“Easy to understand, historically accurate Jewish Voice for Peace mini- primer about why Israelis and Palestinians are fighting, why the US-backed peace process has been an impediment to peace, and what you can do to make a difference. This conflict is essentially about land and human rights, not religion and culture. Endorsed by Palestinian, Israeli and American scholars and peace activists.”
Jewish Voice for Peace: “Israel and Palestine, an animated introduction”
Note by Juan Cole: I don’t agree with everything in the film, especially the history. Some 200,000 Jews settled Palestine before the Nazis amounted to anything, as a British settler colonial project, not a Jewish refugee one. And since Jordan had secretly agreed only to take the West Bank and not incur into areas promised the Zionists by the UN General Assembly partition proposal and since Hashemite Iraq sent only a small force in support of Hashemite Jordan — it was really only Egypt that actually invaded, not “some Arab states.” But on the whole it is a much more accurate overview than anything you’ll see or hear in US corporate media.
Of course if it is compared with CNN we can hardly find something worst.
In my opinion, this video is not bad because is not “accurate” but because the whole idea is giving Israel a “pacific” respond when they have been for the past 60 year extremely aggressive towards the Palestinian people. It must be taking into account the physical violence but also the symbolic one and the belief that Palestinians are second class citizens. That video is an attempt to neutralize the conflict (even though it accuses Israel by sending a message of stop violence lets start form 0) And I truly believe on Desmond Tutu words ” If you are neutral in situations of injustice, you have chosen the side of the oppressor”.
The Palestinians have been abandoned by their own government, by the other Arabs countries, by the international society. For me, this video is really dangerous considered an attempt to accuse us for being the solution of a problem without tacking the main problem: Our societies need to be transparent; we citizens need to strongly stand by the ones that are suffering the exclusion and injustice by demanding accountability to our own governments.
If “Jewish Voice for Peace” wanted to do something to show disagreement with Israel government should address to N… government and not sending this ambiguous “universal” message. Or even address to US government to stop supporting governments that have commit crimes against DDHH. Nonviolent political action only have sense when the super powers commit with it, otherwise is a very naive, non-effective idea that will prolong Palestinians struggle.
Btw. always follow your articles.
Israeli soldiers arrest a Palestinian man at the Israeli maned Hawara checkpoint in the occupied West Bank city of Nablus, as Palestinians took to the streets to demonstrate against the Israeli military operation on the Gaza Strip on November 17, 2012, which has seen some 40 people killed in the past 4 days including Palestinian children.