by Roger Tucker
The following essay was inspired by a recent article in the Jewish magazine ‘The Tablet’ entitled “Thinking the Unthinkable: A Lamentation for the State of Israel.” A good, well written example of what is fast becoming a genre bemoaning the rapidly disappearing notion held by liberal Zionist Jews that a Jewish State in Palestine could be ‘both Jewish and Democratic.’ Mr. Rosenbaum’s strained but passionate elegy to what was never more than a wish-fulfillment fantasy provides an opening for a more penetrating look at the prevailing debate between One State and Two States. The former proposal has been slowly but surely gaining adherents over the years, as can be seen here.
.I posted the following comment on the site (they actually published it, to my great surprise):
I am the publisher/editor of the “ One Democratic State “ website, which I have been maintaining for 15 years. For the last year or so I have realized that I no longer believe in the One State Solution as it is generally understood. I no longer believe that the Israelis and the Palestinians could co-exist peacefully in the same polity. It would be no problem for the great majority of Palestinians, but there is a problem with at least 90% of the Jewish Israelis. Three or four generations of ZioNazi [see Zionism and Nazism: Is there a difference that makes a difference?] brainwashing have rendered them unfit for sharing the land with others. The attachment to national and/or ethnic and/or religious fascism – all three in many cases [see ‘Us vs. Them: On the Meaning of Fascism’] is too deeply embedded in their consciousness.
It would take a further 3 to 4 generations to reeducate them in the fundamental guidelines– starting with the grandaddy of them all, the Golden Rule – accepted as the lodestone of political wisdom by the (relatively) sane, great majority of human beings. Yes, Israelis could learn how to live in peace with others, but long before this process could work itself out, they – fervently assisted by the Zionists in the diaspora – would have started the next world war and there would be nothing left to fight over. Therefore I conclude that the only viable solution to the problem is for the Jews to leave Palestine, voluntarily or involuntarily. A small minority, less than 5%, might be able to successfully petition to stay, but such details would be up to the new Palestinian administration to work out – and they would be preoccupied with the far more urgent task of resettling the millions of returning Palestinians who choose to come. The reconstruction and recovery of Gaza itself would be a monumental task.
Furthermore, this would not only finally solve the “ ” – it would provide at least a glimmer of hope that sanity and justice might eventually prevail and even that the spiraling of the biosphere into imminent anthropogenic suicide could be turned around. I remain an optimist. Anything’s possible. But I must admit that the odds are against us
As there was a 400 word limit on comments, much had to be left unsaid, so I’m fleshing it out a bit more here..
The Two State notion has been the conventional wisdom ever since Yasser Arafat adopted it as part of the US led “Peace Process” in 1993. It has been accepted by all nation states since then as the optimal outcome, even Israel until Netanyahu’s withdrawal of what was merely rhetorical assent anyway, in his infamous last electioneering campaign. Israeli politicians have from time to time pretended to endorse the idea, but only on condition that the Palestinian “State” be constituted in such an emasculated and dependent form that it would in reality be nothing more than a disconnected archipelago of small, helpless Bantustans subject to the whims of a surrounding and all-powerful Israel. In addition, the Right of Return, a right enshrined in international law (for what that’s worth), would not have applied in the now uncontested Jewish State consisting of about 80% of historic Palestine. This was what Arafat had no choice but to reject at the famous Camp David meeting in 2000.
All serious, impartial observers since then have declared the Two State Solution dead. The principal argument against it has been that the Israelis would never accept the establishment of a viable Palestinian state, which is certainly true – not to mention the other argument, what Jeff Halper referred to as the construction of an overwhelming ‘Matrix of Control,’ by now a fait accompli. What is so interesting though is that it is also the principal argument against the One State Solution as well. A naïve observer, similar to the boy who imprudently pointed out that the Emperor was naked, might say “So what!” So what indeed. That observer might well be ignorant of the immense power wielded by organized Jewry in the West, particularly in the US, without which there would have been no Jewish State in the first place nor could it remain viable even now for more than a month or two without such tenacious support. Anyone doubting this phenomenon need only look at the candidates for US President of both political parties groveling at the feet of a few Jewish billionaires. It leads one to wonder which country these people intend to serve once they have taken the oath. For further background one should read ‘The Israel Lobby,’ the classic essay by Mearsheimer and Walt.
