by Danny - Israeli Uncensored News Fri Jan 02, 2009 21:38 nospam at samsonblinded dot org

PA is a state, Israel is a state, what's your business in there? They should be both equally evil to you. Decide for yourself, anarchy or nationalism.

by Kevin S. Sat Jan 03, 2009 12:09

The question "Why would anarchist be concerned?" is idiotic for too many reasons to count. Why would anyone be concerned? Because we are human, because we are not only self-interested (i.e. selfish), and because we are not absolutely cynical. Anarchists, as people, are as concerned as anyone else for such an extreme humanitarian crisis as exists in Palestine. Furthermore, anarchism is an ideal based upon solidarity, or else its conception of freedom would not make any sense -- so of course we are concerned!

But beside that, the specifics of Danny's are especially ridiculous given the content of the article on which he is commenting -- "PA is a state" (correct!), "Israel is a state" (of course), "what's your business in there?" Anyone can tell you that any serious, intelligent anarchists is just as opposed to the Fatah-PA thugs as well as the super-authoritarian fundamentalist Hamas as they are to the Israeli State.

I will concede, in fact I will offer my own criticism of this fact, that there is not nearly the level of international anarchist or leftist outrage at the crimes of Hamas against Israeli civilians -- equally criminal to the Israeli terror -- as there is at the latter. The usual response to this criticism, which has merit only in describing the present concrete level of humanitarian crisis under which the Palestinians suffer, is that Palestinian deaths far outnumber Israeli deaths. That is only true thanks to the overwhelming superiority of Israeli military might, due to a combination of foreign support along with a long background of military experience plus nearly total militarization of Israeli society, which has meant historically that even in occasional defeat Israel has held a steady upper hand against the Palestinian resistance.

So, it is clear enough that the reasons for Israeli oppression of Palestinians require some serious, empathetic and critical historical consideration from the standpoint of an anarchist response, and current protests from the left should underscore the criminal terror imposed against Israeli-Palestinian society from both ends of the conflict. It is also clear enough that the criminal thugs of Hamas, Fatah, the would-be Palestinian State do not have either a humanitarian solution to the war, and also ought to be denounced as much for their thuggery as the Israeli armed forces etc. (For that matter, Hamas is in large part also to be blamed for the present war in Gaza for its ongoing attacks before and now against the Israeli population -- together with the program of Hamas there is little question that the Hamas is a mass-murderous organization as bad or worse than the Israeli military.)

But that does not detract from the criminal terror of the Israeli State, it only points to the urgent necessity of a mass movement of Palestinians and Israelis to oppose all imperialist, state and fundamentalist tendencies. The "Anarchists Against the Wall" group is an encouraging and admirable, but nonetheless limited first step in this direction. It does no good to respond, as many sincerely frustated or cynical individuals do, by throwing one's hands in the air and saying: "They are all terrorists, there is no good solution!" It would be especially nonsensical for anarchists in the region (e.g. the author of this article, who claims to write from Syria), for whom the crisis is of especially direct consequence, not to attempt a hard response. This particular article, in my opinion, is an excellent reflection and a valuable contribution toward the developing anarchist political line in the region.

by coyote - wsa capital terminus Fri Jan 09, 2009 00:17

your site seems to defend shooting at immigrant workers, executing "traitors" and criminalization of homosexuality. Would you care to explain to us how we're to distinguish you from garden-variety fascists?

by Anarkismo Sun Jan 11, 2009 03:40

The link to Dany´s website under his comment, was removed as anarkismo.net does not promote, under any circumstance, any website which calls to violence against minorities or which promotes racist ideas and race violence.