Comments on: TILLEY: Bantustans and the unilateral declaration of statehood http://australiansforpalestine.com/12942 Providing a Voice Mon, 22 Aug 2011 05:31:57 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 By: Bob http://australiansforpalestine.com/12942/comment-page-1#comment-818 Bob Sat, 21 Nov 2009 01:23:42 +0000 http://australiansforpalestine.com/?p=12942#comment-818 Crikey, Denise, we must have been reading different history books! My reading taught me that Zionism was a political movement dreamed up by European Jews seeking to appropriate the religious aspirations of their Ashkenazim brothers and sisters in order to colonise Palestine. Modern day Zionism has cast off its agrarian-socialist trappings and has become a much more pragmatic beast, welcoming Ethiopians and Russian goyim, amongst others, in their hundreds of thousands to Israel, not in the cause of aliyah but in order to maintain a demographic superiority over the native Palestinians. Don't mistake religion for political expediency. The proliferation of kippahs and long skirts and suchlike amongst the Israeli youth is less a manifestation of religious commitment, I would suggest, than a statement of socio-political intent. Crikey, Denise, we must have been reading different history books! My reading taught me that Zionism was a political movement dreamed up by European Jews seeking to appropriate the religious aspirations of their Ashkenazim brothers and sisters in order to colonise Palestine.

Modern day Zionism has cast off its agrarian-socialist trappings and has become a much more pragmatic beast, welcoming Ethiopians and Russian goyim, amongst others, in their hundreds of thousands to Israel, not in the cause of aliyah but in order to maintain a demographic superiority over the native Palestinians.

Don’t mistake religion for political expediency. The proliferation of kippahs and long skirts and suchlike amongst the Israeli youth is less a manifestation of religious commitment, I would suggest, than a statement of socio-political intent.

]]> By: Denise Andrades http://australiansforpalestine.com/12942/comment-page-1#comment-772 Denise Andrades Fri, 20 Nov 2009 02:23:08 +0000 http://australiansforpalestine.com/?p=12942#comment-772 An interesting comparison, if Israel was based on race rather than religion, which runs deeper in the soul than any form of racist nationalism. Yes, the Israelis have made a very nice, liberal, democratic state for Jews and I agree it's time to think about integrating non-violent, non-Jews into their state. Because the Palestinians have obviously either given up their cause or completely lost their way. And you must keep in mind that Jerusalem is to Jews what the Vatican is to Catholics and Mecca is to the Muslims. The Israeli occupation has obviosly become a complete take over and the Palestinians are too weak, so unconvincing in their rhetoric (even their own people) as to who they are and what they actually stand for. In the past they have proven to be individualistic and not coordinated enough to fight the Israelis on political terms, without resorting to spoiling or violent tactics. This is because as I stated above the cause and reason behind the formation of Israel was never a destructive one, but one of rebuilding and creating social security for all religious Jews worldwide. The so called apartheid status of Israel is no different to many of the surrounding Arab nations who discriminate against all non-Arabs. Judaism on the other hand is NOT actually a race, but a religion to which not only Christianity owes its roots, but Islam too. So in response to this article I would say that by comparing Israel to South Africa, Virginia you are comparing apples to oranges! An interesting comparison, if Israel was based on race rather than religion, which runs deeper in the soul than any form of racist nationalism.
Yes, the Israelis have made a very nice, liberal, democratic state for Jews and I agree it’s time to think about integrating non-violent, non-Jews into their state. Because the Palestinians have obviously either given up their cause or completely lost their way.
And you must keep in mind that Jerusalem is to Jews what the Vatican is to Catholics and Mecca is to the Muslims.
The Israeli occupation has obviosly become a complete take over and the Palestinians are too weak, so unconvincing in their rhetoric (even their own people) as to who they are and what they actually stand for. In the past they have proven to be individualistic and not coordinated enough to fight the Israelis on political terms, without resorting to spoiling or violent tactics.
This is because as I stated above the cause and reason behind the formation of Israel was never a destructive one, but one of rebuilding and creating social security for all religious Jews worldwide.
The so called apartheid status of Israel is no different to many of the surrounding Arab nations who discriminate against all non-Arabs.
Judaism on the other hand is NOT actually a race, but a religion to which not only Christianity owes its roots, but Islam too.
So in response to this article I would say that by comparing Israel to South Africa, Virginia you are comparing apples to oranges!

