Anti-Semitism and Suicide Bombers

The basis issue is this, people on the Left who condone anti-Semitism
are not only immoral but also are creating impediments to Palestinian
liberation from the occupation.  It's a political issue.

"AS far as suicide bombers go, I'll tell you what I said to the last person 
who brought it up. I'm not interested in judging from my computer screen how 
the Palestinian people resist genocide."

The idea that the ends always justifies the means is a Stalinist
formulation.

In the end, morality aside, the greater military power of Israel
and the U.S. or the two roles of these states in determining what
happens in the immediate context dictates that the most important
pressures will be in the so-called "civil society."  The space
for such interventions shrinks with every suicide bomb.  The idea
that we can't "second guess" what Palestinians do in the name of
liberation reminds me of those who say we shouldn't "second guess"
Sharon who claims to be defending Israelis by going into the West Bank.
The fact is the "anti-Zionist" Left is second guessing all the time,
only they are often selective about this.  The selection is partly
warranted by Israeli policies, but also party hipocritical.
If the civil society option dies out, then the likely result will
be mass slaughter, no matter what we think, prefer or believe.
Furthermore, the use of violence in creating a state (whether
Israeli or Palestinian or American) is often the "original sin"
that colors what happens latter.  Violence may or may not be
unavoidable for historical reasons but if one lacks a theory
of how to get what one wants without it, you're doomed to
the cycle of violence, Bush militarism, Bin Ladenism, etc.,
unless you have some kind of successionist impulse that empowers
the civilian population with accountability and controls.  These
don't automatically come from violence. Thus, Simone Weil was
skeptical about the use of violence in Algeria and how it
would influence the future course of that society.  Of course,
political interventionism, colonialism, etc. leads to violence
but the Left project has been corrupted by its failure to maintain
checks on violence, that's a history that seems to inform Said's
writings and if he can condemn suicide bombers I don't see why
it is such a controversal move.

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