"The irony, of course, is that Israel's belligerence has done nothing to increase the security of its people. As every occupying power - from the British crown in America to the apartheid regime in South Africa - has learned, oppressed people lash back, often violently. Each U.S.-made and Israeli-fired missile that explodes in a Palestinian refugee camp seeds a new generation of militant resisters.
That seemed to go over well. It also resonated in a discussion I got into at a country bar outside of Atlanta, but that's another story.
Speaking of which, every Southerner that I've won over to the Palestinian cause has totally supported their right to armed resistance. Good politics can be an easier sell down here.
Date: Wed, 24 Apr 2002 19:34:42 -0400 From: Yoshie Furuhashi <furuhashi.1 at osu.edu> Subject: Re: narratives
>At 02:56 PM 04/24/2002 -0400, Luke wrote:
>>Well, the narrative of the perpetually besieged Jews being attacked by
>>Palestinian terrorists, as flawed as it is, is one that many Americans
find
>>compelling.
>
>How about the narrative about Palestinians being disposessed of
>their land, culture, and life -- for having done nothing to the
>jews. How about that narrative?
>
>Joanna
Perhaps, pro-Israel & anti-Palestinian Americans are ideologically motivated by the following analogy, whether they are fully aware of it or not:
White Americans = Israelis = Settler Colonialists
versus
American Indians = Palestinians = Indigenous Populations Displaced by Settler Colonialists.
Thus, if you criticize Israel's colonialism, you'd have to also criticize America's colonialism, to be consistent.
Likewise, Americans capable of political sympathies for American Indians would be also capable of politically sympathizing with Palestinians, I think. - -- Yoshie
* Calendar of Events in Columbus: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/calendar.html> * Anti-War Activist Resources: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/activist.html> * Student International Forum: <http://www.osu.edu/students/sif/> * Committee for Justice in Palestine: <http://www.osu.edu/students/CJP/>