Wars and Rumors of Wars

By Mark Glenn

‘Israel on high alert as end of Mughniyeh mourning period draws near…’

‘Rabbis call on Jews to avenge yeshiva killings…’

‘Israeli attack on Syria possible…’

‘Israel threatens Lebanon with war…’

‘Israel, U.S. commanders test ‘extreme’ scenarios in joint drill…’

‘Israel to hold massive emergency drill…’

‘Israeli warship violates Lebanese waters…’

‘Israeli fighters violate Lebanese airspace…’

To any average person, the above headlines seem like business as usual in the Middle East, as there has never been a period since 1948 where the once Holy Land was not a cauldron of violence and conflict. To those who understand the deeper reasons behind the recent (and not so recent) bloody history however–meaning Israel’s seeming addiction to the shedding of blood–what it indicates is that there’s more to all of this recent business than merely noise. The fact is, Israel’s war party is planning a hell of a bash, big enough to die for, and not just in the thousands but possibly in the millions.

No one should be particularly surprised, as war, theft and conquest have always been inextricably woven into the fabric of Israel’s character. And not just since the 20^th century when former Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Dayan said ‘…Above all, let us hope for a new war with the Arab countries, so that we may finally get rid of our troubles and acquire space…” but indeed going ‘all the way back to the beginning,’ as they say. One first encounters this fact when reading in the Old Testament where Jacob (‘the deceiver’ who defrauded his brother Esau out of his inheritance) is renamed ‘Israel,’ the meaning of which given in the book of Genesis is ‘He who fights against God and man.’ Not long afterwards are the plagues and the slaughter of the first-born in Egypt, followed by the Israelite invasion of the Levant and the destruction of the various indigenous peoples there, including (but not limited to) the Amalekites, Canaanites and Philistines. It is also most likely not mere coincidence (based upon which particular spelling used–Israil, Izrael or Azrail) that it is also happens to be the name given to the angel of death.

More practical and down to earth though there is the history of the last 60 years proving beyond any reasonable doubt that Israel cannot exist without war. Her entire 20^th (and now 21^st) century history–rather than revolving around plowshares, peace and productivity has instead been wrapped up in her old bad habits of conflict, conquest and theft. Theodore Herzl, considered the founding father of the Jewish state remarked gloatingly on the issue of strife between Jew and gentile when he wrote in his diary “The anti-Semites will become our most loyal friends…the anti-Semitic nations will become our allies.”

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Pictured above: a visual explanation of Jewish Self-Determination.

The Right to Self-Determination - A Fake Exercise in Universalism

By Gilad Atzmon

If the reader can overlook some of Atzmon’s socialist assumptions, many of his critiques of the phony “self-determination” arguments found amongst certain segments of the Jewish community can still be seen as valuable, if only in pointing out the hypocrisy and deceptive nature of the Zionist project. -Staff

The right to self-determination is a luxurious approach at conservation of power reserved for the rich, strong and privileged. Since Zionists hold the reigns on international political power through their influence in important positions as well as the military might to maintain their right to self-determination, any current political debate on the legitimacy of this concept would lead inevitably to a dismissal of what we have come to accept as the Palestinian right of self-determination. Yet, instead of demanding this right, which is currently impractical, we should fight for the Palestinian and Arab right to rebel against the Jewish State and against global Zionist imperialism. Instead of wasting our time on rhetorical fantasies, we better expose Jewish tribal politics and praxis for what it is. To support Palestine is to be courageous enough to say what we think and to admit what we see.

A Citizen of the World, A Cosmopolitan and an Atheist

Last year in a little community church in Aspen, Colorado, at the question time following my talk, a middle-aged person at the back of the room stood up, presenting himself as follows:

I am a citizen of the world, I am a cosmopolitan and an atheist. I would like to ask you something Mr Atzmon

Hang on, I stopped him, please do not be offended by me asking, but are you by any chance a Jew?

The person froze for a second, he couldnt stop his face from blushing, everyone in the room turned around. Maybe they were curious enough to want to see what a 21st century self-loving cosmopolitan looks like. I, on my part, felt a bit guilty about it all, I didnt have any intention to embarrass the man. However, it took him a few good seconds before he could get his act together. (more…)