Israeli Academics: Where's Shlomo?

[Yoshie Furuhashi]

>From: Cliff Staples (Clifford_staples at und.nodak.edu)
>
>I don't see Shlomo Avenieri on the list. He wrote that fine book on Marx
>(The Social and Political Thought of Karl Marx) I read to pieces in
>graduate school. It's up there on the shelf still, felt-tipped pen marked
>pages all pushed together in a heap, Tucker to one side, Mehring to the other.
>
>I recall reading some quotes from him somewhere recently and detected a bit
>of a right-ward shift. Does anyone know what he is thinking/doing these days?

*****   A letter to an American Jewish friend

Shlomo Avineri
April, 09 2002

...All over Europe, and even in New York (New York!) there are 
pro-Palestinian and anti-Israel protests, using the most vile 
language against Israel and the Jews. These demonstrations have a 
multiplier effect when seen worldwide on CNN. Where are you? Where 
are all the Jewish organizations and individuals? Why is your voice 
not being heard?

Yes, there have been a number of supportive ads in some newspapers by 
American Jewish organizations. That's nice, but beside the point. We 
all remember mass demonstrations in support of Israel in 1967 and 
1973, and then sustained demonstrations in support of Soviet Jewry 
for years and years. Nothing similar is happening today.

Why are you silent? Don't tell me some aspects of Israel's operations 
are questionable - I am the first to admit this. But the main moral 
and political issue is the Palestinians' calculated and strategic use 
of terror, and the lack of unqualified condemnation of suicide 
terrorism by practically all Arab countries and organizations.

If you ask me what to do, here's some advice:

* Organize demonstrations in front of the PLO offices in New York and 
Washington (yes, they have offices there), with a simple message: 
"Arafat - assassin" or "Arafat - suicide bomber." You don't need many 
demonstrators; the slogans will be on TV around the world in a moment.

* Organize similar demonstrations in front of the Arab League 
representative office in New York, in front of the Egyptian, Saudi 
and Syrian embassies, with placards: "Mubarak - why don't you condemn 
suicide terrorism?" or "Saudi Arabia - are you for suicide 
terrorists?", "Syrians - are you for or against terrorism?"

* Stalk, within the boundaries of the law, every identifiable 
Palestinian and Arab diplomat with placards "Condemn suicide bombers!"

* Carefully, really carefully, have demonstrators raise placards with 
the names of the Netanya suicide attack victims in front of the 
magnificent mosques in Washington and New York, demanding: "This is 
against Islam: say it!"

The same applies for every European capital. No Palestinian or Arab 
embassy should be exempt from such demonstrations....

<http://www.clal.org/avineri_jpost_letter_to_american_jewish.html>   *****

Yoshie