Jim Zogby: "Israelis did what they had to do"

by Charles Lenchner

category: Middle East

Published April 05, 2009 @ 08:20AM PT

Dr. James Zogby is a well known Arab-American opinion leader. He runs the Arab-American Institute, a non-partisan organization that promotes the inclusion of that community in US political life. I consider him to be one of the savviest Arab-Americans active today.

Haaretz sat down to interview him, and reading it felt like drinking froma tall glass of cool water. He says things clearly, pressing his cause but recognizing the weaknesses of the Arab cause at the same time. Unlike many, he points out that Israel had a pretty good case for attacking Gaza*:

"Israelis did what they had to do, it's a war, I'm not faulting them for doing that. They do propaganda well, and Arabs are horrible at propaganda, and they do it miserably. I was watching the networks, and CNN had their special analyst on, pointing to the area around Gaza and saying that Israeli people there are afraid every day because of the rocket attacks."

Isn't it true?

"It's true, there is no question that these rockets were terrorist, they were an abomination. Hamas and its leaders have done enormous damage to the Palestinians and to the Palestinian cause from the time they began back in the 90s. What kind of group trains young people to kill themselves and kill innocent kids? I've never supported them and never liked their tactics. The Palestine I knew people dreamed about was not a Palestine Hamas wants to create. The Palestine that I grew up and heard about and drew inspiration was of Mahmud Darwish, the poets and the painters, the people who loved their land and their villages, not these guys.

"I understand how angry people are because of the occupation but I think that the problem on the Arabs' side was that they believed that if their cause was just, it would be understood. And justice doesn't win. If justice won, the Indians would be running America.

This quote has so many gems....

We don't hear enough well articulated critiques of Hamas, it's tactics, strategy, or political agenda. There is a popular misconception that since Israel is the strong party and the Palestinians are weak, that all of our efforts should be on one side the scale. This is the same logic that fanatic supporters of Israel use to excuse themselves. In truth, if Hamasnik attitudes are causing harm to the Palestinian cause, would it not be quite useful to point this out and distance oneself from them?

"If justice won, the Indians would be running America." I love this. So many activists resent the use of the word peace, and instead seek to throw in the word "justice" as if peace was some kind of opposition. it's the logic of "no justice, no peace," a way of saying without being explicit that until your preferred version of justice is met, then violence is not only expected, anticipated, understandable, but it might very well be justified, glorious, and honorable. After all, if (your version of) justice is a precondition for peace, and peace is the ultimate goal, then violence in the service of justice is not only defensible, it's necessary.

(This is the mirror image of those who claim that violence directed against terrorists is always justified. After all, if the motive is to prevent terrorism, then violent acts in the service of that goal are not only defensible, they are the epitome of just action. This neglects the fact that the war on terror is often only the cover for other agendas, such as political victory, theft of resources, and terrorizing a civilian population into submission.)

Justice in the end is not a precondition for peace, even if you attach great value to it. Not because we don't want justice; rather, justice is not some objective standard thrown around by the people who are 'right' until the people who are 'wrong' are finally defeated on the field of battle or international opinion. There are many versions of justice floating around, with devoted constituences for all of them. Getting from here to there isn't a linear path in which 'what was taken by force is restored by force,' as one version of justice has it.

Zogby has a some advice:

"It's nice that Arabs think that America can say to Israel: 'Get out of the West Bank' and it happens. But it's not going to happen. I believe the Arabs have to start doing which they didn't do 20 years ago. To begin to develop an alternative path, to create a vision so compelling people that will be drawn to it. I wouldn't suggest that sheikhs - given the opinion in the region - travel to Jerusalem and say: 'Let's have peace,' but they can talk about the possible future.

It would be wrong not to notice that some folks ARE actually doing this. I've read things by Mazen Qumsiyah and Ali Abunimah that articulate a vision of the future some will find compelling. But in the main, the Palestinian political forces in Palestine have not taken this important lesson to heart.

If you want political victory, you have to tell a story that places your opposition in the winner's circle together with your side, in the end. "Come the revolution" said the young man, "we shall all leave in peace and plenty." The Hamas version is "come the revolution, we shall have Sharia law and the Jews will be defeated." That stands in stark contrast to the South African model, where the ANC gave whites hope that a multi-racial society would not only be the right thing to do, but represents a preferrable alternative.

Read the rest of the interview here.

*note: I disagree that Israel had a valid case for attacking Gaza.