ProMosaik interviews Paul Eisen about Israeli Militarism
Hi all,
happy to publish this interview I had with Paul Eisen about
Israeli Militarism.
Israeli Militarism.
Please read and share it and send us your comments about it.
If you agree with him or not, listen to this JEWISH voice..
The important thing is to read everything and to have an opinion about everything.
Thank you very much
Dr. phil. Milena Rampoldi
Editorial Team of ProMosaik e.V.
1.- What do you think is the main reason why Israel is able to
maintain the ideology of militarism?
maintain the ideology of militarism?
Well, here are some suggestions:
1.
Israelis are brought up to believe that military strength is the only option to
destruction. אין ברירה) “There is no alternative” is a phrase
inculcated into every Israeli from birth)
Israelis are brought up to believe that military strength is the only option to
destruction. אין ברירה) “There is no alternative” is a phrase
inculcated into every Israeli from birth)
2.
This ties in very well with ancient Jewish notions of innocence and victimhood.
It’s part of being Jewish to believe that you’ve done absolutely nothing
wrong and the whole world is against you.
This ties in very well with ancient Jewish notions of innocence and victimhood.
It’s part of being Jewish to believe that you’ve done absolutely nothing
wrong and the whole world is against you.
3.
Worth a separate mention is the notion that current Israeli militarism chimes
in well with deep-seated Jewish feelings of triumphalism. There is nothing
quite so thrilling as suddenly standing up and bashing the bigger child who has
been bullying you. Ordinary Jews feel this all the time and never more so than
in June 1967 when (we were told) little Israel (we were told) stood up and
miraculously (we were told) defeated ou much more powerful (we were told)
enemies. The fact that most of this was utter nonsense as indeed is much of the
whole Jewish story of victimhood has little bearing on the Jewish and Israeli
psyche.
Worth a separate mention is the notion that current Israeli militarism chimes
in well with deep-seated Jewish feelings of triumphalism. There is nothing
quite so thrilling as suddenly standing up and bashing the bigger child who has
been bullying you. Ordinary Jews feel this all the time and never more so than
in June 1967 when (we were told) little Israel (we were told) stood up and
miraculously (we were told) defeated ou much more powerful (we were told)
enemies. The fact that most of this was utter nonsense as indeed is much of the
whole Jewish story of victimhood has little bearing on the Jewish and Israeli
psyche.
But it should also be said
that, irony of ironies, the Israelis aren’t all that wrong because a lot
of these delusions are self-fulfilling. Israelis are living on stolen land and
have behaved disgracefully, not only to the Palestinians and entire Arab and
Muslim world but also to the whole world. Deep down, they must know this and
they’d have to be pretty dumb not to realise that nobody much likes them.
They’d also have to be pretty stupid not to realise that, at the end of the
day, there aren’t that many Israelis or Jews and if the world really got
together it would make pretty short work of the famed IDF. No wonder they’re
paranoid.
that, irony of ironies, the Israelis aren’t all that wrong because a lot
of these delusions are self-fulfilling. Israelis are living on stolen land and
have behaved disgracefully, not only to the Palestinians and entire Arab and
Muslim world but also to the whole world. Deep down, they must know this and
they’d have to be pretty dumb not to realise that nobody much likes them.
They’d also have to be pretty stupid not to realise that, at the end of the
day, there aren’t that many Israelis or Jews and if the world really got
together it would make pretty short work of the famed IDF. No wonder they’re
paranoid.
2.- Judaism is a religion of peace. How can we explain this to
Israelis who still support Zionist militarism?
Israelis who still support Zionist militarism?
Whatever gave you the idea that Judaism is a religion of peace?
Christianity and Islam are indeed religions of peace – in their official
ideology that is, though by no means always in practice – but Judaism doesn’t
even make such a claim. You only have to look at our religious texts to know
that.
Christianity and Islam are indeed religions of peace – in their official
ideology that is, though by no means always in practice – but Judaism doesn’t
even make such a claim. You only have to look at our religious texts to know
that.
Judaism seems to me to be about surviving (and winning) in the
real world and the relative absence of hypocrisy (amongst ourselves that is) in
this matter is something that gives Jews a great deal of comfort. We look at
the non-Jewish world babbling on about love and peace while, all the time
waging hate and war, and we say to ourselves: Well, at least we don’t pretend.
real world and the relative absence of hypocrisy (amongst ourselves that is) in
this matter is something that gives Jews a great deal of comfort. We look at
the non-Jewish world babbling on about love and peace while, all the time
waging hate and war, and we say to ourselves: Well, at least we don’t pretend.
