UPDATE: MJ Rosenberg today apologized on his Twitter feed for his criticism of me. He’s also levelled severe criticism against Adam Holland after becoming more familiar with his actual views about me, Israel and related matters. It takes a big person and heart to do what MJ did and I appreciate it. Please read what follows in this light.
At one time, I considered myself a friend and political ally of Media Matters columnist MJ Rosenberg. But then, Norman Finkelstein was arrested by Israel after landing at Ben Gurion Airport on his way to visit a Palestinian friend who worked for B’Tselem. Israel’s claims against Finkelstein were preposterous (even later, Israel barred Noam Chomsky from entering Israel to speak at a conference). I wrote to a group of bloggers and human rights activists I knew to try to drum up opposition to his arrest.
Two of those I wrote to were exceedingly hostile to Finkelstein. One of them was MJ Rosenberg. It shocked me at the time since I thought it was a betrayal of the values I thought progressives would adopt around this issue. Many, including myself, disagree with Finkelstein’s views on some issues. But that’s not the point. The point is whether or not a democracy, whether it be the U.S. or Israel, should entertain unpopular ideas and those who espouse them. Why should a true democracy need to shield itself from ideas it doesn’t like? And if one democracy does this for one set of ideas, why shouldn’t another democracy suppress ideas your country holds dear? And pretty soon you have a world that is deaf, dumb and blind to anything but what they wish to see, hear and say.
I don’t have a problem with banning a person who has violated the criminal laws of your country, but banning someone merely for their ideas is reprehensible. We did this here to Tariq Ramadan during the Bush administration and Britain tried to do it to Sheikh Raed Salah recently in an incident that was largely provoked by anti-Muslim blogger, Michael Weiss.
Most people see Rosenberg as a progressive on the Israeli-Arab conflict. But as you can see, he has his blind spots. Similarly, he’s jumped into bed with pro-Israel blogger Adam Holland and J Street in their smear campaign against me for criticizing Jesse Jackson’s Jerusalem Post op-ed, in which he falsely accused the Palestinians of betraying the cause of non-violence in their campaign for statehood. In this tweet, he called my attack on Jackson “bizarre,” without offering a shred of evidence to support the claim. In fact, I doubt he read my post nor my post criticizing the Aipac junket which brought 81 Congressmembers to Israel, including Jesse Jackson.
Nor can Rosenberg find objectionable my views that Representatives who accept an Aipac junket are whoring and schnorring at the public trough since I’ve heard him say as much myself. So what is it that J Street and Rosenberg find objectionable? No one knows because they’re sloganeering via tweets rather than rational discourse.
In fact, I’ve dared Rosenberg to find a single idea in Jackson’s op-ed with which he agrees. Similarly, I’ve dared Rosenberg to find a single idea in Holland’s blog with which he agrees. Does MJ have a clue about who he’s jumped into bed with? I doubt it just as I doubt J Street did when they wrote that my criticism of Jackson was “crazy, disgusting and racist.” Do either of them realize that Adam Holland detests virtually everything they stand for? Do they even know what he stands for?
When it comes right down to it I love them attacking me while they defend Jesse Jackson Jr. for joining Aipac’s Israel junket. That’s a position I’ll gladly defend any day.
My sneaking suspicion is that this is somehow payback for the incredulity I expressed to Rosenberg when he so harshly attacked Norman Finkelstein. If anything, this incident has taught me who my friends are and aren’t, and it’s confirmed that those you thought of as close to you politically can drift very far from those shores over time.
Bravo, Richard. I hope you don’t censor me this time, because it is one time I fully agree with what you say. Do not let Rosenberg, or any one else, brow beat you over the issues discussed in this post.
I’m glad you’re back and glad we’re on the same side on this one. Now, please talk Deir Yassin into returning too if you can. I was sorry to lose her.
Stopping Norman Finkelstein (and Noam Chomsky) was scandalous not because it blocked supposedly dangerous ideas from coming in contact with innocent Israelis’ minds (thus potentially frustrating years of political indoctrination and hard training at keeping one’s eyes shut).
Israelis are privileged to make the (brainwashed) choice of surrendering natural democratic freedoms like the opportunity of listening to unpopular, even unpleasant ideas.
It was (and still is) preposterous because both thinkers were not intending to have anything to do with Israelis. They were on their way to speak to Palestinians living under Israeli occupation. Those Palestinians, like black South Africans at the time, are denied the basic human right of making their own choices about anything (including the right to find first hand that not all Jews are malicious oppressive racists, bent on their exploitation).
