📌 We know that many of our readers would like to see some short, pointed posts here. So, in contrast to the longer, more analytical articles we usually publish – normal for an academic institution – an Oberg Comment is a short text by the editor of The Transnational, Jan Oberg, which alerts you to one or two main points, offers some informative links for self-study or is simply a recommendation or “MustRead/Watch” with lasting educative value. Since they will be max 600 words, they are also easier to use for the media. We hope you will like the format too.
July 1, 2020
Another tragic turning point for the – falling – West as civilization. Its moral irresponsibility is expressed by its roaring silence on this crystal clear and gross violation of international law and evil done to the Palestinian people for decades.
It can be seen as a particularly nasty, nationalist form of a victim psychology à la Sigmund Freud’s Wiederholunszwang and Alice Miller’s repetition compulsion – you project onto others today what was done to you earlier.
Add to that exceptionalism (like the US), state formation through ethnic cleansing (like the US), a belief in being a Chosen People (like the US), being an extremely militarist, over-armed and nuclear power (like the US) and seeing enemies everywhere without the thought that your own behaviour may create some of them – leading to constant fear/paranoia – and you have most of a recipe for self-destruction (like the US).
Two leading countries, with the largest Jewish population – 84% of all Jews – on their way down and placing themselves outside civilised community.
How good it would be for the world and for themselves if many more Jewish people – loud and clear – spearheaded a moral revolution against the mechanisms underlying these two states.
Today – Annexation Day – CNN, BBC, the Danish Broadcasting, the Swedish Television, The Christian Science Monitor, The New York Times, The Guardian, The Times, Russia Today . . . all choose to either not mention the Annexation at all or place it very far down on their frontpage.
Note
Study Aljazeera’s excellently informative and visual mapping of the Annexation here.
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ObergComment: Today Israel’s apartheid and other illegalities develop further, the West turning its blind eye added by JO on
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On this day exactly a hundred years ago, the first High Commissioner for Palestine, the ardent Zionist Herbert Samuel was handed the administration of the country by the British government and signed a receipt saying “one Palestine, complete”. At that time Palestinians constituted 90% of the population.
It is important to bear in mind that Britain did not own Palestine. It was even three years before the so-called Mandate for Palestine granted to Britain by the League of Nations came into effect. So, Britain gave the Palestinians’ homeland to the Jews who were facing hostility throughout Europe and who wished to go somewhere safe. However, their safety was achieved at the expense of the Palestinians who lost more and more of their homeland.
This injustice has continued and got worse ever since, and it will continue to get worse until the international community has the courage to say “enough is enough”, and the dispossessed and oppressed Palestinians deserve a state of their own (in the country where they had lived for millennia), where they can live in dignity and free from constant humiliation. Better still, there should be one democratic state composed of Jews and Palestinians living together as equal citizens and free from the current apartheid laws. Without such decisive action, the century-old injustice will continue.
Brilliant, truthful and balanced comment, many many thanks for putting my general text in such a fine historical perspective.