Zionist Left support for the bloody assaults on Gaza signifies its

erasure from Israels political map

Tikva Honig-arnass
Introduction
The aim of this article is to pinpoint the explicit and implicit support of the Zionist Left
intellectuals usually identified with Labor or Meretz for the brutal attacks on Gaza since
2006 This support is a new sta!e in the Left intellectuals" loyalty to the state and its
oppressi#e policies a!ainst the $alestinian people The #iciousness of mass murder and
horrid de#astation of Gaza% chiefly in the recent &peration $rotecti#e 'd!e% ha#e reached
unprecedented le#els Their support by the (most enli!htened( public fi!ures in )sraeli
society amounts to total disre!ard for basic human ri!hts and international laws and erases
any meanin!ful difference between them and the *i!ht
The silence of the Zionist Left ma+ority in response to the massacres in Gaza,includin! the
discourse of e#asion and emotional detachment by the #ery few who did react,indicates a
complete absence of basic humanitarian #alues and concepts of +ustice The meanin! of
state security% stretched to include repression of $alestinian resistance by any bloody
means% unites the Zionist Left with the *i!ht in a +oint war a!ainst the $alestinian people
The Left which has been reco!nized as the offsprin! of the mytholo!ical Zionist labor
mo#ement has been wiped off the political map
&ne would perhaps expect opposition to such an operation from% for example% Meretz M$
-aim &ron% the past !eneral secretary of Mapam and a member of .ibbutz Laha#% affiliated
to the -ashomer -atzair stream of the .ibbutz mo#ement -owe#er% on /riday% 20 1uly%
2020% when 230 children had already been killed in Gaza% &ron declared that his party%
Meretz% would not participate in the bi! demonstration a!ainst the operation planned for
4aturday ni!ht The daily Maariv noted5
Thousands of Jews and Arabs are expected to participate in the demonstration. They would
waive the Palestinian Authority flag (sic) and raise placards condemning the military
operation in !a"a#$ calling for the removal of the siege of the %trip$ and ending the
occupation of the &est 'an(.
The demonstration was or!anized by a coalition of what"s called (Left factions( includin!
$alestinian67rab 89alad and *aam Taal:% $alestinian61ewish 8-adash% the front headed by
the ;ommunist $arty:% and <aam% the =orkers $arty 1ewish protest mo#ements like 'at
%halom and 7narchists 7!ainst the =all% as well as >G&"s like The )sraeli ;ommittee
7!ainst -ouse <emolitions 8);-7<: and the 7lternati#e )nformation ;enter 87);:% declared
1
their participation in the demonstration 7ll in all these are #ery small !roups which could not
mobilize many participants for the few demonstrations there were a!ainst the war on Gaza
&ron explained the Meretz position% which opposed the riskin! of )sraeli li#es by landin!
troops inside Gaza% but not the operation itself5
)ur position is essentially different from the common denominator of those groups which
organi"ed the demonstration* Meret" supports the operation in !a"a. These groups don+t
accept the basic right of the %tate of ,srael to self defense$ whereas we support it. A massive
ma-ority of the Party.s board voted for the -ustification of the operation while voting for a
resolution to oppose the landing act.
i

&ne would assume that facin! the mass murder and displacement which had already taken
place by this time 820 1uly:% those self6proclaimed fi!hters for uni#ersal human #alues would
take to the streets and +oin whoe#er opposed the massacre in Gaza
9ut they didn"t Moreo#er% &ron and his party members knew well from past onslau!hts on
Gaza what horrific massacre and de#astation were about to occur -owe#er they did not +oin
this demonstration or others or!anized by independent !roups 8or the ;ommunist $arty:
which were #iolently confronted by ri!ht win! !an!s with the help of the police
The Zionist Left?Liberal intellectuals and academics did not adopt an explicit condemnation
of the )sraeli (combat( in Gaza% or e#en make public any alarm at the !enocide committed
there ) refer here to those intellectuals and academics who since the establishment of the
4tate 8and prior to it: ha#e supplied the moral and @scientificA le!itimacy for )srael"s colonialist
policies which continue the ethnic cleansin! be!un in 2B0C
ii
Many of those Left?Liberal intellectuals and academics participated in articulatin! the !uidin!
