To the editor:
Barry Schreibman said Niko Peled’s presentation on Palestine/Israel was “fact free.” Schreibman didn’t see the facts presented because they didn’t agree with his belief in the traditional Israeli narrative.
We each live within our “worldview” — a template that provides a warrant for what we see as truth. At center is a “hard core” set of beliefs dominating our depiction of lived reality, providing a comfort zone not shaken by facts.
Peled’s proclaimed he was sharing his journey from faithful Israeli Jew to Palestinian rights and human rights activist. He looked at the Jewish “narrative” (ne. worldview) about the founding of Israel and Israel’s actions since then, the narrative Schreibman believes. Like Alison Weir a few years ago, Peled did not say he was going to present a “balanced view.” Both said they were presenting information to bring balance to the skewed view of Palestine/Israel major media gives. They further looked at the unbalanced military, economic, etc. factors putting Israel in the role of colonialist and occupier.
Years ago, Schreibman and I had an email “discussion.” I shared with him statements by early Zionists, such as David Ben Gurion’s “Let us not ignore the truth among ourselves … politically we are the aggressors and they defend themselves … The country is theirs, because they inhabit it, whereas we want to come here and settle down, and in their view we want to take away from them their country.”
This is exactly what the Zionists wanted to do and did … when Ehud Barak was asked what he would have done if he had been born a Palestinian he responded, “I would have joined a terrorist organization.” When the French, Dutch and others fought against Nazi occupation of their homelands in World War II, they were called resistance fighters. The Israeli narrative calls Palestinians fighting against the occupation of their country “terrorists.”
The “war of independence” you (Schreibman) refer to is a euphemism for a “war of conquest.”
Vladimir Jabotinsky (a founder and advocate of the Zionist terrorist organizations) said, “Has any People ever been seen to give up their territory of their own free will? In the same way, the Arabs of Palestine will not renounce their sovereignty without violence.” Notice it said “their sovereignty.” These and other similar statements are ignored by Schreibman. They do not fit the narrative that has grown since then.
Worst of all, you (Schreibman) say the Arabs are a “culture that celebrates death and cries out for Jewish blood,” yet you boldly proclaim, “I do not deny the ‘Nakba’ but celebrate it.” This is grossly incongruous. To celebrate the displacement of people, the destruction of their villages and their violent deaths is, to follow your words, “morally depraved.” And why do you “celebrate” it? Because it ‘meant the preservation of my people.’ This has been the formula for war and devastation throughout human history. Witness WWII. This is truly morally depraved and despicable.
Therein lies the core of the traditional Jewish narrative, my people — right or wrong my people.
Jim Coufal
Cazenovia