This brings us to the crux of the matter. If we look at the power wielded by tribal Jewry in the Western democracies, not only in the English speaking Old Testament besotten cultures, but in France, Germany etc., we are always impressed that a mere 2% of the population, more or less – in some cases considerably less – has managed to wrest de facto control of the political, economic, media and educational spheres. All of this power is focused on fanatical support of the State of Israel. It is not that the majority of Jews wield this sword – most of them just go along to get along, particularly as they are constantly being bombarded with tribal propaganda and it so psychologically satisfying to seem to be, at least, part of an exclusive club. But the small number of wealthy, influential, dedicated Zionist Jews and the rest of the ZPC (Zionist Power Configuration) who actually run the show may finally be losing their grip, albeit just a little bit. The traditional progressivism of young Jews has begun to surface again, and they are flocking to Palestinian support groups and the BDS movement.
In the context of the struggle in Palestine itself the indigenous people have nothing left, seemingly no hope whatsoever. This is the ground of the current Intifada. But, to haul out an old saw, it’s always darkest just before dawn. The stench that emanates from the malignant tumor called Israel is beginning to arouse revulsion from the majority of people all over the world. Gradually, Israel’s impunity from the norms of civilized behavior will be challenged more and more. This is inevitable – recently several writers have referred to Israel as “beyond redemption.” This is an ersatz “country” that is morally, ethically and spiritually bankrupt.
Soon the Palestinians are going to have pull themselves together and decide as a group how to move forward. When the day comes that Sumud is rewarded by a major swing of the pendulum, it is my hope that they will be cognizant of how a few Jews in the West can control the whole extended USraeli Empire, which includes all of the Western democracies. If they give in to the pressure that will be applied, as it was in South Africa, to accept their new status – nominally at least – as equal partners in the new, half-Jewish Palestine while leaving the colonizers, by default, in de facto control, then I guarantee that they will wind up screwed, blued and tattooed. There would be seductive calls for “peace and reconciliation,” for moving forward shoulder to shoulder, etc. ad nauseum. It is of the utmost importance that they allow only Israeli Jews who can clearly demonstrate their long-standing anti-Zionist credentials to remain. Even so, as we have discussed, 5% might be far too much. It will be for the Palestinians to decide, but I would advise extreme caution.
As to where the Israelis could go, those with the means would head for the States or another Western country. No problem – they already have passports. For those for whom this would be difficult I’m sure the Russians could be persuaded to allow them to settle in Birobidzhan, already designated as the Autonomous Jewish Region. With the construction of the New Silk Road this area will be booming.The Rothschild family by themselves could easily and painlessly fund the whole project (they are reputed to be worth upwards of 30 trillion dollars), and there are more trillions in the hands of other Jewish billionaires..
We should not fool ourselves into thinking that such a fortuitous outcome would solve all the fundamental problems bedeviling the Middle East. After all, the Empire has other motivations for continuing to inflict chaos and destabilization in this resource rich area – fossil fuels will remain the principal source of the world’s energy supplies well into the foreseeable future and the temptation to apply the tried and true strategy of divide and rule isn’t going away. Furthermore, the Empire is dying, in much the same way that the Roman Empire flamed out. But this time it won’t just be a gradual decay as the lights are turned out one by one. No, Amerika is acting like an enraged, blinded Cyclops, confusedly striking out in each and every direction, its political elites hell bent on starting the next world war. The Israelis have their Samson Option, while there are numerous American good old boys who would dearly love to reprise the end of Stanley Kubrick’s film ‘Dr. Strangelove, or How I Learned to Love the Bomb,’ ready to lasso and mount a nuclear warhead aimed at Moscow. Hoo Yah! These are parlous times, my friends, and I ain’t a-lyin.
And, not to forget, the ZPC would remain essentially intact, albeit with some of the wind let out of their sails – the ancient but still very potent “Jewish Problem” isn’t going away any time soon. For the best introduction to and concise analysis of this subject I highly recommend Gilad Atzmon’s short book “The Wandering Who?”
N.B.: All departing Israelis should be cautioned not to look back, lest they turn into a pillar of frozen cottage cheese..
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Roger Tucker is Editor and Publisher, One Democratic State