame campaign of one-sided propaganda. She is celebrating this Soviet style campaign of defamation. When it comes to Israel, history should in inform that the British are not who you want to go to for your information. They actively sought to kill Israel at birth. In that country defending Israel means sticking in an apology somewhere usually up front. It breaks my heart.

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    4. Sometimes it's important to keep an eye on the larger picture.

      In terms of the arc of Jewish history the Brits are a significant historical blip, but a blip, nonetheless.

      I have friends here in the Bay Area cheering the success of Corbyn, but what they do not seem to realize is that by electing a pro-Islamist they are invalidating any claims that the British left can make toward being anti-racist.

      Also, of course, if the international left is no longer anti-racist then it can no longer said to stand for universal human rights.

      And, if the left no longer stands for universal human rights, it certainly does not stand for western-feminism... but we already learned that from Linda Sarsour. That is her significance.

      Sarsour is a herald of the decline of liberalism in the West.

      But, y'know, fuck Europe.

      They are doomed and we don't need them.

      I just want to see as many Jews get out as possible.

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    5. Farce as reality. A specialty for some in the Bay Area.

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  5. What's your strategy to convince people to go to shuls like Cohen's of all that you say here? Convincing Cohen is probably a lost cause. Yes there are those like Kassem Hafeez who have been convinced by facts, but we shouldn't expect facts to have any greater effect on Jewish Palestinianists than they have had on Muslim Palestinianists. However, the children at liberal shuls have not solidified their views yet and thus are still impressionable. One tool I recommend to outmaneuver Cohen in trying to "educate" these children is to accuse her of censorship. Any objections?

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  6. **************************
    LIST OF ARABS AND MUSLIMS
    WHO BECAME PRO-ISRAEL:
    *************************
    Brigitte Gabriel:
    www.ActForAmerica.org

    Nonie Darwish:
    www.NonieDarwish.org
    http://ArabsForIsrael.blogspot.com/

    http://israelseen.com/2015/08/27/9-incredible-muslims-that-support-israel/

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