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THE OPIUM OF THE ISRAELIS
Hurriyet, Turkey
Sept 9 2011
After my 'open letter to Israelis,' which ran on this page last
Wednesday, I received many comments from Israel, most of which I
appreciated. They really helped me get a better grasp of the current
mood in the Jewish State.
One of them, a long letter by a kind Arad Alper, was particularly
helpful, for it explained why Israelis feel so "betrayed" by Turkey.
The strong pro-Gaza stance of the Erdogan government, which
included at least an understanding for Hamas, Mr. Alper noted, was
shocking for Israelis. He explained that Hamas' rhetoric includes
bluntly anti-Semitic elements, which sounds like "a return to Nazi
anti-Semitism." Therefore, he said, "To support Gaza, for us, is akin
to supporting Nazi Germany."
I could see the logic. Gaza was like Nazi Germany. Turkey supported
Gaza. So Turkey was an enemy. Why, then, would Israel apologize for
taking nine of its enemies down on the Mediterranean?
However, this very simple logic has a very simple flaw: The genocidal
anti-Semitism of the Third Reich was due to nothing but the sick
ideology of the Nazis. In other words, Jews had done simply nothing
to Hitler and his fellow murderers. Jews had not, for example,
occupied the whole Germany, perhaps only to retreat from two small
and detached states, say Brandenburg and Baden-Wurttemberg, only to
keep the latter under a suffocating blockade.
But the anti-Semitism in the Arab world, which reaches its peak in
the notorious Charter of Hamas, is quite different, isn't it? First,
of all, as fanatic and unacceptable as it is, I don't think it is
the same thing as genocidal Nazi madness: Nazis wanted a 'Judenrei'
(Jew-free) world, whereas Arab anti-Semites are only focused on
"liberating" all of Palestine.
Secondly, and more importantly, Arab anti-Semitism did not just
come out of the blue. Anybody who studies the history of the Islamic
world will see that anti-Semitism is a modern phenomenon there. It
emerged in the 20th century as a reaction to Zionism and the constant
expansionism of Israel, which cost millions of Arabs their homeland,
their freedom and their honor. In other words, if some Arabs, and most
particularly Palestinians, hate "the Jews," this must have something
to do with what the Jews of Israel have done to them.
But most Israelis do not seem to be willing to face that fact. Instead
of honestly pondering, "Why do they hate us?" they rather seem to
give a ready answer: "They hate us because they are maniacs." In other
words, the anger that Hamas and other Palestinian factions have against
Israel is explained only as a result of some inherent fanaticism
and irrationality on the Palestinian side. The psychological impact
of living under occupation and humiliation for decades is dismissed,
for it could invite feelings of guilt and thoughts of self-criticism,
which are obviously not sought after.
Similarly, when the world (except the U.S. Congress) condemns or
at least criticizes Israel's brutality against the Palestinians,
there is again a readily given Israeli answer: "The world is against
us!" And the problem, of course, is with the world, not "us."
I know this self-righteous mindset well, because my country, Turkey,
has been infected with it too. It has been our common attitude with
regards to Armenians and Kurdish nationalists. We believed that we
did nothing wrong to them, and that the only problem was their zealous
and treacherous ways. But, more recently, we Turks have begun to see
things with some empathy and even self-criticism, and that has been
largely thanks to our political de-isolation and the brave efforts
of our honest intellectuals.
Israel has many such honest intellectuals as well, and I am hoping
that their voices in the wilderness will echo more in mainstream
society. The latter, however, seems to be addicted to a heavy (and
kosher) dose of the opium of every nationalist: to believe that your
opponents oppose you for who you are, not what you do. And the only
thing you have left to do is to bully them even more.
Hurriyet, Turkey
Sept 9 2011
After my 'open letter to Israelis,' which ran on this page last
Wednesday, I received many comments from Israel, most of which I
appreciated. They really helped me get a better grasp of the current
mood in the Jewish State.
One of them, a long letter by a kind Arad Alper, was particularly
helpful, for it explained why Israelis feel so "betrayed" by Turkey.
The strong pro-Gaza stance of the Erdogan government, which
included at least an understanding for Hamas, Mr. Alper noted, was
shocking for Israelis. He explained that Hamas' rhetoric includes
bluntly anti-Semitic elements, which sounds like "a return to Nazi
anti-Semitism." Therefore, he said, "To support Gaza, for us, is akin
to supporting Nazi Germany."
I could see the logic. Gaza was like Nazi Germany. Turkey supported
Gaza. So Turkey was an enemy. Why, then, would Israel apologize for
taking nine of its enemies down on the Mediterranean?
However, this very simple logic has a very simple flaw: The genocidal
anti-Semitism of the Third Reich was due to nothing but the sick
ideology of the Nazis. In other words, Jews had done simply nothing
to Hitler and his fellow murderers. Jews had not, for example,
occupied the whole Germany, perhaps only to retreat from two small
and detached states, say Brandenburg and Baden-Wurttemberg, only to
keep the latter under a suffocating blockade.
But the anti-Semitism in the Arab world, which reaches its peak in
the notorious Charter of Hamas, is quite different, isn't it? First,
of all, as fanatic and unacceptable as it is, I don't think it is
the same thing as genocidal Nazi madness: Nazis wanted a 'Judenrei'
(Jew-free) world, whereas Arab anti-Semites are only focused on
"liberating" all of Palestine.
Secondly, and more importantly, Arab anti-Semitism did not just
come out of the blue. Anybody who studies the history of the Islamic
world will see that anti-Semitism is a modern phenomenon there. It
emerged in the 20th century as a reaction to Zionism and the constant
expansionism of Israel, which cost millions of Arabs their homeland,
their freedom and their honor. In other words, if some Arabs, and most
particularly Palestinians, hate "the Jews," this must have something
to do with what the Jews of Israel have done to them.
But most Israelis do not seem to be willing to face that fact. Instead
of honestly pondering, "Why do they hate us?" they rather seem to
give a ready answer: "They hate us because they are maniacs." In other
words, the anger that Hamas and other Palestinian factions have against
Israel is explained only as a result of some inherent fanaticism
and irrationality on the Palestinian side. The psychological impact
of living under occupation and humiliation for decades is dismissed,
for it could invite feelings of guilt and thoughts of self-criticism,
which are obviously not sought after.
Similarly, when the world (except the U.S. Congress) condemns or
at least criticizes Israel's brutality against the Palestinians,
there is again a readily given Israeli answer: "The world is against
us!" And the problem, of course, is with the world, not "us."
I know this self-righteous mindset well, because my country, Turkey,
has been infected with it too. It has been our common attitude with
regards to Armenians and Kurdish nationalists. We believed that we
did nothing wrong to them, and that the only problem was their zealous
and treacherous ways. But, more recently, we Turks have begun to see
things with some empathy and even self-criticism, and that has been
largely thanks to our political de-isolation and the brave efforts
of our honest intellectuals.
Israel has many such honest intellectuals as well, and I am hoping
that their voices in the wilderness will echo more in mainstream
society. The latter, however, seems to be addicted to a heavy (and
kosher) dose of the opium of every nationalist: to believe that your
opponents oppose you for who you are, not what you do. And the only
thing you have left to do is to bully them even more.