Fair enough.
My reaction.
http://jewssansfrontieres.blogspot.com/2011/08/mighty-zionist-struggle-against-racism.html
friend and enemy are political terms. Rosenberg and J street are circling the wagons. Don’t take it personally. J street goal is building a power base in Washington. That has nothing to do with justice or truth. Attacking Jackson is attacking the people who are most likely to help them become more like AIPAC. The article you attacked, supporting Oslo style peace and non-violent struggle (provided that it is done ineffectively), is closer to J-Street’s positions than AIPAC’s.
Thanks for that. I wrote a comment in the thread thanking you as well. What astonishes me is that they are so short-sighted. I was attacking Aipac’s junkets which Jackson joined. Does J St. wish to support Aipac’s junkets? Are they saying because they themselves run junkets they don’t want anyone attacking Aipac’s? Feel like I’ve fallen down the rabbit hole & left is right & right, left.
Thanks for the comment, but I think left is still left. They will politely attack AIPAC, just as Dems are always polite, and they will defend anybody they hope to gain favor with, and attack anybody who challenges anything systemic. As heir MLK, Jackson, like Obama, are the left signpost in Washington. You are not allowed to attack Jackson from the left. It’s very simple. You had your sister souljah moment.
Richard,
You have my full respect for this post!! Really brave! This is you at your finest!
I hope one day you realize that sooner or later even Liberal Zionists sacrifice the “Liberal” to the other.
I wish you would recognize that even when you disagree w. someone you can do so civilly esp. when you acknowledge there are many thing with which you agree w. me. Try it next time. This will not change my views about Zionism. It will merely change my views about individuals who espouse their version of Zionist ideas.
MK Ahmad Tibi writes in Salon today: “Congressional tourists avoid apartheid in Israel.’ Tibi singles out Rep. Jackson and the other 5 members of Black Caucus:
“They’ve never expressed any alarm regarding Jewish settlers subjugating Palestinians, and I don’t expect them to start now. But I do expect Jackson and the other members of the caucus (other than Rep. Allen West, advocate of torturing Arabs) to reject colonization and racial discrimination. Their complacency in the face of modern-day colonization and their adoption of hard-line AIPAC positions stand in stark contrast to the beliefs of many Americans I have met who believe wholeheartedly that it is wrong for Israel to discriminate against Palestinians.”
http://www.salon.com/news/israel/index.html?story=/news/feature/2011/08/26/congress_members_visit_israel
MJ has since changed his mind and apologized to you via Twitter.
Not sure if you’ve seen his recent tweets, but he wrote:
“Apologies to Richard Silverstein re this. I was sloppy. He’s right.”
And also:
“Richard Silverstein is right about Jesse Jackson, Jr. junket to #Israel.”
Thanks for letting me know about this. I was wrong about MJ & will apologize to him for raking him over the coals so severely. It takes a big heart to admit you did or said something wrong.
RE:”My sneaking suspicion is that this is somehow payback for the incredulity I expressed to Rosenberg when he so harshly attacked Norman Finkelstein.” – R.S.
MY COMMENT: It is possible that M.J. Rosenberg saw the tweet from J Street and made the mistake of “taking it at face value”. That’s why I half-jokingly call Twitter ‘the devil’s workshop’. It is just too hot of a medium (to borrow from McLuhan).
“”banning someone merely for their ideas is reprehensible””
Aren’t you a hypocrite ? you banned so many people here for having a different opinion then yours.
Gee. even i am being moderated for having a different opinion, which i always stated very politely.
Sorry, bud. Not for having diff. ideas. There are probably 25,000 comments published here since 2003 which have diff. opinions than mine. But they follow the comment rules. If you don’t you’re either moderated or banned. And of course, people are warned as well before being banned. I also offer to explain the rules if necessary & sometimes even offer someone a way to be removed fr. moderation or banning. In a number of cases I have removed someone from moderation or banning upon request.
You’re hardly ever stated yr opinions politely & are being moderated for the specific reasons I enumerated when I told you I was moderating you.
But as usual you are off topic since I was talking about Norman Finkelstein being imprisoned for his ideas. As far as I know you haven’t been imprisoned by me or anyone else merely for yr ideas.
I am so glad that two of the people who I respect so much worked things out. You may not agree on every thing but each of you bring so much to the table.
Haim Dov
Thanks Haim Dov. These things can be difficult to negotiate sometimes. But I hope those like MJ and myself, aside from J Street of course, who know they’re on the same side should remember that always.