Anti-Semitism's increasingly thin and hard-to-see line

[oberliner]

146. Thanks for the response

It is certainly true that the Holocaust and it's many implications did lead to large numbers of Jews attempting to escape to safety in Palestine. However, such immigration was greatly limited by the British colonial power at the time, much to their great shame in my opinion.

That being said, the early Zionists purchased land legally and lived lives that generally did not even bring them into much contact with the pre-Palestinian Arab inhabitants of the land. The idea of Zionism (for some, at least) was rooted in a belief that the immigration of Jews to the region could, at least in theory, be a benefit to all concerned - not the least of all, those already living there who were, I would again point out, not living in an independent state but rather in a colonially administered protectorate.

Sadly, a conflux of various degrees of horrors across Europe and elsewhere took what could have been something very positive and turned it into a war that is essentially still being fought today.

I recognize that people prefer to view things in a black-and-white way (i.e. Palestinians were happily living in their own country when Jews from abroad came over to kick them out of their land and steal all their property) but I do not feel that this is an accurate perception of what actually took place. (Nor is the "land without a people" view accurate either). Both mythologies ought to be excised in my views.

In any case, while it is true that millions of people perceive an injustice, I would argue that such a view is fomented by political leaders (and others) who are nurturing this feeling for reasons of their own (such as diverting attention away from their own corruption). I think it is very convenient to have this scapegoat to direct the anger of millions of disaffected people whose daily lives are not particularly impacted by Israeli/Palestinian issues one way or another.

Certainly, the settlements are opposed by me and other like-minded progressives. The two-state solution is really the only equitable one and folks ought to work towards making that a reality in spite of the bleak picture we see today.