ideolo!y of the 4tate of )srael under the rule of the Zionist Labor mo#ement in the first
decades of the state &thers amon! them ha#e accepted their predecessors" teachin! and
elaborated on its premises
They support the principal idea of )sraelDs established political culture5 @security of the state(
is sanctified as a sacred #alue to which human ri!hts% class interests and ethnic identity are
subser#ient
Thus this fascist ideolo!y first wrapped in socialist uni#ersal #alues% and later within a
(human ri!hts( discourse% has actually led Zionist Left intellectuals to +ustify the most horrible
crimes a!ainst humanity% committed in the name of the state"s security
The !ngoing "ar on Gaza
2
The continued assaults a!ainst the Gaza 4trip% since the -amas #ictory in the 2006 !eneral
elections% constitute a new sta!e in the persistent efforts to crush the $alestinian national
mo#ement and its attempts at resistance% aided all alon! by the E4
=ith the complicity of 7bu MazenDs $alestinian 7uthority 8$7:% the on!oin! repression in the
=est 9ank lea#es -amas and those confined to Gaza as the stron!hold of the $alestinian
stru!!le The refusal of Gaza residents to surrender to )srael"s opposition to the democratic
election #ictory of -amas% and to )srael"s on!oin! domination of Gaza% had to be pre#ented
from !rowin! and i!nitin! the dormant flames of uprisin! in the =est 9ank -ence% the first
)sraeli step followin! the -amas #ictory was to disconnect the =est 9ank from the 4trip and
impose a sie!e on Gaza which has been continually ti!htened such that by 2020 it was
nearin! human disaster
The systematic and on!oin! fra!mentation of the $alestinian people has been the
cornerstone of )srael"s colonial strate!y after 2B0C% in 2B6F% and with the isolation of Gaza
;rushin! the $alestinian $eople as a unified political body has become a #ital ob+ecti#e
)srael and the E4 share these interests% which are then also part and parcel of E4 imperialist
strate!y in the re!ion as e#idenced in the crumblin! of )raG% Libya% and e#en 4yria
)srael has chan!ed the form and extent of oppression towards the residents of Gaza 4ays
Max 7+l5
As the challenge from /amas mounted$ ,sraeli policy shifted from containment to
counterinsurgency$ operating through both direct coercion and indirect infrastructural
violence. ,ts techni0ues ranged from infre0uent full1scale attac(s$ to far more fre0uent
targeted assassinations$ to the nearly daily destruction of Palestinian agricultural and fishery
capacity$ and on to hamstringing the ban(ing system HI,n response to the bloc(ade
Palestinians launched roc(et attac(s. Those attac(s have continually provo(ed upset from
,sraelis eager for a return to the desolate silence of defeat that they identify as 2normality.3
iii
)ndeed the bloody attacks a!ainst Gaza ha#e been launched precisely a!ainst the residents"
coura!eous resistance to )srael"s oppression which thwarts the aspired status Guo
i#
)n addition to the dire impact of the blockade and freGuent incursions and drone strikes%
there ha#e been two main military operations in Gaza prior to &peration $rotecti#e 'd!e in
1uly 20205 @;ast LeadA /rom 2F <ecember 200C to 2C 1anuary 200B and @$illar of <efense%A
an ei!ht6day massacre which be!an on 20 >o#ember 2022 with the murder of 7hmed
1abari% leader of the Gaza -amas military win! 7s said% their aim was to return the (Guiet%(
not to achie#e totally military #ictory by crushin! the Gaza re!ime
3
9y re#iewin! the position of Left intellectuals durin! these operations% we can see the
irrele#ance of a @Zionist LeftA as a political force which opposes the ri!ht win! war policy )"ll
be!in with the 200B war and mo#e to the current $rotecti#e 'd!e &peration 8which ended on
26 1uly with a #ery shaky a!reement already #iolated by )srael as ) am writin! these lines:
These periodic onslau!hts are euphemized in military doctrine as @mowin! the lawnA 7s
explained by 7+l5
2Mowing3 refers to the impossibility of pulling out the grass in surrounding territories4chiefly
5ebanon and the !a"a %trip4by the root. The inevitable growth of armed resistance forces
the ,sraeli counter1insurgency apparatus to cut down any movement which arises to fight for
Palestinian self1determination.
#
The Zionist Left calls for @peace ne!otiationsA after each mass blood6lettin! in Gaza which
they supportJ not only are they (false prophets of peace%(
#i
but also #i!orous supporters of
the cruel assaults on Gaza which K in the absence of the prospect of eliminatin! them
completely K are intended to deter any a!reement with -amas beyond a temporary
ceasefire
Two well6known representati#es of the LeftDs so called desire for peace% in accord with their
assumed uni#ersal humanist #alues% are author <a#id Grossman and political scientist Zee#
4ternhell
#ii
-owe#er% their responses to the dreadful atrocities which took place in the 200B
and 2020 assaults show otherwise
#$$%-#$$& 'ast Lead (assacre in Gaza
'hud 9arak% Labor Minister of <efense in 'hud &lmertDs .adima !o#ernment% led the
carna!e in Gaza from <ecember 200C to 1anuary 200B 7t this time as well% the determined
resistance of -amas% supported by the population% had to be repressed
The barbaric attack on Gaza was planned well in ad#ance ;homskyDs analysis points to
8amon! other thin!s: the fact that @)srael #iolated the ceasefire in 1uly 200C% which was
obser#ed by -amasA 8)srael concedes that -amas did not fire a sin!le rocket: 7lso5
,srael continued its criminal activities in !a"a and the &est 'an($ including the continued
heavy siege imposed on !a"a since January 6778$ which brought it to the brin( of almost
complete strangulation. 5ater ,srael refused to accept a ceasefire proposed by /amas
shortly before the invasion.
