Mar 13, 2012

Palestinian activists' statement denounces Gilad Atzmon's racism and antisemitism

Twenty-three Palestinian activists and organizers have signed a public statement titled
"Granting No Quarter: A Call for the Disavowal of the Racism and Antisemitism of Gilad Atzmon." The signers "call for the disavowal of Atzmon by fellow Palestinian organizers, as well as Palestine solidarity activists, and allies of the Palestinian people, and note the dangers of supporting Atzmon’s political work and writings and providing any platforms for their dissemination. We do so as Palestinian organizers and activists, working across continents, campaigns, and ideological positions."

Here is another excerpt from the statement:

As countless Palestinian activists and organizers, their parties, associations and campaigns, have attested throughout the last century, our struggle was never, and will never be, with Jews, or Judaism, no matter how much Zionism insists that our enemies are the Jews. Rather, our struggle is with Zionism, a modern European settler colonial movement, similar to movements in many other parts of the world that aim to displace indigenous people and build new European societies on their lands.

We reaffirm that there is no room in this historic and foundational analysis of our struggle for any attacks on our Jewish allies, Jews, or Judaism; nor denying the Holocaust; nor allying in any way shape or form with any conspiracy theories, far-right, orientalist, and racist arguments, associations and entities. Challenging Zionism, including the illegitimate power of institutions that support the oppression of Palestinians, and the illegitimate use of Jewish identities to protect and legitimize oppression, must never become an attack on Jewish identities, nor the demeaning and denial of Jewish histories in all their diversity.

Indeed, we regard any attempt to link and adopt antisemitic or racist language, even if it is within a self-described anti-imperialist and anti-Zionist politics, as reaffirming and legitimizing Zionism. In addition to its immorality, this language obscures the fundamental role of imperialism and colonialism in destroying our homeland, expelling its people, and sustaining the systems and ideologies of oppression, apartheid and occupation. It leaves one squarely outside true solidarity with Palestine and its people.


read more at
http://uspcn.org/2012/03/13/granting-no-quarter-a-call-for-the-disavowal-of-the-racism-and-antisemitism-of-gilad-atzmon/

2 comments:

Bernard said...

The full text of "Granting No Quarter" is also posted to these websites:

http://electronicintifada.net/blogs/ali-abunimah/palestinian-writers-activists-disavow-racism-anti-semitism-gilad-atzmon

http://azvsas.blogspot.com/2012/03/palestinian-writers-activists-disavow.html

http://kersplebedeb.com/posts/granting-no-quarter-a-call-for-the-disavowal-of-the-racism-and-antisemitism-of-gilad-atzmon/

http://portland.indymedia.org/en/2013/02/421668.shtml?discuss

http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2012/03/granting-no-quarter-call-for-disavowal.html
(The above link has over 43 reader comments.)

+++

Gilad Atzmon responded to "Granting No Quarter" at:

http://www.wrmea.org/action-alert-archives/to-disavow-or-debate-gilad-atzmon.html

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=469992

+++

Critics of "Granting No Quarter," and supporters of Gilad Atzmon, have responded. See the page below, and find a score of links, listed at the end:

https://sites.google.com/site/onedemocraticstatesite/archives/writings-of-the-editor/ali-abunimah-and-gilad-atzmon-at-the-ok-corral
(Clarification to the first sentence in the link above: Ali Abunimah is one of 23 people whose names were listed alphabetically as signatories to this statement; it is authored by all of the undersigned.)

Bernard said...

Gilad Atzmon responded to Ali Abunimah, who is first on the list of Palestinian organizers named on this "Call for Disavowal of".

Published on Mar 25, 2012


http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6hrJcMO88EI&feature=youtu.be


In the above YouTube video 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, [to which Ali Abunimah responded a day later], see


http://youtu.be/MlvaN2c-Oto


...Abunimah suggests here [in this video] 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.