Nathan Newman wrote:
>What was decent? How about affirming that many Palestinians want peace,
that
>their national aspirations need to be honored for any "just and lasting
>peace", and that poverty will only spur more violence.
-It won't hurt you to admit that the man has a bias.
I didn't say he didn't have a pro-Israel bias; I have a bias as well. But hell, people are dying every few days in Israel and while it's nice to tally up deaths on each side and note that the body bags are piling up higher on the West Bank, that isn't actually that much comfort to those on the Israeli side. Just because I think the Israelis are wrong in the occupation doesn't mean that I can't have great sympathy for the families of those Israelis being killed by suicide bombs. And for those with greater ties or bias towards Israel, they may emphasize those deaths more.
I wish Sweeney had denounced the Palestinian deaths in the West Bank more sharply and more clearly. But Sweeney did emphasize the poverty and despair driving the violence from the Palestinians and held up fulfilling their aspirations on the same level as Jewish security in achieving a lasting peace, no emphasis on a "just" and lasting peace.
Those who care about just treatment for the Palestinians are far short of a majority in the United States. And we won't get the majority if we spend most of our time denouncing those who support a Palestinian state, economic aid to the Palestinians, and a just peace over the long-term.
People wonder why the pro-Israeli lobby is so effective. Sweeney's speech is a good example-- the hardliners on Israel probably didn't want him to make that speech, but the organizers of the rally wanted as broad a list of speakers as possible to expand their coalition. They organize by addition and try to work with people who they partially agree with, since they will organize to win on the parts they disagree on once they pocket the consensus parts.
Too much of left organizing is done by subtraction-- denounce anyone (especially if they are slightly to your right where the most obvious support should be organized) who disagrees partly on the issue and bring together only those who not only have the right politics but have the right "emphasis."
If we want to build a more pro-Palestinian politics in the United States with majority support, people better recognize that it will include Tom Friedman and John Sweeney. It may not have all the exact positions we want or all the right "emphasis" but it might actually be able to change US policy towards the Middle East.
'Cause I very much doubt the rallies in DC on April 20th will so impress the White House after this demonstration of pro-Israel muscle as to radically change their policies.
-- Nathan Newman