The two catastrophes
By Baruch Kimmerling
Dec. 6, 2004
Despite the last four violent years of the Al-Aqsa
Intifada, a growing portion of the Palestinians,
particularly those who live in the territories
conquered by Israel in 1967, are prepared, for lack of
choice, to relinquish the dream of "Greater
Palestine." Despite the injustice in this concession,
they are willing to relinquish their family property
and part of their national assets, on condition that
they get a state and that their own and their people's
lives improve.
In exchange, the Palestinians ask simply that even if
we do not return the lands and homes that were usurped
in 1948, at least we will recognize their catastrophe
and their suffering, and that our society and state
were founded and built upon the ruins of the Arab
society and culture.
The Palestinians do not even expect us to ask for
their forgiveness -- just that we recognize the
historical facts. In the political and practical
realm, they are entitled to expect that we will take
direct responsibility as a society and as a state for
the rehabilitation of the Palestinian refugee society
that we have created. Also, they have every right to
demand that we will not force upon them a
"subcontractor" regime, like Arafat's Palestinian
Authority, that violates all their human and civil
rights.
Simply recognizing the Palestinian narrative, their
collective memory, and their suffering -- a narrative
Israel is part of, just as the Palestinians are part
of the Israeli story -- is necessary for the
maturation of Israeli society itself. Strength is not
only military. Our true strength will emerge when we
are able to look self-critically in the mirror -- and
when we understand that the more that Palestinian
society and people is rehabilitated, the better it
will be for us as well, as Jews and as human beings.
If the past, with all its burdens, cannot be forgotten
either by us or by the Palestinians, at least we must
strive to create a common and empathetic narrative of
the past, where each of us recognizes the suffering of
the other. That open path of memory, trod by both
peoples, would bring greater security to Israel, in
the long run, than any wall.
This piece is dedicated to the memory of
Edward Said, the bravest intellectual I have ever
known.
Whole article
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/12/06/catastrophes/print....
Baruch Kimmerling, professor of sociology at Hebrew University
died two years ago
Dec. 6, 2004
Despite the last four violent years of the Al-Aqsa
Intifada, a growing portion of the Palestinians,
particularly those who live in the territories
conquered by Israel in 1967, are prepared, for lack of
choice, to relinquish the dream of "Greater
Palestine." Despite the injustice in this concession,
they are willing to relinquish their family property
and part of their national assets, on condition that
they get a state and that their own and their people's
lives improve.
In exchange, the Palestinians ask simply that even if
we do not return the lands and homes that were usurped
in 1948, at least we will recognize their catastrophe
and their suffering, and that our society and state
were founded and built upon the ruins of the Arab
society and culture.
The Palestinians do not even expect us to ask for
their forgiveness -- just that we recognize the
historical facts. In the political and practical
realm, they are entitled to expect that we will take
direct responsibility as a society and as a state for
the rehabilitation of the Palestinian refugee society
that we have created. Also, they have every right to
demand that we will not force upon them a
"subcontractor" regime, like Arafat's Palestinian
Authority, that violates all their human and civil
rights.
Simply recognizing the Palestinian narrative, their
collective memory, and their suffering -- a narrative
Israel is part of, just as the Palestinians are part
of the Israeli story -- is necessary for the
maturation of Israeli society itself. Strength is not
only military. Our true strength will emerge when we
are able to look self-critically in the mirror -- and
when we understand that the more that Palestinian
society and people is rehabilitated, the better it
will be for us as well, as Jews and as human beings.
If the past, with all its burdens, cannot be forgotten
either by us or by the Palestinians, at least we must
strive to create a common and empathetic narrative of
the past, where each of us recognizes the suffering of
the other. That open path of memory, trod by both
peoples, would bring greater security to Israel, in
the long run, than any wall.
This piece is dedicated to the memory of
Edward Said, the bravest intellectual I have ever
known.
Whole article
http://www.salon.com/opinion/feature/2004/12/06/catastrophes/print....
Baruch Kimmerling, professor of sociology at Hebrew University
died two years ago
Replies to This Discussion
-
Permalink Reply by sss on -
I like this sentence
respect you as a peer, as a one who may, and can add something to this land... but I cant accept you to ignore me and my long history from Canaan
-
Permalink Reply by golding on -
Jaber:
I would like to see some of that respect accorded to my fellow man, and specifically to the Jews.
-
Permalink Reply by Neri Bar-On on -
Golding,
I would like to see some of that unconditional respect accorded to my fellow man.
respect the people who do not respect you to, they are the ones you know you have one future.
If you a man, you should respect unconditionally any other man.
-
Permalink Reply by Neri Bar-On on
-
Sami,
this is exactly what I said, you should respect the ones who do not respect you.
I do not think we should condition our respect for you to respect us. In any case we should respect you.
-
Permalink Reply by golding on
-
Neri
What do you mean by respect unconditionally. Do I have an obligation to respect Nasralla, Haniya or Meshal or even Ahmadejeen?
Are you saying that this is some kind of commandment or a requirement in order to be a man?
You have lost me with the first unconditional as everything in this world has a condition.
-
Permalink Reply by Neri Bar-On on
-
Golding,
The fact that you cannot respect unconditionally say something of what you think on your fellow men, is it?
-
Permalink Reply by sss on
-
I really dont get the point very well , but anybody have misunderstading in my reply I respect all people without any conditions , muslims , jews , christians and all other religions I dont look to the religion I look to all people as equlas
-
Permalink Reply by golding on
-
Jaber:
I did not have you in mind. I actually admire some of your posts and if only...........
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