]]> By: david hicks http://australiansforpalestine.com/12942/comment-page-1#comment-765 david hicks Thu, 19 Nov 2009 23:58:14 +0000 http://australiansforpalestine.com/?p=12942#comment-765 A very substantial & timely piece here by Virginia Tilley. Permit me to summarize what I consider to be the figural points in her writings. 1. " the briefest consideration should instantly reveal that a unilateral declaration of statehood will confirm the Palestinians’ presently impossible situation as permanent. " Comment : In essence it would be point, game & match to the Zionist occupiers for all time. 2. " ... they all know what’s at stake, what every major media opinion page and academic blog has been saying lately: that the two-state solution is dead and Israel will imminently face an anti-apartheid struggle that will inevitably destroy Jewish statehood. So a unilateral declaration by the PA that creates a two-state solution despite its obvious Bantustan absurdities is now the only way to preserve Jewish statehood, because it’s the only way to derail the anti-apartheid movement that spells Israel’s doom. " Comment : Spot on. The anti-apartheid movement has the potential at least to spell Israel’s doom. 3. " As Middle East historian Juan Cole recently pointed out, the last card the Palestinians can play — their real claim on the world’s conscience, the only real threat they can raise to Israel’s status quo of occupation and settlement — is their statelessness. " Comment : Surely it is not the whole story that, " the last card the Palestinians can play — is their statelessness." Is it not also true that NOT ONE country on planet Earth judges & accepts the multi decade brutal occupation by the Zionists as legal : not EVEN the USA or Australia! Is it not the case that the ( seemingly) growing successes of the Boycott Divestment & Sanctions movement post ' Operation Cast Lead ' have got the Israelis, broadly speaking, rattled & discomforted ? What a shame to throw all that away at this point in history. Was it not the BDS movements against the South African Apartheid movement that contributed massively to the eventual downfall of the racist Apartheid regime? A very substantial & timely piece here by Virginia Tilley. Permit me to summarize what I consider to be the figural points in her writings.
1. ” the briefest consideration should instantly reveal that a unilateral declaration of statehood will confirm the Palestinians’
presently impossible situation as permanent. ” Comment : In essence it would be point, game & match to the Zionist occupiers for all time.
2. ” … they all know what’s at stake, what every major media opinion page and academic blog has been saying lately: that the two-state solution is dead and Israel will imminently face an anti-apartheid struggle that will inevitably destroy Jewish statehood. So a unilateral declaration by the PA that creates a two-state solution despite its obvious Bantustan absurdities is now the only way to preserve Jewish statehood, because it’s the only way to derail the anti-apartheid movement that spells Israel’s doom. ”
Comment : Spot on. The anti-apartheid movement has the potential at least to spell Israel’s doom.
3. ” As Middle East historian Juan Cole recently pointed out, the last card the Palestinians can play — their real claim on the world’s conscience, the only real threat they can raise to Israel’s status quo of occupation and settlement — is their statelessness. ”
Comment : Surely it is not the whole story that, ” the last card the Palestinians can play — is their statelessness.” Is it not also true that NOT ONE country on planet Earth judges & accepts the multi decade brutal occupation by the Zionists as legal : not EVEN the USA or Australia! Is it not the case that the ( seemingly) growing successes of the Boycott Divestment & Sanctions movement post ‘ Operation Cast Lead ‘ have got the Israelis, broadly speaking, rattled & discomforted ? What a shame to throw all that away at this point in history. Was it not the BDS movements against the South African Apartheid movement that contributed massively to the eventual downfall of the racist Apartheid regime?

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