#iii
7s confirmed by /aaret" senior political commentator5
4
The enormous power was sent to !a"a not only or even mainly in order to hit the military
infrastructure of /amas. The main mission that the political level assigned to the army was
to dismantle the civil infrastructure 8emphasis added: of the regime.
ix

*ockets fired onto southern )sraeli towns were accepted by Meretz as a +ustifiable pretext for
the attack 4ays the poet Litzhak Laor5 @Meretz +ustified the "first sta!e" of the war but not the
afterwardA )n the face of these apolo!etics% Laor asks% @-ow many children should die for
Mnot afterwardD and for understandin! that it is forbidden for a Left mo#ement to take part in
)sraelDs military !amesNA Laor concludes% @LetDs admit it5 all Zionist parties were intoxicated at
the time of the MwarD >ow it seems as if they were hit by blindness 1ust a han!o#erA
x
7nd indeed% author <a#id Grossman was apparently satisfied with the number of children
murdered durin! the first three days of the massacre in Gaza 7t that point% he belie#ed it
was the ri!ht time for a (!enerous( call for 0C hours of unilateral ceasefire in order to re6
establish the truce that )srael itself had #iolated
)avid Grossman praises the armys restraint
&n O0 <ecember% 200C% <a#id GrossmanDs @/i!ht /ire with a ;ease6/ire%A was published in
the >ew Lork Times &pinion section
<espite the widely known facts outlined abo#e% <a#id Grossman repeated the official )sraeli
narrati#e5 -amas was the a!!ressor% #iolatin! the ceasefire which lasted since early 200C
Grossman thus +ustified the first three days of the brutal attack on Gaza% depictin! it as an
act of act of retaliation rather than as a!!ression initiated by )srael
)n his article% there is no blame whatsoe#er concernin! the )sraeli armyDs brutality inflicted on
citizens &n the contrary% Grossman depicts it as @restraintA and further praises )srael for
actin! @with impressi#e le#el6headednessA
This (restraint%A ar!ues Grossman% has consistently characterized )srael"s policy toward
-amas )srael had not used all its potential power despite -amasD actions that @made life
excruciatin! for the )sraelis who li#e on GazaDs perimeter.A 7lso% -amas leaders @ha#e
rebuffed e#ery )sraeli and '!yptian endea#or to achie#e a compromise and pre#ent a
confla!rationA
7ccordin! to Grossman% the +ustification for the @hea#y blowA inflicted on Gaza is thus +ust
retaliation for the rockets -amas fired at the 4outh of )srael while )srael restrained itself
Grossman asked only one thin! of )srael5 To declare a unilateral ceasefire for 0C hours as an
attempt to reinstate the status Guo >ot the end of the suffocatin! sie!e on Gaza% nor the
openin! of the 'rez passa!e that unites Gaza with the =est 9ank 9oth demands% needless
5
to say% would ha#e been cate!orically re+ected by )srael 7 return to the status Guo was all
that Grossman% )srael"s @peace champion%A proposed to the world
The @!enerousA proposal for a 0C6hour ceasefire is attainable% said Grossman% precisely
because )sraelDs power is almost limitless compared to that of -amas
/rom this powerful position% the patronizin! Grossman su!!ests the resumption of the shaky
treaty with an alarmin! warnin!5
9ow after the heavy blow that ,srael has dealt to the !a"a %trip$ we would do best to
ourselves to turn to the leaders of /amas and tell them* 9ow you (now how severe the
retaliation can be
The one utterance of concern <a#id Grossman expresses is that @our duty to protect the
li#es of GazaDs innocent inhabitants must remain our commitment todayA These false words
were written after he% like many others% had adopted )srael"s defensi#e reasonin! that
-amasD acti#ities and those of citizens are inseparable% due to -amasD utilization of citizens
as human shields This misleadin! claim pro#ided the excuse for the mass killin! of
(noncombatant( citizens
This notorious alle!ation would be explicitly repeated by $olitical 4cientist Zee# 4ternhell
rofessor Zeev *ternhell defends the army for follo+ing orders
Like <a#id Grossman and many Zionist Left intellectuals% 4ternhell refrained from explicitly
acceptin! the E> Goldstone *eport% which disclosed )sraelDs war crimes committed durin!
the ;ast Lead Gaza massacre
xi
The !reat ma+ority of )sraelis criticized the report for bein! politically biased a!ainst )srael
Zee# 4ternhell +oined this criticism and white6washed the crimes of the army -e ar!ued that
there was no reason to in#esti!ate the armyDs responsibility for the mass killin!s because it
had recei#ed its orders from the political leadership -owe#er% 4ternhell also did not
condemn those who !a#e the orders Likewise% he refrained from criticizin! the !oals of
destroyin! the ci#ilian infrastructure and de#astatin! Gaza% includin! the mass killin! of the
ci#ilian population )nstead% he indirectly credited the political leadership for empowerin! the
army and !i#in! them a means to wa!e war while pre#entin! in+uries and deaths to )sraeli
soldiers5
The case is clear li(e the sun at noon time. 9amely$# that since /amas operates from within
a crowded population in one of the most densely populated regions in the world$ any attempt
to reach them /amas# without hurting civilians4is impossible. Thus$ in order to launch a
war with "ero losses to our forces$ the political and military leadership decided to employ
6
massive fire$ without the capability of differentiating between a fighter who was preparing a
roc(et for firing and a child playing in the yard.
)ndeed% all the decision6makers knew in ad#ance that a hea#y disaster was imminent in
Gaza% says 4ternhell5
The army committed precisely the directives it received from their moral leaders$
commanders and the government. They the army# did not see( intentionally to (ill civilians.
