In the above clip Gilad Atzmon deconstructs Ali Abunimah's attitude towards history and culture. Atzmon Argues that if Israel defines itself as The Jewish State and its tanks are decorated with Jewish symbols we must ask ourselves who are the Jews? What is Judaism and what is Jewishness? Atzmon attempts to identify the impact of Jewish culture on Israeli and Jewish politics. Atzmon believes that such an attitude is necessary in order to bring peace to the region and beyond.
For Atzmon's speech follow http://youtu.be/MlvaN2c-Oto
Abunimah doesn't agree at all. Abunimah suggests here that history and politics are totally detached from culture. This is obviously an unusual stand that counters every intellectual and philosophical understanding of humanity, history, politics as well as culture. Abunimah says "Talking about Jewish culture, is wrong because such arguments can be made about anyone. We could blame German culture for the history of Germany..."
Someone should take the time and effort and suggest to Abunimah that this is exactly what intellectuals do. They search for the origin of political thoughts in culture, ideology, religion and heritage. Those who study the Nazi era, for instance, try to comprehend the exact impact of Wagner, the German Symphony, Protestant culture, German philosophy, Martin Luther's The Jews And Their Lies, Hegel and the German Spirit, German Early Romanticism, Lebensphilosophie, Heine, Athens vs. Jerusalem and so on.
