Denial, Tribalism And Paranoia
by Murray Polner and Adam Simms
7/19/02

The mail brings a ballpoint pen from UJA-Federation of New York imprinted with "I Stand with Israel." Soon after, a devastating and indefensible suicide attack blows up a Jerusalem bus. Hamas pledges even more destruction, thereby strengthening the hand of Sharon, as Israel retaliates with invasions of Palestinians cities and refugee camps. Then another suicide bomber and then, once again, Israeli attacks.

Is there no rational way out of this madness?

Since the rebellion began, not only have Israelis and Palestinians suffered but (though to a far lesser degree, of course) so have American Jews, an extraordinary number of whom are deeply troubled by the uncontrollable bombers and a corrupt, inept, undemocratic Palestinian Authority.

All the same, a large and growing number of American Jews are deeply pained by an Israeli government whose main war aim is to preserve its colonies on the West Bank and Gaza while rejecting a Palestinian state it cannot dominate. And by uncritically supporting Sharon's policies, the organizations and leaders who purport to speak for all 6 million American Jews have dishonored us.

We have been manipulated by irresponsible and unaccountable "leaders" who long before the current rebellion rarely, if ever, had the courage to question the brutality of the 35-year-old occupation, which feeds the hopelessness and malignity of today's suicide killers.

The epitome of sycophancy of our self-perpetuating leadership is that it is difficult to point to a mainstream organization that has had the courage to publicly challenge a minority of extreme right-wing Jews who have filled the vacuum and viciously attacked Yitzchak Rabin for his sensible moves toward peace, placed all blame on Palestinians, and intimidated and threatened dissenters. Only when an Israeli fanatic murdered Rabin in full view of 100,000 people in the center of Tel Aviv did they speak up against extremism. Since then they retreated in silence.

There are reports that otherwise sensible and well-known attorneys call for families of Palestinian terrorists to be killed or that torture be legalized. "Transfer," a euphemism for ethnic cleansing, is once again a word bruited about in Israel. (Perhaps its proponents might ask Germany if it still has some used cattle cars).

National Public Radio, CNN, The New York and Los Angeles Times, Washington Post, Boston Globe, San Francisco Chronicle and others are threatened with possible boycotts. Every sentence is parsed, every photo scrutinized, every columnist and editorial writer self-appointed watchdogs disagree with are deemed to be against Israel. What the protesters apparently want is to inject prior censorship into newsrooms — that is, their version of a pro-Israeli slant. Paranoia reigns — as it always does when, one by one, defenses against reality prove harder and harder to maintain.

A new Gallup poll, reports the Jewish Telegraphic Agency, concludes that "a growing number of Americans say the United States is too supportive of Israel ... a significant decline in a pro-Israel point of view." Jewish spokesmen wave away the results, thus adding to the sense of tribalism and victimization, forms of group denial that allow people to avoid thinking about the morality of post-1967 colonization and expropriation of Palestinian property.

We seem to have developed a hypocritical denial where we turn away from crimes that occur on all sides in war but which defame Judaism's humane and treasured ideals. Ignoring those ideals allows self-appointed defenders of the Jewish people to lay full responsibility on Palestinians, even those who have nothing to do with crazed Hamas and Co. killers. Few dare ask why some Palestinians have resorted to such barbarous outrages rather than the more productive use of nonviolent civil disobedience and resistance to an occupying power.

In Israel, more than 700 Israeli combat vets have fearlessly stated publicly that the war is to defend the settlements. And in March, some 60,000 Israelis in Tel Aviv demonstrated against Sharon's policies. Their theme was "Get out of the occupied territories." It should be our theme, too, though we have no faith that American Jewish lobbies will change their stance. It's far easier to make excuses for Sharon's Israel while helping to raise money for their organizations.

There are no easy solutions to a quagmire nurtured by Arabs and Jews over the past century.

Perhaps it is insoluble, though we firmly believe there always were and still are reasonable compromises and alternatives. Yes, by all means Arafat and Sharon need to be replaced by more amenable and rational people, less consumed with mutual hatred and mindful of their people's desperate wish to live in peace. Taba, the Mitchell and Saudi Arabian plans and countless others offer a starting point.

Above all, however, the settlements or at least most of them have to be dismantled and settlers, compensated, welcomed back to Israel proper, if that's where they wish to live. That's the key. n

Murray Polner and Adam Simms were editor and senior editor, respectively, of Present Tense, a magazine published from 1973 to 1990 by the American Jewish Committee. Polner wrote No Victory Parades: The Return of the Vietnam Veteran, co – authored (with Jim O'Grady) Disarmed and Dangerous, a biography of Daniel and Philip Berrigan.

This article originally ran in The Jewish Week.