They only bombed$ eliminated and leveled everything which seemed necessary for
observation$ maneuver and advance$ since every building could be a combat position for
/amas.
xii
4ternhellDs emphases on the practical implications of the means employed in &peration ;ast
Lead lacks any moral basis -e lar!ely focuses on the dama!e to )sraelDs ima!e and not on
the immorality of the Gaza massacre
, ne+ combat doctrine +hich violates international la+
4ternhell was ri!ht in mentionin! that after the second Lebanon =ar of 2006% the political
and military authorities decided to launch future wars with zero losses to )sraeli combat
forces -ence% they determined that the army should employ massi#e fire without
differentiatin! between fi!hters and citizens which allows for mass killin!s
-owe#er% 4ternhell i!nores the fact that this decision #iolates international law >or did he
express opposition to it or warn the )sraeli public of the dreadful conseGuences of followin! it
in future operations in Gaza The decision to (spare the li#es of )sraeli soldiers( is +ustified by
the intentional misinterpretation of international laws on armed conflict by The )nternational
Law <epartment 8)L<: for the )</ The )L< de#eloped a new combat doctrine which amon!
other thin!s !a#e a free hand to mass killin!s of ci#ilians and to destruction of ci#ic
infrastructure and not only @classicA military sites This now includes facilities and structures
like schools% centers for the disabled% !o#ernmental offices% rehabilitation centers% etc
xiii
-uly #$./0 !peration rotective 1dge
The mass murder of Gaza"s residents and the de#astation of its infrastructure scaled new
hei!hts in &peration $rotecti#e 'd!e The operation was inspired and +ustified by the
!rowin! demonization of -amas to the extent that most )sraelis% includin! the Left% shared in
the !o#ernment"s incitement a!ainst it
The incitement focused on the 2BCC -amas ;harter which called for )sraelDs destruction
-owe#er% this charter is @essentially meanin!lessA says >oam ;homsky% @because all alon!
-amas has accepted the international consensus of a two6state settlement which has been
blocked by the E4 and )sraelA )n an inter#iew
xi#
% ;homsky paraphrases the -amas position
7
by sayin!% @Les% letDs ha#e a two6state settlement on the international border and a #ery lon!
truce% maybe 30 years 7nd then weDll see what happensA @=ell%A adds ;homsky% (that
proposal is far more forthcomin! than any proposal in )sraelA Moreo#er% this knowled!e was
widely publicized5 @9y now% itDs Guite o#ert Takes effort to fail to see it Lou can read it in The
&ashington PostA
)ndeed% o#er the past six years% in #arious forums -amas leader )smail -aniyeh stated that
he would allow for ne!otiations in which )srael was entitled to maintain the pre62B6F borders
7lso% the daily /aaret" Guoted the &all %treet Journal on .haled Meshal"s inter#iew where
he declared5 @=e will accept a $alestinian state within 2B6F lines in the framework of any
international initiati#eA
x#
The principles on the basis of which -amas was elected in 2006 donDt include any call for
the destruction of )srael
x#i
9y the same token the platform on which -amas +oined the unity a!reement formed with
/atah in 7pril 2020% +ust two months before the 1uly carna!e in Gaza% lacks the ;harter"s
infamous position
7s mentioned% )srael was furious at the attempt to reunify Gaza and the =est 9ank =hen it
e#entually failed to pre#ent the unification% it hurried to use the kidnappin! of the three
)sraelis in -ebron as a pretext to attack Gaza 7 month before% two $alestinian boys were
shot dead in the =est 9ank city of *amallah -owe#er% that elicited little attention from
)srael"s media and public opinion
-amas had obser#ed the terms of the pre#ious ceasefire for 2B months The ceasefire terms
were that -amas would not fire rockets and )srael would mo#e to end the blockade and stop
attackin! so6called militants in Gaza )t was )srael who #iolated the ceasefire terms usin!% as
usual% a ne!li!ible e#ent to open a bloody war
7nyone who !enuinely aspired to peace could not o#erlook the e#olution of -amasD position
7nd still the Zionist Left repeated the )sraeli narrati#e on -amasD intention to destroy )srael%
exactly as they did in 200B They ha#e thus become acti#e partners in raisin! the fears of
the public and preparin! them to support the bloody attacks on Gaza 9ein! aware of
-amasD actual position and yet still acceptin! the official narrati#e clearly demonstrates that
the Zionist Left shares the moti#ation for the periodic onslau!hts on Gaza5 to do away with
any bud of $alestinian resistance led at present by -amas% to (mow the lawn%( and to re!ain
the (status Guo(
The terrifyin! result of )srael"s (le!alized( barbarism was the erasure of entire
nei!hborhoods% the mass murder of 20O0 residents% includin! children and ci#ilians% as well
8
as the destruction of hospitals% health clinics% E> schools and shelters The sole power plant%
as well as the water and sewa!e systems% was demolished% dri#in! Gaza to the brink of a
human disaster
9ut the ma+ority of the Zionist Left intellectuals remained deaf to the outcries of the #ictims
and disre!arded the demands of -amas leadership to lift the sie!e on the 4trip )ndeed% @>o
one is as deaf as the one who does not want to hear% as blind as the one who does not want
to seeA
x#ii
)avid Grossman does not see2 does not hear2 does not speak
)n the midst of the on!oin! calamity in Gaza% <a#id Grossman used the platform of the >ew
Lork Times to express abstractions% e#asions and empty words which amount to
clearin! )srael of culpability for the de#astation of Gaza )n the tradition of the Zionist
Left% he further substantiated illusions which discoura!ed )sraelis from challen!in! their
!o#ernmentDs policy
3viii
7imed at minimizin! )srael"s responsibility for the prolon!ed oppression and ethnic cleansin!
policies a!ainst the $alestinians% Grossman introduces the ima!e of a @hermetically sealed
bubbleA in which @hallucinatory wrestlin!A takes place between )sraelis and $alestinians. The
sealed bubble ima!e permits Grossman to disre!ard the nature of the @wrestlin!%A namely
the colonial oppression by )srael and the resistance of the colonized who fi!ht for their
liberation Thus the blame can be allocated eGually to both sides5
,nside the bubble$ who can fault ,sraelis for expecting their government to do everything it
can to save children on the 9ahal )" (ibbut"$ or any of the other communities ad-acent to
the !a"a %trip$ from a /amas unit that might emerge from a hole in the ground: And what is
the response to !a"ans who say that the tunnels and roc(ets are their only remaining
weapons against a powerful ,srael: ,n this cruel and desperate bubble$ both sides are right.
