Haggai Matar
I have some criticism of the Israeli left, or at least parts of it, myself. Over the years, some of the Left has abandoned the Palestinian question and focused, for instance, on protests for “protecting Israeli democracy,” which is a myth. If this is the Left, then it is legitimate to criticize them for abandoning the Palestinian issue.
We did see many leftists supporting the war in the beginning. Haaretz took a terrible stance for a few months, and it is representative of parts of the Zionist left. That warrants criticism.
At the same time, I’m also very concerned about some trends in the global left, where on the positive side, an anti-colonial discourse has become more and more prominent in relation to Israel-Palestine. And being against colonialism is a good thing. But the rationale around it has become that Jewish existence in this land is illegitimate. If you’re a Jewish Israeli, if you live here, you’re a criminal by default because you’re living on stolen Palestinian land. And there is no way, no matter what you do — you can refuse the draft, you can go to jail, you can demonstrate against apartheid and the war, you can do whatever you want — you are still an illegitimate settler. That is why you should leave. That is why you are a legitimate target.
Over the years, some of the Left has abandoned the Palestinian question and focused, for instance, on protests for ‘protecting Israeli democracy,’ which is a myth.
This position fails to criticize Hamas for its actions. Delegitimizing Jewish existence here is both morally and politically wrong and deeply unhelpful. Those of us who try to work with our society here face many difficulties anyway. To be told, look, your allies around the world, they don’t want a peaceful arrangement here, they want us all to be destroyed or to leave . . . that’s perceived here as…
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Auteur: Haggai Matar
