Uri Gordon on Zionism

[TheTollundWoman]

In another video, "Can Anarchists support a Palestinian state?", Uri Gordon argues that the humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian territories creates a moral imperative stronger than any principled opposition to "the state" as such, and that therefore Anarchists can indeed support the creation of a Palestinian state, even though under normal, less severe circumstances they would oppose the creation of *any* state.

[TheTollundWoman]

@TheTollundWoman

I believe the same reasoning, if applied consistently, should also lead Anarchists to support Zionism- not because they view the Jewish state, or any state, as an ideal, but because its creation, like the creation of a Palestinian state today, was necessitated by humanitarian and moral concerns which outweigh even the most deeply held Anarchist principles (of opposition to the state and what it represents).

[TheTollundWoman]

During the Spanish civil war, Anarchists took up arms to defend the Spanish Republic- not because they supported the Republican state, but because they realized it was preferable to the state envisioned by Franco and the fascists. Similarily I believe it is possible for Anarchists to view the creation of the modern state of Israel as a sort of "necessary evil" despite its theoretical imperfections.

[Irtidad]

I should just emphasize that I'm really loving your recent uploads with Uri Gordon; I've read some of his writings online and he's fantastic. I suppose I'm especially interested because he represents a direct convergence between anarchism and the issues of the middle east, something that I feel there needs to be a ton more of.

[buddhagem]

Thanks brother.

[darksideofthenation]

me too!

[Irtidad]

A very important point — Zionism isn't especially evil, it is just one among numerous destructive ideologies found across the globe. It is any freedom-seeking person's responsibility to seek out the prevailing ideology in which he/she was culturally established, see if it engenders destruction and oppression, and if so then reject it.

[TheTollundWoman]

@Irtidad

Zionism is not a "destructive ideology", in fact it has never really been an "ideology" at all; it was a movement of national liberation. The current policies of the Israeli government, reprehensible as many of them may be, are not inextricably tied to Zionism, which for all practical purposes ended (acheived its goal, fulfilled its purpose) in 1948.

[citizenkong]

He seems like a reasonable man.

[RevolutionaryJam]

HI I always hear from Zionists: "Ehud Barak offered Arafat an eventual 91% (after many years) of the West Bank, and all of the Gaza Strip, with Palestinian control over Eastern Jerusalem as the capital of the new Palestinian state (ALL OCCUPIED TERRITORIES); in addition, all refugees could apply for compensation of property from an international fund to which Israel would contribute along with other countries."

I have heard responses to this with historical corrections but forget what they r?

[Propagandhi900]

Just wikipedia the 2000 Camp David Summit.

[RevolutionaryJam]

tbh I didn't really get much from wiki but thanks

[Cefuroxx]

it was bullshit, the offer was covered by a spider web of israeli roads with only nominal palestinian sovereignty, fuck israel

[PolemicalCommentary]

just watched.. .five stars - a lot of people don't realize that anti-zionism isn't racism, we are just against nationalism of any kind, jewish or otherwise.