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At 09:50 16-08-15 -0400, Louis Proyect via Marxism wrote: > > > >http://mondoweiss.net/2015/08/roundtable-palestinian-solidarity/ I'm glad to see this issue brought up again on the list, since as far as I'm concerned this discussion -- yes pointing to Alison Weir in particular but about so much more! -- has barely begun and needs to be resolved. A filthy open letter was circulated ostensibly in defense of this poor defamed individual, but in reality trying to force the Palestinian solidarity movement into the paradigm of a right-left alliance; such an orientation would be destructive to our vision of advancing toward socialist revolution and to the struggle of the Palestinians (which is not exclusively anti-capitalist but includes nationalist and democratic content) as it profoundly changes the goals of those struggles. These struggles would be reduced to an emotional but vacuous front against "imperialism", "Western liberalism", and "Israel"; these are terms that have a very different meaning to rightists and leftists (which includes essentially all Palestinians whether they describe themselves as "left" or not). By removing their underlying content, it becomes possible for the left and right to agree on many very specific facts and figures which we together decry, while hiding/ignoring the very opposite goals of the left (those who want to advance the interests and power of the working class internationally) and the right (those who want to consolidate the power of the capitalists within their scope). Because most of these movements have been mainly been associated with the left, the main effect of such a right-left alliance is not to expose right wingers to our vision (and perhaps win a few over), but the opposite. And to transform the political movements involved away from their original goals, rather to serve anti-progressive purposes even while retaining much of our original rhetoric. This matter of a right-left alliance subverting the content of our movements probably appears in no starker fashion than in the case of the anti-Israel movement, which we correctly call -- but which the rightists are now happy to call -- the Palestinian solidarity movement. I don't need to list the reasons we oppose Israel and Zionism, but for the right there are some very different reasons. One important one is that many among the ruling class in the West are beginning to see Israel more as a liability rather than a tool as it arguably had been in the past. The second of course is antisemitism which has been a common aspect of the far-right, and by joining in our call for "Freedom for Palestine" they have found a cover by which their filthy underbelly can be shielded. Among the 3 articles published by Mondoweiss (supposedly as a round table) the first I find major agreement with but it really focuses on the second aspect (antisemitism), and does so more in relation to this single individual. So the broader question of the right-left alliance isn't discussed as such. I hope to raise the discussion beyond that and invite readers to respond to what I shall later post today. The second article is rather apolitical (at least in terms of the relevant issues) and I don't consider it part of any roundtable discussion on the issue. The third is a predictable defense of one named individual on the basis of formalities, such as Weir's formal declaration against antisemitism and arguing that such an accusation against her can't be proven, which I sort of agree with. In a court of law she might very well have a strong defense case and be able to argue that her relationship to known antisemites counts as "guilt by association." And frankly I don't know or care if she *personally* hates Jews. For that matter, I don't even know if Hitler was personally antisemitic; what's important is that he used antisemitism as part of a political project that didn't mainly have to do with Jews. Likewise for Weir, and in those terms must the discussion proceed. - Jeff _________________________________________________________ Full posting guidelines at: http://www.marxmail.org/sub.htm Set your options at: http://lists.csbs.utah.edu/options/marxism/archive%40mail-archive.com
