Anti-Zionism Is Racism

[Forstater, Mathew]

the old canard you repeat about the experience of the "black
inhabitants" of South Africa being the comparable to the Boer is an old
standard part of the apartheid mythological/ideological scheme. you just
need a few touches, like call the Boer "Afrikaaners" (i.e. Africans) and
the the Xhosa, etc. 'bantu'. You actually go further than some versions.
Anyway, I can't go into the whole argument right now, but wanted to get
on record as knowledgeable of it and rejecting it. I'll try to get back
soon. 
Mat

-----Original Message-----
From: Daniel Davies [mailto:d_squared_2002 at yahoo.co.uk]
Sent: Monday, July 30, 2001 4:56 AM
To: lbo-talk at lists.panix.com
Subject: Re: Anti-Zionism Is Racism

 --- Gordon Fitch <gcf at panix.com> wrote: > Forstater, Mathew:
> > >    ... And to my mind, Ashkenazi Jews had the same 'right' to
> > Palestine
> > > that the Boer had to South Africa--none. 
> > > ...
> 
> Gordon:
> > In general, what right does a person have to be anywhere?
> 
> Forstater, Mathew:
> > a farmer or pastoralist whose family has tilled the soil or herded
> > livestock for generations as a basic mode of subsistence has a right
to
> > continue that way of life in the face of an invasion by outsiders
> > carrying bibles and/or guns. no?
> 
> I don't know.  I don't think too many of us would have a
> right to be anywhere under that sort of rule.  

Indeed.  Many of the inhabitants of the land area currently occupied by
South
Africa at the time when the Boers arrived certainly wouldn't, as they
were
there as the result of the expansionist adventurism of Shaka/Chaka a
mere
generation or two previously.

A significant proportion of the black inhabitants of modern South Africa
have a
worse claim to be there than the Boers by this criterion, given that
they are
descended from tribes brought into the region by the British to help out
with
colonisation during the mid 19th century.

The Boers themselves have a rather decent claim to remain in South
Africa these
days; they have very little in common culturally with the English, Dutch
or any
other Europeans.  Their position is rather like the loyalist Ulstermen,
who are
Irish, not British (repatriation to Scotland would be no solution
whatever to
them).

It is extremely rare for historical processes to throw up clear
right/wrong
distinctions of the kind that Matt seems to need for his strong
anti-Zionist
case to go through.

dd

=====
... in countries which do not enjoy Mediterranean sunshine idleness is
more difficult, and a great public propaganda will be required to
inaugurate it.  -- Bertrand Russell

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