But to address your question: you certainly can’t change Israel’s
view by babbling on about so-called peace. The Israelis are like everyone else,
they will change their behaviour only when they have to. Hamas, last summer and
Hezbollah in 2006 have shown us the way in this regard.
view by babbling on about so-called peace. The Israelis are like everyone else,
they will change their behaviour only when they have to. Hamas, last summer and
Hezbollah in 2006 have shown us the way in this regard.
3.- Do you think that films like those of Yotam Feldman can help
to open people’s eyes?
to open people’s eyes?
I wasn’t familiar with the film and all I’ve been able to do is to
watch a couple of clips. A film like that can certainly inform people and may
incrementally open people’s eyes but, at the end of the day, Israeli aggression
will end when the options close down.
watch a couple of clips. A film like that can certainly inform people and may
incrementally open people’s eyes but, at the end of the day, Israeli aggression
will end when the options close down.
Because I’m a Jew and also because I have loving family in Israel
and also because I dislike suffering (even of the guilty), I would prefer that
these military defeats will be of a homeopathic nature i.e. they will be small
enough so as not to cause unnecessary suffering on ordinary Israelis but
certainly large enough to cause them to change their ways.
and also because I dislike suffering (even of the guilty), I would prefer that
these military defeats will be of a homeopathic nature i.e. they will be small
enough so as not to cause unnecessary suffering on ordinary Israelis but
certainly large enough to cause them to change their ways.
4.- How can we weaken Israeli weapon lobbies from outside?
First of all, we have to stop pussy-footing around. Wishful
thinking about the nature of Judaism does not favours to anyone, including
Jews. The Israeli weapon lobbies are just part of the wider Israeli/ Zionist
lobby which itself is just part of Jewish power which goes way beyond Zionism
and Israel. It is Jewish power which needs to be confronted – again, as
carefully and compassionately as possible – and the first step is to name it
for what it is – i.e. Jewish.
thinking about the nature of Judaism does not favours to anyone, including
Jews. The Israeli weapon lobbies are just part of the wider Israeli/ Zionist
lobby which itself is just part of Jewish power which goes way beyond Zionism
and Israel. It is Jewish power which needs to be confronted – again, as
carefully and compassionately as possible – and the first step is to name it
for what it is – i.e. Jewish.
5.- How can associations in Israel (for example ACRI.org.il)
promote a climate of peace and respect which opposes militarist ideology?
promote a climate of peace and respect which opposes militarist ideology?
I’d never heard of this lot so I googled them. I’m sure they’re
well-intentioned but they seem to be just tinkering around, part of the
I-wish-Israel-wouldn’t-behave-quite-so-badly-and-stop-embarrassing-me-in-front-of-my-friends
brigade. I wish them well but my guess is they will achieve nothing.
well-intentioned but they seem to be just tinkering around, part of the
I-wish-Israel-wouldn’t-behave-quite-so-badly-and-stop-embarrassing-me-in-front-of-my-friends
brigade. I wish them well but my guess is they will achieve nothing.
As I said, I was not familiar with ACRI and my first reaction was
not to even bother to look them up and this itself is a measure of the way
these organisations are seen. In fact the entire Zionist left and indeed all
the ‘good’ Jews currently in the solidarity movement are, at best impotent and
at worst, either gatekeepers or part of a controlled opposition. The fact that
their actions are, in the main, well-intentioned and their motivations so hard
to understand is a great part of what makes them so effective in creating
confusion – and this Jewish ability to confuse everyone (including themselves)
is, itself, an important component of Jewish power.
not to even bother to look them up and this itself is a measure of the way
these organisations are seen. In fact the entire Zionist left and indeed all
the ‘good’ Jews currently in the solidarity movement are, at best impotent and
at worst, either gatekeepers or part of a controlled opposition. The fact that
their actions are, in the main, well-intentioned and their motivations so hard
to understand is a great part of what makes them so effective in creating
confusion – and this Jewish ability to confuse everyone (including themselves)
is, itself, an important component of Jewish power.
