Steven Erlanger wrote an article that came under the title:
“Who Are the Real Heirs of Zionism?” It was published on February 4, 2016 in
the New York Times. When you read it, the first thing that comes to mind is the
incident not long ago in which rival motorcycle gangs got into a brawl, and
each gang killed a number of its rivals.
Erlanger wants us to believe that a discussion about Palestine must not be about the people of Palestine . Rather, he wants it to be about
two visions on who might be the true inheritors of Zionism. Mentioning the
Palestinians twice, but only in relation to the threat which they may or may
not pose (not to the hordes of Jews occupying their lands) but to the
ill-defined Zionist movement – the author quotes two Israeli generals who have
attempted to formulate such a definition.
One general gave this definition: “the national liberation
movement of a people exiled … and dispersed among the nations of the world.”
The other general gave this definition: “Zionism is in essence the Zionism of
transfer … If transfer is immoral, then all of Zionism is immoral.” And that
should clarify the thing for you, members of the audience, who were so
fortunate as to have received a sample of Jewish moral clarity. Okay buddy, but
what about the Palestinians? Where do they fit in this equation?
To explain all that, the author refers to the original
Zionism as “political Zionism,” and to its modern offshoot as “religious
Zionism.” The latter is composed of settlers – mostly from North
America – who are fast becoming the majority in the country, they
say. Their plan is to expand Israel
by annexing Palestinian lands so as to overwhelm and stifle the Palestinian
people whom they regard “as a distraction on the landscape who will eventually
be displaced.”
That's it as far as the Jews are concerned. The Palestinians
are just a distraction who will eventually be displaced, they say. This is
their plan, and they do not believe someone will try to stop them. That's not a
new idea, they explain; it is a continuation of what the old political Zionists
from Europe did when they first attacked the
Palestinians and looted them. And though the current agenda is right wing,
their grabbing of Palestinian lands only mimics what the political Zionists of
the Left did early on.
And don't forget that these people have been called heroes
of Israel
ever since. Moreover, like the Communists of yesteryear, the right wing
fanatics of today live in communes. They also believe they are obeying God's
commandments. All that, in their view, translates into a formula that will
endure and triumph.
This said, the religious Zionist feel so secure, they do not
see real danger coming from the Palestinians or from the neighboring Arab
states or from beyond them. What they fear most, they say, “is the secular
right.” They fear that a clone of Ariel Sharon will someday rise in Israel , betray
them as did Sharon himself, and undermine the settlement movement. This being
the case, the North American settlers have now defined the Zionist movement as
being a religious settlement movement.
Setting aside the fear of an Ariel Sharon rising in Israel , from
where do these people derive their newly developed sense of security? It comes
from the growing sense that “they represent the future of Zionism,” they say.
More and more, they see themselves take leadership positions in the army and in
the political arena.
In fact, they are joining the army in droves, and are
forming strong alliances with pro-settler groups in politics. Sooner or later,
they will be in the driver's seat everywhere in the land. And what this boils
down to is that from here on, the Palestinians will never fit anywhere in the
equation that's developing on their own land.
Well, instead of tackling the issue from the angle of that
reality, Steven Erlanger chose to discuss the gang-like shootout between the
two Jewish factions currently occupying Palestine .
He chose to do so because to discuss the unfolding events from the point of
view of the Palestinians, would have forced him to explain that by funding
Israel, the American Congress is funding the ongoing crime against humanity
that's now unfolding in that land.