{"id":5914,"date":"2021-06-19T18:45:04","date_gmt":"2021-06-19T06:45:04","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/israelinstitute.nz\/?p=5914"},"modified":"2021-06-19T18:36:58","modified_gmt":"2021-06-19T06:36:58","slug":"an-open-letter-to-ajv","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/israelinstitute.nz\/2021\/06\/an-open-letter-to-ajv\/","title":{"rendered":"An open letter to AJV"},"content":{"rendered":"

Dear members of Alternative Jewish Voices,<\/p>\n

Shalom and\/or Sala \u2018am,<\/p>\n

If you are reading this and you have recognised my name, you\u2019re probably thinking, \u2018Oh, here we go, another Zionist stooge from the Jewish community writing in to tell us what we can and can\u2019t say in support of the Palestinians.\u201d Well, you can release those hackles. You will be pleasantly surprised to know, that I\u2019m actually writing to say thank you. Thank you, shukran and todah rabah, for publishing your opinion article in scoop.co.nz on the 11th of June \u201cFrom the river to the sea.<\/a>\u201d It unmistakably outlines your group\u2019s stance on the Israel\/Palestinian conflict and indicates to all what you\u2019re about.<\/p>\n

To be honest, when it comes to defending Israel within the wider community in New Zealand, it\u2019s been tough going, especially over the last month. I\u2019ll admit I\u2019ve had some difficulty in persuading left-leaning kiwis that the heart of the issue is not about apartheid, Sheik Jarrah, settlements or \u2018the occupation\u2019. I\u2019ve put in a significant amount of effort to make the case that, actually, the root of the problem is that no matter Israel does, no matter how much land Israel sacrifices in the name of peace, nothing will be enough for the Palestinians until Israel is completely wiped off the map. I point to Palestinian intransigence at the negotiation table, the Arab Israeli wars going back to \u201948, all those silly inciting videos of Hamas leaders calling for Israeli Jews to have their hearts ripped out and of course, the indiscriminate rocket attack into the heartland of Israel. To my chagrin, nothing really seems to stick. Sometimes it really feels like an uphill battle, after all, it\u2019s completely understandable that not much can match pictures of dead Palestinian babies on the TV, other than say\u2026 dead Jewish babies. But let\u2019s not go there, we both know you think that Jews can only claim the moral high ground as they\u2019re lining up for the ovens. So let me explain why your words are like mana from heaven.<\/p>\n

We know and you know, and you know that we know that when Palestinians chant \u201cfrom the river to the sea, Palestine will be free.\u201d They\u2019re ain\u2019t talking about civil liberties, roadblocks or settlements. After all, if they were talking about \u201crights\u201d, it would end with \u201c\u2026Palestinians will be free.\u201d Those familiar with the complexities of the conflict, such as yourselves, know this slogan to be the war cry for those who seek Israel\u2019s elimination, and it sends a chill down the backs of all those who support Israel\u2019s right to exist. Let me turn out that gaslight of yours. This slogan is not the same one supported by American rabbis calling for Justice, equality, freedom, and coexistence between the \u2018river and the sea\u2019. No, the slogan you defend in your article envisions the end of Israel, a zero-sum conclusion to this conflict where Palestinians have their right of self-determination and Jews do not. With this 1-state solution, there is no room for a peace process, negotiations or compromise, or any other identity other than \u201cPalestinian.\u201d It insinuates the ethnic cleansing of Jews from the land at the minimum and at worst, calls for Jewish holocaust. It\u2019s for this reason this slogan is promoted by extremist Palestinian groups such as Hamas<\/a> and the PFLP<\/a>. You cannot throw the wool over our eyes; the slogan isn\u2019t about human rights – it\u2019s anti-rights, it\u2019s anti-Jewish rights. But that\u2019s OK with you because AJV is an advocate of the one-state solution \u2013 an extreme position to even those Kiwi Jews who lean towards the left. See, while our community never claimed to be homogenous in its political views, your support of the slogan has invalidated you as a representational voice within our community.<\/p>\n

So let me thank you. Thank you for endorsing the slogan \u201cFrom the river to the sea, Palestine will be free\u201d. I urge you to continue defending its use by pro-Palestinian supporters. It helps to reveal that the Palestinian liberation movement isn\u2019t about peace, it\u2019s about complete ethnic domination and a complete rejection of the single Jewish state. And thank you for your article, it flashes antisemitism in big red letters to all far and near and outs your group members for who they truly are; anti-Jewish \u2018alternative\u2019 voices. Reasonable New Zealanders will continue to steer well-away from your odious group.<\/p>\n

Peace.<\/p>\n

Josh Brown<\/p>\n