John Zmirak

January 06, 2009

Reading Paul’s comments on the Gaza situation, I was moved to drop him a personal note, which in retrospect I think is worth sharing. I hope he doesn’t mind:

“The Israelis are living Europe’s future. Some right-wingers take glee in it, because so many Jews have a double-standard about Israeli harshness towards Moslems, and European or American self-defense of their nations against similar or comparable threats.  Part of me wants to say that I will advocate towards Israel the same standards Jewish neocons advocated toward Serbia in Kosovo. But that’s not at all fair to the people in Israel, most of whom had nothing to do with the hysterical anti-Serb campaign. I won’t use Israelis as a whipping boy for my anger at Americans like Alan Dershowitz. I don’t believe in collective guilt.”

“God help all the innocent civilians on either side. I hope I don’t live long enough to see this happening in Paris or Vienna.”

“I pray your friends and family over there are spared, and that a two-state solution can at least be tried—if only to test one way or another whether co-existence is possible. If it fails, then it’s time for harsher measures on Israel’s part, akin to our removal of the Apaches. God forbid it come to that.”