Thank you for the decisive statement. When you are raised with lies—especially if well-intended—it’s difficult to see things clearly without reconstituting one’s very identity. Hopefully this will help people along the path. I will send it around. Break the silence.
Hi Benjamin! I have listened to your podcast and can't help but making a few comments (which is not normally the case). I have also listened to Howard Jacobson's interview. I am not familiar with his work and for me he is just a stranger. My impression is that being 82 years old ("an old man", as you said, I am 72 therefore an "old woman) he was rather quite honest about his feelings and sincerely bewildered about the current events. You logically stated that "old" people will never come around to see things as you do, and since you are "right" they naturally are "wrong". If, as you mentioned, at the age of 48 you already have resistance to changing your views, image what it must be for someone at the age of 82! If his excuse is to apologize because the truth is that he has "dementia", then believe me, the world is packed with people suffering the same disease. H.J. is honest about his struggle and suffering in view of what is happening (especially if he daily watches BBC, an entity which has been anti-semitic for many, many years), and so am I and countless others. And I would dare say that the same applies to you; you are included in this group (not because of your age, of course), otherwise you would not be addressing the issue of Zionism so ardently and emotionally. It breaks my heart when you say that Israel "imported" a huge population (as if you were importing boxes of wine)! With regards to the number of children killed in Palestine, you mentioned being in Palestine around the year 2025, right? Didn't you notice the number of children playing in the streets (when not throwing stones at Israeli soldiers?) I have heard Palestinian mothers openly voicing that their children are weapons and when killed they feel proud because they will go straight to heaven (not old enough to have virgins at their disposal)! And Palestinian men shouting that eventually they will win and dominate the world because their weapon is their wives' womb, they make children, babies, and more babies! How do you deal with this mentality? Does it match yours? Forget about Zionism, that is something of the past, and definitely not "an ethnic cleansing" objective. The state of Israel was created 76 years ago, the objective of Zionism is long over. To make it short, in this war both sides are paying a tremendous heavy price with incredible suffering!! But, since I am an "old woman" who cares, right? I am wrong!
For me Zionism was the creation of the State of Israel. Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in exchange for peace; look what happened, the Egyptians allowed dozens and dozens of tunnels to be built from Sinai into Gaza, a lot of Egyptians officials must have greatly profited from allowing arms to go into Israel. Israel removed all its settlements in Gaza, over 16 years ago and look what happened, the Palestinians who received millions of dollars instead of building schools, hospitals, roads, sewage system, invested the money in building tunnels and arms to attack Israel. Palestinians do not want peace, they want to eliminate the state of Israel, kill all the Jews. What do you expect Israel to do? Stand naked, in line, holding their children in their arms. to walk into the gas chambers like in the Holocaust? The main project of the Israeli state is to invest in their own development, to stand as the only democratic nation in the Middle East.
Oh Hashem, Hashem!! The previous generation and mine had to pay the price, and now the "intellectual, progressive" generation is blaming us, we are being classified as "classical", they own the truth and are always right! Typical generation gap! Nevermine, my consolation is that I will not be around for too long and they will have to face the consequences.
Thank you for the decisive statement. When you are raised with lies—especially if well-intended—it’s difficult to see things clearly without reconstituting one’s very identity. Hopefully this will help people along the path. I will send it around. Break the silence.
They don't make it easy to see. But once you see it, you can't un-see it.
Thank you for this, Ben. The interview is online - https://www.newyorker.com/news/q-and-a/rationalizing-the-horrors-of-israels-war-in-gaza. Suicide-by-interview indeed.
"i am hopeful that zionism will collapse sooner rather than later". obrigada ben <3 #palestinalivre
Hi Benjamin! I have listened to your podcast and can't help but making a few comments (which is not normally the case). I have also listened to Howard Jacobson's interview. I am not familiar with his work and for me he is just a stranger. My impression is that being 82 years old ("an old man", as you said, I am 72 therefore an "old woman) he was rather quite honest about his feelings and sincerely bewildered about the current events. You logically stated that "old" people will never come around to see things as you do, and since you are "right" they naturally are "wrong". If, as you mentioned, at the age of 48 you already have resistance to changing your views, image what it must be for someone at the age of 82! If his excuse is to apologize because the truth is that he has "dementia", then believe me, the world is packed with people suffering the same disease. H.J. is honest about his struggle and suffering in view of what is happening (especially if he daily watches BBC, an entity which has been anti-semitic for many, many years), and so am I and countless others. And I would dare say that the same applies to you; you are included in this group (not because of your age, of course), otherwise you would not be addressing the issue of Zionism so ardently and emotionally. It breaks my heart when you say that Israel "imported" a huge population (as if you were importing boxes of wine)! With regards to the number of children killed in Palestine, you mentioned being in Palestine around the year 2025, right? Didn't you notice the number of children playing in the streets (when not throwing stones at Israeli soldiers?) I have heard Palestinian mothers openly voicing that their children are weapons and when killed they feel proud because they will go straight to heaven (not old enough to have virgins at their disposal)! And Palestinian men shouting that eventually they will win and dominate the world because their weapon is their wives' womb, they make children, babies, and more babies! How do you deal with this mentality? Does it match yours? Forget about Zionism, that is something of the past, and definitely not "an ethnic cleansing" objective. The state of Israel was created 76 years ago, the objective of Zionism is long over. To make it short, in this war both sides are paying a tremendous heavy price with incredible suffering!! But, since I am an "old woman" who cares, right? I am wrong!
Zionism is not something of the past. Look at the settler movement: the main project of the Israeli state for the past fifty years.
For me Zionism was the creation of the State of Israel. Israel returned the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt in exchange for peace; look what happened, the Egyptians allowed dozens and dozens of tunnels to be built from Sinai into Gaza, a lot of Egyptians officials must have greatly profited from allowing arms to go into Israel. Israel removed all its settlements in Gaza, over 16 years ago and look what happened, the Palestinians who received millions of dollars instead of building schools, hospitals, roads, sewage system, invested the money in building tunnels and arms to attack Israel. Palestinians do not want peace, they want to eliminate the state of Israel, kill all the Jews. What do you expect Israel to do? Stand naked, in line, holding their children in their arms. to walk into the gas chambers like in the Holocaust? The main project of the Israeli state is to invest in their own development, to stand as the only democratic nation in the Middle East.
This is the classic narrative. None of it is true. And the conquest of Palestine is very much an ongoing concern, as we see every single day.
Oh Hashem, Hashem!! The previous generation and mine had to pay the price, and now the "intellectual, progressive" generation is blaming us, we are being classified as "classical", they own the truth and are always right! Typical generation gap! Nevermine, my consolation is that I will not be around for too long and they will have to face the consequences.
Oh Ben, I fear you may just be one of those aging Ben's. Dementia knocking early.