The Verbal Battle Between Israeli Supporters and Palestinian Supporters

 By David Starr

 

Accusations have flown back-and-forth between Israeli supporters and Palestinian supporters. It is worth looking at these accusations and why they are expressed.

 

Whenever someone criticizes Israel, they are labeled an antisemite. When one is an anti-Zionist, they are labeled an antisemite. In December 2023, the Republican-controlled House of Representatives passed a resolution saying that anti-Zionism is equal to antisemitism. The vote was 311 in favor, 14 against, and 92 Democrats abstaining, the latter having mixed feelings.

 

Those in favor, that is, Israeli supporters, presented the resolution to oppose the “drastic rise of anti-Semitism in the United States and around the world.” It declared that the slogan, “From the River to the Sea” was a “rallying cry for the eradication of the State of Israel and the Jewish people.” Palestinian supporters deny this, saying it’s a slogan to support Palestinian nationhood.

 

But the resolution included a statement that said Palestinian supporters who are calling for a permanent ceasefire are “rioters,” and that they “spewed hateful and vile language amplifying antisemitic themes.” 

 

The resolution is a knee-jerk reaction to Palestinians and their supporters who want an end to the Israeli occupation and settlements and support the creation of a Palestinian nation. An example of a knee-jerk reaction was expressed previously by Republican Congressman Max Miller who said “We’re going to turn [Palestine] into a parking lot.” The denial of Israeli supporters to the military actions of Israel in Gaza and the resulting consequences is, to use a word in the resolution, vile.

 

On his show, Real time, comedian Bill Maher put in his two cents worth, and it wasn’t funny. While he said, “Things change: countries, boundaries, empires,” referring to how land changes hands based on the actions of world powers, Maher admitted that it was “unjust.” But in an assertion geared toward the Palestinian people, he added, “mostly what people do is make the best of it.” 

 

In what is typical of hardline Israeli supporters, Maher claimed, “There were deals on the table to share the land called Palestine in 1947, ’93, ’95, ’98, 2000, 2008, and East Jerusalem could have been a capital of a Palestinian state,” implying that it was the Palestinians who refused to accept agreements for land distribution. What Maher ignores is that fact that from the start, Zionists took over land through violence, embracing the illusion that they were the “Chosen People” who had a right to the land. Maher also ignores the fact that land distribution deals favored Israel.

 

In reference to the pro-Palestinian and supposedly antisemitic rhetoric in U.S. universities, Maher said, “The Palestinian people should know, your leaders, and the useful idiots on college campuses who are their allies, are not doing you any favors by keeping alive the ‘River to the Sea’ myth.” Just like Israel is keeping alive the Zionist, ultranationalist, religiously supremacist myth that characterizes the “Chosen People?”

 

Maher concluded his comments by saying that Israel is “one of the most powerful countries in the world, with a $500 billion economy, the world’s second-largest tech sector after Silicon Valley, and nuclear weapons. They’re here, like their bagel with schmear, get used to it.” Get used to it? Maher would probably have Palestinians surrender not only Gaza and the West Bank, but their very identity as a nation.

 

Lawyer and author Alan Dershowitz is another hardline Israel supporter who is unbending in his support for the “Holy Land.” The following quotes show Dershowitz’s stance:

 

“It simply cannot be disputed that for decades the Palestinian leadership was more interested in there not being a Jewish state than in there being a Palestinian state.”

 

Dershowitz ignores cause and effect. Since Palestinians have endured oppression by Israel for seven decades, this means they do focus on creating a Palestinian state. The oppression has inflamed anger among Palestinians, and some may wish there was not an Israeli state. But it is a gray area.

 

“Twenty five percent of Israeli citizens are not even Jewish. Anybody can become an Israeli citizen if you qualify. Religion is not a criterion for citizenship.”

 

That may be more theory than fact. The Israeli right-wing, especially now, desire an ultranationalist and fervently religious government and thus nation. 

 

“I am deeply concerned that, without peace and a two-state solution, the Jewish and democratic nature of Israel is in danger. That’s why I have opposed Israel’s settlement policy since 1973, and that’s why I have favored a two-state solution since 1967.”

 

One may be surprised that Dershowitz favors (or favored) a two-state solution, given his hardline support for Israel. Who knows if he still favors that, after the October 7, 2023 attacks in Israel by Hamas?

 

Pennsylvania Senator John Fetterman has contradicted his original reputation as a progressive. His stance towards Israel apparently reflects this. He made the following statement:

 

“We now know this was a wide-scale, premeditated, cowardly, terrorist campaign against Israeli civilians that also claimed the lives of American citizens.

“I unequivocally support any necessary military, intelligence, and humanitarian aid to Israel. The United States has a moral obligation to be in lockstep with our ally as they confront this threat.

 

“I also fully support Israel neutralizing the terrorists responsible for this barbarism.”

 

As with other hardline supporters of Israel, Fetterman totally ignores the death and suffering of Palestinians. The military actions of Israel in Gaza, and the West Bank, is an obvious attempt at genocide.

 

Then there’s U.S. Secretary of State Antony Blinken trying to sound concerned about Palestinians while still opposing a permanent ceasefire. He spoke at a Press Availability in Tel Aviv:

 

“Time feels different for Israelis and Palestinians whose innocent loved ones have been killed. For them, time often falls into ‘before’ and ‘after’ – the ‘after’ filled with a loss that most of us will never know and cannot fully imagine.

 

“This immense human toll is one of many reasons that we continue to stand with Israel in ensuring that October 7^th can never happen again.” Thus, Blinken focused on Israel’s security, but no mention of the occupation and settlements that have threatened Palestinian security for seven decades. 

