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Tuesday, September 28, 2010

Practical versus Theoretical Zionism

Herzl was theoretical Zionism. Theodor Herzl was never at ease in Palestine, being a Kind  ("child") of the culture of Middle Europe rather than the Middle East. He looked for a Jewish settlement to be established under the aegis of Kaiser Wilhelm II (the same Kaiser on whose birthday my wife's family took down the Xmas tree! - gevalt!).
Practical Zionism came into existence as soon as Zionists began to live in Palestine. It is a human trait to establish the group, securitize the group, and aggrandize one's own group: the purchase of contiguous portions of land was important for all those reasons and more.

Buying land is a peaceful pursuit. However, now in 2010, we have seen aggrandizement by peaceful means and by warfare and by intimidation and compulsion. Today we have over 100 years of an ongoing dynamic.

I see no difference on the ground level of real effects on real human beings between Practical Zionism and Jihad, both of which seek the same aims of aggrandizement; they seek to grow by War if they are in the Realm of War... and when are we not in the realm of War? (And did not Moses wage war? And were not some given the choice:  circumcision or else?)

Choose the form of your destroyer, O, tillers of the soil of Palestine! Shall you be cut down by the sword, and sweet life instantly depart? Or shall your olive trees be taken by subterfuge and compulsion, leaving you miserable years to drag on to death's kennel?

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