coexistence

This post is definitely politically incorrect but I’ll be honest…

I have a problem with the 🇵🇸 flag.

For me, it represents a history of exclusionary Pan-Arabism and organized violence against innocent people.

I have seen it used, again and again, as a symbol of the denial of legitimacy to my country. The denial of humanity to my people.

People waving the 🇵🇸 often mean harm to me and my family, and sometimes it’s hard for me to separate between the flag and the waver.

BUT.

I am painfully aware that many people could say much the same thing about the 🇮🇱 flag.

For them, the flag represents a history of exclusion and marginalization, dispossession and disenfranchisement; it is the flag of the organized violence of gangs, militias, and armies, directed towards them and their families, in their homes and communities.

For them, it is a symbol of conquest and invasion, of disruption and dislocation, of erasure.

It is a flag waved by too many people who deny their struggle, their history, their rights, their humanity, their very identity. People who at best are indifferent to violence committed against them, and who, disturbingly often, are the ones committing the violence.

While waving the flag.

What for me is a natural expression of the historic prayer to return home and build a country where we can be free to live as God intended – is for too many people a painful reminder of all that they, their parents, and their grandparents have endured and continue to endure to this day.

What for me is a symbol of fear and trauma, a pervasive and overwhelming denial of who I am and my right to be me – is actually for many people a symbol of connection, family, peoplehood; of defiance against injustice and of the ability to flourish in spite of it.

There are two sides to a flag, two sides to what it means and what it represents. Two sides to Alex Sinclair ‘s (in)famous kippa. Two sides to the story of this country.

It is natural to see one’s own side of things, at first. But it is crucial that we learn to see other sides – and to catch glimpses of ourselves through others’ eyes.

Especially through the eyes of the vulnerable and the violated in a society where we wield real power over the lives of others.

Honestly, I don’t think two states is the right solution to the problems we face… but a flag is not a solution; ultimately, it’s a symbol of the hope that solutions can be found, if we work together to build a better country.

A kippa – which itself symbolizes the life-affirming awe of the Creator of all things big and small, together – is certainly an appropriate garment with which to express that hope.

Putting a 🇵🇸 flag next to a 🇮🇱 flag on a kippa isn’t promoting one solution over another (although I’m aware Alex does have ideas on the subject) – it’s doubling down on that hope.

Doubling down on peace.

In the name and to the glory of the Creator of us all.

Can I get over my complicated feelings about a flag – and get on board with that ethos?

I should hope so.

I don’t know if I’ll wind up getting a kippa like Alex’s; I happen to like my current big black knit kippa… and I certainly am not interested in getting into unprovoked altercations with racist, fascist police officers.

But I gotta say…

I’m sorely tempted.

Zionism for Palestinians?

I’ve been having great discussions with listeners to The Z Word ‘s first episode, my conversation with Palestinian author Mo Husseini .

A central point of not conflict nor disagreement but, rather I would say, creative tension, between Mo and I was in the relevance of Zionism to Palestinians.

Mo represented an honest perspective: Zionism can mean different things to different people, granted, but beyond dealing with the localized (and often adverse) effects of Zionism on Palestinian lives, why should Palestinians care about Zionism? Isn’t it just something that the Jews are doing “over there”?

I, in response, made a brief argument for Zionism’s relevance to Palestinians.

I want to elaborate a bit more on why I think joining the Zionist discourse is not just relevant to Palestinians but, suggesting as a non-Palestinian, possibly desirable for them.

Firstly, I think that being subject to the localized effects of Zionism – whether under the current conditions of occupation and discrimination or in a situation where a future Palestinian state must partner with the Israeli state – is sufficient to make developing an active concern with its voices, institutions, policies, and direction a priority to Palestinians not just in the West Bank but “Israel proper.” From this purely pragmatic perspective alone, I think Zionism – as an irreversible fact of life not just in the modern Levant – is clearly relevant to Palestinians.

But beyond the pragmatic level, I think that the Palestinian national aim – to establish a just and autonomous society on this land of their ancestors, free from foreign colonialism and imperialism – is so closely aligned with the Israeli national aim that their attainments mutually coincide. Far from being an ideology of foreign invasion and exploitation, Zionism was and is a liberation movement of indigenous de-colonization, which for Israelis included an explicit process of leaving socio-political exile and reestablishing traditional society in their homeland. The intersection with Palestinian liberation and de-colonization is obvious – as is the shared dream of a just, democratic society. (Shared by most – obviously both Israelis and Palestinians deal with their own internal fascist demons and reactionary religious conservatives.) Zionism, in this sense, can serve Palestinians equally well as a vehicle and vector for realizing their national dream, as it does Israelis.

Furthermore, in my personal (controversial) opinion, while Palestinians and Jews are two separate peoples, we are actually majority descended from the same nation of Israel (which, again in my personal and controversial opinion, was called Palaistine in both Jewish and non-Jewish Hellenistic sources). The Romans did not succeed in driving out the entire nation, and many Israelites remained in this land after the Roman conquest. In the face of waves of colonization over the ensuing centuries, many Israelites eventually chose to adopt Christianity and/or Islam and an independent consciousness of peoplehood emerged among their descendants here in this land. While many foreigners came and joined them over the years, the exact same thing can be said of every Israelite community in the diaspora. This historical narrative makes a lot more sense to me than competing narratives which position either Palestinians or Israelis as essential interlopers in the land, based on superficial demographic markers and what I contend amount to the effects of colonization. Accordingly, Zionism – in its pursuit of Israelite autonomy – is as much the heritage of Palestinians as it is of Israelis, and the cultural dimension of Zionism (including the Kookian revivalism and renaissance of Israelite culture in all its spiritual and creative depth and diversity) may itself be further accessible to and expanded by the unruptured relationship with land (as well as the Christian and Islamic elements, redeemed of their imperialism and supremacism) of the Palestinian (-Israelite) people.

So there you have it:

We share the same roots.

We share the same land.

And I would go so far as to say that we share the same future.

Can we share the dream of Zion?

PSA to both Leftists and Right-Wingers:

If all you know about the situation in Palestine is derived from memes and viral posts, and you haven’t done any research into the history of this land, or learned about the peoples who come from it, or even just talked to both Palestinians and Israelis who have lived here for generations – then the most responsible and helpful thing you can do for us is to support BOTH Palestinians AND Israelis in creating a just and peaceful society that respects the rights of all the residents of this land, and offers us all a chance to pursue our happiness safely and securely.

Otherwise, you are choosing an arbitrary side in a contrived conflict that is fueled by propaganda, ignorance, and hate.

Furthermore.

Zionism does not demand uncritical and unwavering fealty to a policy or to a government or even to society itself. The biblical prophets railed against the corruption, injustice, and violence of their society in their day – in the name of Zion.

Zionism – consistently from the days of the Hebrew bible through the modern political era – does demand a commitment to justice, based on the recognition of the image of God in which every human being is created. Rebuilding Gaza and ending the military administration of civilian populations are both entirely consonant with that central demand of Zionism.

If you support Zionism, then you should logically support justice for Palestinians as an integral part of establishing Zion in justice.

If you support justice for Palestinians, then you should logically support Zionism not just as a historically necessary complement to that cause but as the very means to actualizing its success.

Nothing about this situation is zero-sum.

And finally.

I reiterate my invitation to all Israelis and Palestinians to join me in establishing a just and peaceful society for us all in this land which is our sacred heritage. Our ancestors shared a covenant, our fates are intertwined – come, let us reason together for the sake of our grandchildren.