[lbo-talk] Re: Rabbi Michael Lerner using the Antisemitism card against the US Green party

Chuck chuck at mutualaid.org
Sat Feb 11 12:54:26 PST 2006


BklynMagus wrote:


> for divestment from Israel without calling for divestment from the
> US, China, Russia, Sudan, etc. isn't ipso facto anti-Semitic, as
> Rabbi Lerner alleges in this case.
>
> It is a tough call. Clearly, Chinese depradations in Tibet demand
> a call for divestment, but the US left is peculiarly silent.
>
> Why? Because of China's leftist past? Because Buddhism lies
> outside the Abrahamic continuum?
>
> I think Lerner's claim is a simplification, but the left's selectivity
> here is in urgent need of unpacking.

The American "Left" is not some kind of monolithic entity that can be accused of being "selective" about human rights abuses around the world.

The Palestine-Israel conflict--better described as the occupation of Palestine by Israel--is "popular" among American leftists for many reasons. The conflict has been going on for a long time and the occupation is an egregious example of an injustice. Israel gets lots of aid from the United States, to the point where it could almost be considered the 51st state. There are many right wing and other groups in this country which exploit the conflict for their agendas. The fact that the Left would focus on this situation should not come as a surprise.

Of course, American leftists, radicals and anarchists are also concerned with other human rights abuses around the world. I'm always posting stories to Infoshop News about situations in a broad number of countries. This week there has been a fair amount of news about state repression of anarchists in Spain, Greece and Italy. I've posted some stories about things going on in Central Africa. Last year we got lots of hits about that drug smuggler who was executed in Singapore.

There are lots of good reasons to divest from China: censorship, environmental destruction, labor abuses and so on. In fact, it would almost be hard to boycott products made in China, given that Americans are so dependent on goods produced in that country. China is clearly on the radar of the left, but we haven't seen much activism gel around the country.

Chuck



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