Why the Palestinian diaspora must become politically engaged
If I was advising a re-structured and re-invigorated PNC on how best to present its One State policy message, I would say, “Be visionary and inspirational.” And I would illustrate what I meant by quoting a few lines from what I say in my book – these lines:
The Jews, generally speaking, are the intellectual elite of the Western civilization. The Palestinians, generally speaking, are the intellectual elite of the Arab world. What they could do together IN PEACE AND PARTNERSHIP is the stuff that real dreams are made of. They could change the region for the better and, by so doing, give new hope and inspiration to the whole world.
To sum up so far… What I am suggesting is that the prospects for the One State solution becoming a reality would be improved if the presentation and selling of the case for it emphasized that the wellbeing and security of its Jewish citizens would be absolutely guaranteed, assuming only that they accepted with good grace their new status as EQUALS and not MASTERS.
If the case for the One State solution was made in the positive way I have indicated by the Palestinians speaking with one voice through a re-structured and re-invigorated PNC, parliament-in-exile, there is some evidence for believing – perhaps I should saying for hoping – that a significant number of the Jews of the world, possibly even a majority of them, could and would embrace it, the One State concept. If they did it would be easier – perhaps I should say less difficult – for an American president and European leaders to embrace it.
Before I summarize what the evidence is, I must say in passing that I do NOT use the term “Jewish diaspora” to describe the Jews of the world.
As I explained in a recent post on my web site www.alanhart.net, I stopped using that terminology after my very dear friend Ilan Pappe explained to me why it was inappropriate and wrong.
Diaspora means, is the consequence of, the movement, migration or scattering of people away from an established or ancestral home. The term “Jewish diaspora” implies that all the Jews of it are from the same established or ancestral home, and that is nonsense.
The Jews of the world are from MANY established or ancestral homelands, and almost all if not all of those who went to Palestine to give life to Zionism’s colonial enterprise had no biological connection whatsoever to the ancient Hebrews. The notion, still popular with the mainstream Western media, that at the root of the conflict there are two peoples each with a valid claim to the same land does not bear serious and honest examination. It’s more Zionist propaganda nonsense.
So what’s the evidence for believing, or at least hoping, that many Jews of the world, European and American Jews in particular, could come around to embracing the One State solution if it was presented in the positive way I have indicated?
It, the evidence, is in the fact that a still smallish but growing number of eminent Jews, in America especially, are speaking out – condemning Israeli actions and policies which, they say, are not only THE obstacle to peace, but are taking Israel down the road to “self-destruction”. (Even some of Netanyahu’s political opponents in Israel are saying that). If the image of Israel as a pariah state hell bent on suicide enters the minds of more and more Jews, and if reason prevails, there must be at least the possibility that many of them will come to something like this conclusion…
If One State is the ONLY way to guarantee the wellbeing of those Jews now living in Israel-Palestine and who want to stay in One State, that has to be the solution.
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