University of Virginia Library

Symbol Of Obsession

In the deplorable history of
antisemitism Jews have always
been used as symbols of others'
obsessions. Jews were long a
symbol of the Anti-Christ for
Christians, a symbol of cupidity
and cunning for the bourgeoisie, of
dangerous cosmopolitanism for
nineteenth century nationalists, of
capitalism for certain nineteenth
century leftists, and in the
twentieth century Jews have been
despised as communists.

And, with a kind of
pro-Semitism that is actually
anti-Semitic, certain modern
fanatical Christians have appointed
the Jews of Israel as winning pawns
in God's cosmic chess game - a
rather dangerous game for the
Israelis.

After having attended a
Palestine Week workshop on
Wednesday, I wonder whether the
friends of Palestine are not also
using the Israelis as a symbol of
their own nationalist obsessions,
obsessions which have been
expressed for centuries in the form
of holy wars.

The Palestinian refugees,
expatriated from Israel and not
accepted by Arab governments are
in an almost hopeless dilemma but
their solution is unacceptable and
seems destructive of their own
aims, since armed struggle will
result, if not in their defeat, at least
in undermining the sense of human
dignity they struggle to achieve.

They would better serve their
aims, which they say include the
union of Arab peoples and
liberation from oppressive
governments, by persuading and
educating other Arabs to the
principles of humanitarianism and
religious tolerance they claim, and
then negotiating with Israel.

It is ironic that the friends of
Palestine find the "racist" state
Israel totally unacceptable, since
the nationalistic union of Arabs
they project would also he "racist"
in its basically homogeneous
character. The Palestinians desire
the right of self-determination, but
they deny Israelis this right.