Today, over 3,200 of Josh’s arts-industry colleagues are engaging in a Palestinian Day of Action, wearing Palestinian scarves during performances nationwide.
In 1938, Sir John Woodhead published a report reconsidering the Peel commissions partition plan. Woodhead proposed a reduction of the Jewish state to 400 sq miles; (the present state of Israel is about 8,500 sq miles). The Arabs rejected his plan.
Jews have lived in what is now Israel continuously for 3000 years. That continuous line of Jews are indigenous people. One can argue that the Ashkenazi aren’t truly indigenous, or the Iraqi Jews, or the Moroccan, Algerian or Tunisian Jews. Fine. But there is no way for Arab Muslim Palestinians to say that the entire land belongs SOLELY to them as the indigenous people. There is no way to make this case coherently. No accurate reading of history makes this true. Both Jews and Palestinians have some claim to the land, and each were offered a sovereign state. The Palestinians rejected every offer. They believe the land belongs to them because Allah has ordained it.
“Peace for us means the destruction of Israel. We are preparing for an all-out war, a war which will last for generations… We shall not rest until the day when we return to our home, and until we destroy Israel.” - Yasser Arafat (The Times, UK, August 5, 1980).
“Hamas was built in 1987 by seven people, my father was one of them, with two main goals: to destroy the state of Israel, and to build an Islamic state on the rubble of the state of Israel.... Hamas has been trying to destroy Israel for 35 years.” - Mosab Hassan Yousef, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs4eVuFfqUs).
“If the Jews left Palestine to us, would we start loving them? Of course not. We will never love them. Absolutely not....They are enemies not because they occupied Palestine. They would have been enemies even if they did not occupy a thing....You must believe that we will fight, defeat, and annihilate them, until not a single Jew remains on the face of the earth. It is not me who says so. The prophet said: “Judgment Day will not come until you fight the Jews and kill them...” Egyptian Cleric Muhammed Hussein Yaqub, 2009. Quoted in Terek Fatah’s, The Jew is not My Enemy, 2010.
Thank you for this. Although I think there is much to criticize about Israeli policy vis-a-vis Palestine, I've been dismayed by the thinly veiled anti-semitism that has reared up in response to the Gaza conflict. A salutary lesson that anti-Jewish sentiment is not the sole province of the right-wing.
I recently listened to the Martyrmade Podcast from Darryl Cooper. He done a 25hr series on Israel/Palestine history. there are some parts that are a hard listen, it is a well worth listen. I hope Josh will have Darryl as a future guest.
In 1938, Sir John Woodhead published a report reconsidering the Peel commissions partition plan. Woodhead proposed a reduction of the Jewish state to 400 sq miles; (the present state of Israel is about 8,500 sq miles). The Arabs rejected his plan.
Jews have lived in what is now Israel continuously for 3000 years. That continuous line of Jews are indigenous people. One can argue that the Ashkenazi aren’t truly indigenous, or the Iraqi Jews, or the Moroccan, Algerian or Tunisian Jews. Fine. But there is no way for Arab Muslim Palestinians to say that the entire land belongs SOLELY to them as the indigenous people. There is no way to make this case coherently. No accurate reading of history makes this true. Both Jews and Palestinians have some claim to the land, and each were offered a sovereign state. The Palestinians rejected every offer. They believe the land belongs to them because Allah has ordained it.
“Peace for us means the destruction of Israel. We are preparing for an all-out war, a war which will last for generations… We shall not rest until the day when we return to our home, and until we destroy Israel.” - Yasser Arafat (The Times, UK, August 5, 1980).
“Hamas was built in 1987 by seven people, my father was one of them, with two main goals: to destroy the state of Israel, and to build an Islamic state on the rubble of the state of Israel.... Hamas has been trying to destroy Israel for 35 years.” - Mosab Hassan Yousef, (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=cs4eVuFfqUs).
“If the Jews left Palestine to us, would we start loving them? Of course not. We will never love them. Absolutely not....They are enemies not because they occupied Palestine. They would have been enemies even if they did not occupy a thing....You must believe that we will fight, defeat, and annihilate them, until not a single Jew remains on the face of the earth. It is not me who says so. The prophet said: “Judgment Day will not come until you fight the Jews and kill them...” Egyptian Cleric Muhammed Hussein Yaqub, 2009. Quoted in Terek Fatah’s, The Jew is not My Enemy, 2010.
Thank you for this. Although I think there is much to criticize about Israeli policy vis-a-vis Palestine, I've been dismayed by the thinly veiled anti-semitism that has reared up in response to the Gaza conflict. A salutary lesson that anti-Jewish sentiment is not the sole province of the right-wing.
I recently listened to the Martyrmade Podcast from Darryl Cooper. He done a 25hr series on Israel/Palestine history. there are some parts that are a hard listen, it is a well worth listen. I hope Josh will have Darryl as a future guest.
Is there a transcript of this? I'd like to send it to my Dad, a self confessed digital luddite
Captivating analysis - thank you for digging into this so thoroughly and carefully 🙏
Josh,
This is brilliant!
I admire your deep thinking and intellect.
Thank you