 

“We believe the submission against Israel to the International Court of Justice distracts the world from all these important methods. And moreover, the charge of genocide is meritless.”

 

This has got to be one the most blatant cop-outs made by a U.S. official. Distracts? An obvious and major part of the conflict is the suffering and deaths of Palestinians. About 23,000 killed and many more injured. Meritless?  Blinken and other U.S. officials have no shame in denying the obvious: attempted genocide.

 

“We know that facing an enemy that embeds itself among civilians – who hides and fires from schools, from hospitals – makes this incredibly challenging. But the daily toll on civilians in Gaza, particularly on children, is far too high.”

 

The jury is out on whether Hamas fires from schools and hospitals. Whatever the case, the heavy bombing by Israel of schools and hospitals is barbaric.

 

“Palestinians civilians must be able to return home as soon as conditions allow. They must not be pressed to leave Gaza. As I told [Netanyahu], the United States unequivocally rejects any proposals advocating for the resettlement of Palestinians outside of Gaza, and [Netanyahu] reaffirmed to me that this is not the policy of Israel’s government.”

 

This is just a slap on the wrist, not an attempt to stop the carnage. Israeli officials have said or implied that they want Gaza for settlements; and not for Palestinians. Blinken is in denial, a fool for believing Netanyahu, or knows Netanyahu is lying but ignores that.

 

Palestinian supporters also had a say about the conflict. Anat Plocker teaches history of antisemitism at Stockton University and wrote an article about Noa Tishby, Israel’s former special envoy for combating antisemitism. Plocker quotes Tishby as saying that, “antisemitism is deeply rooted in academia.” Plocker wrote in response that “In typical fashion, she provided no proof for this accusation…” Plocker also called Tishby “a Fox news darling.” 

 

Furthermore, “Tishby has called pro-Palestinian protesters ‘a cancer,’ and has argued that pro-Palestinian groups are funded by terrorist organizations. Tishby has also claimed again, without any proof, that students and professors have been planted at U.S. universities and funded for years to promote an anti-Israeli agenda.”

 

Plocker makes the following important point, writing, “The main argument Tishby repeatedly makes–with stunning confidence but no evidence–is that all criticism of Israel and Zionism is synonymous with antisemitism. Yet, Tishby ignores the many Jews who have criticized Zionism and Israel, some of them as staunch anti-Zionists.”

 

And Plocker writes, “Beyond a lack of knowledge about the subjects she discusses, Tishby then also promotes illegal policies and mass violence. Her attacks on free speech and academic freedom–all in the name of Israeli ethno-nationalism–are also an assault on the basic premise of democracy in the United States.”

 

Another critic of Israel and Zionism is political scientist Norm Finkelstein, who has had an ongoing debate with Alan Dershowitz. Both appeared on Piers Morgan Uncensored. Dershowitz claimed that Hamas has what he called the “Dead Baby Strategy.” He said that “Hamas’ strategy is to kill as many Jews as possible and provoke Israel into responding, and then hide their tunnels and fighters behind civilians.”

 

Finkelstein responded, saying that Israel is committing genocide. He quoted the Israeli Defense Minister, who declared, “There will be no electricity, no food, no water, no fuel,” adding that Israel was “fighting human animals and [was] acting accordingly.”

 

There has been much more Finkelstein has said over the years, and he has been direct:

 

“I think sometimes we underestimate just how vulnerable Israel is on the public-relations front. That’s why they spend so much money on propaganda. And that’s why they panic every time they feel like they’re losing the propaganda war.”

 

Israel, especially now, has lost all credibility in the world with its Medieval siege of Gaza. Its propaganda has been not only ridiculous but rather insane. Finkelstein is correct when he says Israel has spent a lot of money on trying to make itself look good. And that includes trying to buy politicians in the U.S. through the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee (AIPAC). 

 

“Israel has been a stage on which American Jews have played out their fantasies of toughness – often from Martha’s Vineyard.”

 

Here, Finkelstein implies that there are U.S. Jews who are elitist, and feel pride about being a part of Israel when they are outside of the Israel–Palestine conflict.

 

“Mainstream Jewish intellectuals became ‘pro’–Israel after the June 1967 war when Israel became the U.S.A.’s strategic asset in the Middle East, i.e., when it was safe and reaped benefits. To credit them with ideological conviction is, in my opinion, very naïve.”

 

There is the implication that mainstream Jewish intellectuals don’t really have principles.

 

“My parents often wondered why I would grow so indignant at the falsification and exploitation of the Nazi genocide. The most obvious answer is that it has been used to justify the criminal policies of the Israeli state and U.S. support for these policies.”

 

It is true that Israel, especially the right-wing, have used the Nazi Holocaust to draw attention away from its own misdeeds.

 

Admittedly, there is information in this article that leans toward Palestine and Palestinians. But for justifiable reasons: Palestinians have been getting the short end of the stick for about seven decades. Gradually, more and more land has been taken from them due to Israel’s occupation and expanding of the settlements. Palestinians have been treated in a humiliating fashion by Israel’s government, military and settlers over the years. 

 

Rather than implementing actual, fair agreements with the Palestinians, the U.S. has paid more attention to Israeli security and sovereignty as it played mediator between the two sides. But the U.S. has not been qualified to be a mediator since it has treated Israel like a spoiled child, giving billions in military and economic aid while the Palestinians hardly get anything from the U.S. It's been one-sided “agreements” and it still goes on. 

 

Ideally, the U.S. must stop giving military aid to Israel and place sanctions on it because of its current devastation of Gaza. But first, start with a permanent ceasefire. It’s so damn obvious.