They both obey the law of the bubble 4 the law of violence and war$ revenge and hatred.
Grossman does not take the opportunity to awaken the international community and )sraeli
society from their sleepy indifference to the horrors in GazaJ stron! empathy with the #ictims
mi!ht ha#e raised an!er and critiGues a!ainst )sraeli authorities -ence on 26 1uly when
hundreds of thousands people had already been uprooted from their bombed homes and
massacre had continued uninterrupted% he dared to refrain explicitly from elaboratin! on the
continued slau!hter5
'ut the big 0uestion$ as war rages on$ is not about horrors occurring every day inside the
bubble$ but rather it is this* /ow on earth can it be that we have been suffocating together
9
inside this bubble for over a century: This 0uestion$ for me$ is the crux 8emphasis added: of
the latest bloody cycle.
Grossman a#oids askin! Guestions that would contradict his commitment to official policy
)nstead% he turns to his own leaders,>etanyahu and his predecessors,to clarify the issue
which preoccupies him more than the horrors in Gaza -e fei!ns i!norance of the deliberate
policy of retainin! the status Guo throu!hout entire historic $alestine and addresses
9en+amin >etanyahu with but cynical Guestions5
&hy is it that ,sraeli governments have been incapable$ for decades$ of thin(ing outside the
bubble: /ow could you have wasted the years since the last conflict without initiating
dialogue$ without even ma(ing the slightest gesture toward dialogue with /amas$ without
attempting to change our explosive reality:
The #ery (innocent( Guestions deflect the reader from the true answer which Grossman
knows well )srael has not @wastedA timeJ on the contrary% the buildin! of settlements
continued unabashedly and )srael"s rei!n o#er all of historic $alestine stren!thened
Grossman wrote the introduction to the (Gene#a Enderstandin!( which supports a
$alestinian MstateD composed of isolated 9antustan6like encla#es <espite this Enderstandin!
not ha#in! been mentioned% its spirit of $alestinian surrender has remained in Grossman"s
discourse on solutions to the @cycle of #iolenceA
)n the tradition of the Zionist Left% Grossman does not include the aspirations of the
$alestinian national mo#ement for liberation in his assumptions re!ardin! the prospects for
(peaceA )n the tradition of the Zionist Left% he continues to sell the illusions about the
@realisticA #ision for achie#in! a peace a!reement5 he determines that the !reat ma+ority of
$alestinians support 7bu Mazen"s ille!itimate rule and the @peace a!reementsA si!ned by his
predecessors 7s a faithful son to a master nation% he o#erlooks any political forces that
persistently resist the occupation and mi!ht in the future stru!!le e#en more fiercely for their
liberation >or does he listen to their stron! #oices,some e#en published repeatedly in the
daily /aaret" 8mainly by 7mira -ass: which accuse 7bu Maazen and the $7 of cooperatin!
with )sraeli intelli!ence and thus helpin! in the ni!htly arrests of political acti#ists )t is not
only the collaborati#e $7 which is considered a fit partner to the submissi#e peace plan
supported by Grossman% but other E4 allies in the re!ion% the 7rab autocratic re!imes% are
also partners to the sham peace plan initiated by the E4 and its allies5
&hy$ for these past few years$ has ,srael avoided -udicious negotiations with the moderate
and more conversable sectors of the Palestinian people: &hy have you ignored$ for ;6
years$ the Arab 5eague initiative that could have enlisted moderate Arab states with the
power to impose$ perhaps$ a compromise on /amasN
10
Grossmans" misleadin! optimism for this @peace planA repeats with re!ard to 1ewish society
<espite the e#er6increasin! militarism% racism and pretense of security concerns% Grossman
continues to sell the illusion of a @chan!e of consciousnessA that took place in the aftermath
of &peration $rotecti#e 'd!e5
<#%omething about this war is managing$ , thin($ to direct many ,sraelis+ attention toward
the mechanism that lies at the foundation of the vain and deadly repetitive 2situation.3 Many
,sraelis who have refused to ac(nowledge the state of affairs are now loo(ing into the futile
cycle of violence$ revenge and counter1revenge$ and they are seeing our reflection* a clear$
unadorned image of ,srael as a brilliantly creative$ inventive$ audacious state that for over a
century has been circling the grindstone of a conflict that could have been resolved years
ago.
-owe#er in order to keep this supposed chan!e of consciousness within the boundaries of
the official )sraeli narrati#e% Grossman reminds the potentially (con#erted( of the durable
threat to )sraeli security5
9ow the 5eft recogni"es the deep1rooted hate to ,srael which is not due only to the
occupation The 5eft# is increasingly aware of the potent hatred against ,srael and of the
,slamic fundamentalist volcano that threatens the country. ,t also recogni"es the fragility of
any agreement that might be reached here. More people on the left understand now that the
right wing+s fears are not mere paranoia$ that they address a real and crucial threat.
