Harry Targ
Moving beyond one full year of genocidal violence in the Middle East and apprehension about the transition of power in the United States government, it makes sense for the peace movement to calmly and with determination continue discussions about resistance to war abroad and repression at home.
Initially, in reference to the Middle East, the following points are essential to remember:
First, the history of Zionism and the conflicts between the encroachment of Jewish settlers, largely from Europe, Great Britain, and the United States, and Palestinians have not been about religion but about land. As in most cases of justification for the establishment of colonial occupations, religion or doctrines of exceptionalism are ideological rationales for the acquisition of land. The conflicts in Palestine historically are not different.
Second, what might be called the vision of a “Greater Israel” or “Greater Middle East” has been the vision of the Zionist Project since the late nineteenth century and the US goal since the escalation of US policies against the former Soviet Union in the 1950s.The Eisenhower Doctrine, proclaimed by the former president in 1957, was a unilateral declaration that the US would not tolerate what it called “communism” in the Middle East and reserved the right to intervene in response to any such threat. And that was a time when leaders of Egypt and Syria sought to organize a secular and self-proclaimed socialist state, the United Arab Republic. (Ironically, for the most part the United States has funded and curried the favor of Islamic fundamentalist organizations because of their anti-communism).
Third, both the Middle East and Central Europe have been seen by United States administrations as vital for the maintenance of a world empire, an empire that is increasingly challenged by the rise of the Global South and the prominence of China and Russia within it. The US support for Israel in recent years, particularly since October 7, 2023, relates to the threat to US/NATO dominance of Central Europe and the perceived need of US geopolitical policymakers to control the Middle East as a gateway to Asia. Indeed, the prime threat to the US role in the world is seen as China.
Fourth, the resurgence of antisemitism, though modest, around the world is intimately connected to the horrific violence of the state of Israel against the Palestinian people. Old antisemitic tropes in this environment are sometimes used by opponents of Israeli policy but more importantly have resurfaced in popular discourse among those whose consciousness is shaped by racism. Paradoxically, many of those who are antisemitic by tradition and by their view of a future Middle East are Christian nationalists.
Finally, antisemitism is a charge that is increasingly leveled against those peace activists who oppose United States foreign policy, particularly its support of Israel. And, of course, criticism of Israeli genocide automatically is categorized, even though large numbers of those who oppose Israel’s war on Palestinians are of the Jewish faith and tradition.
Because the wars in the Middle East have expanded and hundreds of thousands of people have been killed, or injured, or displaced, movements against Israel/US policy must continue. And from the vantage point of US peace activists, work should prioritize United States foreign policy. Such work could be conceptualized along three dimensions: politics, economics, and culture.
Politically, the peace movement needs to work to oppose legislation and executive actions at the national, state, and local levels that continue support for Israeli violence. Of course, politics involves working for political candidates who oppose the Greater Middle East vision and US imperial policies everywhere. In addition, peace activists should continue to support policies such as the recent resolution by Senator Sanders and his colleagues to end US military aid and sales to Israel. It is important to realize that while such resolutions may not have the votes to carry the day, peace forces by keeping the pressure alive also keep the narrative alive.
Economically, there are a whole array of economic connections between the United States, Israel, and other Middle East countries. As to Israel, US citizens and their institutions help keep the Israeli war machine alive by the transfer and sale of armaments and by purchasing Israel bonds that subsidize its economy. In addition, Americans buy Israeli produced products and US corporations sell high volumes of goods to Israel. Many of these economic connections have been raised by the Boycott, Divestment and Sanctions Campaign (https://bdsmovement.net).
Culturally, it is critical for all people to realize that Judaism is a religion not a state. And many, probably most, of those who identify with that religion do not see their identity as interconnected with the state of Israel. In fact, there is a long tradition among the Jewish people debating whether their identity should have anything to do with a state. Further, the Jewish tradition has many historical moments when its identity was interconnected with movements for social change, social justice, anti-racism, and peace. There is a scholarly literature that points to the role that Jewish people played, drawing upon their scriptural readings, in social movements in the United States as well as elsewhere. Peace activists should draw upon that history and tradition to challenge those who claim that advocates for peace and solidarity with Palestinians constitute antisemitism. In fact, one of the leading movements critical of Israel and United States foreign policy has a membership that is primarily Jewish.
https://www.jewishvoiceforpeace.org/about/
So the peace movement has a monumental task for itself in the weeks ahead. It is a task that brings together opposition to US support of the “Greater Israel” project, the expansion of NATO eastward across all of Europe, a New Cold War with China, sanctions against governments that the US opposes, such as Cuba, and the threat of fascism at home. The stakes are high but the forces for resistance should be able to meet the challenge..
Code
Pink
:
