--- Yoshie Furuhashi <critical.montages at gmail.com>
wrote:
>it's generally no fun being stateless.
> Imagine trying to
> travel when no government issues you travel identity
> documents that
> other governments accept.
This is a valid point, but what does it have to do with the demand that Palestinians have a right to return to the territories obtained by Israel as a result of the 1948 war?
Presumably the problem of Palestinian statelessness can be satisfied within the territories occupied in 1967 (leaving aside for the moment the problem of Israeli occupation, obstructionism, settlement-building, all of which we agree are bad things).
Now, if one wants to make an argument that such a Palestinian state would not be viable, that's an argument deserving of consideration, but from my ultra-left perspective, that should call into question the very notion of statehood as a demand for a revolutionary movement.
After all, the call for a Palestinian right of return to 1948 territories is just as unviable and unrealistic. There does not exist a majority in Israel to support such a demand. So it is basically a demand that one wishes to impose against the wishes of most Israelis. What political forces on the ground exist that could even potentially be in a position to enforce such a demand. The Arab states? Fine, but at admit then that you find them to be acceptable allies.
Some surveys seem to suggest that the two-state solution is also the majority position among most Palestinians. So the demand for the right of return, which is a de facto call for a single Palestinian state, is at best an empty phrase and at worst a call for the destruction of Israel.
In that sense, for many Palestinian activists, Israel is the only nation-state on earth that they would deny a right of existence to. That is why I would argue that many individuals and initiatives involved in the movement are anti-semitic. I would not argue that anarchists, autonomists, and other ultra-leftists are anti-semitic when they argue against the existence of all nation-states. But selectively targeting Israel and arguing its illegitimacy definitely is.
When CUPE calls for open Canadian borders and the dissolution of the Canadian state, I'll revise my opinion. Until then, they're labor fakers and anti-semites, a populist white job trust which uses anti-semitism to divert from problems. Like most unions.
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