)ndeed a ri!ht win! warmon!er hides behind the faPade of a prophet for peace,all for the
security of the Zionist settler state
Zeev *ternhells lack of empathy and moral 4udgment
4ternhell"s article was published ten days after )srael launched &peration $rotecti#e 'd!e in
the Gaza 4trip 8C 1uly: and one day after the !round in#asion on 2F 1uly
3i3
The hea#y
airstrikes had already resulted in enormous de#astation of the 4trip The massacre
already numbered 200 killed and 2FF0 wounded,almost a third of them children% many
from the same families '#en official )sraeli news admitted that the !reat ma+ority of the
murdered residents were ci#ilians The heart6breakin! picture of the four kids who were
struck by the )sraeli 7ir /orce while playin! at the seashore spread throu!hout the entire
world =affa hospital was bombed as had been other public institutions Two days
earlier% the army had called 200%000 residents of Gaza tellin! them to lea#e their homes
8front pa!e of /aaret"% 26 1uly: -undreds of thousands in the 4trip had lost access to
water due to the )sraeli air attacks on infrastructure facilities% and medics deplored the
shorta!e of medicines and anesthetics
11
7s said% these terrifyin! atrocities were already well underway when 4ternhell"s article was
published They and pre#ious mass killin!s% as well as the (decision( to tar!et ci#ilian
residents% point to e#en !reater calamities yet to come
4ternhell be!ins his article with a kind of co!niti#e6psycholo!ical #iew on )sraelDs part in the
@conflictA which pre#ailed in the pre6state period and continued thereafter5 (4ince the
be!innin! of Zionism% )sraeli society has found it difficult to see the other nation
8emphases added: that li#es in this land""
)t turns out howe#er that 4ternhell himself is blind -e refrains from mentionin! the #ery
colonization of the land or callin! (the other nation( by its name K $alestine This assumed
@difficulty in seein!A allows him to a#oid identifyin! Zionism as a colonial pro+ect and
$alestinian resistance as a stru!!le for national liberation
-owe#er% he states that prior to independence this blindness was @a source of stren!thA
4ternhell is definitely ri!ht in e#aluatin! the importance to the Zionist colonization pro+ect of
bein! blind to the $alestinian nationJ it helped in mobilizin! participation in buildin! the
infrastructure for the settler colonial state and cleansin! it of about C00%000 of its indi!enous
population in the "0C 9a(ba The @"0C youth !enerationA which committed the mass expulsion
had been well prepared to heartlessly commit the 9a(ba5 to expel the ma+ority of the
$alestinian people and wipe out almost 300 #illa!es and towns% includin! e#acuatin! the
then most ad#anced and pro!ressi#e cities of 1affa% 7cre and -aifa amon! others Lears of
indoctrination to enshrine the exclusi#e 1ewish6state6to6come as an absolute notion created
the dehumanization of $alestinians and themsel#es as well
-owe#er 4ternhell contends that (The blessin! of bein! blind to the MotherD lasted only till
2B0B( 9ut after 2B0B% and especially after 2B6F% the inability,or unwillin!ness,to
understand the other 8emphasis added: has been the cause of disastrous moral and
political paralysis
=hy 2B0BN To remind the reader5 durin! this year the 7rmistice 7!reements were si!ned
between )srael and its nei!hborin! states They established demarcation lines which
@temporarilyA reco!nized the territorial expansion of )srael far beyond the area that had been
allocated to it in the E> partition decision
The @disastrous moral and political paralysisA which characterized )sraeli polices after 2B0B%
includin! the last assault on Gaza% is but @puniti#e measuresA a!ainst the @#iolenceA on the
part of the $alestinians 4ternhell% howe#er% does not condemn these measures on a moral
basis -is main opposition to them is based on pra!matic ar!ument5
12
,t is unli(ely that the punitive measures ta(en by ,srael$ from the retaliations of the ;=>7s to
the tactics in the first 5ebanon war and to the present$ have ever brought any real benefit but
the official ,srael refusal to understand that.
