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Palestine an Obsession of Radical West, Not Arabs

(The Australian) Brendan O'Neill - In Cairo's Tahrir Square there were no signs saying "death to Israel, America and global imperialism" or "together to free Palestine." Yet in the pro-Egypt demonstration in London on Saturday there was a sea of "Free Palestine" placards. In recent years the Palestine issue has moved from the realm of Arab radicalism to become almost the exclusive property of Western radicals. The power and allure of Palestine in Western radical circles is extraordinary. Palestine is the only issue they get excited about. But their pro-Palestine fervor is not driven by future-oriented demands for economic development in a Palestinian homeland in the West Bank or Gaza. Instead it is driven by a view of Palestinians as the ultimate victims who need kindly, wizened Westerners to protect them from Big Bad Israel. There is a profound narcissism in the pity-for-Palestinian movement. When American activist Rachel Corrie was killed by an Israeli bulldozer in Gaza in 2003, it gave rise to a play called "My Name Is Rachel Corrie." The killing of British peace activist Tom Hurndall in Gaza in 2004 led to a film called "The Shooting of Thomas Hurndall." This is clearly all about Us - the good and pure Westerners who went to find themselves in Palestine - rather than about Them, the actual Palestinians.
2011-02-17 00:00:00
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