;ritiGuin! )srael"s deliberately bloody policies solely for their futility demonstrates utter
morally bankruptcy and ine#itably leads to a meanin!less messa!e to the )srael political
establishment and the wide strata of )sraeli society* 2&e have been doing the same thing for
years. ...#?oesn+t common sense demand that we try a different method:3
'le#en days later when the bloodbath in Gaza reached hair6raisin! le#els% and a substantial
part of public opinion abroad be!an showin! solidarity with the $alestinians% Zee# 4ternhell
came out with a more specific messa!e re!ardin! the solution to the conflict
xx
Like <a#id
Grossman% he appreciates the restraint of the )sraeli army for not employin! all its combat
capability 7nd like Grossman% who addresses his messa!e of peace precisely from this
position of o#erwhelmin! military superiority% 4ternhell calls @Mall $alestiniansD to create a
framework for a comprehensi#e solution establishin! a $alestinian independent stateA The
capitulatory nature of this @independenceA is soon disclosed5 pre#entin! a full unification with
the =est 9ank and eliminatin! its resistance The strip would be founded as @a demilitarized
pro#ince of the H$alestinianI state which would be limited in terms of armin! but opened to
the world and from )sraeli colonialismA
xxi
7s we said about <a#id Grossman 6 the #ery
partnership with 7bu Mazen aims to confer le!ality to )srael"s already6realized control of the
entirety of $alestine
The reaction of Zionist Left intellectuals to the periodic bloody wars on Gaza and especially
to the recent &peration $rotecti#e 'd!e si!nifies the end of their past role as e#en false
prophets of peace,the distinction ) bestow upon them in the title of my book of the
same name 8-aymarket 9ooks% 2022: >ow they explicitly support )srael"s policy of
suppressin! $alestinian resistance led by -amas and hi!hly supported by Gaza
residents 4ince they ha#e accepted the definition of -amas as a terror or!anization
which threatens the existence of )srael% they can easily +ustify the pretext of assaults
a!ainst -amas in Gaza% i!norin! the fact that they amount to war on the $alestinian
people
)n the =est 9ank% the war continues daily with the collaboration of 7bu MazenDs $alestinian
7uthority Zionist Left intellectuals ha#e not come out a!ainst the recent ni!htly
13
kidnappin!s of hundreds of $alestinian political acti#ists and Left thinkers and
academics like $alestinian professor and writer ,hmad 5atamesh +ho +as recently
detained from his home in 6amallah7 The fact that he spent a total of almost nine
years in )sraeli prison was published in -aaretz% yet not a word of solidarity% not e#en on
colle!ial academic terms% was uttered by Left intellectuals *eadin! their retort to the
wa#es of massacres in Gaza since 2006 exposes a final sta!e in the lon! betrayal by
Zionist Left intellectuals
The intolerable ease by which they accept and repeat the terms in which the political
establishment frames the @conflictA with -amas is startlin! )t has been accurately
described by >oam ;homsky as @a mixture of half6truths% outri!ht lies% deliberate
deception% and mind6bo!!lin! daub7A Left intellectual discourse adopts the official
narrati#es about the war on Gaza and the oppressi#e measures implemented in the
=est 9ank as well as the ideolo!y of (state security( which underlies these narrati#es
>etanyahu"s" recent declarations which identify -amas with the ?aash or!anization
encoura!es )srael to +oin the E4 imperialist @holy warA a!ainst @)slamic terrorismA in $alestine
as well Those known as the @Zionist LeftA continue to supply fake moral +ustification to the
diminishin! number of 1ews who still seek it
The Left% which has been reco!nized as !uardin! the misleadin! le!end of the mytholo!ical
Zionist labor mo#ement% no lon!er exists as a distinct political and cultural entity The Left
intellectuals ha#e finally openly adopted the Guasi6fascist dimensions of this mo#ement
which played a leadin! role in creatin! the he!emonic ideolo!y of the Zionist brand of
colonialism
7ccordin! to 4ternhell"s analysis in the MB0s% from the be!innin!% the Zionist labor mo#ement
sharply di#er!ed from 'uropean liberal democracy and its enshrinement of indi#idual
liberties Their ideolo!y of constructi#e socialism was a local #ersion of >ational 4ocialism
that retained the main tenets of or!anic nationalism within a socialist framework
xxii
-owe#er% this #ersion of >ational 4ocialism and the world #iew and principles embedded
within it ha#e ser#ed as the main tenets of the official ideolo!y and identity of the state of
)srael for decades )t later de#eloped )sraeli political culture by emphasizin! the supremacy
of the state and its (security( o#er the principles of indi#idual human and ci#il ri!hts% as well
as class interests Ep to the #ery present% it ser#es as the ideolo!ical basis which unifies the
Left and *i!ht political win!s within )srael behind the principal political policies adopted by all
14
)sraeli !o#ernments,both re!ardin! the $alestinians and the 7rab world% and the social
economy within )srael
=hat distin!uishes this new sta!e of commitment to the colonial state of )srael by Left
intellectuals is their departure from what remains of their weak commitment to uni#ersalistic
#alues They are now fully inte!ral to the chau#inist% racist state of )srael which is the tool for
the embodiment and expansion of Zionist colonial pro+ect
The author wishes to offer many thanks to Mich Levy for her wise comments which helped
bringing the article to its present form and for her excellent language editing.
15
i

Maariv, July 24, 2014.
ii

See Tikva Honig-Pana!!, False Prophets of Peace, Liberal ionism and the !truggle for
Palestine, Hay"ake# $ook!, 2011.
iii %ax &'l, ()o" *on#ain"en# #o *oun#ein!ugen+y in #,e -a.a S#i/,0 111.'a2aliyya.+o", 30
&ugu!# 2014.
iv See &"ia Ha!! (Ju!# i! no# an 3n#ee!#ing 3!!ue,0 "aaret#, 10 &ugu!# 2014.
v

%ax &'l, 34i2.
vi %y 4ook, False Prophets of Peace, Liberal ionism and the !truggle for Palestine, 5Hay"ake#,
20116, 7o+u!e! on #,e /o!i#ion! an2 i2eologie! o7 8e7# /a#ie! an2 in#elle+#ual! on 2i77een# /e"i!e!
o7 #,e (Je1i!,-9e"o+a#i+( !#a#e an2 #,e :!lo an2 o#,e /ea+e /lan! 1,i+, 2i!ega2 Pale!#inian
na#ional ig,#!.
vii

9avi2 -o!!"an i! +on!i2ee2 #,e "o!# le7# a"ong #,e #1o o#,e au#,o! &"o! :. an2 ;e,o!,ea
1,o #oge#,e ae 4elieve2 #o 4e #,e (+on!+iou!ne!! o7 #,e na#ion.( <eev S#en,ell i! a He4e1
=nive!i#y e"ei#u! /o7e!!o o7 Poli#i+al S+ien+e, an2 one o7 #,e 1ol2>! lea2ing ex/e#!
on 7a!+i!". )o ,i! #elling analy!i! o7 #,e <ioni!# 8a4o "ove"en# i2eology o7 1,i+, ,e i! a long
#i"e !u//o#e, !ee <eev S#en,ell, The founding Myths of $srael% &ationalism, !ocialism, and the
Making of the 'ewish !tate, Pin+e#on, ?.J., Pin+e#on =nive!i#y Pe!!, 1998.
viii ?oa" *,o"!ky, @=n2e"ining -a.a,( )oeign Poli+y in )o+u!,0 5Januay 20096. See al!o #,e
illu"ina#ing a#i+le 4y Tou7i+ Ha22a2, @T,e Aoa2 #o -a.aB! Cilling )iel2!,0 $nternational !ocialist
(eview 64, %a+,D&/il, 2009.
ix

&kiva El2a, @Ho1 %u+, %oe Cilling Till #,e Ta,a2iye F+ea!e 7ieG,0 "aaret#, 5 Januay, 2009.
x ;i#.,ak 8ao, @Ma lemeret# ve lesanhedrin,0 "aaret#, 28 :+#o4e, 2009.
xi T,e e/o#, /u4li!,e2 in Se/#e"4e 2009 4y #,e =ni#e2 ?a#ion! )a+# )in2ing %i!!ion an2 ,ea2e2
4y Ju2ge -ol2!#one, 1a! e!#a4li!,e2 in &/il 2009 #o inve!#iga#e #,e even#! o7 :/ea#ion *a!# 8ea2
5@T,e -ol2!#one %i!!ion06. T,e e/o# 1a! a2o/#e2 4y #,e =? Hu"an Aig,#! *oun+il an2 1a!
7u#,e en2o!e2 a# #,e -eneal &!!e"4ly.
xii <eev S#en,ell, @T,ee 3! ?o#,ing FT,a# ?ee2!G 3nve!#iga#ion,0 "aaret#, 25 Se/#e"4e, 2009.
xiii %i+,ael S7a2, @& >#age#e2 a!!a!!ina#ion> o7 in#ena#ional la1,0 "aaret#, 2 &ugu!# 2014. &l!o,
T,e Pu4li+ *o""i##ee &gain!# To#ue in 3!ael /u4li!,e2 e!ea+, on #,i! ne1 +o"4a# 2o+#ine in
?ove"4e 2009. See S/e+ial Ae/o# ?ove"4e 2009, @?o Se+on2 T,oug,#!H T,e *,ange! in #,e
3!aeli 9e7en!e )o+e!> *o"4a# 9o+#ine in 8ig,# o7 I:/ea#ion *a!# 8ea2B,0 e!ea+,e2 an2 1i##en
4y -ae"e -oo2"an, 9. 3!,ai %enu+,in, 9. &!!a7 :on, ?ove"4e 2009.
xiv

See ?oa" *,o"!ky in#evie1 4y &"y -oo2"an on )emocracy &ow, 8 &ugu!#, 2014.
xv $y "aaret# Sevi+e an2 ?a#a!,a %o.govaya, 31 July, 2009. See al!o ?oa" *,o"!ky,
@?ig,#"ae in -a.a,0 Truthout, 3 &ugu!#, 2014.
xvi Aan -een!#ein /o!#e2 #,e!e /in+i/le! on ,i! )a+e4ook Ti"e Ta4le an2 7o ex#en2e2 2i!+u!!ion
,e e+o""en2e2 C,ale2 Hou4, (& I?e1 Ha"a!B #,oug, i#! ?e1 9o+u"en#,0 'ournal of
Palestine !tudies, Jol. 35, ?o. 4, Su""e, 2006.
,##/HKK111.'!#o.ogK2i!+oveK10.1525K'/!.2006.35.4.6Lui2M2Nui2M4N!i2M21104494451117
xvii Heny 8o1yB! e!/on!e #o 9avi2 -o!!"an>! a#i+le /o!#e2 on )a+e4ook.
xviii 9avi2 -o!!"an, @S#o/ #,e -in2!#one o7 3!aeli-Pale!#inian Jiolen+e,0 &ew *ork Times, 27
July, 2014.
xix

<eev S#en,ell, @3n "i2!# o7 -a.a !#i7e, no1>! #,e #i"e 7o 3!ael #o !eek a #ea#y 1i#, #,e
Pale!#inian!,0 "aaret#, 8 July, 2014.
xx<eev S#e,ell, (8egalo# ?e2ivu# Cla/ai Haoyev,0 5@To !,o1 geneo!i#y #o1a2! #,e ene"y06, "y
#an!la#ion, "aaret#, 27 July 2004 @8egalo# ?e2ivu# !,el &"i#.i",0 "aaret#, 29 June, 2014.
xxi.Ibid Legalot
xxii

<eev S#en,ell, &ation +uilding or a &ew !ociety,% The ionist Labor Movement -./.01./023
and the 4rigins of $srael, Tel &viv, &" :ve2 Pu4li!,e!, 1995.